Council President Parker supports UAB’s efforts to find opponent for season opener at Legion Field on September 3

Following the announcement that New Mexico State would be cancelling their football season — they were slated to open the season versus UAB at Legion Field — Council President William Parker would like to work with schools to schedule games at Legion Field.

“New Mexico State has informed us that they are postponing fall sports,” UAB athletic director Mark Ingram told AL.com. “We are actively looking to replace our 2020 opener at Legion Field. UAB Athletics will share updates as more information becomes available in the near future.”

President Parker said that not having football games at Legion Field is detrimental to the city’s local economy.

Legion Field has a seating capacity of 72,000 and, being an open-air stadium, is ideal for socially-distanced crowds. Parker said he is also working with the Park Board to find teams who could participate in a Labor Day Classic at Legion Field on Saturday, September 5.

“Birmingham is a major hub for college football and any game that is scheduled here will draw crowds of people who are hungry for football and a sense of normalcy,” Parker said.

As conferences across the country continue to take varied approaches to the upcoming football season, there will be schools that will be seeking to fill holes in their schedule. Parker believes Legion Field is the perfect venue for neutral site games.

UAB Athletics generates on average $35.7 million in economic impact for the city of Birmingham.

“This is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” Parker said. “We believe there is a way to do this safely and to give our residents something to cheer for. Whether it be Jacksonville State or another school looking for a venue, we’re going to exhaust all options to make sure Legion Field hosts as many games as possible this year.”