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In discussing soccer facilities, one need go no further than the National Championship games at the Hoover Met just last year. If Hoover can, is the turf at Legion Field the reason for it not being considered? If so, perhaps Regions Field in the future with some added seating perhaps?

(10-29-2013 02:29 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  

(10-29-2013 01:51 PM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  

(10-29-2013 11:12 AM)Uncle BLAZER Wrote:  Boom! 30000 seat soccer stadium.

All joking aside, if you're going spend that money,it's not a bad idea to make a multi use facility that would serve many needs. If using a football stadium only 5-6 times a Yr is truly an issue, that would be one way to squash it.

The article I linked about the Marshall complex mentions that it will also be used by the region's soccer community. A nice stadium complex at UAB could be used year round by area high schools and soccer clubs. The turf fields at Sicard Hollow are very nice but they are not meant to hold larger event games. There isn't one stadium-type soccer field in the entire greater Birmingham area. With the right stadium I could see UAB making a strong pitch to host at least the 6A soccer Final Four. There is also the potential to bring in USL or NASL pro soccer.

Men's soccer is the one sport that we do not directly compete with other in-state schools. For that reason it has a better chance of getting some upgrades approved. The $8 million price tag is pretty rich but that is for a completely new facility. I think we could do a nice upgrade to WCF with concessions, bathrooms, and locker rooms for a good bit less.

Top of the list has to be football facilities but I wouldn't put soccer upgrades very far down.

Have you seen what Huntsville hosts the Final Four at? John Hunt has nice fields, but the seating is pretty simple. Does Birmingham not have anything comparable to this? If so, that is sad.

I'd have to say the nicest soccer facility in the state is in Decatur now. They did an outstanding job on that complex, and it has a championship field, I'm just not sure how many it seats.

The stadium field in Decatur is the best place to watch a game in Alabama, imo. UAB played Lipscomb in an exhibition there a few years ago and the view of the game was excellent. I've been to just about all of the medium sized and larger complexes in the state. John Hunt is nice and so is the new Folmar complex in Montgomery. Sadly, Birmingham has nothing comparable to the soccer specific stadiums in Decatur, Huntsville, or Montgomery. That's why I say there is an opportunity there for UAB to establish itself as the hub of soccer in this state with the right facility.

I agree with you 100%. I've been out of the Birmingham area for about 5 years now. I still play soccer in Huntsville, so I'm real familiar with the facilities around here. I can't believe Birmingham hasn't done anything with all the land and money in the metro area.

(10-29-2013 04:53 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  I agree with you 100%. I've been out of the Birmingham area for about 5 years now. I still play soccer in Huntsville, so I'm real familiar with the facilities around here. I can't believe Birmingham hasn't done anything with all the land and money in the metro area.

Becuase they are stuck on football and stupid as far as moving forward in Birmingham. The current admin and even some people are stuck in the "everyone is against us" mentallity. Bell is a snake oil sales men as far as I'm concerned and the board won't work with him and visa versa or so it always appears.
Sorry, sore spot.

(10-29-2013 04:53 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  I agree with you 100%. I've been out of the Birmingham area for about 5 years now. I still play soccer in Huntsville, so I'm real familiar with the facilities around here. I can't believe Birmingham hasn't done anything with all the land and money in the metro area.

B'ham is $EC country & until they change focus to futbol from football, you won't see much change unless UAB does it itself. I would like to see the soccer field made more of a stadium that can be used to entice maybe some men's/women's World Cup type events along w/ college games.

(10-29-2013 05:56 PM)rook360 Wrote:  

(10-29-2013 04:53 PM)blazers9911 Wrote:  I agree with you 100%. I've been out of the Birmingham area for about 5 years now. I still play soccer in Huntsville, so I'm real familiar with the facilities around here. I can't believe Birmingham hasn't done anything with all the land and money in the metro area.

Becuase they are stuck on football and stupid as far as moving forward in Birmingham. The current admin and even some people are stuck in the "everyone is against us" mentallity. Bell is a snake oil sales men as far as I'm concerned and the board won't work with him and visa versa or so it always appears.
Sorry, sore spot.

Yet, Bell continues to kiss their collective a**es (defending "Simon Bar Sinister (bryant)" on radio for sabotaging OCS proposal, claimed to know who was responsible but wouldn't say who, continues to allow SEC to rent an entire HQ building for $1 a year, signed off on used scoreboard purchase from "Updyke-Denny" for "Lesion" Field). Far as moving forward and the sport of football is concerned, Birmingham has all of a sudden, become completely and conveniently clueless...It's alright, it's a "sore spot" with me, too! Far as the opportunity to move into the 21st Century with the sport of Soccer, you can thank Bernard "Kincheese" for that blunder.