Georgia Sets NCAA Soccer Attendance Record at Sanford Stadium

The University of Georgia women’s soccer team shattered the NCAA attendance record for any college soccer match with 25,433 fans at Sanford Stadium for a 6-0 win over James Madison, a game billed as “Soccer in Sanford” and played to honor the 30th anniversary of the 1996 Olympic gold medal match. The crowd surpassed the previous women’s and men’s records of 14,410 and 22,512, respectively, and marked the first time soccer was played between the hedges at Sanford. Georgia’s Honoka Hamano scored twice in the blowout, as the team enjoyed a high-energy atmosphere with free admission but parking and concessions charges, and with temperatures near 98 degrees at kickoff. The event connected to Olympic history, recalling the U.S. women’s national team’s 1996 gold-medal performance in Sanford and noting that the stadium has hosted iconic moments while keeping the hedges in place this time around. The planning for the record attempt began in the spring, leveraging global soccer events and local fan enthusiasm, with Georgia’s football coach Kirby Smart in attendance to support the match. Georgia had opened the season with strong performances and had multiple student athletes in attendance, highlighting the cross-sport support surrounding the record-setting night, which stood as the largest college soccer crowd since 1980.