Photos by David Welch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.86
Historic Barron Stadium 300 W 3rd St Rome, GA 30165
Year Opened: 1924
Capacity: 6,500
Fly Hawks
College football was first played at Shorter University in the northwest Georgia city of Rome in 2005, as the Shorter Hawks began their college football journey as members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in the Mid-South Conference.
Following a successful football run in NAIA, Shorter made the jump to the NCAA’s Division II following the 2011 academic year as a part of the Gulf South Conference. Shorter would announce a move to the Conference of the Carolinas to start the 2024 season, which left them as an independent for the 2023 season.
While some of the programs at Shorter have not skipped a beat in making the jump to NCAA Division II, the same cannot be said for its football program. Since joining the D2 ranks, the Hawks have tallied just a 19-94 record, which includes a 48-game losing streak that stretched parts of five seasons.
The Hawks have played at Barron Stadium since the program was founded. Football at Barron Stadium dates back to 1923, when the stadium was first built, being dedicated in 1924. In its 100+ year history, it has been the football home of Rome High School and also served as home to the NAIA national championship football games from 2008 to 2013.
Food & Beverage 2
Concessions here are fairly straightforward – the bulk of the menu is what would typically be found at most traditional concession stands, such as hot dogs, burgers, pizza, and nachos. Candy and chips, along with the ever-popular stadium pickle, are also available. Beverages include items from the Coca-Cola line of soft drinks. Beer and other alcoholic beverages are not available.
Concessions on the home side of the field are cash only, while the visiting side of the field does accept credit cards.
Atmosphere 3
Barron Stadium has every bit of the feel of its historic distinction. The field is surrounded by an eight-lane track and has two separate seating areas. The home-side seating runs from the 10-yard line to the 10-yard line, with a smaller visitors section across the way, but that only stretches between the 30s.
Most of Shorter’s kickoffs are slated for noon, so the sun is at the back of the home stands for most of the contest. With the entirety of the seating being general admission, the home side is the best option to try and find some relief from the heat or bright sun. Visiting fans have little they can do to get out of the sun other than retreating under the bleachers to picnic-style tables. Unfortunately, these tables do not have a view of the field.
There is a large digital scoreboard at the north end of the stadium, but other than displaying the school’s logo and game score, time, down, and yardage information, the scoreboard is relatively underutilized. A smaller, simpler scoreboard at the southern end of the stadium displays similar game information.
Give Shorter credit for trying to create a college football atmosphere with the addition of a pep band, but the limited size of the band does not make a large impact on the ambiance, and the band also gets frequently drowned out by stadium audio drops.
Neighborhood 4
Barron Stadium is just a block from downtown Rome’s Broad Street, the city’s quaint, small-town feeling “Main Street”. Broad St is full of shops and restaurants, all within walking distance from Barron Stadium – Schroder’s Deil and Harvest Moon Café are two of the area’s more popular spots to grab a bite.
Almost directly across the street from the western end zone is the Etowah River Trail, a re-purposed railroad bed that has been converted to walking trails. Part of the trail includes Lock Bridge, which has been adorned with hundreds, if not thousands, of padlocks.
If a weekend sports schedule is more the plan, Rome offers a handful of options, which include minor league baseball with the Rome Emperors or Division III football at Berry College, which is not more than 4 miles away.
Fans 2
Typical attendance runs from 700 to 1600 fans per game; while they are engaged in the ups and downs of the action on the field, Shorter fans do not necessarily create a home-field advantage for the Hawks.
There also doesn’t seem to be an organized student section, which can often go a long way in focusing the rambunctious nature of the student body into a single area, elevating the overall game environment.
Shorter fans are supportive of the Hawks, but there simply is not a large enough following to make much of an impact on the game.
Access 2
Rome, in northwest Georgia, can be a bit of a challenge to get to. Fans arriving from the nearby metropolitan areas of Atlanta or Chattanooga will use I-75, then still have more than 30 minutes on state highways to reach Rome. If arriving from eastern Alabama, which borders Floyd County, the venue is most directly accessible via State Highway 20.
With just one entry point and multiple stops before getting in, such as having to stop to pay for a ticket, having to get that ticket punched before entering, and not being able to purchase tickets ahead of time, it slows down the entry process. Also, for Shorter football games, cards are not accepted at the gate, so come prepared with cash.
Concessions on the home side have just one window open and also only accept cash, so lines can grow rather long. This creates an issue with simply the amount of time spent waiting in line and can obstruct the view of the field, as the line can back up into the bleachers.
Simply being able to have just one more window open or accepting credit cards or mobile payments seems as if it would alleviate much of this problem. If concessions are a must, taking the trip over to the stand under the visitor bleachers is advised.
Return on Investment 5
Adult tickets run just $10, and children 5-12 are just $5. Considering there is no cost for parking and that concessions are priced reasonably, Shorter does a good job encouraging fans and the local community to come out simply by providing an affordable weekend experience.
Extras 2
There is not a lot by way of extras that are added to the Shorter football experience, but the promotions team does make a concerted effort to reach out to their youngest fans by way of children-specific giveaways.
The fact that this facility holds so much historical significance for the Roman community and has not simply been replaced says a lot about the civic pride shown toward Barron Stadium.
Final Thoughts
Upgrades have been made to keep the stadium in use, for which a lot of credit should be given to the City of Rome – they recognize the history of the stadium and are doing all they can to preserve its historic relics.
Shorter football at Historic Barron Stadium is what it is – there is no hiding the fact that, other than the game on the field, there are not a lot of bells and whistles to capture the attention of those in the stands, but that is perfectly okay! Sometimes, the game on the field is all we need to sit back and enjoy competition in its simplest form.
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