Dillon Stadium

Dillon Stadium is a multipurpose facility in Hartford, Connecticut. It has been host to concerts and sporting events. It was formerly the home of the New England Nightmare of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA).[5] It is now the home of USL Championship club Hartford Athletic. The UConn Huskies men's and women's soccer teams played a majority of their 2019 matches at Dillon Stadium after starting their seasons at Al-Marzook Field in West Hartford, Connecticut.[6][7]

Dillon Stadium
Location250 Huyshope Ave Hartford, Connecticut 06106
Coordinates41.7538°N 72.6611°W / 41.7538; -72.6611
OperatorCity of Hartford
CapacityFootball and Soccer:
9,600[1] (1935-2019)
5,500[2], expandable to 10,000[3] (2019-)
Concerts:
20,000 (1935-2019)
10,000 (2019-)
Field size115 x 74 yards
SurfaceSeeded grass (1935–2018)
FieldTurf (2019–present)[4]
Construction
Opened1935 (1935)
Renovated2018–2019
Tenants
American football

Hartford Charter Oaks
(ACFL/COFL) 1964–1968
Hartford Knights
(ACFL/SFL) 1968–1973
Connecticut Crushers
(NWFA/IWFL) 2001–2010
New England Nightmare
(WFA) 2010–2012

Soccer
Hartford S.C.
(ASL) 1964–1968
Connecticut Yankees
(ASL) 1972–1978
Hartford Bicentennials
(NASL) 1975–1976
Hartford Athletic
(USLC) 2019–present
UConn Huskies (men's) (women's)
(NCAA) 2019

Sports

Football

Founded by football coach John Dillon, Dillon Stadium was the home of two minor league football teams in the 1960s and 70s: the Hartford Charter Oaks of the Atlantic Coast Football League and Continental Football League, owned by the Brewer family, and the Hartford Knights, also of the ACFL and Seaboard Football League. Dillon is now used primarily for high school football teams, including the Bulkeley Bulldogs, the Sport Medical Tigers, the Prince Tech Falcons, and the Capital Prep Trailblazers. Dillon also hosts the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Game between Hartford Public Owls and the Weaver Beavers. Lights were added in 1964 to accommodate the Oaks. The stadium also hosted occasional club-level college football games hosted by the University of Hartford. The Hartford Colonials of the United Football League, in part because of a change of management at Rentschler Field, experienced significant delays in renewing their lease for the 2011 season and had backup plans to relocate to Dillon Stadium (or Willow Brook Park), although neither venue was believed to be ideal for the UFL.[8] The Colonials did sign a deal with Rentschler in June, but suspended operations on August 10, 2011; the league later folded it outright.

Soccer

International matches
Date Teams Match Type Attendance Notes
September 9, 1973United States  1–0  BermudaInternational Friendly4,200[9]
June 21, 1975Hartford Bicentennials 0–2  PolandFriendly10,746[10]
June 8, 1977Connecticut Bicentennials 0–2 LazioFriendly3,154[11]
August 17, 2019Hartford Athletic 5–1  Puerto RicoFriendly4,685[12]
October 26, 2019Hartford Athletic 1–2 Portmore United F.C.Friendly–[13]

College
Date Teams Competition Attendance
September 8, 2019Boston University Terriers 1–3 UConn HuskiesNon-conference328
September 15, 2019Harvard Crimson 3–1 UConn HuskiesNon-conference567
September 17, 2019Manhattan Jaspers 1–2 UConn HuskiesNon-conference1,221
September 20, 2019Columbia Lions 3–2 UConn HuskiesNon-conference2,241
September 26, 2019East Carolina Pirates 1–0 UConn HuskiesConference457
September 26, 2019Cincinnati Bearcats 1–0 UConn HuskiesConference0
October 4, 2019Memphis Tigers 1–0 UConn HuskiesConference1,007
October 8, 2019Providence Friars 2–1 UConn HuskiesNon-conference758
October 10, 2019Houston Cougars 1–2 UConn HuskiesConference216
October 13, 2019Souther Methodist Mustangs 0–1 UConn HuskiesConference2,109
October 20, 2019Central Florida Knights 2–1 UConn HuskiesConference1,625
October 31, 2019Temple Owls 1–1 UConn HuskiesConference561
November 5, 2019Tulsa Golden Hurricane 3–6 UConn HuskiesConference1,114

Rugby
Date Teams Match Type Attendance Notes
June 19, 1982England  59–0  United States1982 England Tour9,000[14]
July 3, 2004France  39–31  United States2004 France Tour
mid-year tests		5,840[15]

Proposed renovation

Hartford City FC, a projected indoor soccer franchise that also hoped to compete in the outdoor North American Soccer League, announced plans to reconstruct Dillon Stadium to create a 15,000 seat soccer-only stadium for the 2017 season.

