Memorial Field (Dartmouth)
Encyclopedia
Memorial Field is a football stadium located in Hanover, New Hampshire
, USA
. It is the home of Dartmouth Big Green football
and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Dartmouth College compete in the Ivy League
.
In 1893, Dartmouth alumni built a football field called Alumni Oval in the southeastern part of the campus. The field's original wooden grandstand, which backed up on Crosby Street, burned in 1911. In 1923, the College built Memorial Field, with a brick-faced concrete stand and press box on Crosby Street. The stadium opened as a memorial to the students and alumni who had served and died in World War I. Permanent stands on the east side of the field were built later, and end zone bleachers have also been used.
Memorial Field underwent renovation during the summer of 2006, including replacement of the natural grass field with artificial turf to allow nearly year-round use; installation of an 8-lane Tartan track; construction of safety improvements; and the construction of a new varsity athletics center that has reduced the East Stands. With some of the loss made up by stands placed behind the end zones, the current seating capacity
is approximately 15,600, down from 22,000 pre-renovation. Despite the loss of seats, it is still the largest athletic field of any sort in northern New England, ahead of the University of Vermont
's 10,000-seat soccer stadium.
The stadium is the end-point of a popular Shriners
parade every summer (as well as the venue for the New Hampshire vs. Vermont high school
all-star football
game which follows the parade).
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the home of Dartmouth Big Green football
Dartmouth Big Green football
The Dartmouth Big Green football team represents Dartmouth College in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Ivy League...
and outdoor track teams. The athletic teams at Dartmouth College compete in the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
.
In 1893, Dartmouth alumni built a football field called Alumni Oval in the southeastern part of the campus. The field's original wooden grandstand, which backed up on Crosby Street, burned in 1911. In 1923, the College built Memorial Field, with a brick-faced concrete stand and press box on Crosby Street. The stadium opened as a memorial to the students and alumni who had served and died in World War I. Permanent stands on the east side of the field were built later, and end zone bleachers have also been used.
Memorial Field underwent renovation during the summer of 2006, including replacement of the natural grass field with artificial turf to allow nearly year-round use; installation of an 8-lane Tartan track; construction of safety improvements; and the construction of a new varsity athletics center that has reduced the East Stands. With some of the loss made up by stands placed behind the end zones, the current seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
is approximately 15,600, down from 22,000 pre-renovation. Despite the loss of seats, it is still the largest athletic field of any sort in northern New England, ahead of the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
's 10,000-seat soccer stadium.
The stadium is the end-point of a popular Shriners
Shriners
The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, also commonly known as Shriners and abbreviated A.A.O.N.M.S., established in 1870, is an appendant body to Freemasonry, based in the United States...
parade every summer (as well as the venue for the New Hampshire vs. Vermont high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
all-star football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game which follows the parade).