Bill Armstrong Stadium is a 6,500-capacity
soccer-specific stadium
Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-pu ...
and
velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate Track tran ...
located in
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Indiana, Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the List of municipalities in Indiana, seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside ...
. The stadium is home to the
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in NCAA Division I, Division I of the Nationa ...
men's and women's
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
teams. It also hosted the
NCAA Men's Soccer Championship in 1988, and is home to the annual
Little 500
The Little 500 (also known popularly as the "Little Five"), is a track cycling race held annually during the third weekend of April at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is attended by more th ...
cycling race, which was featured in the 1979
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
-winning movie ''
Breaking Away
''Breaking Away''
is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sc ...
''.
History
Construction on the stadium finished in 1981, with the 30th Running of the Little 500 being held on April 25 and the inaugural soccer game on September 13 of the same year. A $2.5 million renovation took place in 2001, bringing a new grass surface, scoreboard and grandstand. The 5,000-seat main stand includes a press facility with room for 50 members of the media. A later phase of the renovation included a 1,500-seat secondary stand on the north side of the field, bringing the stadium to its current capacity of 6,500.
On December 7, 2018, Indiana University Board of Trustees approved the proposed design to renovate portions of Armstrong stadium. The approved proposal will see the existing north grandstand demolished and replaced with a new bi-level structure. The structure will provide new locker rooms for both the men's and women's teams, a lobby, a team room, a warmup area, coaches' offices and bicycle support space. During construction, temporary seating will be constructed on the west end of the stadium; however, final seating capacity has not yet been announced.
Features
South Grandstand Facility
Opened in 1981, the 5,000-seat, poured-in-place grandstand includes the nation's most complete soccer press facility, including seating for 50 members of the media, restrooms and a food service area. Directly behind the press box is a customer services building with concessions and restrooms
North Grandstand Facility
The existing grandstand facility, which opened in 1983 was demolished and is being replaced by a two-story structure. The facility will have locker rooms, a lobby, a team room, a warm up room, coaches offices, bicycle support space, conference rooms and public restrooms.
Jerry Yeagley Field
A new drainage system was installed three inches below the field's surface. Then there is a two-inch sandcap with a one-percent graded slope. The field is sprigged with Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass. The field was renamed in honor of six-time national champion coach
Jerry Yeagley
Jerry Yeagley (born January 10, 1940 in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Lebanon, Pennsylvania) is a former soccer player and coach. He was the coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men's soccer team from 1973 to 2003. His teams won six NCAA Men's Soccer Championsh ...
following his retirement in 2004. Therefore, the official name of the complex is Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium, although it is still widely known as simply Armstrong Stadium.
Naming
This stadium is named for William S. Armstrong, Sr. who was the president of the Indiana University Foundation for many years. He was both an avid supporter of the
athletic program at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
and very involved with the
Little 500
The Little 500 (also known popularly as the "Little Five"), is a track cycling race held annually during the third weekend of April at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is attended by more th ...
and its activities each year. He can be seen in the movie ''
Breaking Away
''Breaking Away''
is a 1979 American coming of age comedy-drama film produced and directed by Peter Yates and written by Steve Tesich. It follows a group of four male teenagers in Bloomington, Indiana, who have recently graduated from high sc ...
'' as the official starter of the race, saying, "Gentlemen, mount your Roadmaster bicycles."
References
External links
Indiana University - Facilities
{{IUB
Soccer venues in Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers soccer
Sports venues completed in 1981
1981 establishments in Indiana
Velodromes in the United States