Grand reopening celebrated at ‘The Joe’

HUNTSVILLE — The rains held off just long enough Tuesday that the excitement surrounding the grand reopening of Joe Davis Stadium wasn’t dampened.

Referring to the stadium as “The rejuvenated Joe,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle opened the ceremony.

“This iconic venue has undergone a remarkable transformation,” he said. “We have evolved to a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a vibrant hub for a wide range of events and activities.” 

Among the city officials, the Wicks family and Huntsville City FC staff, one person was beaming with pride at the ribbon-cutting – Joe Davis Jr.

Known as Will, the son of the former mayor was an honored guest and was enamored with the facility.

“I love it,” he said. “This is a great job they’ve done.”

Nashville SC CEO and Huntsville City FC President Ian Ayre reflected on the historic occasion.

“As you can tell from my accent, I’m not from Alabama,” said Ayre, a Liverpool native and former CEO of the Premier League Liverpool club. “I can’t imagine what it must feel like to be a part of something as historic as today to be around when your team gets its first stadium for its first professional soccer team and be part of that, and it’s important. Everyone who’s here today, you will remember that as you grow older, as your kids grow up. You are here on that momentous day when the stadium opened.

“And the thing about this stadium is, it really is for us, for the team, for the players, for the fans. It’s the spiritual home of the team.” 

Along with the massive renovations, the facility was rebranded as Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium.

Mike and Christine Wicks, local business leaders and philanthropists, spoke of the pride and reinvesting in the community.

“As you can tell by my accent, I am from Alabama,” said Mike Wicks, a Huntsville native. “We couldn’t be more proud to reinvest in our community. Winston Churchill probably said it best when he said ‘we make a living by what we get, but we make a live by what we give,’ and we could not be more proud to reinvest in our community, and we’re just so excited to be part of this great project.”

After the ceremony, the club held an open house and launched its inaugural home kit, dubbed the “Rocket City Kit.”  

The deep blue color of the kit is shared with parent club Nashville SC. The iconic “N” monogram and soundwave of Nashville SC spears above the player’s name on the back. 

Also featured is a badge with a star iconography rocketing upward, worn on the right sleeve. The lower left corner features HCFC set on an iconic checkerboard pattern. The pattern is inspired by Saturn I, the celebrated rocket born into space exploration history in Huntsville. 

The “Rocket City Kit” will be worn on the field for the first time Friday for Huntsville City FC’s historic home opener against Crown Legacy at 7 p.m. CT.