HUNTSVILLE — The University of North Alabama women’s soccer team is taking its talents to Huntsville next month to host in-state rival Jacksonville State at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium in the first collegiate soccer match in stadium history.
“The Joe” is the home to the professional Huntsville City FC and former home of the Huntsville Stars Minor League Baseballl team.
“Bringing a women’s soccer rivalry match to Wicks Family Field is going to make this a great weekend of soccer for our fans to enjoy,” said Chad Emerson, Managing Director of Business Operation for HCFC and events curator at The Joe. “Thanks to our partners at the Sports Commission and CVB, we look forward to more of these events in the future.”
The match will kick off at 5 p.m. Aug. 18 with tickets available through the Huntsville City FC box office website. UNA will be the home team for this game.
“We are excited to have the opportunity to work with the city of Huntsville and host our game against Jacksonville State at the fantastic Joe Davis Stadium,” UNA head coach Chris Walker said. “We would love to invite the Huntsville community and UNA alumni in the area to come out and enjoy a great night of women’s college soccer.”
The Lions finished 11-5-6 last season and advanced to the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship final against Florida Gulf Coast. UNA returns 19 players from last season and looks to make another run in 2024.
UNA has hosted and participated in a number of special events in the Rocket City the last few years, including football, baseball, and cross country. The Lions softball team will compete in the Rocket City Showcase at Toyota Field in 2025.
“We are thrilled to partner with Huntsville City FC to bring the UNA-JSU soccer rivalry to Joe Davis Stadium,” UNA Director of Athletics Dr. Josh Looney said. “UNA has experienced tremendous exposure in the Huntsville market with a number of unique athletic events in recent years. Our football game and baseball series at Toyota Field, the cross country regional at John Hunt Park, and the upcoming softball showcase in 2025 are prime examples of successful events we’ve enjoyed thanks to our successful partnership with the Huntsville Sports Commission and Convention and Visitors Bureau.”
The UNA-JSU match will be the first of many special events at Joe Davis Stadium, according to Huntsville officials. This includes conference and national championship-level soccer matches.
“One of our goals is to continue building our soccer portfolio and this match starts a big fall of events for Huntsville,” said Joel Lamp, sports development manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We expect this to be the tip of the iceberg for more events at Joe Davis Stadium.”
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