Hodges Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the

University of North Florida The University of North Florida (UNF) is a public research university in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Sc ...

(UNF), and the home field for the

North Florida Ospreys The North Florida Ospreys are the athletic teams of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. The Ospreys compete in the ASUN Conference in NCAA Division I. UNF became a full-fledged member of Division I in 2009; previously, the Osp ...

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 ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, and cross country teams. It is located on the university's campus in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

, U.S. It is named for George and Kernan Hodges, who donated $2 million to upgrade the facility in 2006. The 12,000-capacity stadium opened in 2004 with s capacity of 9,400 and underwent renovations in 2006 and 2008 that installed additional seating, a

press box The press box is a special section of a sports stadium or arena that is set up for the media to report about a given event. It is typically located in the section of the stadium holding the luxury box and can be either enclosed or open to the e ...

, and a 9-lane

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

quality

running track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...

. The facility additionally includes classrooms, offices, and the Browning Athletic Training and Education Center. Following the completion of the current track, it became one of seven facilities in the U.S. certified by the

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body fo ...

(IAAF), allowing it to host all NCAA and IAAF events within its grounds. In addition to its use by UNF the stadium has become a center for

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

football, serving as home field for the Jacksonville Axemen of the

USA Rugby League The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States. The organization also runs the national amateur competition for club teams in the US. The league consists of six te ...

(USARL), and hosting several international matches and

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

History

The University of North Florida's field was first opened in 2004 in order to serve the

men's and women's

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

, and

teams. In 2006 Jacksonville philanthropists George and Kernan Hodges issued a $2 million donation to UNF to improve the facility. The donation funded the construction of seats for 10,000, an eight-lane 400-meter track, a

, lighting, and classrooms and offices. The nameless field was renamed Hodges Stadium after them. Other additions included the Browning Athletic Training and Education Center and a strength and conditioning center. In 2008 the stadium underwent another renovation to install a new state-of-the art

. The university spent another $3 million to complete the 9-lane

-quality track. It was designed by the Italian company Mondo and was the third facility in the world to feature the company's Mondotrack SX rubber surface. It was built to meet

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) and

(IAAF) standards, and is one of only seven facilities in the U.S. to be certified by the IAAF.

Notable events

The stadium has held several international rugby league football matches and has hosted

training camps A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events, ...

for international teams. Academy Award-winning actor

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

visited UNF to organize for a club rugby league match to be played at Hodges Stadium. Crowe's

South Sydney Rabbitohs The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a professional Australian rugby league club based in Redfern, a suburb of inner-southern Sydney, New South Wales. They participate in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and are one of nine existing tea ...

played against the Leeds Rhinos on January 26, 2008, with 12,500 people in attendance. In 2009, the Leeds Rhinos returned to UNF to play the

Salford City Reds The Salford Red Devils are a professional rugby league club in Salford, Greater Manchester, England, who play in the Super League. Formed in 1873, they have won six Championships and one Challenge Cup. Their home ground since 2012 has been the ...

in an exhibition game. *February 2005 - Practice for the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

before

Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League ...

. *April 2009 - UNF Rugby Football Club hosted their annual Alumni Game for the first time in the stadium. *2009

Atlantic Sun Conference The ASUN Conference, formerly the Atlantic Sun Conference, is a collegiate athletic conference operating mostly in the Southeastern United States. The league participates at the NCAA Division I level, and began sponsoring football at the Div ...

Track and Field Championships *December 19, 2009 - North America Bowl between Jacksonville Knights and Team Canada a traveling all-star team. *July 23–26, 2015 - Hosted the

USATF USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 an ...

Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships. *July 27–August 2, 2015 - Hosted the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships.

Rugby League Matches

''Updated 24 April 2021''

External links

Official Website

References

{{Jacksonville attractions Soccer venues in Florida University of North Florida Sports venues in Jacksonville, Florida Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States Rugby league stadiums in the United States Rugby league in Florida Southside, Jacksonville 2004 establishments in Florida Sports venues completed in 2004 North American Soccer League stadiums College soccer venues in the United States College track and field venues in the United States Athletics (track and field) venues in Florida National Premier Soccer League stadiums