The University of Charleston Stadium at Laidley Field is an 18,500-capacity

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

located in downtown

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 48,018 in 2021. The Charlesto ...

, near the

West Virginia State Capitol The West Virginia State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of West Virginia, and houses the West Virginia Legislature and the office of the Governor of West Virginia. Located in Charleston, West Virginia, the building was ded ...

complex. It features a FieldTurf playing field for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

and facilities for

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

competitions. The turf field is no longer suitable for soccer and lacrosse due to alterations to the track facilities. The University of Charleston Stadium is the home of the American football team of the

Charleston Golden Eagles The Charleston Golden Eagles, known previously as the Harvey Mudd Golden Eagles, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Charleston, located in Charleston, West Virginia, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Golden Ea ...

. It was finished in 1979, as a complete rebuild of a previous facility. It is owned by

Kanawha County Schools Kanawha County Schools is the operating school district within Kanawha County, West Virginia. It is governed by the Kanawha County Board of Education. Board of education The School Board is made up of five members, each elected to a four-year ter ...

. In 2003, because the school board lacked funds to maintain the stadium, it entered into a joint venture with the private

University of Charleston The University of Charleston (UC) is a private non-profit university with its main campus in Charleston, West Virginia. The university also has a location in Beckley, West Virginia, known as UC-Beckley. History The school was founded in 1888 as ...

. UC invested over $1.5 million to replace the turf, add locker rooms and a skybox, and make other improvements in exchange for access and naming rights. Originally the home field of Capital High School football after the consolidation Stonewall High School and Charleston High School. Multiple

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

and community teams also play at the location. It hosts the state high school track and field championships. The field has also played host to multiple high school playoff games as well as being host to the State Championships before their move to Wheeling in the 90's. It also hosts the

Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival The Gazette-Mail Kanawha County Majorette and Band Festival (formerly Daily Mail) is an annual festival dedicated to the public high school marching bands and majorette corps in Kanawha County, West Virginia. It is the longest running music festiva ...

, an annual marching band festival held at the end of September. Record attendance for this stadium was set at a local high school contest, Charleston High School vs. Stonewall Jackson High School in the latter part of the 1980s, later to be locally called "The Game" of the century. Record attendance was set at over 21,000. Later, when Capital High and Riverside High met when both were undefeated and ranked 1 and 2 in the state, there again were over 20,000 in attendance.

References

{{Coord, 38.344048, -81.615158, type:landmark, display=title American football venues in West Virginia Soccer venues in West Virginia Sports venues in West Virginia College football venues Buildings and structures in Charleston, West Virginia Tourist attractions in Kanawha County, West Virginia Sports venues completed in 1979 1979 establishments in West Virginia