Thomas Robinson Stadium

{{Short description|Football stadium in Nassau, Bahamas}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox venue | name = Thomas Robinson Stadium | nickname = | fullname = Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium | location = Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre, Nassau, Bahamas | image = Tommy Robinson National Stadium.jpg | caption = The stadium in 2012 | coordinates = {{Coord|25|3|15.77|N|77|21|36.78|W|type:landmark_region:BS|display=title}} | broke_ground = | built = 1981 | opened = 1981 | renovated = 2005 for the CAC Championship<br>2014 for the IAAF World Relays | expanded = February 23, 2012 | closed = | demolished = | record attendance = | owner = Bahamas Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Culture | operator = | surface = Grass | construction_cost = | architect = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | general_contractor = | project_manager = | main_contractors = | former_names = | tenants = Bahamas national football team <br> College of the Bahamas<br> Bahamas Bowl (2014–present) | seating_capacity = 15,023 (expandable to 23,000) | dimensions = }}

'''Thomas Robinson Stadium''', officially '''Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium''', is a multi-purpose stadium in Nassau, Bahamas. The largest stadium in the country, it is used primarily for soccer matches. The stadium is also the home of the Bahamas Bowl, an annual NCAA Division I college football (American football) bowl game.

The stadium has a capacity of 15,000 people, and can be expanded to hold 23,000 people.<ref>http://www.thebahamasweekly.com/publish/bis-news-updates/National_Stadium_will_provide_economic_opportunities_for_The_Bahamas_printer.shtml ... capacity to be expanded to accommodate 23,000 seats</ref> It is named after Thomas A. Robinson, a sprinter who represented the Bahamas internationally at the Empire and Commonwealth Games and four summer Olympic Games.<ref>http://www.jonesbahamas.com/news/123/ARTICLE/20122/2009-07-24.html{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ...the Track and Field stadium in Nassau was named in his honour.</ref><ref>http://www.iaaf.org/news/kind=100/newsid=52345.html ...The stadium in Nassau was named after him in 1981</ref>

== Bahamas national football team == On 22 August 2011, the Bahamas national football team was withdrawn by FIFA from the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Some days later, Bahamas Football Association current president Anton Sealey said the reason was the incomplete construction of the Thomas Robinson Stadium project in Nassau.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

== Bahamas Bowl (NCAA) == {{main|Bahamas Bowl}} The Bahamas Bowl is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sanctioned bowl game in American college football at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, first played in December 2014 at Thomas Robinson Stadium. Through the January 2025 playing, each game has involved a team from Conference USA (C-USA), with all but one of their opponents coming from the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Due to renovations at the stadium, the December 2023 edition of the bowl was played at an alternate site, Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina,<ref>{{cite news |first=Hank |last=Lee |date=October 26, 2023 |url=https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/college/bahamas-bowl-played-charlotte-north-carolina-jerry-richardson-stadium-espn-bowl-games/275-3a8eee91-aad2-4abb-9234-af1396115ed0 |title=The Bahamas Bowl Will Be Played in Charlotte This Year. Here's Why |work=WCNC |access-date=December 16, 2023 |quote=ESPN said it anticipates the Bahamas Bowl will return to Nassau in 2024 once renovations to the stadium are complete.}}</ref> and was named for a local sponsor (Famous Toastery) of that contest.<ref>{{cite press release|last1=Hofheimer|first1=Bill|title=Famous Toastery Named Title Sponsor of ESPN Events’ Charlotte Bowl Game |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2023/11/famous-toastery-named-title-sponsor-of-espn-events-charlotte-bowl-game/ |website=ESPN Pressroom |publisher=ESPN|access-date=14 November 2023 |language=en |date=14 November 2023}}</ref>

== IAAF World Relays == In 2014, Thomas Robinson Stadium served as the host of the inaugural IAAF World Relays, a relay athletics meet organized by the IAAF. A new Mondo track was installed for the competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribune242.com/news/2014/apr/30/stadium-renovations-target-world-relays/|title=Stadium renovations on target for the World Relays|website=www.tribune242.com}}</ref> The Stadium also hosted the 2015 and 2017 IAAF World Relays, and had hosted the 2024 World Athletics Relays.

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Football venues in the Bahamas Bahamas Category:Multi-purpose stadiums in the Caribbean Category:Athletics venues in the Bahamas Category:Sports venues completed in 1981 Category:American football venues in North America Category:NCAA bowl game venues Category:1981 establishments in the Bahamas Category:2017 Commonwealth Youth Games