Need a team to root for?
The Triangle is home to incredible professional, semi-pro and college teams with some serious rivalries – and resumes to back them up. Check out the variety of spectator sports teams in North Carolina’s Wake, Durham, Orange and Chatham counties.
Hockey
Wake County
The Carolina Hurricanes – or as we call them, the Canes – are Raleigh’s National Hockey League team. Formerly the Hartford Whalers, the Hurricanes have made 18 NHL playoff appearances in 43 seasons and won the Stanley Cup in 2006. On-ice action at the 700,000-square-foot PNC Arena offers a perfect opportunity to gather with friends and family and cheer as loud as you can!
Orange County
The Carolina Stars, a USA Hockey – the governing body for ice hockey in America – club in Raleigh, started with just eight members in 2012. Young players train at the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough. The team offers instruction from professional coaches and free hockey clinics.
Soccer
Founded in 2017, National Women’s Soccer League team the North Carolina Courage has won two NWSL Championships, three NWSL Shields and a Women’s ICC Championship.
Men’s professional soccer team the North Carolina Football Club was founded in 2006 as the Carolina RailHawks and plays in United Soccer League’s League One. Both teams play at Sahlen’s Stadium in the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary.
Baseball
Wake County
The Holly Springs Salamanders are a summer collegiate baseball team of NCAA student-athletes from the Coastal Plain League. Catch one of their home games or sign up for a baseball camp at Ting Park this summer.
Just outside of Raleigh, Five County Stadium hosts the home games for Zebulon’s Single-A minor league baseball team, the Carolina Mudcats, which are affiliated with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Durham County
Baseball and movie fans alike know all about the minor league Durham Bulls baseball team. The Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays was featured in the iconic sports film “Bull Durham,” and the team is well known for its fun, interactive home games and signature community events at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Their season runs from April through September. Come out for “Bark in the Park” with your four-legged friend and Friday night fireworks shows. Kids eat free on Wednesday game nights. Read about one of the Durham Bulls‘ five-star contributors, Ripken the bat dog, in Durham Magazine.
Ultimate Frisbee
Fans of professional Ultimate can watch the Carolina Flyers compete in the American Ultimate Disc League’s South Division at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The team, which took home its first AUDL title in 2021 and are the reigning South Division champions, play throughout the summer, offer a club team, and host a youth academy as well as overnight and day summer camps in partnership with other local clubs.
College Sports
Any fan of college sports knows they can’t miss Duke men’s basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The team has won five NCAA national championships, but basketball isn’t the only sport where the Blue Devils excel – the university offers 27 NCAA Division I varsity sports and has taken home a total of 119 ACC championships and 17 national championships among them.
NC State University offers 21 varsity sports across its facilities, including the Dail Soccer Field where the men’s soccer team plays and Carter-Finley Stadium, which seats 57,600 fans for Wolfpack football games.
The Meredith College Avenging Angels, an NCAA Division III women’s college, have made 15 NCAA tournament appearances and taken home 26 USA South Championships. Weatherspoon Athletic Center hosts basketball and volleyball while Meredith Athletic Field and Track Complex is home to its soccer, lacrosse, track and field, and cross-country teams.
The Tar Heels are one of the biggest names in collegiate athletics, and it’s always a treat to see them in action. UNC is home to 28 – 15 women’s and 13 men’s – varsity sports programs, which have won 48 NCAA team championships in seven different sports, including 21 women’s soccer, 10 field hockey, six men’s basketball, five men’s lacrosse, three women’s lacrosse, two men’s soccer and one women’s basketball.
North Carolina Central University, a highly ranked HBCU in Durham, is home to 310 student-athletes and 14 NCAA Division I sports. Check out Eagles football – which recently won the 2022 HBCU National Championship – at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium or basketball in McDougald-McLendon Arena.
