Virginia is a state that has sport at its center, despite the fact that no NFL team calls Virginia home! If you live in the state and are a nut for all things sport, then this is a great place to catch all sorts of live events. If you’re itching to go, but don’t know what sport to watch or where to go, then this article will be for you!
Soccer
Let’s start by talking about the sport that is currently gripping the nation. Thank to the hit show Ted Lasso and the adventures down at Wrexham with Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, soccer is growing in popularity in the States. While soccer has been available to watch live in Virginia and America for years, you can be sure that more and more people will be trying to find ways to catch the sport themselves, and this is likely the case with you!
Within Virginia, there are actually a few different ways to watch soccer. The most famous team in the area are probably the Richmond Kickers (no relation to AFC Richmond), and they have been around since 1993. This makes the Kickers one of the oldest continuously run professional soccer clubs in the country. They play in the USL League One, which is the third tier of soccer in America. Unlike the rest of the world, there are no promotion or relegation spots available, so they are stuck here!
If you want to watch the Kickers, then you will be able to hop on over to the City Stadium in Richmond. You will also be able to watch the Richmond Strikers, a women’s soccer team competing in the highest leagues for women’s soccer in the country. You will also be able to watch Loudoun United FC, who play in the second tier of American soccer. You can watch them at Segra Field, and are actually a reserve team for D.C. United, who play in the top tier of the MLS.
Baseball
Baseball certainly has a strong presence in Virginia, which means you can watch professional teams, college teams and even minor league teams. The one team that you have probably heard of are the Washington Nationals. Of course, these guys are based in Washington, D.C., but they have a large fan base in Northern Virginia due to geographical reasons.
The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball, and they actually won the World Series in 2019. While you may not be able to watch them physically in Virginia, there will be plenty of support groups and bars that allow you to watch them. If you want to catch a minor league baseball game, then the Norfolk Tides or the Richmond Flying Squirrels may be the team for you.
There are many other minor league baseball teams in the area, as well as college baseball teams, that you can go and enjoy. The University of Virginia Cavaliers have a strong baseball program, and will be well worth checking out.
Football
How can we talk about sports and not mention football? If you live in Virginia, then you likely know that the state doesn’t have an NFL team, but the Washington Football Team have their training camp in Richmond, and many Virginia residents support the team. This is, of course, a very similar story to the baseball team, and is well worth checking out.
There has been talk about Virginia getting its own NFL team for years, but there is no clear path for this to happen yet. For now, residents of Virginia will have to support Washington in whatever way that makes sense for them. Of course, if you live in Virginia, that means going out of state to watch live professional football.
This is why many fans watch from home and bet on games, to help relive this experience. You y can look at the NFL moneyline bets online to find out how Washington are slated to do, and feel closer to the action. If you still want the buzz of live games, then watching collegiate football through several NCAA Division I programs could be ideal. The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Old Dominion University Monarchs are great examples of such teams.
Racing
Let’s switch gears now and look at a slightly different sport. Racing and motorsports go hand-in-hand in Virginia. You will find that the state is home to several prominent racetracks, which host many events across the year. The most famous of these is probably the Richmond Raceway or the Martinsville Speedway, both of which feature in the NASCAR Cup Series.
There are plenty of race series to enjoy in Virginia, and if you’re looking for something different with live sports, then this will be the sport for you. You will find that there is a great sense of community spirit at these tracks, and people just enjoy the sport, rather than be tribal about who they follow!
