November 2, 2024
Armstrong Stadium (Capacity: 9,000)
Hampton, VA
Hampton Pirates vs Villanova Wildcats
Final Score: 14 – 20
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Hampton, Virginia will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the sight of my long-awaited return to a sporting event after 16 months away because of the Covid pandemic. That visit was to see the local baseball team, while my trip this go-around was for college football. This city of 135,000 is located in the southeast part of the state within the larger Hampton Roads metro region that includes Norfolk and Virginia Beach. While Norfolk may be known for the water and Naval presence over on the Southside, here on the Peninsula, Hampton has a rich aviation history. Speaking of history, Hampton University is located in the city as well. “Our Home by the Sea” dates back to the 1800s as this HBCU is a private school with 4,000 students. Hampton football spent a long time at the DII level in the CIAA. The move up to DI came in 1995 and even though they were a natural fit in the MEAC (both geographically and school type), they long looked to be elsewhere. The change finally came in 2018 to the Big South and then a few years later to the CAA. In their time as FCS members, Hampton has made the playoffs 5 times, losing each appearance in the first round. Games are played at Armstrong Stadium, which was built in 1928. It is a facility that does not have great sightlines or fan support, but does have a band worth coming to see.
Prestige Ranking: 2.5 out of 5
Location
Campus is in a great spot as it is sort of on a peninsula within a peninsula given the Hampton River’s shape. Across the body of water on one side is downtown and it is a good one to stroll around in. The pedestrian friendly Queens Way features restaurants and a relaxed vibe, while further down is the Hampton History Museum. Meanwhile, east of campus is Fort Monroe. This is way more than a drab area of fortification. This repurposed area is full of historic housing and buildings with the area inside a moat making for a unique walkaround. This became a National Monument in 2011. Over at Hampton University, campus has some historical elements, though they are a little cumbersome to check out when coming to a football game, thanks to parking locations and gate access. It can be done, it just takes effort. There is a museum (mainly for art) as well. Armstrong Stadium is in the middle of campus, uniquely situated right next to a National Cemetery.
Location Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
When it comes to driving around Hampton Roads, this may be one of the most underrated traffic hotspots in the country. Using the bridges/tunnels if arriving from Norfolk is no picnic and trying to get to the area from North Carolina is a chore as well due to a lack of interstate access. Arrival from DC and Richmond is easiest via a straight shot from I-64, but even that is trafficy. At least it is remarkably simple to reach Hampton University as Exit 267 leads right to the campus entrance. Single-game parking for football is mainly in a corner lot that is not too far from the stadium. What is frustrating here is that they put cars all the way in the back part of the lot as the front portion closer to the stadium went unused and coned off. I was skittish driving through when I encountered a partial row that had broken glass. If you can, try for one of 3 smaller lots down Tyler Street (look for an attendant). With the exception of the busy homecoming game, traffic was limited after the game and it is very quick to get back on I-64.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 6 out of 8
Exterior
A disjointed exterior consists of the back of each seating structure. In some spots, it’s ugly, but in the more visible section along Marshall Ave, the look isn’t terrible. Brick is the defining feature and a couple corner gates bookend a taller north end. There is no stadium name anywhere on the building.
Exterior Ranking: 3.5 out of 10
Concourse
The home stands were on the opposite side from where I thought they would be and behind them is an open-air walkway. The back of the seating structure features a couple small bathrooms and concession stands. The other three sides have their own maneuvering ability, but nothing that would qualify as a concourse. Oddly, you can’t even walk fully behind the visitors sideline as are just a few corner spots for a bathroom or food stand.
Concourse Ranking: 1.5 out of 5
Food
It is an extremely limited offering, enough so that I can actually list them within this paragraph. Hot Dogs, Chicken Tenders, Hot Wings, Nachos, Chips and Candy. I didn’t feel bold enough to try the wings, so I went with the hot dog, which was at least plump. There is no alcohol served at Armstrong Stadium.
