ASHEBORO – Uwharrie Charter Academy’s new home for soccer games is the recently opened Zoo City Sportsplex.
“We’ve worked with the City of Asheboro on this,” UCA athletics director Chris Waddell said. “It shows volumes the partnerships we’ve been able to create with the city and in Randolph County. Putting this together was a group effort.”
The Eagles’ first game at their new home venue comes with Friday night’s boys’ soccer meeting with Woods Charter. Regular home game times will be 6 p.m.
The site is less than a 10-minute drive from UCA’s main campus. The UCA girls’ soccer team, which plays in the spring semester, will use the sportsplex beginning in February, while middle school teams could eventually move there as well.
UCA had been playing soccer games at Clay Presnell Memorial Park off Seagrove Plank Road.
Administrators from UCA will oversee the game operations, including providing personnel manning the ticket area. Concessions will be run by the sportsplex.
UCA’s arrangement came in collaboration with the Asheboro Cultural and Recreation Services Department and the Randolph-Asheboro YMCA.
Waddell praised the cooperation with Jonathan Sermon, who’s director of Asheboro’s recreation operations.
The Zoo City Sportsplex, located at Old Cox Road and Zoo Parkway, is a $15 million project that includes eight turf soccer fields and two turf football fields along with sand volleyball courts, pickleball courts in addition to playground areas, trails and a dog park.
Waddell said open space on the main campus was reduced with a new elementary school playground. Plans are in the works to create a soccer practice area at the school’s baseball and softball complex, he said.
