Fifth Third Stadium
 | |
| Location | 3200 George Busbee Parkway, Marietta, Georgia 30144 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kennesaw State University Foundation |
| Operator | Atlanta Beat |
| Capacity | 8,318 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | May 2, 2010 |
| Construction cost | $16.5 million |
| Architect | Rossetti Architects |
| Tenants | |
| Kennesaw State Owls women's soccer team and Atlanta Beat (WPS) | |
Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium near Kennesaw, Georgia that opened on May 2, 2010, with the first match played on May 9. It is primarily used for soccer, and is the result of a public-private partnership between the university and the Atlanta Beat of Women's Professional Soccer. The facility hosts both the KSU women's soccer team and the Beat, and also hosted the 2010 WPS All-Star Game on June 30.[1]
The stadium's capacity for soccer is 8,318. It has a stage at one end to facilitate concerts, and can hold up to 16,316 for that purpose. The facility is owned by the KSU Foundation and operated by the Beat, with the Beat responsible for all booking.[1]
When the stadium was announced, it was claimed to be the first major stadium in the world dedicated to women's soccer. Although the stadium is owned by KSU, it is not built on university land, allowing alcohol to be sold during Beat home games and concerts.
The bowl-shaped stadium –– built on 21 acres (85,000 m2) of land east of the Chastain Road exit off of Interstate 75, about a mile from Kennesaw State’s main campus –– is the latest addition to the KSU Sports & Recreation Park, which opened in fall 2009 to expand the university’s facilities for intramural and club sports. The stadium will help showcase varsity athletics at KSU, which completed its transition into NCAA Division I last year.
The 6.5 acres (26,000 m2) on which the stadium sits is part of 88 acres (360,000 m2) acquired for the university by the KSU Foundation in 2008 and 2009, which now are being developed into athletics facilities for the university’s growing student population. Over the next few months, the remaining area around the new stadium will be developed into soccer fields, an intramural field, a track and nearly 5,000 feet (1,500 m) of nature and hiking trails.
In September 2010, KSU announced that it planned to launch a football program at the Division I FCS level in 2014, and would use the stadium as its home field.[2]
Notes and references
- ^ a b Ellis, Ralph (2010-04-15). "KSU hopes to raise profile with new soccer stadium". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Sugiura, Ken (September 15, 2010). "Kennesaw State plans to field 2014 football team". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 26, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
External links
- New Soccer Stadium
- Stadium information from Atlanta Beat
- KSU advertisement for official grand opening on May 2, 2010
34°01′44″N 84°34′03″W / 34.028967°N 84.567626°W
 | This article about a sports venue in the state of Georgia is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |