Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.71
The Stadium at the Jopson Athletic Complex 402 E College St Bridgewater, VA 22812
Year Opened: 1924
Capacity: 6,500
D3 Football in the Shenandoah
The Stadium at the Jopson Athletic Complex is home to the Bridgewater Eagles football program, as well as the school’s field hockey, lacrosse, and track and field teams. The facility seats 3,500 and received major upgrades most recently in 2013 and 2024.
The Eagles compete in the NCAA’s Division III, as members of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Bridgewater most recently won the conference back in 2019, and prior to that won the conference title five straight times from 2001 to 2005.
Food & Beverage 3
The Stadium has concessions only on the home side, although since the venue isn’t that big, it isn’t really that far of a walk around the field if you are sitting on the visiting side.
Food choices include burgers, hot dogs, nachos, chips, candy, popcorn, and soft pretzels – prices range from $3 to $7, with the cheeseburger being the most expensive item. The food tastes good and is served up rather quickly, as it is pre-made and pre-wrapped, all ready to go.
Drinks include bottled water, bottled soda (Pepsi products), and Gatorade – drink prices are $4, except for the Gatorade, which is $5.
Atmosphere 3
Bridgewater has a nice little football stadium that seems pretty modern. The venue has real bathrooms next to the concession stand, including a family restroom if needed. The scoreboard is a mix of a regular digital stats tracker on one side, with video capability on the other side for replays. I did not see a mascot, but the Eagles have a band and cheerleaders, and a pretty decent tailgating scene on two sides of the stadium – the home tailgating can be seen from the field (to the southeast), while the visitor tailgating is a bit further down the street (to the northwest).
Neighborhood 2
Bridgewater, Virginia is a small town with a few restaurants along Main Street, mostly of the fast food and quick service type, including Chinese, pizza, and Barbecue. There is one small hotel in town, near the athletic complex, but all the typical hotel chains are about 5 miles away along I-81.
Fans 2
Bridgewater doesn’t have a ton of fans at the typical game at The Stadium, but you will see some folks wearing team gear, and the fans do cheer at the right times during the game. Like many football teams at this level, you might see more visiting fans at certain games than home fans, as the teams in D2/D3 conferences tend to be more closely clustered together geographically than you will see in FBS and FCS, especially after the recent/ongoing FBS conference realignment.
Access 4
As mentioned above, The Stadium at the Jopson Athletic Complex is only about 5 miles away from I-81, so getting here is pretty easy, depending on where you are coming from, of course; I-81 may not work as well if you coming from the east or west, rather than from the north or south.
There is only one entrance into The Stadium, and you can buy tickets as you enter (their website says they don’t take cash, but that wasn’t true the last time I attended).
Once inside the stadium there is plenty of room on the concourse, and you can sit wherever you want, either on the home or visiting side (the home side does have a few chairback seats near the center, while the visiting side is all bleachers without backs), or you can stand along the fence and watch from there.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets are only $10, and you can purchase them online before the game, or pay cash or use a card on the day of. Tailgate parking costs $25, and all passengers will be ID checked and given a wristband, if applicable, showing they are 21 or older. Non-tailgate parking is free, in one of the campus lots a couple of blocks to the southwest of The Stadium, on E College Ave.
While not offering a ton of excitement compared to some football venues you may have been to, for the money this is a perfectly nice way to spend an evening, and enjoy some gridiron action in a pleasant, low-key setting.
Extras 1
The Eagles do have an eagle statue near the main entrance to The Stadium at the Jopson Athletic Complex. One negative is the lack of bathrooms and concessions on the visiting side, although you don’t have to sit over there, either.
Final Thoughts
If you are used to D2 or D3 college football, you can imagine the kind of experience you will find here – I will say the football venue here is better than many of the D3 facilities I have been to, but you won’t have the large crowds, and high energy/noise, that you may be used to at FCS, FBS, or pro football venues, which for this sportswriter and fan, is perfectly fine. It is nice to not have to fight any crowds for a change, and to have plenty of space around you in your seat.
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