Sports in Richmond, Virginia facts for kids
Richmond, Virginia, is a city in the United States that loves sports! It has several professional sports teams, even though they don't play in the very biggest leagues like the NBA or NFL. Virginia is actually the most populated state without a major professional sports team.
One of Richmond's popular teams is the Richmond Flying Squirrels. They are a minor league baseball team. They started playing in 2010, taking the place of the old Richmond Braves team. The Flying Squirrels play their games at a stadium called The Diamond.
Richmond also has a soccer team called the Richmond Kickers. They are a non-profit team, which means they focus on helping the community. The Kickers play their soccer matches at City Stadium.
Richmond has also become famous for its college basketball teams. The VCU Rams and the Richmond Spiders are both Division I teams, which is the highest level of college sports. In 2011, the VCU Rams men's basketball team made it all the way to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament! The Richmond Spiders men's team also did great that year, reaching the Sweet 16.
Since 2016, Richmond has had its first women's sports team, the Richmond Black Widows. They play football in the Women's Football Alliance and have even been champions in their conference! They play their games at Hovey Field.
The Washington Football Team, a big NFL team, even holds their yearly training camp in Richmond.
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Richmond's Sports Teams
Richmond is home to a few exciting sports teams. Here's a quick look at some of them:
Professional Teams
- The Richmond Flying Squirrels play baseball in the Eastern League. They play at The Diamond, which can hold 9,500 fans. The team started in 2010.
- The Richmond Kickers play soccer in USL League One. Their home is City Stadium, which is much bigger, holding 22,600 people. This team was started in 1993.
College Sports Stars
Richmond has some fantastic college sports programs that compete at a high level.
- The Richmond Spiders are a Division I team. They play in the Atlantic 10 Conference for most sports, and their football team is in the Colonial Athletic Association. They have different venues for different sports: Robins Stadium for football, Robins Center for basketball, and Malcolm U. Pitt Field for baseball.
- The VCU Rams are also a Division I team and play in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Their basketball team plays at the Siegel Center, their baseball team at The Diamond, and their soccer team at Sports Backers Stadium.
- The Virginia Union Panthers are a Division II team. They play in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Their football team plays at Hovey Field.
Big Events and Active Fun
Richmond isn't just about watching sports; it's also a great place to get active!
Since 1998, Richmond has hosted the Xterra East Championship, which is a tough off-road triathlon. The city also hosted the 2015 UCI Road World Championships, a huge international cycling event.
Sports Backers is a special non-profit group in Richmond. They started in 1991 to help bring sports events to the city. Now, their main goal is to help people in Richmond be more physically active and healthy.
Sports Backers organizes many popular events, including:
- Dominion Riverrock: This is the biggest outdoor sports and music festival in the whole country!
- The Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k: This is a very popular running race, the 8th largest in the United States.
- The Anthem Richmond Marathon: This is a big marathon race, ranking as the 18th largest in the country.
In total, Sports Backers puts on 15 different events each year.
Teams of the Past
Richmond has been home to many sports teams over the years that are no longer here.
The city used to have several minor league hockey teams. The Richmond Robins played from 1971 to 1976. The Richmond Renegades were a very successful hockey team that played from 1990 to 2003. After them, the Richmond RiverDogs played for a few years. There was even another attempt to bring back the Renegades from 2006 to 2009. Now, junior hockey is played by the Richmond Generals.
Richmond also had indoor football teams. The Richmond Raiders played from 2010 to 2015. Before them, the Richmond Revolution played in 2010 and 2011. More recently, the Richmond Roughriders played in 2017 and 2018.
Baseball has a long history in Richmond. Since 1954, there has been minor league baseball at the corner of the Boulevard and Robin Hood Road. The Richmond Virginians played there from 1954 to 1964. Then, the Richmond Braves played at Parker Field from 1966 to 1984. After that, a new stadium, The Diamond, was built. The Braves played there until 2008, when they moved closer to Atlanta.
