Boxer Stadium (also known as Matthew J. Boxer Stadium) is a soccer stadium in San Francisco, California. Located in Balboa Park, the stadium has a capacity of 3,500. It is owned and operated by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department and is the only public soccer-specific stadium in San Francisco.[2] Boxer Stadium is the primary home of the century-old San Francisco Soccer Football League.[3]

Boxer Stadium
Map
Full nameMatthew J. Boxer Stadium
Former namesBalboa Park Soccer Stadium (1953–1990s)
LocationSan Francisco, California
Coordinates37°43′33″N 122°26′41″W / 37.725788°N 122.444593°W / 37.725788; -122.444593
OwnerCity and County of San Francisco
OperatorSan Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
Capacity3,500[1]
Field size100 x 65 m
Surfacenatural grass
Opened1953
Tenants
El Farolito SC (NPSL) (2018–)
San Francisco Dogfish (MLU) (2014)
San Francisco Rush (PRO Rugby) (2016)
USA Eagles (1996–2000)

History

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Boxer Stadium opened September 27, 1953 as the Balboa Park Soccer Stadium at a cost of $150,000.[4] The concrete bleachers were added later after the November 1953 Proposition G bond passage.[5] The stadium was renamed in honor of the late SFSFL President, Matthew J. Boxer in the 1990s.

Boxer Stadium served as the main venue of the 1982 Gay Games.

Boxer Stadium hosted the California Rugby League Championship Game in 2021. East Palo Alto Razborbacks won the championship

Tenants

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The stadium is home to the San Francisco Soccer Football League,[6] the Golden Gate Women's Soccer League,[7] and the San Francisco Unified School District CIF high school and middle school soccer.[8][9]

For the 2013 season the San Francisco Stompers FC of the National Premier Soccer League played their home games at Boxer Stadium.[10]

The San Francisco Glens of USL League Two played at Boxer for their first two seasons in the league (2018-19).

High school Lacrosse teams from SHC also use Boxer Stadium.[11][12]

Rugby and Gaelic Athletic Association teams had used Boxer Stadium until the opening of Ray Sheeran Field on Treasure Island in 2005.[13][14] In 2016, Boxer Stadium was the home pitch for the San Francisco Rush professional rugby team in the new PRO Rugby competition in the United States, however, the team was folded by the league after one season citing an unsuitable venue.[15]

USA Internationals

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Boxer Stadium has hosted 16 USA Eagles international rugby union matches. It was the unofficial home of the Eagles from 1996 to 2000, hosting 12 of their 17 test matches.[16] The results are as follows:

Date Opponents Final score Competition Attendance
11 May 1996   Canada 19 – 12 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 3,500[17]
29 June 1996   Hong Kong 42 – 23 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 2,200[18]
6 July 1996   Japan 74 – 5 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 2,500[19]
7 June 1997   Japan 51 – 29 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 1,800[20]
14 June 1997   Hong Kong 17 – 14 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship [21]
28 June 1997   Canada 11 – 22 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 1,800[22]
12 July 1997   Wales 23 – 28 1997 Wales rugby union tour of North America 4,425[23]
13 June 1998   Japan 21 – 25 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 1,800[24]
20 June 1998   Hong Kong 17 – 27 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 1,300[25]
14 May 1999   Tonga 30 – 10 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 4,600[26]
22 May 1999   Fiji 25 – 14 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 3,950[27]
15 July 2000   Samoa 12 – 19 Pacific Rim Rugby Championship [28]
16 June 2001   England 19 – 48 2001 England rugby union tour of North America 5,150[29][30]
22 June 2002   Scotland 23 – 65 2002 Scotland rugby union tour of North America 2,400[31]
15 August 2002   Uruguay 28 – 24 2003 Rugby World Cup qualifying 1,230[32]
17 May 2003   Japan 69 – 27 Super Powers Cup 1,852[33]
USA Record at the Boxer Stadium
Competition Played Won Drawn Lost % Won
Pacific Rim Rugby Championship 11 7 0 4 63.64%
Rugby World Cup qualification 1 1 0 0 100%
Super Powers Cup 1 1 0 0 100%
Test Match 3 0 0 3 0%
Total 16 9 0 7 56.25%

Updated 30 April 2021

References

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  1. ^ "Boxer Stadium". sfrecpafrk. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. ^ "SF Rec & Park - Stadium Rentals". Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  3. ^ Garcia, Ken (7 June 2002). "Soccer fever in S.F. is not new outbreak". The San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 31 March 2013.
  4. ^ "SFSFL - Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  5. ^ "SFSFL - Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  6. ^ "SFSFL". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  7. ^ "GGWSL". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  8. ^ "CIF SF HS". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. ^ "CIF SF MS". Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  10. ^ "SF Stompers Schedule". Archived from the original on 12 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  11. ^ "SHC Lacrosse Boys". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  12. ^ "SHC Lacrosse Girls". Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  13. ^ "SFGG Rugby - About SFGG - Ray Sheeran Field". Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  14. ^ "Pairc Na nGael - Treasure Island Community Center". Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  15. ^ "PRO RUGBY NIXES SAN FRANCISCO RUSH". Rugby Today. December 15, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
  16. ^ "EAGLES VENUES: 2001-2014". USA Rugby. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  17. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 11 May 1996". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  18. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 29 June 1996". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  19. ^ "Pacific Rim Championship 1996". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  20. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 7 June 1997, 13:00 local, 20:00 GMT". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  21. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 14 June 1997". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  22. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 28 June 1997, 13:00 local, 20:00 GMT". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  23. ^ "WALES TOUR - San Francisco, 12 July 1997". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Pacific Rim Championship 1998". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  25. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 20 June 1998". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  26. ^ "PACIFIC RIM CHAMPIONSHIP - San Francisco, 15 May 1999". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  27. ^ "Pacific Rim Championship 1999". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  28. ^ "Pacific Rim Championship 2000". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  29. ^ "England tour in Canada/United States of America 2001 2001". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  30. ^ "THE VAULT: ENGLAND V USA". England Rugby. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  31. ^ "SCOTLAND TOUR - San Francisco, 22 June 2002". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  32. ^ "2003 RUGBY WORLD CUP QUALIFIER , Americas, Round 4 - San Francisco, 15 August 2002". espnscrum. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  33. ^ "SUPER POWERS CUP - San Francisco, 17 May 2003, 14:00 local, 21:00 GMT". espnscrum. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
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