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Raleigh-Durham, NC Note: Portions of the following guide are reprinted from the Triangle Soccer Fanatics Travel Guide. Please visit their website at www.trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?catid=15 for the latest version of their guide About the Triangle Area The metropolitan area commonly referred to as The Triangle is home to approximately 1.2 million people. The Triangle area is composed of a patchwork of medium-to-small sized towns including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, Apex, Hillsborough and several other small communities. Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and the Triangle area is home to a thriving high-tech business sector and many colleges and universities. It's no wonder that with 3 NCAA Division I schools within a 12 mile radius, there's always a sports event on tap nearby. Although most famed for the "Tobacco Road" basketball rivalries between UNC, Duke, and North Carolina State, the Triangle area is also home to the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, perhaps the most famous minor league baseball team in America, the Durham Bulls, and yes, soccer. When you step off the plane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, you'll be greeted by a placard on the wall proclaiming: "Welcome to Raleigh-Durham: Home of Soccer National Champions". Between the Carolina Courage (WUSA), UNC (NCAA Men & Women), Duke (NCAA Men), and the Raleigh Wings (W-League, now defunct), the Triangle area claims 23 national soccer titles in the last 24 years! Mia Hamm, the most famous soccer-playing American and the most prolific goal scorer in international soccer history attended the University of North Carolina where she won a national championship in each of her four years. The UNC women's soccer program is a legend in its own right, claiming 18 NCAA national titles since 1981, including 9 straight titles between 1986 and 1994. The Triangle area was the home of the US Men's National Team's stateside training camp during their preparations for the 2002 & 2006 World Cups. SAS Soccer Park in Cary has host the 2003, 2004, & 2006 Women's NCAA College Cup and the 2005 Men's NCAA College Cup. The Men's College Cup will return to Cary in 2007. Carolina RailHawks F.C. Colors: Orange, Blue, Gray Stadium(s): Capacity: 7000 SAS Soccer Park is one of the premier soccer complexes in the United States. Originally opened in 2002 as the home of the WUSA's Carolina Courage, SAS Soccer Park is now the home to both the USL-1 Carolina RailHawks and the Raleigh Elite of the USL's Premier Development League. The soccer complex consists of a main stadium field, two lighted practice fields, built to the same specifications as the stadium field, and four additional fields. The main stadium seats 7,000 and is expandable to 10,000 with temporary seating. Fields 1, 2, and 3 are all FIFA International regulation size. A project is currently under consideration to add approximately 2,000 permanent seats to Field 2 making a second, smaller stadium field at SAS Soccer Park SAS Soccer Park opened in May 2002 as State Capital Soccer Park. The park is on 150 acres that the State of North Carolina has leased to Wake County. Money to build the soccer park came from $14.5 million in countywide hotel room and prepared food and beverage taxes. The Town of Cary assumed responsibility for operations and maintenance in 2004 from Capital Area Soccer League. On January 26, 2006, the Town of Cary City Council amended its lease to allow it to sublet the property to Triangle Professional Soccer through the year 2011 for the exclusive promotion of professional soccer and lacrosse events at the complex. SAS, a privately held software company, has its worldwide headquarters in Cary. SAS has naming rights to the soccer park through June 30, 2007 with the option to extend their naming rights for an additional 3 years. Directions: SAS Soccer Park is located at 201 Soccer Park Drive in Cary, NC. From I-40 Eastbound (Chapel Hill/Durham/RDU Airport): From I-40 Westbound (Fayetteville): From Downtown Cary: From Raleigh/Beltline:
Refreshers: Full concessions are available at the stadium including typical sports event fare such as burgers, hot dogs, sodas, etc. Club Merchandise: Carolina RailHawks merchandise may be purchased online through a link at www.carolinarailhawks.com as well as at the stadium on match days. Fan Culture: The Raleigh-Durham area has a very family-oriented demographic and this is reflected by the attendance at local matches. The Triangle Soccer Fanatics supporters has organized a "traditional" supporters section for the Carolina RailHawks matches in section 204 behind the South gaol On the Web: The official website of the Carolina RailHawks is www.carolinarailhawks.com. Triangle Soccer Fanatics proides a daily news & photo service covering soccer in the Triangle area, including the Carolina RailHawks, at www.trisoccerfan.com. Print Coverage: The News & Observer & The Cary News provide print coverage of soccer in the Triangle area
