University of Minnesota Athletics
SOCCER STADIUM DEDICATION ON SUNDAY
9/25/1999 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Deborah Olson, daughter of the late Elizabeth Lyle Robbie, will be in attendance to participate in the dedication celebration. Regent David Metzen, University President Mark Yudof, University Vice President of Student Development and Athletics McKinley Boston, Women's Athletics Director Chris Voelz and Golden Gopher players and coaches will join Olson in a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Gates open at noon for the afternoon's festivities. Fans will receive a commemorative pennant and program. Another featured attraction will be a soccer ball balloon from last summer's World Cup.
A $2.1 million facility, the Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium was funded by a $800,000 gift from Olson and $1.2 million appropriated from the Minnesota state legislature. The facility seats over 1,000 spectators. Along with the competition and practice fields, there is a two-story building containing athletic training, media, team and club room facilities, restrooms and food services, as well as two patio viewing areas. A ticket kiosk and plaza area are other features built with the stadium.
Elizabeth Lyle Robbie became the first female owner of a professional sports franchise in the U.S. when she purchased the Miami Toros soccer team in the mid-1970s. The Toros moved to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before relocating to the Twin Cities and becoming the Minnesota Strikers between the 1983 and 1984 seasons. During her ownership, the Strikers played for the MSL championship in 1986.