Center Parc Stadium sits at 755 Hank Aaron Drive in Atlanta, Georgia, and few college football venues can match its backstory. The structure began life as Centennial Olympic Stadium, built for the 1996 Summer Olympics, where it hosted track and field competitions and the closing ceremony before a crowd drawn from around the world.
After the Olympics, the stadium underwent its first major transformation into Turner Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves from 1997 through 2016. When the Braves moved to Truist Park, Georgia State University purchased the property and converted it once again, reopening in 2017 as a 24,333-seat home for Georgia State Panthers football, now known as Center Parc Stadium under a naming-rights deal with Center Parc Credit Union.
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Georgia State Panthers (NCAA football)
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Opened: 2017 (current configuration); original structure built 1996
- Capacity: 24,333
- Owner: Georgia State University
- Playing Surface: FieldTurf
- Notable fact: Originally built as Centennial Olympic Stadium for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, later served as Turner Field for the Atlanta Braves (1997–2016)
From Olympic Stadium to Braves Ballpark
Few venues anywhere have been rebuilt for three completely different purposes. Centennial Olympic Stadium rose for the 1996 Games as a temporary track and field venue, then crews reconfigured it into Turner Field, a baseball-specific park that hosted the Atlanta Braves for two decades, including the team’s 1999 National League pennant run.
When the Braves departed for Truist Park in Cobb County after the 2016 season, the aging ballpark faced an uncertain future. Georgia State University stepped in, acquiring the site and investing roughly $52.8 million to strip away the baseball seating bowl and rebuild it as a football-first stadium.
Home of the Georgia State Panthers
Center Parc Stadium opened for the Panthers’ 2017 season, replacing the Georgia Dome as the program’s home. The intimate 24,333-seat bowl, much smaller than the stadium’s Olympic or baseball-era capacity, gives Georgia State a true college football atmosphere just steps from campus.
The venue also hosted the Atlanta Legends of the short-lived Alliance of American Football in 2019 and continues to host the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge, bringing historically Black college football programs to downtown Atlanta each year.
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Center Parc Stadium FAQs
What was Center Parc Stadium called before?
It was built as Centennial Olympic Stadium in 1996, became Turner Field (home of the Atlanta Braves) from 1997-2016, then Georgia State Stadium from 2017-2020 before taking its current name.
Who plays at Center Parc Stadium?
The Georgia State Panthers college football team has played there since 2017. It has also hosted the Atlanta Legends (AAF) in 2019 and the annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge.
What is the capacity of Center Parc Stadium?
Center Parc Stadium seats 24,333, a significant reduction from its baseball-era capacity as Turner Field.
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Photo: Southernkeith / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.