By Maria Rakoczy (maria@themadisonrecord.com)

MADISON – Not so long ago, Joe W. Davis Stadium off of Memorial Parkway in Huntsville was the center of lively baseball games when Milwaukee Brewers minor league affiliate, the Huntsville Stars, called the stadium home. After the Stars were bought and moved to Biloxi, Mississippi in 2015, Joe Davis fell defunct. That is, until a new sports team came to town.

In March of 2022, the Huntsville City Football Club (HCFC) arrived in the Rocket City and chose Joe Davis Stadium to be their home field. The team is a professional soccer team in the MLS NEXT Pro league and an affiliate of the Nashville Soccer Club. 2023 is the first season for the team who has played on the road for seven consecutive games while the finishing touches have been put on Joe Davis. Their inaugural home game on Friday, May 19 is coming as an exciting relief for the football club.

“It means a lot,” Jacob Brabant, Communications and Broadcast Manager for HCFC, stated. “The team has been on the road for five-straight road games so far and still have 2 more to play before finally coming home. It will feel so good to finally play in front of our fans. And for the community, it’ll be amazing to get to come into the new Joe Davis Stadium, with its history from the Huntsville Stars, and get to make new history through HCFC, and all of the other sports that will play at the new stadium.”

Joe Davis’ revamped look sports a clean, sleek, and modern setting for the spectators and the athletes.

“The stadium seats just over 6,000 fans, so it will be a very close setting for fans to truly feel like they are a part of the action. The stadium also includes a biergarten for fans to gather and walk around to enjoy the view. No matter the sport, fans will have the opportunity to truly make the stadium feel like a home fortress,” Brabant said.

The new Joe Davis has seven furnished field-level private boxes, a 1,600 square foot main “Zero-Edge” video scoreboard, a gourmet kitchen facility for serving specialty foods to fans, and so much more. The stadium renovation was a $30 million investment for the city of Huntsville.

On the asset the new Joe Davis is, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle commented, “The $34 million price tag to renovate the stadium is also part of the City’s investment in John Hunt Park.  Huntsville is already experiencing a surge in collegiate and high school tournaments at the park, bringing tens of thousands of athletes to participate sand volleyball, run cross-country, mountain bike and play soccer. New hotels, retail and apartments are in the works for property surrounding the stadium and park, adding to vitality of our city.”

The field was built to be versatile and capable of accommodating other sporting events like lacrosse, high school football, and sports clinics. It’s primary purpose, however, will be as the home of professional soccer in North Alabama.

According Battle, “Professional soccer at Joe Davis Stadium places us center stage in the world of sports. With so many global corporations locating here, as well as new families moving to Huntsville from around the world, having an internationally recognized sport fuels our efforts to ensure a high quality of life for all.”

The inaugural home game of HCFC kicks off this stage in Huntsville’s rise to prominence. The game is scheduled for 7 pm on Friday, May 19 as HCFC takes on Crown Legacy Football Club of Matthews, North Carolina. To purchase tickets and to find more information, visit https://www.mlsnextpro.com/huntsvillecityfc/tickets/singlematch.