in honor of a local contractor, who donated more than $2.5 million for the stadium. On September 5, 2009, the first ODU football game was held at Foreman Field. Old Dominion defeated Chowan University 36–21. In 2016, Populous did an expansion study and recommended that Foreman Field be torn down and rebuilt because the existing structure could not be updated to meet modern building codes. Old Dominion University endorsed the study findings and the plan to renovate the stadium was approved by the Virginia General Assembly in 2017. Phase I of the stadium renovation will be completed between the 2018 and 2019 football seasons. The capacity after the completion of Phase I will 22,130. The capacity after Phase II will be over 30,000. Old Dominion played their final game in Foreman Field's original form on November 17, 2018 against Virginia Military Institute. The $67.5 million stadium reconstruction project began with the demolition of the old grandstands on November 19, 2018 and is expected to be completed in time for Old Dominion's 2019 season. Greg DuBois, ODU's vice president for administration and finance, said the University "looked at other projects done around the country in this fashion, and we worked with the architects and contractors to assure ourselves we could do it in nine months. "It will be a tremendous challenge, but we're confident it can and will be done on time." On January 28, 2019, ODU officials voted to rename the playing surface after alumnus Barry Kornblau after his $3 million donation. The official capacity for S.B. Ballard Stadium during the 2019 season is 22,480. Largest attendance Gallery See also List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums References External links Foreman Field Football Complex College field hockey venues in the United States College football venues Old Dominion Monarchs football Old Dominion University Sports venues in Norfolk, Virginia Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States Sports venues completed in 1936 1936 establishments in Virginia