LIBERTY — The Liberty Recreation Department and the City of Liberty have been looking for ways to utilize the former high school stadium, which is now city property, for special events to generate revenue and spark the local economy by bringing in visitors from out of town.
The city got an opportunity to do just that when it was approached back in April by James Beeks, manager/coach of the Greenville Greyhounds minor league football team about potentially using the stadium for the Greyhounds’ home games.
To city officials, this seemed like a great opportunity to bring minor league football to the town of Liberty and give the locals a chance to come out to the stadium on a Saturday night and enjoy a game at the minor league level.
Several meetings took place to discuss the details and responsibilities, and the proposal became reality as the Greyhounds opened their season last Saturday with a home matchup in Liberty against the Atlanta Fulton County Rams.
Although the Greyhounds took it on the chin in a 49-12 loss, the squad’s defense played relatively well. Offensively, the Greyhounds struggled to generate any momentum, wearing down the defense and resulting in the lopsided loss.
The Greyhounds will be on the road this Saturday, traveling to take on the Columbia Vipers. A pair of home matchups will follow in consecutive weeks, with the CSRA Cobras visiting Liberty on June 16 and the Greenville Seminoles paying a visit on June 23. The only other remaining home games for the Greyhounds will be a July 14 meeting with the CSRA Hurricanes and an August 4 date with the Lake Norman Fear.
For home games, tickets are $5 each for adults and $3 for students. Children under 7 years of age get in free. The gates open up at 5 p.m. and kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.