Dillon Stadium
| Location | Hartford, CT 06106 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°45′14″N 72°39′40″W / 41.7538°N 72.6611°WCoordinates: 41°45′14″N 72°39′40″W / 41.7538°N 72.6611°W |
| Operator | City of Hartford |
| Capacity | 9,600 |
| Surface | Seeded grass |
| Tenants | |
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Hartford Bicentennials (NASL) 1975–76 New England Nightmare (WFA) 2010-2012 |
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Dillon Stadium is a multipurpose facility in Hartford, Connecticut, with a capacity of 9,600. It has been host to concerts and sporting events. It is currently the home of the New England Nightmare of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA).
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. Dillon is now used primarily for high school football teams, including the Bulkeley Bulldogs, the Sport Medical Tigers, the Prince Tech Falcons, and the Capitol 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.
In 1975, the Hartford Bicentennials soccer team joined the North American Soccer League and played their home matches at Dillon Stadium. After two seasons in Hartford (and drawing less than 4,000 fans a game), the club moved to the Yale Bowl in New Haven in 1977.
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. The Colonials did sign a deal with Rentschler in June, but suspended operations on August 10, 2011; the league later folded it outright.
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