Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
S
Corner Kick
OP Offline
Corner Kick
S
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
Battery's last home game in their current stadium is getting some local acknowledgement.

https://www.live5news.com/2019/10/18/looking-back-musc-health-stadium/

https://abcnews4.com/news/local/charlest...ad-of-last-game

The team sold the venue earlier this year to an Atlanta properties company for almost $6.5 million dollars. When Blackbaud Stadium opened in 1999 it made history as the 1st modern era stadium in the U-S designed just for soccer.

"The 1st championship at Blackbaud came in 2003 when the Battery won the USL A-League title with a 3-0 win over Minnesota. Battery legend Paul Conway scored a goal in that victory...

In 2004, a new tradition began with the start of the Carolina Challenge Cup, a 4 team round-robin event that saw MLS teams come to visit the Lowcountry. Over the years, some of the biggest names in soccer took part including Freddy Adu, David Villa, and Kaka...

More championships would also come, in 2010, the Battery beat Richmond to win the USL 2nd division title. 2 years later, they’d beat Wilmington for the USL Pro Championship.

The stadium would start to reach international audiences as well with exhibitions against teams from the English Premier League. 1st against the Bolton Wanders in 2010 and then with the stadium renamed MUSC Health in 2015 against West Bromwich Albion

And the Battery wasn’t the only team to play on the pitch on Daniel Island. The US Women’s national team played 3 exhibitions against Mexico in 2002, 2005 and 2009. The US Rugby team played 3 qualifying matches against Canada in 2008, 2009 and 2013.

Westling legends Ric Flair and Jeff Hardy took part in a TNA event in 2010 and the Major League Lacrosse championship game took place in 2018."


Battery officials sent the following statement when asked about plans for the property:

"The team was a tenant of the stadium and cannot comment on its ownership, who bought it, or what is happening to it until our lease is over. We will announce where the Battery will play next year after the season."

"I think wherever they end up moving, it’s going to be good no matter what," said Taylor Mueller, who's played eight years for the Battery. "At the same time, it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to such a legendary place to play."

Officials with The Citadel said earlier this year they had conversations with Battery officials about the possibility of the team playing there in 2020. Stoney Field at Burke High School is another option.

Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
S
Corner Kick
OP Offline
Corner Kick
S
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
https://ussoccerplayers.com/2019/10/end-...own-future.html

That will leave the Battery homeless for a least a time, though they are framing this as a move they want to make anyway. Fan demographics and conventional wisdom have shifted significantly since 1999. The club want to get closer to the, stop me if you've heard this before, urban dwellers and millennials who have replaced suburban soccer moms and dads as American pro soccer's target audience of choice.

Club officials have expressed interest in returning to Stoney Field, the city-owned field in downtown Charleston they shared with local high school sports in their early years. It's more accessible to more people and adjacent to the local minor-league baseball park. The problem, at least in the short term, is that the half-century-old venue was built atop a landfill and is sinking into the alluvial soil of a city essentially built atop a river delta.

That's necessitated a multi-million-dollar renovation project of Stoney Field that won't finish until Fall 2020 at best. The Battery has expressed interest in chipping in funds to ensure that it's rebuilt with soccer in the plans. That will need approval from the city government. It's far from clear how far along those efforts are. In the meantime, Johnson Hagood Stadium, the football venue at The Citadel military academy nearby, looks like the Battery's best option for 2020.

It's hard to understand why Charleston sold their historic ground before locking down a new one. Perhaps the developers gave them an offer they couldn't refuse. The club has yet to confirm where they will play their home games next year, though, telling local media that an announcement will come after season's end. Sources tell USSoccerPlayers that the Battery will definitely compete next year, yet it's not clear exactly what the club's long-range prospects are. As much may have changed over the past two decades, ownership will likely still need to invest significantly to make a lower-division team work.

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 374
Corner Kick
Offline
Corner Kick
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 374
I will be very sad to see the Stadium go (figuratively and literally). Many happy memories there including men's leagues, club events, children birthday parties, Battery, Premier League clubs and US Women's games.

But most importantly part of my daily routine as my office shares a car park with the ground and I see it every time I turn around in my office. As a soccer guy, it is going to hurt to see that place dismantled, but understand why change is sometimes necessary and a new location may be in the best interest of the club (we will see).

I'll just be sad to see her go (feeling very nostalgic), after walking this space 20+ years ago as we broke ground wearing high boots to protect us from the snakes and critters in the undergrowth on what was then, a rural Daniel Island. Makes you feel very old, and humble, when you realize they are tearing things down that are a fraction of your own age (-:

Here is my view: My Battery View

I'm now just wondering what I'll be looking at in the next year or two?


satus quod perago validus - start and finish strong
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
S
Corner Kick
OP Offline
Corner Kick
S
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
I couldn’t agree more Dave, and you were very fortunate with that view.

Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 374
Corner Kick
Offline
Corner Kick
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 374
Its started frown
Big screen coming down today.

Joined: May 2018
Posts: 659
S
Goal
Online Content
Goal
S
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 659
Originally Posted By: Cainhoy Athletic
Its started frown
Big screen coming down today.


Let's hope it makes it to the new venue!

Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
S
Corner Kick
OP Offline
Corner Kick
S
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
Moving to Patriots Point through 2023

Joined: May 2018
Posts: 659
S
Goal
Online Content
Goal
S
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 659
What's the next step to quieting the doomsayers I wonder? Poor SoccerinLC.

Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
S
Corner Kick
OP Offline
Corner Kick
S
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 280
Sports writer Bob Williams just tweeted that a change in Battery ownership will take place this week.

Joined: May 2019
Posts: 144
S
Goal Kick
Offline
Goal Kick
S
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 144
Originally Posted By: scsoccerfan123D
What's the next step to quieting the doomsayers I wonder? Poor SoccerinLC.


Good luck convincing anyone that the previous owner EB was good for the pro team. No doomsday now that new owner has come in to save the team. One of his first actions.. ending the connection to EB youth club. TIFWIW if I had the money to buy the team I wouldn’t line it up with my kids club. No reason to alienate local youth. Too bad during the previous owners reign that all of youth soccer couldn’t have been joined in support to/ from pro club. Glad that’s behind us!

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5
(Release build 20201027)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 5.4.45 Page Time: 0.046s Queries: 35 (0.014s) Memory: 3.2022 MB (Peak: 3.5872 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-29 13:00:25 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS