Salem Football Stadium
Encyclopedia
Salem Stadium is a stadium
in Salem, Virginia
, USA. It is primarily used for American football
and hosts the home football games of the Salem High School
Spartans. It was built in 1985 and seats 7,157 people. The stadium is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex (named after a former mayor of Salem), which also includes the Salem Civic Center
and the Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium
.
Salem Stadium has hosted the NCAA Division III national football championship
game, known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg
Bowl since 1993. In 2007, the natural grass playing surface was replaced by FieldTurf
in part to ensure that the Stagg Bowl continues to be played in Salem. The field was named the Willis White Field in honor of the former head football coach at Salem High School. Salem Stadium also currently hosts the Virginia High School League
football state championships in Group A and the Southwestern Virginia Educational Classic, an annual contest between two football teams from historically black colleges and universities.
Salem Stadium was intended to be the home field of the minor league football Virginia Swarm (then known as the Virginia Senators) of the United National Gridiron League
for the 2009 season with the first game scheduled for May 17. However, on April 28, Salem was informed by league officials the UNGL was suspending operations for the 2009 season.
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
in Salem, Virginia
Salem, Virginia
Salem is an independent city in Virginia, USA, bordered by the city of Roanoke to the east but otherwise adjacent to Roanoke County. It is part of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 24,802 according to 2010 U.S. Census...
, USA. It is primarily used for American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and hosts the home football games of the Salem High School
Salem High School (Salem, Virginia)
Salem High School is a public high school in Salem, Virginia. It is the sole high school for the .-History:Salem High School was opened for the 1977-1978 school year by . The student bodies of Andrew Lewis High School in Salem and Glenvar High School in western Roanoke County were consolidated...
Spartans. It was built in 1985 and seats 7,157 people. The stadium is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex (named after a former mayor of Salem), which also includes the Salem Civic Center
Salem Civic Center
The Salem Civic Center is a 6,820-seat multi-purpose arena in Salem, Virginia. It was built in 1967 and is part of the James E. Taliaferro Sports and Entertainment Complex , which also includes the Salem Football Stadium and the Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium...
and the Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium
Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium
Lewis-Gale Field at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium is a minor league baseball park located in Salem, Virginia, and is part of the James E. Taliferro Sports and Entertainment Complex along with the Salem Civic Center and Salem Football Stadium, approximately southeast of downtown...
.
Salem Stadium has hosted the NCAA Division III national football championship
NCAA Division III national football championship
The NCAA Division III National Football Championship began in 1973. Before 1973, most of the schools now in Division III competed in the NCAA's former "College Division"....
game, known as the Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg was an American athlete and pioneering college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football...
Bowl since 1993. In 2007, the natural grass playing surface was replaced by FieldTurf
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...
in part to ensure that the Stagg Bowl continues to be played in Salem. The field was named the Willis White Field in honor of the former head football coach at Salem High School. Salem Stadium also currently hosts the Virginia High School League
Virginia High School League
The Virginia High School League is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public high schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Unlike similar organizations in many other states, private or religious schools are prohibited from joining. Non-public schools belong to other organizations,...
football state championships in Group A and the Southwestern Virginia Educational Classic, an annual contest between two football teams from historically black colleges and universities.
Salem Stadium was intended to be the home field of the minor league football Virginia Swarm (then known as the Virginia Senators) of the United National Gridiron League
United National Gridiron League
The United National Gridiron League was a proposed minor professional football league. The league was formed in August 2007 and was originally called the United National Football League.The league's inaugural draft took place January 8–9, 2009...
for the 2009 season with the first game scheduled for May 17. However, on April 28, Salem was informed by league officials the UNGL was suspending operations for the 2009 season.