Soccer-specific stadium


Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi-purpose stadium which is for a variety of sports. A soccer-specific stadium may host other sporting events and concerts, but the design and purpose of a soccer-specific stadium is primarily for soccer. Some facilities have a permanent stage at one end of the stadium used for staging concerts.
A soccer-specific stadium typically has amenities, dimensions and scale suitable for soccer in North America, including a scoreboard, video screen, luxury suites and possibly a roof. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA: long by wide. These soccer field dimensions are wider than the regulation American football field width of, or the width of a Canadian football field. The playing surface typically consists of grass as opposed to artificial turf, as the latter is generally disfavored for soccer matches since players are more susceptible to injuries. However, some soccer specific stadiums, such as Portland's Providence Park and Creighton University's Morrison Stadium, do have artificial turf.
The seating capacity is generally between 18,000 and 30,000 for a Major League Soccer franchise, or smaller for college or minor league soccer teams. This is in comparison to the much larger American football stadiums that mostly range between 60,000 and 80,000 in which the original North American Soccer League teams played and most MLS teams occupied during the league's inception. As opposed to gridiron-style football stadiums, where the front row of seats is elevated several feet above the field of play to allow spectators to see over the heads of substitute players and coaches on the sidelines, soccer-specific venues typically have the front row closer to the level of the pitch.

History

In the 1980s and 1990s, first-division professional soccer leagues in the United States, such as the North American Soccer League and Major League Soccer, primarily used American football fields, many of which were oversized in terms of seating capacity and undersized in terms of width of the soccer field; they often used artificial turf. Although many of the baseball parks had smaller capacities, natural grass, and a wider field, these parks were generally in use during summer, when North American–based soccer leagues, such as Major League Soccer, also hold their seasons, and the irregular field dimensions and sightlines were often considered undesirable.
Soccer-specific stadiums first came into use in the 1990s, after the multi-purpose stadium era.
The term "soccer-specific stadium" was coined by Lamar Hunt, who financed the construction of the Columbus Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer. In the 2000s, other Major League Soccer teams in the United States began constructing their own stadiums. Canada's first soccer-specific stadium was BMO Field in Toronto, home to Toronto FC. This stadium was renovated to accommodate Canadian football for the 2016 and subsequent seasons. The distinction is less prominent in Canada, where MLS's attendance figures are comparable to those of the domestic Canadian Football League, and the CFL's wider field means fewer compromises must be made to accommodate both; Tim Hortons Field was built purposely to both soccer specifications and CFL regulations. Of the three Canadian cities that host both MLS and CFL teams, only one has separate stadiums for each.

Major League Soccer (MLS)

Current MLS soccer-specific stadiums

Proposed MLS soccer-specific stadiums

In 2011 Bob Lenarduzzi confirmed that the Vancouver Whitecaps are now committed to BC Place, and that plans for the waterfront stadium have been put on hold.

National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)

Current NWSL soccer-specific stadiums

USL Championship (USLC)

Current USLC soccer-specific stadiums

All USL Championship teams will be required to play in self-owned, soccer-specific stadiums by the 2020 season. The following is a list of current USL stadiums that are soccer-specific stadiums:
StadiumClubCityCapacityOpened
Al Lang StadiumTampa Bay RowdiesSt. Petersburg, Florida7,2271947
BBVA FieldBirmingham Legion FCBirmingham, Alabama5,0002019
Bold StadiumAustin Bold FCAustin, Texas5,0002019
Cashman FieldLas Vegas Lights FCLas Vegas, Nevada9,3341983
Casino Arizona FieldPhoenix Rising FCTempe, Arizona6,2002017
Champion StadiumOrange County SCIrvine, California5,0002017
Children's Mercy ParkSporting Kansas City IIKansas City, Kansas18,4672011
Dillon StadiumHartford AthleticHartford, Connecticut5,5001960
Fifth Third Bank StadiumAtlanta United 2Kennesaw, Georgia8,3182010
H-E-B ParkRio Grande Valley FC TorosEdinburg, Texas9,4002017
Highmark StadiumPittsburgh Riverhounds SCPittsburgh, Pennsylvania5,0002013
Lynn Family StadiumLouisville City FCLouisville, Kentucky11,7002020
MSU Soccer Park at Pittser FieldNew York Red Bulls IIMontclair, New Jersey5,0001998
Mecklenburg County SportsplexCharlotte IndependenceMatthews, North Carolina5,0002017
Papa Murphy's ParkSacramento Republic FCSacramento, California11,2422014
Patriots Point Soccer ComplexCharleston BatteryMount Pleasant, South Carolina5,0002000
Segra FieldLoudoun United FCLeesburg, Virginia5,0002019
Subaru ParkPhiladelphia Union IIChester, Pennsylvania18,5002011
Taft StadiumOklahoma City Energy FCOklahoma City, Oklahoma5,0001934
Toyota FieldSan Antonio FCSan Antonio, Texas8,2962013
WakeMed Soccer ParkNorth Carolina FCCary, North Carolina10,0002002
Weidner FieldColorado Springs SwitchbacksColorado Springs, Colorado5,0002002
West Community StadiumSaint Louis FCFenton, Missouri5,5001982
Zions Bank StadiumReal MonarchsHerriman, Utah5,0002018

