One of the region's most popular events, from April to September, is a Norfolk Tides baseball game in scenic Harbor Park on downtown Norfolk’s waterfront.
Rated one of the country’s best minor league parks, it offers panoramic views for 12,067 fans and includes 24 luxury suites and a grassy picnic area.
A 225-seat restaurant, Hit at the Park, offers meals, and other food options are plentiful. The Tides, formerly a Triple A team of the New York Mets,now are affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles.
Next in popularity are the Norfolk Admirals hockey team, part of the American Hockey League, and now the primary minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lighting. The Admirals, who play at Scope in downtown Norfolk from October to April, have made the playoffs for 18 consecutive years
When the winter season ends, head to the Virginia Beach Sportsplex for women’s and men’s soccer. In the heart of the resort city, it can hold 10,000 fans.
Making their home there from May to July are the Hampton Roads Piranhas. The women’s team is one of the most respected in its league. They were W-League Atlantic Division champions in 2004, and national champions in ‘03. The Piranhas have made the playoffs eight of the last 12 seasons.
The men’s team is now known as the Hampton Roads PDL Piranhas, feature some of the best college soccer talent in Virginia.
For the first time in several years, the Sportsplex will host two semi-pro football teams.
The Virginia Crusaders, who made their home in Hampton last season, compete in the Mason Dixon League.
The Southern Virginia Trojans is a new squad of the East Coast Alliance Football League.
Both team’s seasons go from July to October. www.south ernvirginiatrojans.com or www.virginiacrusaders.com.
The Beach also is home to world-class field hockey and the world’s largest sand soccer championships.
Field hockey is played in the USA Field Hockey National Training Center, next to the Sportsplex. It is official headquarters of the US Women’s national field hockey team and home to several USA field hockey national championship events, including club champions and national futures (under age 18) champions.
The Virginia Beach Convention Center also annually hosts the national futures indoors championship the second weekend in March. www.usfieldhockey.com.
The North American Sand Soccer Championships, the largest beach/soccer festival in the world, takes place at the Oceanfront. The highlight is the U.S. Open pro/am men’s beach soccer championship.
For those who have a hankering for NASCAR races, Langley Speedway in Hampton offers some of the best local brand, with Southeast Virginia’s NASCAR Whelan All-America series. Langley’s racing series is offered every Saturday night from April to October. Wacky Wednesday is for street-legal car racing, $15 to enter.
Just 25 miles from Virginia Beach, in Elizabeth City, N.C., there is dirt track racing. Dixieland Speedway is open on Fridays from April to August. www.dixielandspeedway.com.
If you’re into Division I college sports, there’s plenty of that, starting with Old Dominion University, which has won national championships in women’s basketball and field hockey and also has been nationally ranked in baseball, wrestling and soccer.
In basketball, the Lady Monarchs have won the Colonial Athletic Association crown 16 straight years. Themen’s team qualified for the NCAA tournament two of the past three years. Both teams play in Ted Constant Convocation Center on Hampton Boulevard.
In the fall of 2009, ODU is to bring back Division I-AA football to Foreman Field.
Just 30 minutes down the road from Norfolk is the College of William and Mary in Colonial Williamsburg. The Tribe has a strong program, leading the Colonial Athletic Association with the most conference titles.
The Tribe is Division I in most sports, a perennial Division I-AA playoff qualifier in the Atlantic 10.
Not far from ODU is Norfolk State University and its Dick Price Stadium, the largest sports and entertainment venue in Hampton Roads, with a seating capacity of 30,000. The Spartans, also Division I in most sports, are Division I-AA in football and play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Also competing in the MEAC is Hampton University. A perennial Division I-AA football power, the Pirates had a regular season record of 21-1 over the past two years. The Pirates men’s and women’s basketball teams have qualified for the NCAA tournament in the past five years.
Division III Virginia Wesleyan College, on the border of Virginia Beach and Norfolk, has made a name for itself in men’s basketball. Themen’s team won the Division III national title in 2006, and finished as national runner-up in 2007. The Marlins compete in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
Christopher Newport University, in Newport News, is also Division III and competes in the USA South Athletic Conference. CNU is home to the Freeman Center, with te area’s only indoor track.
