Atwood Stadium

Atwood Stadium is an 11,000-seat stadium located in Flint, Michigan. It opened on June 8, 1929 and was named after Edwin W. Atwood who donated a portion of the site for the stadium. It has hosted high school football, minor-league baseball, and concerts over the years. Atwood still hosts high school football games today. Originally Atwood Stadium had a natural grass field, but in 1969 began using artificial turf. Atwood's turf was ruled unsafe, leading to the stadium's closure in 1992. The stadium reopened in 1995 after $2 million in improvements, including a new artificial turf field. Currently the stadium in undergoing key renovations to bathrooms, the press box, the concourse, the exterior and soon, the playing field, but the stadium is still in use for sporting events, mainly football. [http://whatsupdowntown.com/articles/cnstructn_proj/0001.htm] It is currently home to Flint middle school football as well as Flint Central High School, Northern, and Southwestern High School football, and Flint Fury and Genesee County Patriots semi-pro football.

Recent discussions have surfaced involving a possible NCAA athletics program for the University of Michigan-Flint. If the athletics department was created, and a football program, Atwood Stadium would be the most likely home for such a team. [http://media.www.themichigantimes.com/media/storage/paper620/news/2007/10/29/Sports/Varsity.Intercollegiate.Athletics.A.Possibility.For.Umf.In.Future-3069090.shtml]

From the 1940s through the 1960s the Annual Football game between Flint Central High School and Flint Northern High School was played on Thanksgiving Day and drew attendance in the tens of thousands of people.

By 2007, all of Atwood's seating received renovations, with new vinyl seats installed.

Atwood is located at 701 W Third Ave., which is part of historic downtown Flint.

It also was the stadium in which the homecoming concert of American Idol Contestant LaKisha Jones was held on June 9, 2007