E. Claiborne Robins Stadium

E. Claiborne Robins Stadium is an 8,217-seat multi-purpose stadium at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia.[6] It is home to the Richmond Spiders football, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, women's soccer, and women's track and field teams. The men's soccer team played there until 2012, when the university discontinued the program.[7]

E. Claiborne Robins Stadium
Former namesFirst Market Stadium; Soccer/Track Complex
Location238 Boatwright Drive
Richmond, Virginia 23173 USA
OwnerUniversity of Richmond
OperatorUniversity of Richmond
Capacity8,217 (2017–present)
8,700 (2010–2016)
SurfaceFieldTurf
Construction
Broke groundOctober 25, 2008[1]
OpenedSeptember 18, 2010
Construction cost$28 million[2]
ArchitectBCWH Architects
McMillan, Pazdan, Smith
Structural engineerDunbar Milby Williams Pittman & Vaughan[3]
Services engineerThompson Consulting Engineers[4]
General contractorHourigan Construction[5]
Tenants
Richmond Spiders
(football, soccer, lacrosse, track & field)

History

Known for many years as the Soccer/Track Complex, the original 2,000-seat facility was renamed First Market Stadium in 2001 following a sponsorship from First Market Bank (now Atlantic Union Bank).[8]

In 2002, the stadium's track was completely rebuilt.[9] In 2003, it was named the Fred Hardy Track in honor of the longtime Spiders coach.[10] The playing surface was changed from natural grass to FieldTurf, an artificial turf, in 2004.[11]

Due to the age and off-campus location of City Stadium, where the Richmond Spiders football team played its home games, demand grew for an on-campus football facility.

The university and donors committed more than $25 million to a renovation of First Market Stadium, including a $5 million grant from the Robins Foundation in early 2008.[12][13]

Renovations on the stadium began on December 20, 2008, coincidentally the day after the Spiders football team won the 2008 NCAA Division I Football Championship – the school's first national title in any sport.[14]

On September 16, 2009, the stadium was renamed E. Claiborne Robins Stadium to honor the legacy of E. Claiborne Robins Sr and his historic philanthropy to the school.[13]

The football team began play at Robins Stadium in the 2010 season, they won their first game 27-21 in overtime over Elon University.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Homecoming Weekend". The Alumni Magazine. 2008.
  2. "University of Richmond Alumni Magazine – Winter 2010: Around the Lake: Construction stays on track".
  3. "UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Robins Football Stadium" (PDF). University of Richmond.
  4. "LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)". Thompson Consulting Engineers.
  5. "Awards". Hourigan Construction.
  6. "Robins Stadium" (Press release). Richmond Spiders. February 9, 2015.
  7. Woody, Paul (November 3, 2012). "As Richmond soccer ends, players face difficult choices". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  8. O'Connor, John (September 17, 2009). "UR's on-campus stadium will carry Robins' name". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  9. "Track Renovations Complete". Richmond Spiders (Press release). September 24, 2002.
  10. "Robins Stadium". Richmond Spiders.
  11. "New FieldTurf In First Market Stadium Unveiled". Richmond Spiders. August 13, 2004.
  12. "Robins Foundation awards $8 million to University of Richmond for on-campus stadium and Westhampton Center". University of Richmond (Press release). January 3, 2008.
  13. "Congratulations Class Of 2009!". Richmond Spiders (Press release). May 10, 2009.
  14. "A New Day". University of Richmond. August 2, 2010.
  15. "E. Claiborne Robins Stadium – Richmond Spiders". Stadium Journey.

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