MLS Phoenix Rising: Soccer Specific Stadiums
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Still, these facilities often face criticism from fans in that they tend to be optimized for staging concerts, often resulting in one section of the stadium behind a goal having very few seats, if any. Instead, a berm or other feature is created where concert stages could be placed without destroying the main field.
An SSS typically has amenities, dimensions and scale suitable for soccer in the United States, including a scoreboard, video screen, luxury suites and possibly even a roof. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA — 110-120 yards (100-110m) long by 70-80 yards (64-75m) wide, wider than the regulation American football field width of 53? yards. Lastly, the seating capacity is generally small enough to provide an intimate setting, between 18,000 - 30,000 for a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, or between 5,000 - ~15,000 for a franchise in the United Soccer Leagues (whose attendance is subject to more variation), as opposed to the gigantic American football stadiums in which most MLS teams were compelled to play at the league's inception. The seating capacity for USL Premier Development League fields ranges from 1,000-5,000.
The first large SSS in Canada will be BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario. The original Toronto stadium plan was centered on grounds at York University that would have been used by the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts and an MLS team. That stadium would have been 65 yards wide, in accordance with Canadian football standards, and would have had one set of end zone seats mounted on a track so they could be moved: back, to make room for the 150 yard length of the Canadian football field (including the end zones); and forth, to provide an intimate setting for soccer. However, the York University plan was shelved. Plans for movable stands were then scrapped, meaning that BMO Field will be soccer-only when it is completed on the grounds of Exhibition Place.
The term "football-specific stadium" is sometimes used in countries where the sport is known as football, although not so much so in countries where football is the dominant sport and thus football-specific stadia are quite common. The term tends to have a slightly different meaning in these countries, usually referring to a stadium without an athletic track.
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| Columbus Crew Stadium | |
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| Crew Stadium | |
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| Location | 1 Black And Gold Boulevard Columbus, Ohio 43211 |
| Broke ground | 1998 |
| Opened | 1999 |
| Website | http://www.crewstadium.com |
| Demolished | N/A |
| Owner | Hunt Sports Group |
| Operator | Hunt Sports Group |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $28.5 million USD |
| Architect | Kokosing Construction |
| Tenants | |
| Columbus Crew (MLS) (1999-Present) OHSAA Soccer Championships (2000-Present) Columbus Public Schools Boys Soccer City Championship (2001-Present) | |
| Capacity | |
| 22,555 (1999) | |
As a charter franchise in the MLS, the Columbus Crew commenced play at Ohio Stadium in MLS's inaugural season of 1996. As it is principally an American Football stadium, the facility was never popular with the team or its fans. When renovations to the football stadium forced the Crew out, their owner, oil billionaire Lamar Hunt, decided to build the team its own dedicated home. Thus, Crew Stadium was born - purpose-built for the Columbus Crew in the winter of 1998/99. The construction cost {US$28.5 million} was covered entirely with private funds from Mr. Hunt and his Hunt Sports group.
The stadium seats approximately 22,500 (with room to expand to 30,000 total seats) and is located on the grounds of the Ohio Exposition Center and State Fairgrounds. Crew stadium opened May 15, 1999 with a match between the home side and the New England Revolution. It was the first stadium in the United States designed specifically for Major League Soccer (including a FIFA regulation 115yd x 75yd pitch), and has been credited with inspiring the wave of construction of so called soccer-specific stadia throughout the league (for the 2007 season 7 of the league's 13 teams own or share a dedicated soccer stadium, with at least three others having progressed significantly with stadium plans of their own).
In addition to hosting the Crew's home games, the stadium has hosted numerous United States Men's and Women's National Team matches, the 2001 MLS Cup championship, the 2000 and 2005 MLS All-Star Games, the 2001 and 2003 NCAA Men's College Cup national soccer championships, and the 2003 Womens World Cup. It was the host stadium for the 2002 Major League Lacrosse championship game. Crew stadium has also hosted games for the Ohio High School State Championship tournaments in both football and soccer.
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The Home Depot Center is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles and features a soccer-specific stadium that seats 27,000 spectators. Its title sponsor is major hardware retailer The Home Depot.
Originally built for the Galaxy, the Home Depot Center in 2005 also became the home field for expansion franchise Chivas USA, which is owned by and named after Chivas de Guadalajara, a soccer team in the Mexican First Division.
The Home Depot Center hosted the first three editions (2004-06) of the USA Sevens, an annual competition in the Sevens version of rugby union that is part of the IRB Sevens World Series. The HDC also staged the Supermoto event for the 2004 X Games. It continues to host a few high school football championships in mid-December. This year, the Home Depot Center will host the first psp paintball event of the season.
The soccer stadium is sometimes referred to by fans as Victoria Street, the major access road they take to reach the stadium (the stadium itself is on Avalon Boulevard). Opposing fans often refer to it as the Toolbox, a play on the stadium's name.
The stadium has also been used for concerts, including two-night runs by Dave Matthews Band in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
The $150 million complex was developed and is operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. For more information, please visit:
http://http://www.homedepotcenter.com/home/default.sps
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| Pizza Hut Park | |
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| "The Hut" | |
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| Location | 6000 Main Street Frisco, Texas 75034 |
| Broke ground | February 18, 2004 |
| Opened | August 6, 2005 |
| Closed | n/a |
| Owner | City of Frisco |
| Operator | Frisco Soccer, LP |
| Surface | Grass (Tifway 419) |
| Construction cost | $80 million USD |
| Architect | HKS, Inc. |
| Former names | |
| Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Complex | |
| Tenants | |
| FC Dallas (MLS) (2005-Present) Frisco ISD Teams (2005-Present) | |
| Capacity | |
| 21,193 (2005) | |
Pizza Hut Park is a multi-purpose facility, featuring a 21,193 seat stadium, built and owned by the northern Dallas suburb of Frisco in Collin County, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb. The naming rights to the facility were acquired by the large pizza chain Pizza Hut, whose corporate headquarters are in Dallas.
The stadium played host to the 2005 MLS Cup final on November 13, seeing the Los Angeles Galaxy defeat the New England Revolution 1-0 in overtime for their 2nd MLS Cup. It was also selected to host the 2006 MLS Cup, won by the Houston Dynamo 1-1 (4-3 pks) in a penalty shootout over the New England Revolution.
The complex also has an additional 17 regulation size soccer pitches (both grass and artificial turf) outside the main stadium. These fields are used as practice fields by FC Dallas, matches for the FC Dallas reserves squad, and also for hosting youth soccer tournaments and the like.
Nicknames for Pizza Hut Park are PHP, the Hut, Meat Lover's Park (used by opposing fans), and The Brickoven, the former referring to Texas' summer climate during afternoon games (and since the field is well below ground level).
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| Toyota Park | |
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| Bridgeview | |
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| Location | 7000 S. Harlem Avenue, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455 |
| Broke ground | 30 November 2004 |
| Opened | 11 June 2006 |
| Owner | Village of Bridgeview |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $98 million US |
| Architect | Rossetti Associates Architects |
| Former names | |
| Bridgeview Stadium | |
| Tenants | |
| Chicago Fire (MLS) (2006-Present) Chicago Machine (MLL) (2007-Present) | |
| Capacity | |
| 20000 (soccer) 28000 (concerts) | |
Toyota Park is the home stadium for the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, members of Major League Soccer. Located at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois, it is a soccer-specific stadium and concert venue developed at a cost of more than $100 million. The facility opened June 11, 2006.
Designed to incorporate traditional stadium features from both American and European facilities, Toyota Park includes mostly covered seating, a brick façade and stone entry archway, and first rows that are less than three yards from the field. It also includes 42 executive suites, 6 larger party suites, the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame, and the Fire club offices in the stadium as well as a large stadium club facility measuring some 9,000 square feet.
The Village of Bridgeview recently approved development on 8 acres of the stadium site near the corner of 71st and Harlem for a new midrange hotel, indoor water park, four to six restaurants, and other retail to begin construction in late 2007.
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| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | |
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| Location | Commerce City, Colorado |
| Broke ground | September 28, 2005 |
| Opened | April 7, 2007 (expected) |
| Owner | Commerce City |
| Operator | Kroenke Sports Enterprises |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | ~$130 million USD (estimate) |
| Architect | HOK Sport + Venue + Event |
| Tenants | |
| Colorado Rapids (MLS) (2007-Present) | |
| Capacity | |
| ~18,000 (expected) | |
Dick's Sporting Goods Park is a soccer-specific stadium located at 6000 Victory Way, Commerce City, Colorado, 80022 and is home to the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team. It can seat up to 18,000 people, but may accommodate up to 25,000 for certain events and is built on over 360 acres (1.5 km²) of land. It is billed as the 'biggest and most state-of-the-art professional stadium and field complex in the world'. Also included at the venue are youth soccer fields (24 fully-lit professional fields), retail development, and a new Commerce City civic center. It is owned by Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) who also own the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Crush and the Colorado Mammoth. The estimated cost of this project was $130 million, with investment shared equally between the city and KSE.
The complex is close to Denver's former Stapleton International Airport and is bordered on the north and east by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, to the south by 56th Avenue, and to the west by Quebec Street.
It will host the 2007 MLS All-Star Game.
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The stadium was part of Canada's sucessful bid to host the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The original plan was that the site was to be located at York University, with the university contributing $15 million toward the cost of the new stadium. However, the university was forced to back out in May 2005. The eventual site was moved to the location of demolished Exhibition Stadium and then-existing Sports Hall of Fame building.
