James M. Shuart Stadium

James M. Shuart Stadium is a sports place with room for 11,929 people. It is on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The stadium is used mainly for lacrosse games and is where Hofstra's lacrosse teams play their home games.

The stadium first opened its doors in 1963. It went through changes in 1996 and again in 2013 to make it better. Before August 29, 2002, it was called "Hofstra Stadium." Then it was renamed to honor the former president of Hofstra University. This president loved playing lacrosse and football when he was a student at the university.

Besides the field, the stadium has a building called James C. Metzger Hall. Inside this hall, there is a special area for reporters, fancy rooms for guests, and a center to help students who play sports do their best.

Background

James M. Shuart Stadium has been a busy place for many years, hosting games and events like football, lacrosse, and soccer. Lots of teams from many leagues have played there over the decades.

Lacrosse

In 1971, the stadium hosted the first big NCAA Division I Men's lacrosse championship game. It has also been the place for important games in many lacrosse tournaments over the years.

The New York Lizards played there for a while, and in 2001 they won their first big championship. They played there again from 2009 until 2020. In 2021, the stadium hosted several games for the Premier Lacrosse League during the July 4 weekend, making it a popular spot for future events. The league returned in 2022 and held its 2023 Semifinals there on September 10.

Soccer

The original New York Cosmos played at James M. Shuart Stadium from 1972 to 1973. They won their first NASL Championship there in 1972. The new Cosmos started playing there again in 2013. The stadium also hosted the last match for the United States men's team in New York state. This happened when the U.S. team played against Ecuador on November 30, 1984.

The stadium was also home to the Long Island Rough Riders, a team in professional soccer's A-League.

Football

For almost 50 years, this stadium was where Hofstra's football team played. They were part of the Colonial Athletic Association and used the stadium from when it first opened until 2009, when they stopped playing football there.

In 1969, a team called the Westchester Bulls from the Atlantic Coast Football League moved to Long Island and became the Long Island Bulls. They played home games here until 1970. Another team, the Long Island Chiefs, also played here in 1973. In 1983, Columbia Lions used the stadium for one game while their own field was being built. Later, in 2009, the New York Sentinels from the United Football League had a home game here too.

The stadium has also hosted special games like the Long Island All-Star Football Game and the Fun City Bowl, where teams from the New York City Police and Fire Department play.

Other events

Every October, the stadium used to host the Newsday Marching Band Festival for three nights. High schools from Long Island would perform in a fun competition. However, since 2014, the festival takes place somewhere else.

The stadium also holds championship games for high schools and state tournaments for many sports from Long Island and New York.

Design

James M. Shuart Stadium was first opened in 1963 and has had many upgrades over the years. In 1968, it became one of the first colleges in the country to get an artificial playing surface. Major changes happened in 1996, when the stadium grew bigger and got new scoreboards. The artificial turf was updated several times, most recently in 2012. In 2013, the stadium was changed again to hold its current number of seats, and new lights were added to replace the very old ones.