Weidner Field to host NCAA D-II soccer championships

May 16—Weidner Field will be the host site of the NCAA Division II men's and women's national soccer championships, Dec. 9-11.

It is the first time in nearly 15 years that Colorado Springs will host NCAA championships of any kind.

The original announcement was made in September 2019 by Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference officials in conjunction with the Colorado Springs Sports Corp. and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

The bid was secured in large part when the city of Colorado Springs announced plans to build the new 8,000-seat downtown stadium known as Weidner Field. The Switchbacks christened the $30 million facility April 24 with a friendly against Orange County SC.

"We're excited about hosting what should be a great event," said Switchbacks club president Nick Ragain. "This is a great facility and I think a lot of people will be very impressed."

Weidner Field was originally planned to open in 2020, but delays moved the opening to this spring. Funding was secured without the use of city tax money, according to Colorado Springs mayor John Suthers.

"Without this stadium, we would not be poised to welcome an event of this caliber to our city," the mayor said of the NCAA championships.

There were no NCAA soccer championships in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tampa, Fla., was supposed to be the host city.

The 2019 championships were held in Pittsburgh.

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs women's team advanced to the national semifinals in 2017 when the event was held in Kansas City.

Weidner Field is a multiuse facility. In addition to a full slate of Switchbacks home games, there are already several concerts planned for the stadium this summer.

Weidner Field will also be the host site for a Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) five-game weekend series July 30 to Aug. 1.

The most recent NCAA championship event in the Pikes Peak region was the 2006 rifle championships hosted by the Air Force Academy.