On May 11, 2006, Major League Soccer announced that Toronto FC would join the league as its thirteenth (and first Canada-based) team in 2007. The league considers soccer-specific stadiums to be a critical part of its strategy; MLS commissioner Don Garber has been adamant that expansion teams must have plans for a soccer-specific stadium in place to be granted a franchise. These facilities are thought to improve overall crowd atmosphere (because they are smaller than stadiums built primarily for NFL football or CFL football), and may allow teams to control most revenues generated by their facilities.
On August 31, 2006, the Toronto Star reported that BMO Financial Group purchased the naming rights to the stadium, known as the National Soccer Stadium. BMO is the stock exchange symbol of the Bank of Montreal, whose operational headquarters are in Toronto. The symbol is often pronounced "BEE-mo", as are references to the bank itself. On September 20, 2006, stadium webcam viewers watched as a banner was raised on the West Grandstand re-naming the stadium "BMO Field". The name was later announced on the team's official website.
FUTURE MLS SOCCER SPECIFIC STADIUMS:
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| Red Bull Park | |
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| Location | Harrison, New Jersey |
| Broke ground | September 19, 2006 |
| Opened | Summer 2008 (expected) |
| Owner | Anschutz Entertainment Group and Red Bull |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | ~$220 million USD (estimate) |
| Architect | Rossetti Architects |
| Tenants | |
| Red Bull New York (MLS) (2008) | |
| Capacity | |
| ~25,000 (expected) | |
Red Bull Park is a sports stadium under construction that will be the home of Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer. Located in Harrison, New Jersey, it is expected to be completed in time for the 2008 MLS season. The soccer-specific stadium (SSS) will have a capacity of about 25,000, and will feature a full European-style roof covering most of the seats in the stadium but not the playing field. The stadium will sit alongside the Passaic River with a view of the Newark, New Jersey, skyline.
The construction project has been besieged with delays. The original plan, announced on July 1, 2004, was to move the MetroStars from their current home at Giants Stadium by the beginning of the 2006 season. Negotiations between MLS and the state of New Jersey dragged on until an agreement was announced on August 5, 2005, for the MetroStars beginning play there for the 2007 season. Environmental cleanup concerns for the land forced another delay, and is currently scheduled to open in 2008.
As part of the deal to purchase the MetroStars club, Red Bull bought stadium naming rights, and the stadium was officially named Red Bull Park. Groundbreaking for the project happened on September 19, 2006.
The stadium may also be the home to another MLS team, as the league has stated its desire to establish an expansion team in the New York City market. However, that team could also end up being placed elsewhere in the region, with Queens and Nassau County, New York, being rumored locations.
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| Location | Sandy, Utah |
| Broke ground | August 12, 2006 |
| Opened | 2008 (expected) |
| Owner | Salt Lake County, Utah and Real Salt Lake |
| Construction cost | ~$86 million USD (estimate) |
| Architect | Rossetti |
| Tenants | |
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| Real Salt Lake (MLS) (from 2008) | |
| Capacity | |
| ~20,000 (expected) | |
The Sandy Stadium is a proposed soccer-specific stadium located in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy, built specifically for the local Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake. The stadium symbolically broke ground on August 12, 2006, during a match between Real Salt Lake and Real Madrid after a major battle within the Salt Lake County Council during 2005 and 2006. Funding plans for the stadium were rejected twice before a revised proposal was introduced the day before Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts' self-imposed deadline on obtaining funding for a new stadium or selling the team. The stadium is expected to hold around 20,000 people.
The finacing plan for the stadium collapsed between January 26 and 29, 2007 after the Debt Review Committee voted to oppose the stadium plan as not viable. County mayor Coroon was obliged to agree as was Utah House Speaker Curtis.
However, a new stadium proposal was made on February 2, which would divert 15 percent, roughly $2 million a year, of the county's hotel taxes to the stadium project beginning in July until 2017. The bill was passed by the State Senate, and later the assembly. The Governor signed the bill on February 9, 2007.
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Poplar Point Stadium
| Poplar Point Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Opened | 2009 (planned) |
| Owner | |
| Construction cost | $40 million |
| Tenants | |
| D.C. United (2009 ) | |
| Capacity | |
| 27,000 | |
Poplar Point Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium planned for the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is expected to seat 27,000 spectators at a site across the Anacostia River from the Washington Nationals' planned ballpark. It will house the D.C. United Major League Soccer franchise. The expected cost is around US$40 million and is yet to be finalized by Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber. The land at the proposed site is currently owned by the federal government and would have to be transferred to the city or D.C. United before construction of the stadium can begin. The site, called Poplar Point, is Metro-accessible via the Anacostia station.
The stadium is to be part of a planned 110-acre mixed-use development that would also include a hotel, offices, housing, and retail. The target date for completion is 2009.
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