WakeMed Soccer Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
WakeMed Soccer Park
Facility statistics
Location Cary, North Carolina
Broke ground 2001
Opened May 2002
Owner Wake County
Operator Town of Cary
Surface Natural Grass
Construction cost $14.5 million
Architect Envirotek, Inc.
Naming Rights WakeMed Health & Hospitals
Website townofcary.org
Former names
State Capital Soccer Park (2001–2002)
SAS Soccer Park (2002–2007)
Tenants
Carolina Courage (WUSA) (2001–2003)
Cary RailHawks U23's (PDL) (2002–Present)
Carolina RailHawks(USL-1) (2007–Present)
NC State Wolfpack (NCAA) (2002–Present)
Seating capacity
7,130 (all-seater)

WakeMed Soccer Park is a major soccer complex located in Cary, North Carolina. Originally opened in 2002 as the home of the Carolina Courage of the WUSA, WakeMed Soccer Park is now the home to the Carolina RailHawks of the USL First Division and the Cary RailHawks U23's in the USL Premier Development League (formerly the Raleigh Elite). The North Carolina State Wolfpack men's and women's teams of the ACC play select matches there and the complex regularly hosts major tournaments such as the NCAA College Cup, the ACC Soccer Championships, and the NCHSAA high school state soccer finals.

The soccer complex consists of a purpose-built, soccer-specific main stadium, two lighted practice fields, built to the same specifications as the stadium field, and four additional fields. The main stadium seats 7,000 and is expandable to 10,000 with temporary seating. Fields 1 (main stadium), 2, and 3 are all FIFA international regulation size (120 yards x 75 yards). A project was recently finished, adding approximately 1,000 permanent seats to Field 2 making a second, smaller stadium field.

WakeMed Soccer Park opened in May 2002 as State Capital Soccer Park. The park is on 150 acres that the State of North Carolina has leased to Wake County. Money to build the soccer park came from $14.5 million in county-wide hotel room and prepared food and beverage taxes. The Town of Cary assumed responsibility for operations and maintenance in 2004 from Capital Area Soccer League. On January 26, 2006, the Town of Cary council amended its lease to allow it to sublet the property to Triangle Professional Soccer through the year 2011 for the exclusive promotion of professional soccer and lacrosse events at the complex.

The complex also sports a full-length, nationally-recognized cross-country track and houses the offices of Triangle Professional Soccer.

SAS Institute, a privately held software company, has its worldwide headquarters in Cary. SAS had naming rights to the soccer park through June 30, 2007 with the option to extend their naming rights for an additional 3 years. On September 27, 2007, the Town of Cary announced that SAS had not exercised their option on the naming rights and that WakeMed Health & Hospitals had purchased the naming rights to the stadium[1]. Effective January 1, 2008, the stadium became known as WakeMed Soccer Park. The naming rights agreement with Cary is good for 3 years and cost $300,000 per year.[citation needed]

[edit] Notable events

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Town of Cary and WakeMed Announce Soccer Partnership". Retrieved on 2007-09-27.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Current Stadiums in the USL First Division
v • d • e
Current Stadiums in the USL PDL Southeast Division

Coordinates: 35°47′10.19″N, 78°45′18.38″W

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WakeMed_Soccer_Park"
Personal tools