Goodman Stadium is
Lehigh University
Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...
's 16,000-seat
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 completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...
located on its Goodman Campus in
Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania. It opened in 1988, replacing
Taylor Stadium, which stood in the main academic campus from 1914 until 1987. The former Taylor Stadium site now holds the Rauch Business Center, the
Zoellner Arts Center, and a parking garage.
The Murray H. Goodman Stadium is named after real estate developer
Murray H. Goodman, a Lehigh alumnus, who donated 550 acres in Saucon Valley in 1983 to build a sports complex.
The stadium is the home of the
Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team, who compete in the
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference comprising primarily leading Private university, private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United ...
at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (or FCS) level, formerly known as I-AA. Located in a rural valley surrounded by wooded hills, its ample nearby parking makes tailgating before games very popular. Concession stands protected from the weather and large indoor restrooms are provided on both sides of the stadium. It also features a two-tiered press box/skybox overlooking the west grandstand, limited chair back seating and locker rooms for home and visiting teams. Prior to the 2019 football season, a new press box was constructed behind the east grandstand and the previous media facility was converted into additional suites.
The Goodman Campus was the preseason training camp location for the
NFL's
Philadelphia Eagles from 1996 to 2012. Eagles' training camps often draw as many as 10,000 fans, ranking at the top of NFL training camp attendance. The Eagles' twice-daily practices were held from mid-July to mid-August.
Starting in 2016, Goodman Stadium hosts the home matches of
Bethlehem Steel FC, the official affiliate of
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
's
Philadelphia Union. Lack of lights resulted in the Steel moving its home matches to
Talen Energy Stadium after the 2018 season. It hosted one
United States men's national soccer team match, a 0–1 loss to
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
on October 23, 1993.
In 2024, Goodman Stadium hosted the 160th playing of the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry.
The rivalry is college football's most-played series. Lehigh won the game 38–13, with Lehigh fans tearing down the goal posts and marching it over South Mountain to throw in the Lehigh river.
Gallery
File:Marching 97, Lehigh University, Goodman Stadium - 2019.jpg, Marching 97 performing at the stadium in 2019 with the John J. Harmon '59 Sky Box in the background
File:Goodman Stadium, Lehigh University - looking north.jpg, Northern end of the stadium and the scoreboard
File:Goodman Stadium, Lehigh University - entrance gates.jpg, Entrance gates to the stadium
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
Notes
References
External links
Goodman Stadium
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Sports venues completed in 1988
College football venues in Pennsylvania
Lehigh Mountain Hawks football
Lehigh University buildings and structures
1988 establishments in Pennsylvania
Soccer venues in Pennsylvania
USL Championship stadiums