In 2014, the city awarded a $12 million contract to Premier Sports Management to redevelop the stadium in hopes of attracting a professional soccer team. The company was unable to interest various soccer leagues and instead partnered with an outside investor seeking to build a larger stadium on the site with city funding.[16] However, the city ended the project in October 2015 over financial and legal concerns with the investment group, who were later found guilty of embezzling $1 million from the redevelopment fund.[17][18]

On February 17, 2018, the State Bond Commission approved $10 million in public funding. This would help the Hartford Sports Group establish a USL club in 2019.[19]

Concerts

On June 27, 1966, The Rolling Stones played in Dillon Stadium, supported by The McCoys (with their up-and-coming guitarist, Rick Derringer). Near the end of the Stones' performance, fans rushed the stage, so electricity to the amplifiers was cut. Mick Jagger threw his microphone stand out into the crowd, and the Stones then left the venue, as fans began breaking chairs. Police gathered the crowd towards the exits.

The Beach Boys performed there in 1972 and again in 1973.[20]

On July 16, 1972, the Grateful Dead played in Dillon Stadium and were joined on stage by Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley and Jai Johanny Johanson of the Allman Brothers. Their July 31, 1974, performance at the field was released as an album titled Dave's Picks Volume 2.[21]

Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Gross Notes
June 27, 1966The Rolling StonesThe McCoys
The Standells		The Rolling Stones American Tour 1966[22]
July 16, 1972Grateful DeadSummer 197214,000[23]
August 18, 1972The DoorsThe Beach Boys
The Kinks
Phlorescent Leech & Eddie		14,000[24]
September 25, 1972YesClose to the Edge Tour[25]
August 17, 1973SantanaCaravanserai Tour
July 31, 1974Grateful DeadSummer 197420,000[26]
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References
  1. "Colt Park and Dillon Stadium".
  2. McFarland, Shawn (November 19, 2018). "What's next for Dillon Stadium and Hartford Athletic? A turf field, players and more". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  3. "What's next for Dillon Stadium and Hartford Athletic? A turf field, players and more".
  4. Terzi, Tony (November 19, 2018). "Dillon Stadium rebuild called 'important' to Hartford's rebirth". WTIC-TV.
  5. Menard, Vonda (April 5, 2013). "New England NightMare Football Season Opener". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  6. "2019 Men's Soccer Schedule". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. "2019 Women's Soccer Schedule". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
  8. Doyle, Paul (June 9, 2011). "Hartford Colonials Announce 2011 Schedule; Still Seek Home Field Agreement". Hartford Courant. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  9. "USA v Bermuda, 09 September 1973". 11v11.com. Association of Football Statisticians (AFS).
  10. Morrison, Dave. "NASL Friendlies-Hartford Bicentennials". NASLjerseys.com.
  11. Morrison, Dave. "Lazio Defeats Bicentennials, 2–0". NASLjerseys.com.
  12. https://www.hartfordathletic.com/news_article/show/1041135
  13. https://www.hartfordathletic.com/news_article/show/1051390
  14. "United States of America v England XV". ESPN scrum.
  15. "United States of America v France". ESPN scrum.
  16. Kauffman, Matthew; Carlesso, Jenna (February 23, 2018). "Mitchell Anderson Receives Six-Month Sentence in Dillon Stadium Fraud". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  17. Goldman, Ben (May 9, 2018). "Hartford recovers $510,000 lost in Dillon Stadium deal". WTIC-TV. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  18. Kauffman, Matthew; Carlesso, Jenna (December 6, 2017). "Ex-Dillon Stadium Developer James Duckett Gets 36 Months In Prison". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  19. Carlesso, Jenna (November 30, 2017). "CRDA Backs Woodbridge Businessman For Dillon Stadium Renovation". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  20. "Dillon Stadium, Hartford, CT, USA Concert Setlists – setlist.fm". www.setlist.fm.
  21. Leone, Mark. "Grateful Dead Set Lists". Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science.
  22. "The Rolling Stones". rocktourdatabase.com. Venue: Dillon Stadium
  23. Regan, Michael (July 17, 1972). "Heat Only Problem at 'Dead' Concert". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. "The Doors – Hartford – Dillon Stadium 1972". MildEquator.com.
  25. "Yes". rocktourdatabase.com. Venue: Dillon Stadium
  26. "Dave's Picks Vol. 2". The Best Of Website. Retrieved August 3, 2020. From the Grateful Dead Website... The show in question is a three-set wonder from Hartford's Dillon Stadium during the heart of the Wall of Sound era, July 31, 1974, four days after the release of the Dead's fine Mars Hotel album. Dwarfed by the Wall's irregular columns of speakers on a hot and humid Wednesday afternoon, the band thrilled the sold-out crowd of 20,000 with a far-ranging collection of tunes and jams that showed how far they'd come as musicians, songwriters and interpreters of others' songs in their decade together.
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