Proposed USL soccer-specific stadiums

NCAA (Division I)

StadiumTeamCityCapacityOpened
Albert-Daly FieldWilliam & Mary TribeWilliamsburg, Virginia1,0002004
Ambrose Urbanic FieldPittsburgh PanthersPittsburgh, Pennsylvania7352011
BBVA FieldUAB BlazersBirmingham, Alabama5,0002015
Belson StadiumSt. John's Red StormQueens, New York2,6002001
Bill Armstrong StadiumIndiana HoosiersBloomington, Indiana6,5001981
Columbia Soccer StadiumColumbia LionsManhattan, New York3,5001985
Dick Dlesk Soccer StadiumWest Virginia MountaineersMorgantown, West Virginia1,6002004
Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn StadiumLouisville CardinalsLouisville, Kentucky5,3002014
Elizabeth Lyle Robbie StadiumMinnesota Golden GophersFalcon Heights, Minnesota1,0001999
Ellis FieldTexas A&M AggiesCollege Station, Texas3,5001994
Eugene E. Stone III StadiumSouth Carolina GamecocksColumbia, South Carolina5,0001981
Harder StadiumUC Santa Barbara GauchosSanta Barbara, California17,0001966
Hermann StadiumSaint Louis BillikensSt. Louis, Missouri6,0501999
Hofstra University Soccer StadiumHofstra PrideHempstead, New York1,6002003
Hurricane Soccer & Track StadiumTulsa Golden HurricaneTulsa, Oklahoma2,0002003
Lamar Soccer ComplexLamar Lady CardinalsBeaumont, Texas5002009
Mazzella FieldIona GaelsNew Rochelle, New York2,4001989
Mean Green VillageNorth Texas Mean GreenDenton, Texas1,0002006
Mike Rose Soccer ComplexMemphis TigersMemphis, Tennessee2,5002001
Morrison StadiumCreighton BluejaysOmaha, Nebraska6,0002003
Morrone StadiumUConn HuskiesStorrs, Connecticut5,1001969
Nicholls Soccer ComplexNicholls State ColonelsThibodaux, Louisiana1,0001998
Old Dominion Soccer ComplexOld Dominion Monarchs and Lady MonarchsNorfolk, Virginia4,0001990
Riggs FieldClemson TigersClemson, South Carolina6,5001915
Roberts StadiumPrinceton TigersPrinceton, New Jersey2,3562008
SU Soccer StadiumSyracuse OrangeSyracuse, New York1,5001996
University of Denver Soccer StadiumDenver PioneersDenver, Colorado2,0002009
UNCG Soccer StadiumUniversity of North Carolina at GreensboroGreensboro, North Carolina3,5401990
Veterans Memorial Soccer ComplexMarshall Thundering HerdHuntington, West Virginia1,0062013
Waipio Peninsula Soccer StadiumHawaii Rainbow WahineWaipio, Hawaii4,5002000
Yurcak FieldRutgers Scarlet KnightsPiscataway, New Jersey5,0001994

Other soccer-specific stadiums

Past soccer-specific stadiums

Other countries

The term "football-specific stadium" is sometimes used in countries where the sport is known as football rather than soccer, although the term is not common in countries where football is the dominant sport and thus football-specific stadiums are quite common. The term tends to have a slightly different meaning in these countries, usually referring to a stadium without an athletics track surrounding the field. Some soccer stadiums in Europe are also used for other sports, including rugby, American football, and field hockey. The problem with oversized stadiums designed for another sport is particularly visible in European American football leagues and conflicts between teams sharing the stadium and owners of the stadiums sometimes arise, leading to attempts at single sport-specific venues.