Banta Bowl
Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Banta Bowl is a stadium located on the campus of the Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Opened in 1965, the stadium is built into a ravine along the Fox River and has been the home to Lawrence Vikings football since its opening and Lawrence men's and women's soccer following a renovation in 2015. The stadium also hosts the men's and women's sides of semi-professional soccer club Green Bay Glory.
 Interactive map of Banta Bowl | |
| Full name | Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl |
|---|---|
| Former names | Lawrence Bowl (1965–1978) |
| Location | Appleton, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 44.257713°N 88.387505°W |
| Owner | Lawrence University |
| Operator | Lawrence University |
| Capacity | 3,634[1] |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 2, 1965 |
| Renovated | 2015 |
| Reopened | October 17, 2015 |
| General contractor | Bray Architects (renovation) |
| Tenants | |
| Lawrence University football (1965–present) Lawrence University men's soccer (2015–present) Lawrence University women's soccer (2015–present) Green Bay Glory women (WPSL) (2023–present) Green Bay Glory men (MWPL) (2024–present) | |
History
The stadium was built in 1965 as the Lawrence Bowl and was funded by an anonymous donation, later revealed to be from Lawrence alumnus George Banta Jr., the president of the Banta Corporation and son of its founder, George Banta.[2] The Vikings defeated St. Olaf College in their first game at the stadium, 26-21, on October 2, 1965. In Lawrence's second season at the stadium, they went undefeated and won their first Midwest Conference championship since 1951.[3] After Banta died in 1978, the stadium was renamed to Banta Bowl in his honor.[4]
In 2015, the stadium underwent a major $4.5 million renovation in conjunction with its 50th anniversary. The project replaced the existing natural grass with a widened and raised FieldTurf surface to accommodate the Lawrence men's and women's soccer teams as new tenants. It also replaced the bleachers, scoreboard, locker rooms, concessions, and parking lot.[5] Alongside the renovation, the field was named Ron Roberts Field, dedicated to Ron Roberts, who coached Lawrence from its first season at the stadium until 1983 and again in 1992. The first event at the stadium post-renovation was a high school football game on August 21, 2015, between Hortonville and Appleton West, the latter of whom used the stadium temporarily during renovations to their field.[6] A formal reopening and dedication ceremony was held on October 17, 2015.[7]
On February 7, 2024, semi-professional women's soccer club Green Bay Glory announced the creation of a men's team that would begin play at the Banta Bowl as members of the Midwest Premier League.[8]
Events
The first event at the stadium was a Lawrence football game, on October 2, 1965, where they defeated St. Olaf 26-21.[3]
Lawrence's women's soccer team held their first match at the Banta Bowl on September 1, 2015, a 3-1 loss to Marian University.[9] Their men's soccer team debuted at the stadium four days later with a 2-0 loss to Aurora University.[10]
On July 8, 2025, the Banta Bowl hosted the finals of the 2025 National Amateur Cup Region II women's tournament, where the Glory defeated FC Milwaukee Torrent 3-2 to qualify for the national finals.[11]