Al F. Caniglia Field
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Al F. Caniglia Field is a stadium located on the campus of the
University of Nebraska at Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public university, public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary (Omaha, Nebraska), Omaha Presbyterian Theological ...
in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
. Beginning on October 26, 2013, it became home of the Omaha Mavericks men's and women's soccer teams. It was the former home of the Omaha Maverick football team from 1949-2011. Caniglia Field seats 3,097 fans and features 1,390 chairback seats and VIP boxes. The field features a 21-foot by 42-foot LED video board and scoreboard. The Omaha soccer pitch, installed by Hellas Construction, is the only NCAA Division I field to receive the prestigious
FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
Recommended 2-Star certification. The state-of-the-art soccer-specific turf features a lower grain that allows the ball to move faster and an infill of ground coconut husks and cork to keep the on-field temperature lower.


History

The stadium was the former home of the
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Division II UNO Mavericks
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and track teams. The UNO football team moved from Saratoga Field to Caniglia Field in 1949. The first game was played at the new field on October 1, 1949, against
Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois, with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by ...
. When Caniglia hosted football games, the stadium could accommodate 9,500 fans. When Omaha discontinued it's football program in 2011, Caniglia Field was renovated to become the home of the Maverick men's and women's soccer programs. The main seating structure on the west side of the field remained in place and was updated, while the east side of the field became berm seating. The track was removed to widen the pitch, and the former artificial turf was replaced by a new sate-of-the-art soccer specific turf. Concessions and old locker room buildings were also torn down. Caniglia Field reopened on October 16, 2013 when the Omaha men's soccer team faced
Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, who was one of the first to propagate Prosperity theology, Prosperity Gospel Theo ...
. The stadium is named in honor of former football head coach, Al Caniglia. Caniglia was the Maverick head coach from 1960-1973. He was the fourth winningest coach in Omaha history with a record of 74-55-5.


Events

The stadium hosted the 1990 NAIA Division II football national championship game between Peru State and Westminster College. The Peru State Bobcats won it's first national title, defeating Westminster 17-7. It also was the site of the semifinal game between Peru State and
Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...
. Caniglia Field was home to several
NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...
football playoff games involving the
Omaha Mavericks football Omaha ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 41st-most-populous city, Omaha had a popul ...
team. It hosted a first round game in 1996, second round games in 2000, 2005, 2006, and 2007, and a quarterfinal in 1984 and 2000. In 2017, the stadium hosted the
Summit League The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...
Men's Soccer Championship. The Omaha Mavericks won it's first Summit League Tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in men's soccer program history. Then, in 2022, Caniglia Field was the site of the women's
Summit League The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States, from Minnesota in the east, to the Dakotas, Nebraska and Colorado to the West, and Mis ...
Championship, where the Omaha women won their first Summit title. Caniglia Field has also hosted USL League 1 team,
Union Omaha Union Omaha Soccer Club is an American professional association football, soccer team based in Omaha, Nebraska. Nicknamed the Owls, the team made its debut in USL League One (USL1) in 2020. In the clubs first five seasons, the Owls finished in ...
on several occasions. On May 8, 2024 Union Omaha played
Sporting Kansas City Sporting Kansas City is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The ad ...
in a
US Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
round of 32 match. It was the first time an MLS club played a competitive game in Nebraska. Sporting KC defeated Union Omaha 2-1 in front of a packed crowd of 4,733. In 2025, the stadium became the home of Linoma FC, an amateur soccer team, for their first year as a member of the
Midwest Premier League The Midwest Premier League (MWPL) is an American amateur and semi-professional soccer league. The league spans primarily the eastern and central portions of the Midwestern United States. History The league was founded by four clubs which were ...
.


References

{{University of Nebraska Omaha College football venues in Nebraska College soccer venues in the United States Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks football Omaha Mavericks soccer Sports venues in Omaha, Nebraska Soccer venues in Nebraska 1949 establishments in Nebraska Sports venues completed in 1949 Defunct college football venues College track and field venues in the United States