Protective Stadium

Protective Stadium anchors the north side of downtown Birmingham as part of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) — a multi-venue downtown complex that also includes Legacy Arena (the renovated downtown indoor arena), the BJCC convention space, and the historic Boutwell Auditorium. The stadium itself opened in 2021 as a multi-tenant downtown venue. The blocks immediately south are the downtown Birmingham core — the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the 16th Street Baptist Church, and Kelly Ingram Park (the canonical Birmingham Civil Rights movement sites) sit a short walk south. The Pizitz Food Hall sits a short walk south. Regions Field (Birmingham Barons MiLB ballpark) sits a short walk south in the Parkside District. Downtown Birmingham's 2nd Avenue North entertainment district sits a short walk south. The neighborhood reads as a downtown civic-complex anchor with deep Civil Rights heritage immediately adjacent.

Plan to arrive 60-90 minutes before kickoff or first whistle — downtown Birmingham parking flow picks up sharply on UAB football Saturdays, Legion FC home matches, and any BJCC concert or convention overlap dates. Important multi-tenant context: Protective Stadium hosts two primary tenants: Birmingham Legion FC of the USL Championship (the second tier of American men's professional soccer) and UAB Blazers football (the University of Alabama at Birmingham FBS football program). The two tenants run on different match-day operations — soccer match days operate with the stadium in soccer configuration and noticeably smaller actual-attendance footprint than UAB football capacity; UAB football game days are larger-capacity events with broader campus-and-tailgate flow. Confirm tenant-specific gate, bag, and entry rules on the Birmingham Legion FC site (for USL matches) or the UAB Athletics site (for football). The stadium opened in 2021 as a downtown multi-tenant catalyst project replacing the now-demolished Legion Field on the city's west side as Birmingham's primary outdoor stadium venue. The naming-rights agreement is with Protective Life Corporation, the Birmingham-headquartered insurance company. Mobile-only tickets are the norm. The stadium has also hosted Magic City Classic (Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State HBCU football rivalry) and major neutral-site college football events.

Protective Stadium opened in 2021 in downtown Birmingham as the new outdoor multi-tenant stadium for the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC). The stadium replaced the now-demolished Legion Field on the west side as Birmingham's primary outdoor stadium venue. MULTI-TENANT VENUE: the stadium hosts both Birmingham Legion FC of the USL Championship (the second tier of American men's professional soccer) and UAB Blazers football (the University of Alabama at Birmingham FBS football program). The two tenants run on different match-day operations — confirm tenant-specific gate, bag, and entry rules on the relevant team site. The naming-rights agreement is with Protective Life Corporation, the Birmingham-headquartered insurance company. Capacity sits around 45,000 in full football configuration. Birmingham Legion FC has been a USL Championship franchise since 2019 — the club is owned by a group including former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford's allies and is named in honor of the demolished Legion Field. The stadium has hosted the Magic City Classic (Alabama A&M vs. Alabama State HBCU football rivalry) and major neutral-site college football events including the World Games 2022 opening ceremonies.