The University of Richmond’s football teams have played home games off campus since 1929. Spiders soccer now takes a turn. Because of construction at UR’s First Market Stadium, which is being transformed into an 8,700-seat facility primarily for football, Richmond’s soccer teams (men’s and women’s) will play home games at Ukrop Park this season.

Fifty feet in the air was a worker, welding while straddling a steel beam. Another worker at the same height was riveting. There were cranes. There was smoke, the sound of motors, and every two or three minutes, the “beep-beep-beep” that comes when one of the trucks or other vehicles shifted into reverse. The University of Richmond’s First Market Stadium may be the nation’s most distraction-laden football practice facility, though some players don’t seem to notice. Safety Michael Ireland yesterday looked around the construction site caused by First Market Stadium’s transformation to a facility for home football games starting next season and shook his head.

There is no serious discussion of a baseball facility for the 30-acre site that is home to the University of Richmond Stadium. More football and soccer seem probable there. Fifth District Councilman E. Martin Jewell, whose district includes the stadium, said yesterday he hopes the site continues as a football and soccer venue following the Spiders’ transfer of home football games to a campus facility in 2010. Jewell said that is also the desire of UR Stadium’s neighbors.

Progress continues on First Market Stadium, the University of Richmond’s on-campus facility that will be home to Spiders’ football starting in 2010. But you may not be able to notice a great deal of it yet. David Walsh, UR’s deputy athletic director, said much of the work at the site adjacent to the Robins Center is being done underground. “It probably will be late summer before you start to see [a structure],“ Walsh said.

Rubble reflects progress for University of Richmond football. Fresh off its Football Championship Subdivision title, UR recently started the on-campus stadium ball rolling with demolition at the site of the coming facility.