Engel Stadium will be torn down to make room for a women’s athletic complex, according to Brent Goldberg, the vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
The former home of the Chattanooga Lookouts from 1930 to 1999 has been largely unutilized since it was used as a filming location for “42” in 2012.
“The stadium, we’ve looked at it, it’s not salvageable to renovate it,” Goldberg said in an interview. “I mean, you could reclaim materials and reuse them, but there’s so many issues with that structure.”
UTC announced a seven-figure contribution from the Steiner family in March to go toward a women’s sports complex. Goldberg said the university hopes to break ground on the project — which will include a competition soccer field, seating and locker rooms — in spring 2026.
The sports complex will join the new Hamilton County Health Department on the site currently occupied by Engel Stadium.