Scotty Wood Stadium

The Scotty Wood Stadium stands on Chew Street in Allentown. It is a place where the red running track runs close to the green pitch. The turf is artificial, a bright green rectangle. It stands on Chew Street in Allentown. The track has been resurfaced since it opened, giving the oval a smooth, uniform finish that contrasts with the slightly darker green of the playing field. The yard lines are painted in white, and the end zones are green. There is a scoreboard visible down one sideline, and tall floodlights stand at the corners. The air feels open; there is no wall enclosing the bottom of the stands, just a chain-link fence that keeps the public on the perimeter. Muhlenberg College has used this ground for football since 1999. The track has hosted meets for the Centennial Conference, and the field has seen NCAA Division III games, including a semifinal match against MIT. It is not a huge arena by professional standards, but it holds its own. Lehigh Valley United plays here in the summer. The local high schools from Northampton and Catasauqua also bring their teams to the track when they need a proper surface. The field itself is named Frank Marino Field, after a coach who led the team decades ago. You can see the name painted near the fifty-yard line.

The layout is tight. The stands do not stretch far from the action. When the wind comes down the street, it moves straight across the track. The college uses the space for more than just sport; the annual 'Mule Madness' fund-raiser takes place here too. The bleachers are simple, without individual seats, and the concrete behind them is painted red. There is a sign on the fence for game personnel only, and another for track rules. The ground is functional. It does not try to be anything else.