The Captains also play a good brand of football, even though they have only been at it since 2001. Playing at Pomoco Stadium, CNU has qualified for the NCAA playoffs five out of six seasons.
Norfolk’s Lafayette Park has both men’s and women’s rugby. The men’s Norfolk Blues, who play rugby in the fall, spring and summer, have been at it for 28 years.
The women’s Norfolk Storm has been going strong for 10 years. There are plenty of creature comforts, with lots of bleachers and bathrooms. www.bluesrugby.org or www.norfolkrugby.com.
If you enjoy watching pro golf, head to Williamsburg in the spring. There, the best women golfers in the world will compete in the Michelob Ultra Open at Williamsburg’s Kingsmill Resort and Spa. It is tentatively scheduled for May 5-11, 2008. www.michelobultraopen.com.
Teams & Venues
Norfolk Tides Professional AAA Baseball
72 regular season home games, April through September. Tickets: $9.50 to $11; discounts for students, active military and senior citizens. 24 luxury suites available. Parking $4. Games at Harbor Park, 150 Park Ave. on the downtown Norfolk Waterfront. Amenities include 12,067 seats with great views most anywhere in the ballpark and food from classic hot dogs to on-site restaurant, Hit At The Park. Information 622-2222 or www.norfolktides.com
Norfolk Admirals Professional AHL Hockey 40 regular season home games, October through April. Tickets: $11 to $16; discounts for active military, students and seniors. Plenty of game packages available. Corporate boxes $250. Birthday packages start at $240. Games played at Norfolk Scope, 201 E. Brambleton Ave., in downtown Norfolk. Amenities include seating for 8,823, a boatload of concessions and the Showcase Restaurant. Information 640-1212 or www.norfolkadmirals.com
Hampton Roads Piranhas Women’s W-League Soccer 6 regular season home games, May through July. Tickets: $5 general admission; youth pass $10 per season (all 14 home games for Men’s and Women’s Piranhas teams). Ages 4 and under free. Free parking. Games played at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, 2181 Landstown Road, Virginia Beach. Amenities include seating for 6,000 with room for 4,000 more on the grassy berm. Food includes french fries, popcorn, peanuts, chicken strips and Uncle Al’s Famous Hot Dogs. Information 572-1592 or www.hrpiranhas.com
PDL Piranhas Men’s Professional Premier Development League Soccer 8 regular season home games, May through July. Tickets: $5 general admission; youth pass $10 per season (all 14 home games for Men’s and Women’s Piranhas teams). Ages 4 and under free. Free parking. Games played at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, 2181 Landstown Road, Virginia Beach. Amenities include seating for 6,000 with room for 4,000 more on the grassy berm. Food includes french fries, popcorn, peanuts, chicken strips and Uncle Al’s Famous Hot Dogs. Information 572-1592 or www.hrpiranhas.com
Langley Speedway Nascar Whelen All-America Series Auto Racing. Also features Wacky Wednesday; street legal car racing. Tickets: Wednesdays $15 to compete; $5 general admission, ages 5 and under free. Saturday $10 adults, $5 children 6-12; discounts for senior citizens and active military, military in uniform are free. Pavilion rent available $200/night. Races held at Langley Speedway, 11 Dale Lemonds Drive, Hampton. Amenities include a .395 mile lowbanked (4.5 degree) asphalt oval. Grandstands will hold 6,200 with 3,400 more in the pits. On-site food options are a-plenty. The list includes chicken tenders, hot wings and barbecue. But you’re more than welcome to bring your own cooler filled to the brim with food and drinks. Information 865-RACE (7223) or www.langley-speedway.com
College Sports
Old Dominion University 757-683-5484 or www.odusports.com
Norfolk State University 757-823-9009 or www.nsu.edu/athletics
The College of William and Mary
757-221-3340 (box office) or ww.tribeathletics.com
Virginia Wesleyan College 757-455-3303 or www.vwc.eduHampton University 757-727-5767 or www.hamptonpirates.com
Christopher Newport University 757-594-7025 or www.athletics.cnu.edu
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