Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field
The Irwin Belk Track and Field Center/Transamerica Field is a stadium located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Finished in 1996, the stadium is home to the Charlotte 49ers soccer and track and field teams.
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| Location | University of North Carolina at Charlotte |
|---|---|
| Owner | UNC Charlotte |
| Capacity | 4,000 (seated) 20,000 (standing) |
| Field size | 10,500 sq ft |
| Surface | Natural grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | February 25, 1996 (initial) |
| Construction cost | $2.1 million US ($3.42 million in 2019 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Overcash Demmitt Architects, Tony F. Miller, AIA Designer |
| General contractor | Rodgers Builders |
| Tenants | |
| Charlotte 49ers (NCAA) (1996–present) Charlotte Eagles (2001–2002), occasional cup matches | |
The facility includes the Southeast's first eight-lane continuous radius track with full-depth polyurethane surface; and 10,500 square feet of internal space including coaches' offices, locker rooms and a hospitality suite in the North Pavilion. Public restrooms, concessions and the press box are located in the South Pavilion. The Central Pavilion contains the ticket booths, Wall of Champions and Recognition Center.[2]
Track events held in the Center include high jump, pole vault, long jump, and triple jump. The 120-by-75-yard (110 by 69 m) natural grass playing surface is the home field for the 49ers men's and women's soccer teams, and also accommodates shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw events.[2]
The facility has hosted several major meets for both Conference USA and the Atlantic 10 Conference. A pro soccer team, the Charlotte Eagles, have also used Transamerica Field for home games.
Originally considered for expansion to host the Charlotte 49ers new football team, estimates of expansion for football usage made by leading sports design firm Populous were prohibitively expensive due to location restrictions and environmental concerns involving the Toby Creek flood plain. Subsequently, the university chose to build a dedicated football stadium west of Hayes Stadium, named Jerry Richardson Stadium.
Title IX scholarship requirements related to the addition of the Charlotte 49ers football program will most likely mean that Belk will soon be home to either a potential 49ers future field hockey team or women's lacrosse team. Facilities upgrades, including the possibility of replacing the grass field with artificial turf, might be needed to handle the added usage.
Statues
The facility features six Richard Hallier athletic statues depicting sports played at the center. Four along the front entrance feature a male relay runner, a female long-distance runner and male and female soccer players. On the field side in front of the north and south pavilions respectively are statues of a female hurdler and a male discus thrower.[3] There are eight more Hallier sports statues on the UNC Charlotte campus, all of which were donated by Charlotte businessman and philanthropist Irwin Belk (part of the family which owns the Belk department store chain), who is also the namesake of the center.[4]
Additional art work at the facility includes the Victory sculpture by Claudio Capotondi located in the south end zone of the stadium, also made possible by a financial gift by Belk.[5][6]
Photos
- View of the stands
Front entrance
Far end of the field
References
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- http://www.rodgersbuilders.com/portfolio/project/80/unc-charlotte/
- Campus Statues at UNC Charlotte
- "Gallery - Athletes". hallierart.com. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- http://facilities.uncc.edu/sites/facilities.uncc.edu/files/media/Planning/Sculptures%20%5BCompatibility%20Mode%5D%282%29.pdf
- "Spotlight: Sculpture Collection a Public Treasure - UNC Charlotte". uncc.edu. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.