November 10, 2018
Villanova Stadium (Capacity: 12,000)
Villanova, PA
Villanova Wildcats vs William & Mary Tribe
Final Score: 24 – 17
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It was cold and windy on this November day as I made a visit to see football at a school usually associated with basketball. Villanova University is a well-regarded private, catholic school made up of 10,000 students and it is located within the community that goes by the same name. This section of Radnor Township is about 30 minutes northwest of Philadelphia on what’s called the Main Line, an area made up of wealthy suburbs. The Wildcats football team is a member of the CAA at the FCS level and the program has had plenty of great seasons. They’ve made the playoffs 7 times in the 21st century and in 2009, they won the championship. Also notable was their 1997 undefeated season. This year, Villanova has had a surprising fallback as the memory of their season-opening win over Temple faded after a stretch of five straight losses including two shutouts. Games are played at Villanova Stadium, a facility that dates back to 1927. It is a poor place to watch a game as there is a lot to frown upon from a fan’s perspective.
Prestige Ranking: 1.5 out of 5
Location
The stadium lies near Main Campus with other athletic facilities and the rest of the University is really nice to walk through. I did that before the game and made sure to see the beautiful, twin-spire St. Thomas of Villanova Church. On the other side of the stadium is a neighborhood. Plenty of commercialization exists down Route 30, though most dining options are found down the road in either Wayne or Rosemont.
Location Ranking: 5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
There is plenty of interstate access to the area. More specifically, the university is along Route 30, just off the Blue Route (I-476). Traffic to games isn’t bad, but the region is often congested on roadways and there are areas where you may run into varying slow downs. Parking is in a nearby garage and I had to go up several levels to find a spot as students seem to use the garage too. You may be directed elsewhere in the possible chance this gets full. Leaving can be a gradual process depending on what Route 30 looks like. Villanova is served by a SEPTA Regional Rail Line, so that mode of transportation is an option too.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8
Exterior
Only one side of the stadium has a look to it and that can be seen closest to the main road where a brick exterior runs down the length of a walkway. In the middle, it gets taller thanks to the press box and there is a silver “Villanova Stadium” sign above an entrance. Two tiny ticket windows are in this area too. The building features periodic school logos and the inclusion of an embedded cross at the top is a nice touch. Walking around to other sides, one will see the back of Nevin Field House and the back of the north stands, which is just a white wall.
Exterior Ranking: 5 out of 10
Concourse
Villanova Stadium does not have a concourse and that leads to horrible access and fan comfort. On a day where it would have been nice to get a break from the cold and wind, there is hardly a place to do that as only a small corridor under each sideline stand brings fans in from the outside. In that small space is a cramped bathroom and it led to a pathetic gathering of souls near a space heater to try and warm up at halftime. To get around the stadium, people use the walkway in front of the sideline or on the track. It is on this track behind the east end zone where the lone food stand is.
Concourse Ranking: 0.5 out of 5
Food
At least there are several windows, so that minimized wait time. There were some better-than-expected items like a Veggie Burger, Philly Cheesesteak and a Mixed Salad. It did seem as though items had fancier names than the final product (my “Beer-Braised Bratwurst” was a regular ol’ sausage). A somewhat comical, yet dangerous note about this food area is that there is no net for field goals, meaning that people in line with their backs turned to the field are in firing range.
Food Ranking: 4.5 out of 8
Interior
This is not a good football stadium. Extending to each end zone on the sidelines are a set of metal bleachers that feature limited space between rows. Stands begin at field-level, so that means the first several rows have obstructed views as it is difficult to see over personnel on the sidelines. Not to mention that there is a surrounding track which pushes seats further out. Row height is not great either and this is most noticeable on the south side, where an additional set of stands were built after the original. This awkward transition features a 4-6 foot height change in the stands, showing that the primary original seats were built too low. One positive is that these two new sections curve as they get to a corner. Another peculiarity occurs on this same side: near the lower walkway are railing-offed spaces that have three sets of bleachers. It’s like this is supposed to be a suite that is anything but luxurious. I believe it is an accessible section, but there doesn’t look to be any room for somebody to put their wheelchair. A two-level press box is on the home side (with “Villanova Stadium” written on the wall) and the end zones are open. On the track in the north end is a tent for alumni to hang out, eat and drink. The outside view includes the brick Talley Athletic Center and Finneran Pavilion with its pointy roof.
Interior Ranking: 3.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
The video board is in a strange place, located on the end zone building, however it is pretty good as clarity is excellent. They play live video throughout and replays are sufficient. At the bottom of the screen is where they place the important game information. On the other end is a more basic board that has a traditional layout. The Villanova wordmark is across the top.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4
Displays
On the front of stadium is a “In Memoriam” plaque dedicated to Leo Francis Goodreau and it has the words “Scholar – Athlete – Gentleman”. He died after being injured in practice in 1928 and the playing field is named after him. Inside, there’s a little open grassy area that features the statue of James “Jumbo” Elliott. No other information is on or near the statue for this former track coach. The only team displays in the stadium are flags above each seating stand and these highlight conference championships and NCAA playoff achievements.
Displays Ranking: 2 out of 6
Cost
Tickets are $20 and do not buy them online. Not only are fees added in, but they also charge for it to be held at will call or print from home. There are usually plenty available, so buy them at the stadium. This ticket price is a bit higher than most other Northeast CAA teams. Parking was listed on the website as being $10, but it was free for this game. Concessions feature a $7 cheeseburger, $5 fries, $4 hot dog and $4 soda.
Cost Ranking: 6.5 out of 8
Fan Support
Not many came to see Villanova, though it’s hard to blame them as the team had a losing record, plus it was quite windy and cold. There was maybe one to two thousand on hand and many of them left at halftime. Even successful years don’t bring that much of an attendance boost as the team often ranks #10 or #11 out of the current 12 CAA teams. Coverage of the team is almost non-existent given that they are in Philadelphia (and football is taken up by the Eagles and to a much lesser extent, Temple).
Fan Support Ranking: 3 out of 8
Atmosphere
As you would anticipate, the atmosphere was understated as the crowd wasn’t too into it. They did make some noise on a 4th down play and a play at the end of the half, but otherwise, it was a casual game experience. A marching band is on hand and their occasional playing was enjoyable, along with their halftime performance. Periodically, a wildcat roar will be played over the speakers. Looking at footage from a playoff game in 2016, attendance and atmosphere wasn’t much better.
Atmosphere Ranking: 4.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Tailgating was at a minimum for this game as only surface lots immediately near the stadium served the small gathering of season ticket holders…..Famous ‘Nova Footballers include: Howie Long, Brian Finneran and Brian Westbrook…..The program went on hiatus from 1981-1987 due to low support……Villanova’s primary rival is Delaware and their annual contest is dubbed the “Battle of the Blue”…..There were a lot of problems with the sound system during the game…..William & Mary brought a nice contingent of fans and while many were likely friends and family, they filled up a good part of the visiting stands.
Game
Villanova’s costly decision to go for it early in the game on 4th and Goal hurt them big time in a game that didn’t look to be close until the end. That failed play was intercepted in the end zone by the Tribe, who went on to build a 24-7 lead. The Wildcats mounted an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter and were only down seven with 5 minutes left. They got two possessions to try and tie it and while they were in W&M territory both times, they fumbled and had a loss of downs. The wind made passing difficult on the day as the teams combined to go 29 for 52.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
