Photos by Gregory Koch, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.29
Vidas Field 4300 Powelton Ave Philadelphia, PA 19104
Year Opened: 1963
Capacity: N/A
Vidas Drexel
Located about a mile from Drexel University’s main campus in Center City Philadelphia, the Vidas Athletic Complex consists of several fields which are home to eight of the Dragons’ athletic programs. Vidas Field, located at the front of the complex, is home to the men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse programs. Further back, you can find a turf field for field hockey, a softball diamond, and tennis courts that host the men’s and women’s tennis programs. For this review, we will focus on the women’s soccer experience at Vidas Field. The experience there may vary depending on what sport you are watching, but some things will hold true no matter what game you are taking in there, or to a lesser extent, at other venues in the complex.
What would eventually become Vidas Field, opened in 1963 as the home of Drexel’s now-defunct football program. It was extensively renovated in 2015 to add the new artificial turf surface and upgrade several other areas.
Food & Beverage 0
There is no food or drink for sale at Vidas Field but fans are free to bring their own. There are several places nearby where fans can purchase snacks or drinks. Theoretically, there is supposed to be a concession stand at the south end of the stadium open for weekend games, at least according to the Drexel website, but it was not open when Stadium Journey visited on a Sunday.
Atmosphere 3
Vidas Field has recently been upgraded and is a nicer venue than many at this level. All seats are bleachers without backs along the east sideline but they do provide a great view of the action. There is a large video board behind the south goal which also shows detailed team stats. Unfortunately, the PA system is not the greatest and announcements are often either barely comprehensible or not audible at all. Given the constant action of soccer, there are really no breaks in the action for the team to do anything, but that is to be expected.
Neighborhood 5
Vidas Field is located about a mile from Drexel’s campus in the Center City area of Philadelphia. Just within a few blocks of the stadium, you will find numerous restaurants ranging from pizza to Jamaican to Indian to Ethiopian and many others. Of course, every Philadelphian has their own favorite place to get a cheesesteak in the city. For other entertainment, the Philadelphia Zoo is less than two miles away and history buffs will want to check out the Liberty Bell and other historic sites while they are in town.
Fans 4
About 300 fans were in attendance when Stadium Journey visited Drexel, which is decent attendance for college soccer. Fans were a mix of friends and family of the players, Drexel students, and people who were just fans of the athletic program. The crowd can get quite loud here at times when the Dragons make a big play such as a save or scoring opportunity. Many of them will come decked out in the blue and yellow colors of Drexel or wear other Dragons’ gear. All in all, you will find a very good crowd at Vidas Field.
Access 4
There are many highways into Philadelphia although you will have to do the last couple of miles of driving on city streets which can have heavy traffic at times. Once you arrive at the complex, you will drive through the gates into a parking lot in front of the stadium. Parking here is free, a rarity in a major city like Philadelphia, and if the lot fills up, street parking is available nearby. Once you park, you will walk around the corner to the gate (security can direct you if you’re lost but look for the signs) and you will walk up to the bleachers and sit anywhere you want.
Restrooms are located around the corner from the stadium behind the field house that houses the locker rooms. It is about a two-to-three-minute walk from the bleachers. These restrooms are spacious, even when you consider that they serve the entire complex and there may be multiple events going on at once.
Return on Investment 5
Admission to Drexel soccer games is free, and parking is also free, which is a nice bonus in a major city. The only money you’ll spend is gas to get here. This makes a Dragons game at Vidas Field a great value.
Extras 2
There is a team store on the south end of the stadium which sells Drexel merchandise.
If you time your visit right, there is an opportunity to see multiple games at the complex in one day given all the teams who play here.
Final Thoughts
Although most people associate the City of Philadelphia with college basketball, eight other Drexel sports teams call the Vidas Athletic Complex home, and four of them play at Vidas Field itself. While women’s college soccer may not be the most popular NCAA sport, the Dragons have their own loyal, passionate fan base and a newly renovated stadium that should continue to attract fans for years to come. Although there are many sports options to choose from in Philly, very few of them are completely free to attend like a Drexel soccer game is. While nobody would mistake Vidas Field for a top-level stadium, it is still a fun place to take in a game.