St. John's University Athletics
College Soccer News Ranks Belson Stadium As One Of Nation's Top Venues
6/8/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
June 8, 2011
QUEENS, N.Y. - College Soccer News has ranked Belson Stadium 12th in their rankings of the top venues in collegiate soccer. The Red Storm has enjoyed a significant home field advantage since the stadium opened in 2002, posting a 64-10-17 record (.797)
The men's soccer team drew an average home attendance of 1,302 for the 2010 season, a figure that ranked No. 19 in the country and third in the BIG EAST. In each of the past two seasons the average attendance has both surpassed 1,300 and ranked in the top 20 nationally.
St. John's has had top 20 rankings in home attendance five times since 2002 (2010: 19th; 2009: 15th; 2006: 20th; 2003: 13th; 2002: 14th). In that same span, the Red Storm has ranked second in the BIG EAST twice (2009 and 2002), and third in the BIG EAST twice (2010 and 2006).
The stadium has an official capacity of 2,168, but has had three crowds surpass that figure. A Belson-record 2,518 fans saw St. John's open BIG EAST play against Georgetown on September 18, 2009. The crowd of 2,242 fans at the Belson Stadium-opener remains the second-largest crowd of all-time, while 2,202 fans attended the 2010 home-opener on September 10, 2010.
Uniquely built on a raised platform with parking underneath, the construction of Belson Stadium was made possible through the generous donations of Maxine and Jerome Belson. After ground was broken on Feb. 1, 2001, the stadium opened on September 21, 2002 as the then-No. 1 St. John's soccer team played nationally-ranked Wake Forest to a 1-1 draw.
