Sports in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
While most of the Allentown, Pennsylvania
area supports professional sports teams in New York City
or Philadelphia, Allentown itself is home to a Triple-A-level baseball team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
, affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies
of Major League Baseball
, and other professional sports teams.
Baseball has had a long history in Allentown. Many minor league teams affiliated with a major league team were located in the area. Currently, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
are the city's baseball team, affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies
.
, an Eastern Professional Basketball League
team, from 1958 to 1981. The Jets were one of the most dominant franchises in the league's history, winning eight playoff championships and twelve division titles. The team’s home games were played in Rockne Hall at Allentown Central Catholic High School
.
in Bethlehem hosted the 2009 U.S. Women's Open
.
, which has been the training ground for numerous Olympians and U.S. national gymnastics champions, is based in Allentown. In 2003, CNN
aired a documentary on Parkettes, Achieving the Perfect 10
, which depicted it as a hugely demanding and competitive training program.
, Louis E. Dieruff High School
, and William Allen High School
, all compete in the Lehigh Valley Conference
, one of the most elite high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference comprises twelve of the largest high schools in the Lehigh Valley
and offers 21 interscholastic boys and girls sports.
, the American Hockey League
affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers
, announced their interest in moving the team to Allentown. Should the move come to fruition, the team would play their home games at a proposed new arena to be built on either the Lehigh River front or adjacent to Coca-Cola Park. The team currently plays their home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center
in Glens Falls, New York
while a venue in the Lehigh Valley is sought.
In March 2011, it was announced that an 8,500-seat arena was to be built in Allentown for the Phantoms. Plans include retail, restaurants, a convention center, and a hotel, but the exact location has not been determined. The Phantoms could play their first game in Allentown as soon as 2013.
. The team had a five-year league record of 76-49-25, and won the league championship in 1980. Due to increasing competition from other soccer leagues, and decreasing attendance, the team folded in 1983. The team was resurrected in 2007 as the Pennsylvania Stoners
, and competes in the National Premier Soccer League
(NPSL). The team plays its home games at J. Birney Crum Stadium
in Allentown. The Easton
-based Northampton Laurels FC, of the Women's Premier Soccer League
, also play at J. Birney Crum Stadium.
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
area supports professional sports teams in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
or Philadelphia, Allentown itself is home to a Triple-A-level baseball team, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
, affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
, and other professional sports teams.
Teams
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allentown Patriots | Softball | Patriots Park | 1940 | 0 | |
| Lehigh Valley IronPigs Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania... |
IL International League The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States... |
Baseball | Coca-Cola Park | 2008 | 0 |
| Lehigh Valley Jazz | NPSL National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League is a United States soccer league recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA as a Division IV league... |
Soccer | J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The stadium seats 15,000 and is used by several area high schools and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL and the Northampton Laurels of the WPSL soccer teams. J... |
2008 | 0 |
| Northampton Laurels FC | WPSL Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League is a national women's soccer league in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the W-League and below Women's Professional Soccer.... |
Soccer | J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The stadium seats 15,000 and is used by several area high schools and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL and the Northampton Laurels of the WPSL soccer teams. J... |
2005 | 0 |
| Pennsylvania Stoners Pennsylvania Stoners Pennsylvania Stoners is an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Eastern Keystone Division.The team plays its home... |
NPSL National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League is a United States soccer league recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA as a Division IV league... |
Soccer | J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The stadium seats 15,000 and is used by several area high schools and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL and the Northampton Laurels of the WPSL soccer teams. J... |
1979 | 1 (1980) |
Baseball
Baseball has had a long history in Allentown. Many minor league teams affiliated with a major league team were located in the area. Currently, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
are the city's baseball team, affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
Basketball
Allentown hosted the Allentown JetsAllentown Jets
The Allentown Jets were a minor league basketball team that played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League from 1958 to 1981. The team was one of the most dominant franchises in CBA/Eastern League history, winning eight playoff championships and twelve division titles.Originally formed in...
, an Eastern Professional Basketball League
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
team, from 1958 to 1981. The Jets were one of the most dominant franchises in the league's history, winning eight playoff championships and twelve division titles. The team’s home games were played in Rockne Hall at Allentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School is a private, parochial school located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
.
