Williams Stadium

Arthur L. Williams Stadium
"The Bill"
Former names Willard May Stadium
Location 1971 University Boulevard, Lynchburg, Virginia 24502
Coordinates 37°21′14.4″N 79°10′30″W / 37.354000°N 79.17500°W / 37.354000; -79.17500Coordinates: 37°21′14.4″N 79°10′30″W / 37.354000°N 79.17500°W / 37.354000; -79.17500
Owner Liberty University
Operator Liberty University
Capacity 19,200 (2010-Present)
12,000 (1989-2009)
Record attendance 22,551 (9/19/15)[1]
Surface FieldTurf
Construction
Broke ground May 8, 1989
Opened October 21, 1989
Expanded 2010
Construction cost $18 million
($34.4 million in 2016 dollars[2])
Architect Haken/Corley and Associates of Raleigh, N.C.
General contractor McDevitt & Street[3]
Tenants
Liberty Flames (NCAA) (1989–present)

Arthur L. Williams Stadium is a 19,200 seat football stadium located on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, USA. The stadium was built in 1989 and plays host to Liberty Flames football, which is a part of the NCAA Division I - Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). A new field house has recently been constructed at the north end of the stadium. This new facility houses a new home locker room, coaches offices, meeting rooms and training facility as well as a 16,000-square-foot (1,500 m2) weight room. In the 2009 off season, Liberty University added a video scoreboard on the north end of the field. It is one of the largest in the FCS at 20 feet tall and 36 feet wide.[4] In September 2011, a ribbon video board was added to the facade of the upper deck; Williams Stadium thus became the first FCS football stadium to have a ribbon board.

Williams Stadium after the construction of its new scoreboard

The stadium was named in 1994 to honor Arthur L. Williams, Jr. who was a major contributor to the University.[5]

Expansion

Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. announced on August 28, 2009 a three phase addition to Williams Stadium. The plan is to increase the seating capacity of the stadium from 12,000 seats to 30,000 seats by 2015. The first phase of the construction included a five story press box and expanded the stadium by 7,200 seats. This was done by adding a second deck to the home side of the stadium and lengthening the east and west stands of the stadium. The seating capacity is currently 19,200. The estimated cost for the first phase of the project was $18 million. The new press tower was ready for Liberty's Oct. 2, 2010 home game against Savannah State. The tower includes 18 luxury suites, all of which were sold for the 2010 season.[6]

Phase two will add a mid deck to the student side, while phase three will complete a "horseshoe" around the south end zone, bringing the total capacity to 30,000. The estimated cost for the first phase of the project was $18 million, with the estimated total cost set at $22 million. Williams Stadium has the potential to be expanded past 60,000 in the future.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm?PID=10869&NewsID=15245&TeamID=9
  2. ↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=14874&TeamID=9
  4. ↑ http://www.liberty.edu/news/index.cfm?PID=18495&MID=9279
  5. ↑ "Williams Stadium - Quick Facts". Liberty University. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  6. ↑ http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm?PID=10869&newsID=4225&TeamID=

External links

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