University of North Carolina - NCAA Division I
Capital Area Soccer League
The Triangle is a huge area spanning over 800 square miles and encompassing half a dozen cities and towns. I could never do justice to all of the bars, restaurants and hotels here in this guide. Handy guides to the entire Triangle area are provided by both CitySearch and DigitalCity The following options are in the Cary area, in the vicinity of SAS Soccer Park. If you are visiting for events not held at this park (e.g., collegiate soccer or events at WRAL Soccer Center, you may find amenities in another area more suitable. Please use the city guides listed above or feel free to email this author if you questions about other areas. Bars & Pubs: Harrison's Bar & Grill in dowtown Cary is well-known in the area for their burgers and has one of the best selections of imports and microbrews in the vicinity of SAS Soccer Park. Located at 301-C N. Harrison Ave., Harrison's is a little hard to find. Follow the signs into downtown to the Amtrak station. Directly across Harrison Ave. from the train station you will see a filling station. Harrison's is down the hill behind the filling station. The bar & grill is in between the two sets of train tracks on North Harrison Avenue. Hibernian Pub has just opened a new location at 1144 Kildaire Farms Road in Cary. They also have a location at 311 Glenwood Avenue in the Raleigh Glenwood South restaurant district. Both locations offer full lunch and dinner menus as well as a wonderful Sunday Irish brunch. Either location is good place to nurse a cider, ale, or stout and soak in the pub atmosphere. In downtown Raleigh, the Glenwood South District, is a rather trendy, upscale dining and entertainment district. The tree-lined sidewalks of Glenwood South make it easy to hop from restaurant to bar to coffeehouse, without ever having to return to your car. This strip of Glenwood Avenue, bordered by Peace Street to the north and by Hillsborough Street to the south, hosts everything from upscale steakhouses to Irish pubs to velvet-roped dance clubs. If you're in to people watching or checking out the latest martini bar, Glenwood South is the place to be in the Triangle. Restaurants: Ole Time Barbecue is the closest restaurant to SAS Soccer Park. Just 1.0 mile east of the soccer facility at 6309 Hillsborough Street (Raleigh), Ole Time serves traditional North Carolina-style barbecue. Chow down on the complimentary hush puppies appetizer and whatever you do, do not miss the fried apple or sweet potato sticks with your dinner! Ole Time will also package your order to go in case you want to tailgate. Lucky 32 is a wonderful place for a little more formal dining experience in Cary. Lucky 32's menu is widely diverse and rotates often through varied cuisine themes each month including New Orleans, Pacific Northwest, American Southwest, Hip Hip Hawaii!, among others. The Cary location is at 7307 Tryon Road in the Regency Park area. Cinelli's Pizza has several locations throughout the Triangle area. The location at 1305 Kildaire Farm Rd is probably the most convenient to SAS Soccer Park. Cinelli's offers reasonably priced Italian fare such as pizza, calzones, pasta, and hoagies in a casual dining setting.
Triangle Soccer Fanatics recommends that out-of-town supporters stay at one of the several Marriott brand hotels in the Triangle area where they have negotiated special rates for supporters traveling to events at SAS Soccer Park. Although the Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh-Cary I40 is the closest accommodation to SAS Soccer Park, dining and entertainment options in the immediate vicinity of the Park are limited. For more of a variety in amenities, you may want to try the nearby Regency Park area. Regency Park is about 6 miles away and has various restaurants, bars, shopping, and entertainment options close to the hotels in the area. In addition, Hemlock Nature Preserve, Regency Park Amphitheatre, Lochmere Golf Course, and MacGregor Downs Country Club are also in the Regency Park area. Both the Courtyard Raleigh-Cary and the Residence Inn Raleigh-Cary are conveniently located in the Regency Park area. Please visit the Triangle Soccer Fanatics Travel Guide at trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?catid=15 to take advantage of these special hotel rate offers. |