Columbus Crew Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Columbus Crew Stadium | |
|---|---|
| Crew Stadium | |
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| Location | 1 Black And Gold Boulevard Columbus, Ohio 43211 |
| Broke ground | 1998 |
| Opened | 1999 |
| Closed | Open |
| 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) |
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| Capacity | |
| 22,555 (1999) | |
Columbus Crew Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
Contents |
[edit] Origins
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).
[edit] Events
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 Women’s 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. The stadium will also be the host of the first annual Rock on the Range festival to be held in May. It also hosts the annual Westerville Football Classic, featuring the Westerville Central, Westerville North, Westerville South, and New Albany football teams.
[edit] The Numbers - Columbus Crew Stadium
- 120,000 hours worked by Kokosing Construction without a lost-time accident
- 57,000 ft² (5,300 m²) Crew Kicker Plaza
- 40,000 ft² (3,700 m²) of steel siding
- 22,555 seats (This number has been reported as 22,555; 22,485, and even 22,500.)
- 14,000 feet (4.3 km) of handrail
- 9,800 parking spaces (800 paved, 9000 grass)
- 8,625 ft² (800 m²) playing surface, 75 by 115 yd (69 m by 105 m) FIFA regulation pitch.
- 1,400 tons of galvanized structural steel used for construction
- 562 concrete bleacher support columns
- 384 ft² (36 m²) video board
- 288 bathroom stalls
- 274 days from groundbreaking to inaugural game (9 months, 1 day)
- 193 sinks
- 169 ft (52 m) light poles (4)
- 140 doors
- 84 ft (26 m) wide concrete soccer ball (Crew Kicker Plaza)
- 62 urinals*
- 54 individual 2 kW bulbs per light pole
- 48 ft (15 m) tall at the highest point
- 34 sponsor panels (Actual number is higher, as the "34" was at the stadium's opening.)
- 32 ft (10 m) of scrolling matrix board
- 30 open-air Club Loges (Club Loges have since been fully enclosed.)
- 26 shower heads
- 22 miles (35 km) of wiring
- 19 inch (480 mm) wide bleacher seats
- 15 acre (61,000 m²) site
- 6 sets of restrooms
- 3 glacial rocks used for decor (More rocks have been added to the south plaza since opening.)
- 2 automated teller machines
- 1 1/4 inch (32 mm) tall Four-Blend Kentucky Bluegrass
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Ohio Stadium 1996–1998 |
Home of the Columbus Crew 1999–present |
Succeeded by current |
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- Satellite image from WikiMapia, Google Maps or Windows Live Local
- Street map from MapQuest or Google Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
| Current Stadiums in Major League Soccer |
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| Western Conference | Eastern Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Dick's Sporting Goods Park | The Home Depot Center | Pizza Hut Park | Rice-Eccles Stadium | Robertson Stadium | Arrowhead Stadium | BMO Field | Columbus Crew Stadium | Giants Stadium | Gillette Stadium | RFK Memorial Stadium | Toyota Park | |
