Spartan Municipal Stadium

Spartan Municipal Stadium, formerly known as Universal Stadium, is a stadium in Portsmouth, Ohio. It hosted the NFL's Portsmouth Spartans from 1930 to 1933, as well as local high school teams. The stadium held 8,200 people at its peak and was built in 1930. In 1970, it was renamed Spartan Municipal Stadium. On October 5, 2003, the stadium was designated at a state historical site. The stadium is owned by the City of Portsmouth. After a fire in the 1990s, the city replaced walls and the press box. Also, the city upgraded the lighting thanks to a USDA grant. Several years ago, the city began limiting stadium use to only regular football games to help preserve the sod. In the past, both Portsmouth and Notre Dame High School football teams have played on the turf. The city wanted to sell the stadium to the Portsmouth City School District for one dollar, but the district turned down the offer as they received $10 million from a local foundation to construct their own athletic complex next to the new city school complex.

The future of the stadium is in doubt. Notre Dame intends to remain at Spartan Stadium and will play its 2009 season games there. Also, the Shawnee State University Board of Trustees recently approved a future buildings plan that would include a new stadium for the university. The city has even discussed demolishing the stadium for future development while local concerned residents have expressed the need to preserve the historical site.