 | This article needs to be updated. (May 2019) |
"The Joe" | |
 | |
 | |
| Full name | Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium |
|---|---|
| Address | 3125 Don Mincher Dr SW Huntsville, Alabama United States 35801 |
| Coordinates | 34°41′58.49″N 86°35′18.59″W / 34.6995806°N 86.5884972°W |
| Owner | City of Huntsville |
| Capacity | 6,000 |
| Field size | Left Field: 345 feet (105 m) Center Field: 405 feet (123 m) Right Field: 330 feet (100 m) |
| Surface | Bermudagrass (Tifway 419) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 21, 1984[1] |
| Built | 1984–1985 |
| Opened | April 19, 1985[2] (baseball) May 19, 2023 (soccer) |
| Renovated | 2004–2007 2023 |
| Construction cost | $7.6 million ($21.5 million in 2023) |
| Architect | Goodrum Knowles Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Huntsville Stars (SL) (1985–2014) UAH Chargers (NCAA baseball) (1996–2010) Biloxi Shuckers (SL) (2015) Huntsville City FC (MLS Next Pro) (2023–present) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.mlsnextpro.com/huntsvillecityfc/stadium | |
Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium (also known locally as Joe Davis Stadium, and simply, "The Joe") is a soccer stadium in Huntsville, Alabama, United States, and was formerly a minor league baseball stadium. Joe Davis Stadium hosted the Huntsville Stars of the Southern League from 1985 until 2014, and then served as a temporary home for the Stars' successor (the Biloxi Shuckers) in 2015. It currently serves as the home to Huntsville City FC, the MLS Next Pro team owned and operated by Nashville SC.
Built in 1985, the stadium is located on the grounds of Huntsville's former airport, adjacent to Huntsville's main north–south thoroughfare, U.S. Highway 231 (S. Memorial Parkway).[3] The multi-purpose stadium seats 10,488 with 15 air-conditioned skyboxes. Ticket offices and the general office are located on the second floor of the stadium. Closed-circuit television above the main concourse allows for viewing of the game while grabbing a bite at the concession stands. In addition to baseball and soccer, Joe W. Davis Stadium has been used for high school football, monster truck rallies, and concerts.
Nicknamed "The Crown Jewel of the Southern League" upon its construction, the stadium was the oldest venue in the league during its final year of operation. This was not due to planned obsolescence, but to the fact that all the League's other teams had built new parks since 1985, especially in the 1990s, during a craze prompted by the critically-acclaimed Oriole Park at Camden Yards, occupied by the Baltimore Orioles.
- ^ The American City & County. Vol. 100. New York City: Morgan-Grampian Publishing Company. 1985. p. 134.
- ^ Knight, Graham (June 9, 2010). "Joe Davis Stadium". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
- ^ Freeman, Paul. "Huntsville Airport (2nd location), Huntsville, AL". Abandoned and Little-Known Airfields. Retrieved September 25, 2012.