Photos by Richard Smith, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.86
Arnold Field 101 N College Ave Annville, PA 17003
Year Opened: 1969
Capacity: 2,000
Valley Football
Lebanon Valley College is a liberal arts college located in downtown Annville, PA. Annville is in Lebanon County, east of Hershey. Founded in 1866 Lebanon Valley has approximately 1,600 undergraduates. The Princeton Review has recognized the college as “A Best in the Northeast” and they have over thirty-five fields of study.
Football was started in 1897 at Lebanon Valley College. Lebanon Valley College is a member of NCAA Division III, and competes in the Middle Atlantic Conference for football. The school has produced 11 all-Americans and were the 2009 and 2011 ECAC Southwest Bowl champions.
The school’s teams are called the Flying Dutchmen, and its mascot is the Dutchman. The college is known as the home of the 1994 NCAA Division III National Champions in basketball. That 1994 championship victory over New York University was a controversial affair when a Dutchmen shot that won the game may or may not have been by the sound of the buzzer. But no matter what, the school hosts that championship proudly, as they should.
Food & Beverage 3
There is no real official concession stand at Arnold Field. But the game I attended, which was Homecoming, had a great vendor called Williams that had some tasty Italian sausages for $7, hot dogs for $2.50, french fries for $2.50 and barbecue super dog that had pulled pork on a hot dog for a pretty amazing value of $7. There were two separate temporary trailers for Williams, one on each side of the stadium.
There were also some students selling Philly style soft pretzels as well as a couple student groups having bake sales.
I don’t know if all these offerings are the norm at non-Homecoming games, but the value and options were good.
Atmosphere 5
The small college pride of Lebanon Valley College was in full effect at this game. The grandstands were packed and all sides of the field were filled with fans.
The stadium is no more than a basic high school setup. A small grandstand on the home side of the field, with an even smaller set of stands on the other side for visiting team fans. There is a track between the stands and the field.
Lebanon Valley has a mascot, the Dutchman, as well as the normal set of cheerleaders and band.
Neighborhood 4
Annville is a great little town of a little less than 5,000 about 8 miles east of Hershey, PA. The college is right in the heart of downtown.
Funck’s Family Restaurant, Corvette Grille and Bar and Harper’s Tavern are all local establishments that offer good food pre and postgame. The Pennsylvania chain, Hoss’s Steak & Sea House, is another option right in Annville. The food is good, cheap and certainly plentiful.
J & S Pizza is a decent option within walking distance to campus.
Fans 4
The crowds at Lebanon Valley do not disappoint. There is quite a bit of obvious school pride with fans attending in droves. The athletic teams here are supported well and have shown a great deal of ability for their fans.
Access 4
Located on Route 422 between Lebanon and Hershey, Annville is easy to find and has no problem handling the crowds for such a small stadium. Expect that on busy game days you will hit some traffic on Route 422 and especially on Bellegrove Road by the athletic complex.
There is a good amount of parking, but do plan ahead. On the homecoming game that I attended I had to park far across by the soccer and baseball stadiums and make the walk over Bellegrove Road by way of a nice pedestrian bridge. You can also try to park in downtown Annville and walk over the railroad pedestrian bridge to the athletic fields.
The athletic fields are located north of the main campus, separated by a railroad.
Return on Investment 4
Football tickets are roughly the same price as high school football, possibly even cheaper than some of those. Adult tickets are $5, with $3 seniors and $2 non-LVC students tickets also available. LVC students attend for free.
Extras 3
Check out the John Zola statue on the east side of the stadium. This junior running back in 1961, was killed during a game at Drexel. His 1961 teammates donated the money for the statue.
Make sure to stop into the nearby Arnold Sports Center and check out LVC Hall of Champions. This museum-like display space commemorates the great individual and team achievements of Flying Dutchman athletics.
Peak into the Arnold Arena and see 1994 national championship basketball banner.
Final Thoughts
Arnold Field at Lebanon Valley College is not a fancy stadium but shows why small college athletics is such a treasure in this country. A sports fan visiting the central Pennsylvania owes it to themselves to see if a game is going on when they are in the area.