Photos by Matt Colville, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.14
Tatum Park 101 Parkway Blvd
Hattiesburg, MS 39402
Year Opened: 2024
Capacity: 500
Futbol in the Pine Belt
Hattiesburg Futbol Club was founded in 1980, the first and largest grassroots soccer training program in the Pine Belt region. The program's mission is to make sure as many children in the community as possible can get involved in soccer, regardless of ability, gender, socioeconomic status, or culture.
HFC offers opportunities for boys and girls at all levels of play through its Recreational Academy and other programs. Over the past 40-plus years, hundreds of players have gone through the Academy on the way to four-year colleges – the Academy is based out of Tatum Park, the largest park in Hattiesburg.
In 2019 Hattiesburg Futbol Club began fielding a team in the semi-pro Gulf Coast Premiere League (GCPL), featuring the best men's and women's players from the Academy. The men's club is nicknamed the Thunder, while the women's club is nicknamed the Storm.
The GCPL is a lower-level semi-pro soccer league with 24 teams scattered throughout the Gulf Coast region – while the women's club still competes in the GCPL, in 2024 the men's club was relegated and moved one step up in the soccer pyramid, to USL League 2. USL2 is a lower league on the soccer pyramid but is on the national stage with 128 teams spread throughout 18 divisions. Hattiesburg FC is one of five teams that make up USL2’s Mid-South Division.
Food & Beverage 3
Tatum Park is a local park setting, so there are no permanent concessions on site. Instead, the staff brings in two food trucks set up in the parking lot, namely The Grill at Tatum Park, a food truck that has items such as burgers, hot dogs, chips, nachos, and candy. The prices are fairly reasonable with the most expensive item on the menu being the double cheeseburger costing $8. The staff also brings in a beer truck that serves 16 oz. bottled beer for $6.50; I consider these prices to be fairly cheap such that they will not break the bank.
Atmosphere 3
At 228 acres, Tatum Park is the Hub City's largest park and public green space. The park opened in the mid-1970s and is named after the Tatum Family, who were pioneers in the lumber industry in the city's early years. Considered a thriving force for the community and the crown jewel of Hattiesburg's Parks and Recreation department, the park consists of a baseball and softball complex with 11 total fields, an 18-hole disc golf course, a full-service tennis center, and over 20 rec league soccer fields. For the first five years, the Academy was based at Tatum Park, while the men's and women's clubs played on the soccer field at William Carey University, an NAIA college located nearby.
In 2024 both the men's and women's clubs moved their matches exclusively to Tatum Park. As part of the men’s team’s move to USL2, a section of woods on the far northern part of the property was cleared away, and a brand new, state-of-the-art turf field was built, complete with bleacher seating and LED lighting surrounding the field. The new field faces north/south and is fenced in and tucked away on a back part of the complex. The new field is also soccer only, complete with Hattiesburg FC's logo and the Visit Hburg logo painted onto the turf at midfield.
The food trucks are located in the parking lot, and they also have a small table selling Hattiesburg FC tees and jerseys. Banners for local sponsors surround the pitch on the fenceline, while the team benches take up the west sideline and a small grandstand of two sections of bleacher seating takes up the east. The VIP tent, a shaded seating area, is located at mid-field separating the two sets of bleachers. The bleachers filled up fast at the most recent match I attended, so many fans brought lawn chairs to set up in the grass.
Neighborhood 3
Tatum Park is located on the south side of the city in a rather industrial area. Other than the amenities found at the park, there is not a lot to do in the area. Down the street on Broadway is Topher's Restaurant, which serves a good breakfast, but other than that you will have to go into the city to find things to do. Hattiesburg is a college town of 50,000 people, but with college being out for the summer you can find plenty to do without having to deal with big crowds.
Historic downtown Hattiesburg has seen a revitalization over the years, with many of the abandoned buildings being turned into local businesses – download the Visit Hburg app to view the different walking tours they have here, including an art trail, a HattiesBurger trail featuring popular restaurants in the city, and a historic downtown walking tour.
Hattiesburg also has many family-friendly options as well; make sure you check out the Pocket Museum if in downtown. The museum’s location is purposely hidden, as you are supposed to find it by walking around looking for clues; it's hard to explain, but the Pocket Museum is considered Mississippi's tiniest museum and is located in an alley near Saenger Theatre.
