Spratt Stadium
Encyclopedia
Spratt Stadium is a 7,500 seat stadium in St. Joseph, Missouri on the campus of Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University
Missouri Western State University is a public, co-educational university located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school enrolls 6,010 undergraduate students and 124 graduate students.-History:...

.

In 2010 it will become the summer training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...

.

History

Spratt opened in 1979. Previously Missouri Western played at municipal owned Noyes Field by Central High School (St. Joseph, Missouri). It is named for Elliot Spratt, an executive with Hillyard, Inc.
Hillyard, Inc.
Hillyard, Inc. is a privately owned cleaning products company in St...

 whose family has donated money for numerous buildings on the campus.

Missouri Western opened stadium with a 44-0 victory over Dana College
Dana College
Dana College is a now defunct baccalaureate college located in Blair, Nebraska. Its rural 150-acre campus is approximately 25 miles northwest of Omaha, and overlooks a portion of the Missouri River Valley....

.

Initial cost was $850,000 Lights were added in 1985.

In 2006 its grass turf was replaced by artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...

 manufactured by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

-based ProGrass Synthetic Turf Systems

The stadium initially could seat 6,000 but was expanded in 2009 to accommodate 7,500. There is grass seating on an adjoining hill. The biggest crowds are for the Northwest Missouri-Missouri Western football rivalry
Northwest Missouri-Missouri Western football rivalry
The Northwest Missouri–Missouri Western football rivalry between the Northwest Missouri Bearcats football team and Missouri Western State University is between two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association NCAA Division II rivals that are less than 50 miles apart.The schools off the field...

 including 10,129 in 2009 and 9,207 in 2007

From 1998 to 2007 the stadium hosted the Missouri 8-Man High School Football Championship (taking over from longtime host Bearcat Stadium
Bearcat Stadium
Bearcat Stadium is the football stadium of the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats in Maryville, Missouri and is the oldest continuous site for any NCAA Division II school....

). The games are now played at the Edward Jones Dome
Edward Jones Dome
The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome The Edward Jones Dome (more formally known as the Edward Jones Dome at America's Center, and previously known as The Trans World Dome (from 1995–2001) is a multi-purpose stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, and home of the St. Louis Rams of the NFL. It was...

 in St. Louis with the 11-man championships.

Kansas City Chiefs Training Center

In 2009 Missouri Western signed a contract for the Kansas City Chiefs to move to the stadium from River Falls, Wisconsin
River Falls, Wisconsin
River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,000 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest city in the Twin Cities Wisconsin suburbs, which is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the state...

 in 2010. A $10.5 million 118000 square feet (10,962.6 m²) facility was built just west of the stadium between it and I-29 on a former softball field It includes full-size indoor football field, a locker room, weight room, training room, coaches’ offices, meeting rooms and a lecture hall. It is designed by St. Joseph architect Jeff Ellison, Ellison-Auxier Architects. The Chiefs occupy it three weeks each year and the Griffons will access the rest of the year.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK