Photos by Aaron S. Terry, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Welcome Stadium 1601 S Edwin C Moses Blvd Dayton, OH 45417
Year Opened: 1949
Capacity: 11,000
The Wright Stuff
The University of Dayton has been fielding a football team since 1905 – the team is named the Flyers after the Wright Brothers (the local Air Force base is also partly named after the duo).
The Flyers play their home football games at Welcome Stadium, which was built in 1949 to host football for all the high school teams in the area; the Dayton Flyers began playing here in 1974.
Food & Beverage 3
Welcome Stadium offers chicken tenders, nachos, burgers, hot dogs, pizza, pretzels, packaged candy, popcorn, packaged chips and cookies, donuts, pickles, and drinks including Gatorade, soda, bottled water, coffee, and hot cocoa. There are concessions on both sides of the field, though the one on the visiting side does not sell quite everything. Prices are reasonable with almost everything costing $5 or less, with many items at $2 or $3.
Atmosphere 3
The Dayton Flyers have a very active band at their football games, who march into the stadium before the game and play throughout, bobbing and weaving at various times during the contest to help inspire the fans. The Flyers also have a mascot, cheerleaders, and a dance team. The band also lets off a hurricane warning siren before the game and again before the second half.
The newly renovated turf field provides some bright pops of blue color, and there is great architecture as you walk in along brick columns to the entrances on both sides. There is only one video board, however, and all the seats are bleacher benches without backs. There is also no seating behind the end zones, but fans can walk on the surrounding running track to get between the two sides.
Neighborhood 4
There are plenty of restaurants and hotels near Welcome Stadium, as it is located near downtown, across the river from the University of Dayton’s campus. Old Scratch Pizza and Beer is a popular stop near the hospital just north of the campus.
Dayton Raceway, a casino and live horse racing track is located nearby – the football season overlaps with the horse racing season, allowing fans to double up if desired. The most popular attraction in the city, however, is the Air Force museum at nearby Wright-Patterson Field, a large museum with multiple hangers showcasing planes and other aviation history. There are also additional sites in town you can visit which honor Wilbur, Orville, and their work.
Fans 3
Welcome Stadium does not always fill up with fans, depending of course on how much the team is winning that season, but fans seem very engaged, and there is a decent tailgating scene in the parking lot.
Access 4
Getting to Welcome Stadium is very easy, given its location just off I-75 and slightly south of US Highway 35, the two main roads that take people downtown. Traffic in the area can be very rough during rush hour, but you will avoid all of that on a typical Saturday.
There is plenty of free parking all the way around the stadium, so you should be able to park close to one of the entrances. Most fans will want to park on the west/home side, closer to University of Dayton Arena (home of the school’s basketball teams). There may be a little bit of a line to get into the stadium on the west side, but there is plenty of room in the concourse once you get inside.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets to Flyers football games are $10 for general admission, allowing you to sit anywhere you want inside the facility. Given the free parking and reasonable concession prices, this equals a great return on investment for FCS football.
Extras 3
Underneath each grandstand are banners and trophy cases celebrating the successes of the various high schools which call Dayton Stadium home, and on the home side there is also a team gear stand selling Flyers swag.
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