Food Ranking: 1.5 out of 8
Interior
The historical aspect does not offset that this is a terrible place to watch a football game. Sightlines are so poor no matter where you are and it begins with the teal track that surrounds the field. Along with pushing seats further out, the sideline sections begin at ground level, so the first five rows are pretty much unusable as players block any semblance of a good view. Even at the top (Rows 15-17), it’s hard to get a good perspective like seeing proximity to a first down. Careful if deciding to stand as the brick wall in the back is not at a height where you can fully lean against it. Metal bleachers are set on top of concrete base and rows go up a few small steps at time. The middle sections are annoyingly separated on both sideline sections, but at least there’s some purpose on the home side as they are filled with blue/white bucket chairs. That forms an aesthetically pleasing “HU” in the middle and the small press box has a “Pirates” script on the wall. The track also adds a little color, even if it’s not matching of Hampton blue. Concave sections behind each end zone comprise a good chunk of the bleacher seating capacity. I sought a better field visual from here and even though it has good height, it’s far distance from the field doesn’t make it a more desirable seat. At ground-level, deep in a stadium corner, is a stand-alone box of premium seating. Campus surroundings outside the stadium include peeks at the Convocation Center and a Water Tower.
Interior Ranking: 4 out of 14
Scoreboard
Despite the video board being modern, it is just too small within a football stadium to be of good use. Sitting above the south end, the screen is clear up close and from afar, hard to make out what’s going on. The left quarter features game information (not up and running in the 1st half), while the rest is a stream of the FloSports telecast. At the other end is a small scoreclock.
Scoreboard Ranking: 2 out of 4
Displays
There were no displays for the school, team or stadium.
Displays Ranking: 0 out of 6
Cost
Advanced tickets are listed on the website as going for $20, $25 or $30. This Villanova game was in that middle tier, but when I got to the box office, I guess it fell under the small print: “prices at the Game Day Box Office are subject to change”. Final price was $33, which is an absolute ripoff for this type of event. I get that there are several other CAA teams in this ticket price range, it just feels way too much at Hampton. Parking is $10 (also steep), but concessions are relatively cheap with a Hot Dog going for $4 and Chicken Tenders for $7.
Cost Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Fan Support
Half of the crowd on this day were made up of those rooting for the road team and that put attendance for Hampton fans under 1,000 people. Despite the drab turnout, poor attendance isn’t always the case as a look at the box scores show wild differences: two games with numbers around 1,500 and three games with values between 6,000 and 7,000. Those higher attended latter ones came on homecoming and against other HBCU teams.
Fan Support Ranking: 3 out of 8
Atmosphere
Noise and cheering from the fans is tepid as even touchdowns just brought a gentile clap from most in the crowd (outside of family). Team introductions and the “Cooper Hurley 3rd Down” noise elicited sporadic cheering. Of course, the aforementioned bigger crowds will bring a better atmosphere, but watching some videos from other games, I noted it wasn’t that much more impressive. What was impressive was the “Hampton Force”. It was my first time watching an HBCU marching band and they were awesome. From the pregame show to the march into the stands, to the halftime show…I was enamored. Their rendition of the National Anthem was moving and even if they didn’t play a lot during the game, their entertaining march through the drum line and into the endzone stands at the start of each half more than made up for it.
Atmosphere Ranking: 6 out of 14
Other Stuff
Everywhere you look, capacity for Armstrong Stadium is stated as 12,000. That includes standing room, something I don’t include when trying to figure out many seats there are in a facility. Piecing together how much HU said each completed stand holds, my guess here is 9,000 for a seated capacity…..While it was crickets when I contacted the staff directory at Hampton, all of the ushers and employees at the stadium were super friendly…..The biggest rival for the Pirates is likely Howard as the teams play to see who is “The Real HU”. These two private schools have met almost annually since 1909. A much closer rival is Norfolk State, another HBCU that sits across the James River from Hampton. Their games are known as the “Battle of the Bay”.
Game
Villanova came into this game ranked, but it was Hampton that took it to them on the opening drive. They went 75 yards in 9 plays (mostly on the ground) to take a 7-0 lead. The Wildcats slowly got going and despite a generally inefficient offense, ‘Nova built a 20-7 lead midway through the 3rd Quarter. Hampton then had the biggest play of the game: a 48-yard pass, which accounted for 2/3rds of their yards in the air on the day. They scored and it was 20-14. The Pirates would have 3 cracks at tying the game in the 4th Quarter and they couldn’t get past Villanova’s 45-yard line. Inept clock management also cost Hampton one more shot and ‘Nova squeaked by 20-14.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