Golf
The Lehigh Valley has many public and private golf courses. Allentown is home to Allentown Municipal Golf Course and Iron Lakes Country Club. Bethlehem is home to the Bethlehem Golf Club and Green Pond Country Club. There are also several other courses located outside of the cities. Saucon Valley Country ClubSaucon Valley Country Club
Saucon Valley Country Club is a country club located near both Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. The club's facilities include three 18-hole golf courses and a six-hole beginners course. The Old Course has hosted five United States Golf Association tournaments, including the 1992 and...
in Bethlehem hosted the 2009 U.S. Women's Open
United States Women's Open Championship (golf)
The United States Women's Open Golf Championship, one of thirteen national championships conducted by the United States Golf Association , is one of the LPGA's major championships along with the LPGA Championship, the Women's British Open, and the Kraft Nabisco Championship...
.
Gymnastics
Parkettes National Gymnastics Training CenterParkettes National Gymnastics Training Center
Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, or Parkettes for short, is a gymnastics club located in Allentown, Pennsylvania that had its beginnings in the early 1960s with a middle school gymnastics program in Allentown that gradually grew into an intramural program and then into a facility that...
, which has been the training ground for numerous Olympians and U.S. national gymnastics champions, is based in Allentown. In 2003, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
aired a documentary on Parkettes, Achieving the Perfect 10
Achieving The Perfect 10
Achieving The Perfect 10, is a made for CNN documentary movie released on August 10, 2003, about young girls training gymnastics at the highly competitive Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
, which depicted it as a hugely demanding and competitive training program.
High school athletics
Allentown's three high schools, Allentown Central Catholic High SchoolAllentown Central Catholic High School
Allentown Central Catholic High School is a private, parochial school located at 301 North Fourth Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, Louis E. Dieruff High School
Louis E. Dieruff High School
Louis E. Dieruff High School is a public high school located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The school is named after Louis E. Dieruff, a noted educator in the Allentown School District....
, and William Allen High School
William Allen High School
William Allen High School is one of two public high schools of the Allentown School District located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States....
, all compete in the Lehigh Valley Conference
Lehigh Valley Conference
The Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference is an athletic conference consisting of 12 large high schools from Lehigh and Northampton counties in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, in the United States...
, one of the most elite high school athletic divisions in the nation. The conference comprises twelve of the largest high schools in the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
and offers 21 interscholastic boys and girls sports.
Hockey
On February 12, 2009, the owners of the Philadelphia PhantomsPhiladelphia Phantoms
The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...
, the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, announced their interest in moving the team to Allentown. Should the move come to fruition, the team would play their home games at a proposed new arena to be built on either the Lehigh River front or adjacent to Coca-Cola Park. The team currently plays their home games at the Glens Falls Civic Center
Glens Falls Civic Center
Glens Falls Civic Center is a 4,806-seat multi-purpose arena, located in downtown Glens Falls, New York, that currently serves as the home of the Adirondack Phantoms, of the AHL. Built in 1979, it was originally the home of the Adirondack Red Wings, AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.On June...
in Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
while a venue in the Lehigh Valley is sought.
In March 2011, it was announced that an 8,500-seat arena was to be built in Allentown for the Phantoms. Plans include retail, restaurants, a convention center, and a hotel, but the exact location has not been determined. The Phantoms could play their first game in Allentown as soon as 2013.
Soccer
Allentown is also home to the Stoners, a professional soccer team. From 1979-1983, the Stoners were members of the American Soccer LeagueAmerican Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
. The team had a five-year league record of 76-49-25, and won the league championship in 1980. Due to increasing competition from other soccer leagues, and decreasing attendance, the team folded in 1983. The team was resurrected in 2007 as the Pennsylvania Stoners
Pennsylvania Stoners
Pennsylvania Stoners is an American soccer team based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 2007, the team plays in National Premier Soccer League , a national amateur league at the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Eastern Keystone Division.The team plays its home...
, and competes in the National Premier Soccer League
National Premier Soccer League
The National Premier Soccer League is a United States soccer league recognized by the United States Soccer Federation and FIFA as a Division IV league...
(NPSL). The team plays its home games at J. Birney Crum Stadium
J. Birney Crum Stadium
J. Birney Crum Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The stadium seats 15,000 and is used by several area high schools and the Pennsylvania Stoners of the NPSL and the Northampton Laurels of the WPSL soccer teams. J...
in Allentown. The Easton
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
-based Northampton Laurels FC, of the Women's Premier Soccer League
Women's Premier Soccer League
The Women's Premier Soccer League is a national women's soccer league in the United States and Puerto Rico, and is on the 2nd level of women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the W-League and below Women's Professional Soccer....
, also play at J. Birney Crum Stadium.