WakeMed Soccer Park

WakeMed Soccer Park is a major soccer complex in Cary, North Carolina, United States. Originally opened in 2002 as the home of the Carolina Courage of the WUSA, WakeMed Soccer Park is now the home to North Carolina FC of the United Soccer League and the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League. The North Carolina State Wolfpack men's and women's teams of the ACC play select matches there and the complex regularly hosts major tournaments such as the NCAA College Cup, the ACC Soccer Championships, and the NCHSAA high school state soccer finals.

WakeMed Soccer Park
Former namesState Capital Soccer Park (2001–2002)
SAS Soccer Park (2002–2007)
LocationCary, North Carolina, U.S.
OwnerWake County
OperatorTown of Cary
Capacity10,000[1][2]
SurfaceNatural Grass
Construction
Broke ground2001
OpenedMay 2002
Construction cost$14.5 million (plus $6.3 million expansion)
ArchitectEnvirotek, Inc.
Tenants
Carolina Courage (WUSA) (2001–2003)
NC State Wolfpack (NCAA) (2002–2007)
North Carolina FC (USLC); (USL1) (2007–present)
Raleigh Flyers (AUDL) (2015–present)
North Carolina Courage (NWSL)
(2017–present)
North Carolina FC U23 (USL2)
(2002–2009, 2011–present)
Website
https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/facilities/wakemed-soccer-park

The soccer complex consists of a purpose-built, soccer-specific main stadium, two lighted practice fields, and four additional fields. The main stadium and the two lighted fields (2 & 3) are all FIFA international regulation size (120 by 75 yards (110 m × 69 m)). The main stadium seats 10,000. Field 2 also has 1,000 permanent bleacher seats.

The complex also sports a full-length, nationally recognized cross-country course and houses the offices of Triangle Professional Soccer.

SAS Institute, a Cary-based software company, had naming rights to the soccer park through June 30, 2007 with the option to extend their naming rights for an additional three years. On September 27, 2007, the Town of Cary announced that SAS had not exercised their option on the naming rights and that WakeMed Health & Hospitals had purchased the naming rights to the stadium. Effective January 1, 2008, the stadium became known as WakeMed Soccer Park. The naming rights agreement with Cary is good for three years and cost $300,000 per year.[3]

On March 31, 2017, it was announced that Sahlen Packing Company had acquired naming rights to the main stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, thus becoming Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park. Sahlen's will pay $400,000 over 5 years for the rights, with $100,000 going to the town of Cary and the rest to the North Carolina Courage.[4]

Construction history
East Stand Of Renovated Stadium in 2014

WakeMed Soccer Park opened in May 2002 as State Capital Soccer Park. The park is on 150 acres (0.61 km2) that the state of North Carolina has leased to Wake County. Money to build the soccer park came from $14.5 million in county-wide hotel room and prepared food and beverage taxes. The Town of Cary assumed responsibility for operations and maintenance in 2004 from Capital Area Soccer League. On January 26, 2006, the Town of Cary council amended its lease to allow it to sublet the property to Triangle Professional Soccer through the year 2011 for the exclusive promotion of professional soccer and lacrosse events at the complex.

2011 expansion

In November 2011, the Town of Cary kicked off a $6.3 million expansion project. The finished expansion added 3,000 permanent seats to the 7,000-seat stadium, 1,500 of the seats going to the north end zone and the other 1,500 to upper-level stands on the east side of the stadium. Also added on the east side were a new three-story building to provide restrooms, concessions, and access to the additional seating from the third floor. Team locker rooms were relocated to the ground level of the new structure to allow players direct access to the stadium from midfield and direct access from their team bus to the locker rooms.[5]

Notable events

Cross-country events

The grounds also host multiple high school cross-country races. Including dual meets, high school conference championships, Mid-East Region Championship, and the Nike Team Southeast National Regional meets. The course starts and ends behind the practice fields and runs along the perimeter of the grounds. It is known to give personal bests even with a difficult hill which must be run twice. The course record for the 5k distance is 14:32.2 by Brodey Hasty at the 2016 Great American Cross Country Festival. In recent years it has held the Atlantic Coast Conference's conference championship.

This is the course map: https://web.archive.org/web/20110708121330/http://www.carolinaday.com/meets/2008/2008-nxn-reg-se-course-map.jpg

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 29, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "WakeMed Soccer Park – StadiumDB.com". stadiumdb.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  3. "Town of Cary and WakeMed Announce Soccer Partnership". Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
  4. Gargan, Henry. "WakeMed Soccer Park's main stadium gets a name". newsobserver.com. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Events and tenants
Preceded by
Home Depot Center
Hermann Stadium
Pizza Hut Park
PPL Park		 Men's College Cup host
2005
2007
2009
2014		 Succeeded by
Hermann Stadium
Pizza Hut Park
Harder Stadium
Children's Mercy Park
Preceded by
Mike A. Myers Stadium
Aggie Soccer Stadium
Aggie Soccer Stadium
Aggie Soccer Stadium
Torero Stadium
FAU Stadium
Orlando City Stadium		 Women's College Cup host
2003–2004
2006
2008
2010
2013
2015
2018		 Succeeded by
Aggie Soccer Stadium
Aggie Soccer Stadium
Aggie Soccer Stadium
KSU Soccer Stadium
FAU Stadium
Avaya Stadium
Avaya Stadium
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