Thirlby Field facts for kids
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Thirlby Field at Harry T. Running Stadium
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Aerial view of Thirlby Field before a high school high school football game in 2020.
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| Location | 410 W. Thirteenth Street Traverse City, Michigan 49684 |
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| Coordinates | 44°45′10″N 85°37′40.5″W / 44.75278°N 85.627917°W |
| Owner | City of Traverse City |
| Operator | TCAPS, GTACS |
| Capacity | 7,000 |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Scoreboard | Daktronics |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1934 |
| Renovated | 1995, 2009 |
| Tenants | |
| Traverse City Central Trojans (1896 - present) St. Francis Gladiators (1950-present) Traverse City West Titans (2000-present) |
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Thirlby Field is a cool place in Traverse City, Michigan. It's a big stadium where football games are played. About 7,000 people can sit there! Its official name is Thirlby Field at Harry T. Running Stadium.
This stadium was built in 1934. But guess what? People have been playing football on this very spot since 1896! That's a long time. Today, it's the home field for three high school teams: the Traverse City Central Trojans, the Traverse City West Titans, and the St. Francis Gladiators.
Stadium History
How Thirlby Field Began
Football started on this land way back in 1896. Back then, the field ran north and south along Pine Street. A local farmer named Mr. Thirlby gave the land to the Traverse City Schools. He wanted them to use it for sports. People used to call it "Thirlby's farm fields" or the "12th Street Athletic Field."
The stadium you see today was built in 1934. It was one of the first sports fields in Northern Michigan to have lights! This meant games could be played at night. It was officially named "Thirlby Field" to honor Dr. Thirlby. He was a former mayor and a relative of the farmer who gave the land.
Modern Upgrades
For a long time, the stadium could only hold about 5,000 people. In 1995, they made it bigger. Now, it can seat around 7,000 fans! Thirlby Field is the only football stadium in Traverse City.
More improvements were made in 2009. They added new locker rooms for the players. There were also new public bathrooms and an elevator for the press-box. Even though it seats 7,000, it has hosted even bigger crowds. For the yearly TC Central versus TC West football game, up to 12,000 people have shown up! With extra seating, it might even hold 15,000 fans.
In 2021, the stadium got a brand new Daktronics scoreboard. This makes watching the game even better!
