Memorial Stadium (Waycross)

{{Infobox stadium , stadium_name =Memorial Stadium , nickname= "The Swamp" , image = Memorial Stadium, Waycross (SE face).JPG , image_size = 250px , location =

Waycross, Georgia Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 14,725 at the 2010 Census and dropped to 13,942 in the 2020 census. Waycross includes two historic districts (Downtown ...

, broke_ground = , opened =1949 , owner=

Ware County, Georgia Ware County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,312. The county seat and only incorporated place is Waycross. Ware County is part of the Waycross, Georgia Mi ...

, operator= , surface= Natural Grass , construction_cost= $300,000 , architect= , former_names = , tenants = Ware Co. Gators
Waycross Bulldogs (1949–1993)

Waycross Bears Waycross may refer to: *Waycross, Georgia *Waycross College (1973-2013), former two-year public college *Waycross, Indiana Waycross is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Brown County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The community i ...

(1950–1955)

Waycross Braves The Waycross Braves were a minor league baseball team located in Waycross, Georgia, United States. An affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves, they played in the Georgia–Florida League The Georgia–Florida League was a minor baseball league that ...

(1956–1958, 1963) , seating_capacity= 12,000 Memorial Stadium is a 12,000-capacity county-owned stadium located in

, the largest city in and

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Ware County Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada *Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom *Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire *Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County, Al ...

in the southern part of the state. Noted for its J-shaped main stand, Memorial Stadium was originally intended as a multi-use venue that would be home to both

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

in Ware County. During the 1950s and 1960s the stadium played host to a duo of

Georgia–Florida League The Georgia–Florida League was a minor baseball league that existed from 1935 through 1958 (suspending operations during World War II) and in 1962–1963. It was one of many Class D circuits that played in the Southeastern United States during ...

teams, the Bears and the Braves in addition to hosting high school football in the autumn. In 2002 the stadium was renovated and became a venue exclusively for sports played on rectangular fields (chiefly football, though

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 ...

is also played at the venue occasionally) with the addition of a new stand running along the northern sideline. Defunct baseball venues in the United States High school football venues in the United States Soccer venues in Georgia (U.S. state) Sports venues in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Ware County, Georgia American football venues in Georgia (U.S. state) Waycross, Georgia micropolitan area