Ron & Carol Cope Stadium

Ron & Carol Cope Stadium at Foster Field is a football stadium located in Kearney, Nebraska, U.S., on the University of Nebraska at Kearney campus. In 2005, the university named the stadium after Ron and Carol Cope, who were long-time supporters of the University of Nebraska system.[1] The field is named after Charlie Foster, a former coach and athletic director at Nebraska–Kearney.

Ron & Carol Cope Stadium
at Foster Field
Cope Stadium
Former namesFoster Field
Address2708 12th Ave.
Kearney, Nebraska, U.S.
Coordinates40.699377°N 99.097664°W / 40.699377; -99.097664
OwnerUniversity of Nebraska–Kearney
OperatorUniversity of Nebraska–Kearney
TypeFootball stadium
Capacity5,250
SurfaceFieldTurf
Construction
Opened1939 (1939)
Renovated2004
Tenants
Nebraska–Kearney Lopers (football & soccer)

Renovations

The stadium had an outdoor track surrounding Foster Field until the early 2000s. After the 2003 season, a FieldTurf surface was installed. The first game played on the new field was on September 3. The Lopers won over Wayne State in front of 3,804 fans.[2]

The complete renovation of the stadium totaled out to be over $7.2 million, which was completed during the 2005 season. The stadium is three stories tall, and includes concession stands, restrooms, and ticket booths. The third floor has a large hospitality room that seats, coaches and radio booths, game-day operations rooms and the press box.[2]

An LED message center and scoreboard was added at the South end zone, as well. The North end zone is a facility that contains the locker rooms, meeting rooms, athletic training facilities, officials' quarters, and equipment storage.[2]

Other uses

The women's soccer team has played at Cope Stadium since 2009. The program's first regular season game drew 3,227 fans, setting a Division II record that still stands.[3]

Kearney High School also uses the stadium for their home football games.[2] The Nebraska School Activities Association's yearly state championships for high school six-man football are also held at Cope Stadium; eight-man and standard 11-man games are held at University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Memorial Stadium.[4]

References
  1. MAHONEY, BUCK (August 12, 2005). "Stadium to be named for Copes". Kearney Hub. BH Media Group Holdings, Inc. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  2. "RON & CAROL COPE STADIUM AT FOSTER FIELD". University of Nebraska at Kearney. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  3. Mahoney, Buck (August 27, 2009). "Lopers win first soccer match; set NCAA Division II attendance record". The Grand Island Independent. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  4. https://nsaa-static.s3.amazonaws.com/textfile/fbl/finalsched.pdf
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