Down the alley are hundreds of tiny figurines and displays set to a particular theme that changes each month. The Pocket Museum has become a big attraction for all ages and is not hard to find anymore, as you can just look for the line of people coming out of an alley.
Another popular place to visit downtown is The Lucky Rabbit, a huge two-building vintage antique store. It’s also hard to explain what this place is, but trust me – it's well worth a visit as it is no ordinary antique store. Another attraction is Hattiesburg Zoo, which also makes a great visit for the family. The zoo is affordable and quite big for a city like Hattiesburg; you can't miss the zoo as you will see the giraffes from the side of the road. Also, next to the zoo is the brand new Serengeti Springs Water Park, which just opened in the summer of 2024.
Fans 3
Hattiesburg Futbol Club has been around for over 40 years, and thus has a dedicated group of supporters and followers, as many of the people in the Pine Belt who played youth soccer played through the youth league Academy when coming up. For years, when both clubs were in the GCPL and played at William Carey the fan support was evident, partly because of the local connection – many of the players played at various local colleges, or are from the Pine Belt area.
When the men's club was relegated to USL2, the story was covered by the local news and in the newspapers, so there is a following here; there is even a podcast dedicated to the club, available on Spotify. It also helps that during the summer months, there is not much else going on in terms of events in the Hattiesburg area.
As mentioned the bleachers fill up fast, especially as the season progresses and word of mouth spreads around town about the club. I recommend bringing a lawn chair and setting up on the grass – the two sets of bleachers fill up rather quickly, so even if you can grab a spot you will be sitting shoulder to shoulder. Alternatively, fans who purchase VIP tickets are allowed to bring lawn chairs to set up on the pitch right in front of the fence.
Access 4
Tatum Park can be kind of difficult to find if you are not familiar with the area – the complex is located on Highway 11 just off Highway 49, on the south side of the city away from all the main attractions. If coming from out of town, more than likely your hotel will be closer to Hardy Street/Highway 98 at Exit 65.
Your best option would be to get on I-59 from Hardy Street, then travel south about five miles on the interstate, until you get to Highway 11 at Exit 60. Take this exit and the park will be right there on the right; the field is located toward the back side of the complex, and the ticket table is in the parking lot. After purchasing your ticket you are given a wristband, so you are free to come and go throughout the whole match.
Return on Investment 3
General admission tickets to a Hattiesburg FC match are $10, and you are free to sit anywhere you want – for the VIP experience tickets are $20, and you can sit under the tent or bring your lawn chair onto the pitch to set up. Getting to see some of the best college soccer players in the area compete is a plus, not to mention factoring in the wonderful facilities at Tatum Park, so I consider this a good return on investment.
Extras 3
Tatum Park also hosted another big event in the summer of 2023 – with a nickname like Baseburg Hattiesburg has always been a big baseball town, so it was no surprise when the Hub City was selected to host the 2023 U8 Dixie Youth World Series. The tournament took place at the Larry Doleac Baseball Complex, located on the park’s property. Over 20,000 people converged on the city for the 5-day tournament, which was a huge boost for the area's economy, pumping in over $4 million.
The Director of Coaching for the Academy and Executive Director of the Club is a local soccer legend named Danny Owens. Since 2005, Owens has been the women’s soccer coach at nearby William Carey University – since Owens took over the Lady Crusaders have been an NAIA powerhouse in soccer, advancing to the NAIA national championship four times, winning once in 2018.
His teams have had winning seasons in 17 of the 19 seasons he has been the coach, winning 14 conference finals and making 15 trips to the NAIA national tournament. In addition, Owens was inducted into the William Carey Sports Hall of Fame. In past years both the Hattiesburg FC's men's and women's clubs have played their matches at William Carey, on a field named Danny Owen Field.
Hattiesburg is also home to another semi-pro soccer club that plays in the Oak Grove community west of town. Southern States Soccer Club has played in the National Premiere Soccer League (NPSL) since 2016, playing at a soccer-specific facility called Oakes Training Center, which Stadium Journey visited in 2023. Southern States also sponsors a local academy, similar to Hattiesburg FC.
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