UDC Turf Field - UDC Firebirds

Photos courtesy of Gregory Koch

Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 2.71

E.B. Henderson Sports Complex

4200 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington, DC 20008

UDC Firebirds website

UDC Turf Field website

Capacity: 300

Firebirds of Fury

The University of the District of Columbia, known as UDC for short, is a historically black college (HBCU) and the only public university in the District of Columbia. The school was founded in 1851 and is located in the Van Ness neighborhood in Northwest Washington.

The school's athletic teams are known as the Firebirds and compete in Division II of the NCAA, in the East Coast Conference. The Firebirds' soccer team plays on a turf field that is also home to the school's lacrosse program. The naming of the field in various sources is inconsistent, with it being referred to as the UDC Turf Field, the UDC Soccer Field, the UDC Sports Complex, and the UDC Soccer/Lacrosse Complex. To make matters even more confusing, the sign outside says Firebirds Field, yet another possible name. We will keep it simple for this review and call it the UDC Turf Field.

The field was renovated in 2024, adding bleacher seating for 300 fans as well as lights and a new scoreboard/

Food & Beverage 1

There is no concession stand at the UDC Turf Field. However, there are vending machines selling drinks in the lobby of the E.B. Henderson Center next door if you get thirsty.

Atmosphere 3

UDC Turf Field is a small, intimate facility with seating for only a few hundred fans in some bleachers, which are extremely close to the action. You will be able to hear the chatter on the field between coaches, players, and referees. A scoreboard is located behind the right goal, and cleverly repurposes space that is used for penalty time in lacrosse to instead show corner kicks and shots on goal for each team.

A UDC soccer game is a very basic experience with few bells or whistles. You are basically here to watch soccer. and not much more than that.

Neighborhood 4

The UDC campus is located in the Van Ness neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. You will find many places to eat or drink nearby, including Sfoglina Italian and Pho 14. The Tenleytown neighborhood is about a 15-20 minute walk away heading west on Van Ness Street, and offers even more options.

Fans 3

UDC draws a decent crowd consisting mostly of friends and family of the players, with occasional locals and alumni. Many of the fans are family members of the visiting team as well. Although it isn't the largest crowd, the fans are quite involved, cheering on their team the best they can from start to finish, showing a spirit you don't always see at this level.

Access 5

Getting to the UDC campus is very easy, whether you are driving or taking public transit. The Van Ness-UDC Metro stop on the Red Line is located right next to campus, an easy walk from the stadium. You can also park in the campus garage, a short walk away, entering off Van Ness Street.

Parking in the garage is officially $8 for 1-3 hours and $12 for 3-6 hours, so depending on how early you get there, expect to pay somewhere in this range. That being said, when Stadium Journey visited, the parking pay machines were down and the gate was up, allowing us to park for free, so you may get similarly lucky.

We visited a game in October 2025, and the machine seems to have been down since at least December 2024, when we attended a basketball game there and parked for free then as well. So the chances of being able to park for free may be higher than previously thought. If they ever fix the machine, you're going to have to pay, though.

Once you park, you will walk up a flight of stairs to the main campus, and the stadium is around the corner up another small flight of steps to the gate.

There are no restrooms at the field itself, but there are some next door inside the Henderson Center, which are open during soccer games and more than sufficient for the crowds.

Return on Investment 2

Tickets are $7 for UDC soccer, which is a very high price to pay for Division II college soccer. They can only be purchased on the Hometown Ticketing app, although there is a QR code to scan at the gate if you do not buy in advance. Parking may also be quite expensive, assuming they manage to charge for it, making a UDC soccer game an expensive event for the level of play this is. It certainly won't break the bank, but pretty much everything else at this level will cost you less.

Extras 1

Check out the statue of a firebird near the entrance to the stadium, honoring UDC's unique mascot.

Final Thoughts

UDC's soccer stadium provides an intimate but fairly basic experience for watching a game. The price tag is unfortunately quite high for this level of play, but it's a nice enough stadium, so fans still may want to check out a game here.