Toyota Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium with a 20,500-seat capacity, built and owned by the city of Frisco, Texas. Its primary tenants are Major League Soccer (MLS) team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas, and Frisco Independent School District high school football games. It is also the future home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame with expected completion in winter 2018.
Video Toyota Stadium (Texas)
History
The stadium, which is located in Frisco, Texas, cost approximately $80 million and opened on August 6, 2005, with a match between FC Dallas and the MetroStars, which ended in a 2-2 draw. When first designed, the stadium's original seating capacity was 20,500 in a U-shaped design with one end of the stadium having a permanent stage for hosting concerts. Like many of the soccer-specific stadiums being built around the country, it is expected that the stadium will make a significant amount of revenue by hosting mid-sized concerts, as well as various other sporting events, such as high-school football games. The stadium includes 18 luxury suites as well as a private 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) stadium club.
The stadium played host to the 2005 MLS Cup final, seeing the LA Galaxy defeat the New England Revolution 1-0 in overtime for their second MLS Cup. It was also selected to host the 2006 MLS Cup, which ended 1-1 after overtime with the Houston Dynamo defeating the New England Revolution 4-3 on penalty kicks. In 2016, FC Dallas hosted and won the U.S. Open Cup Final, also against the Revolution.
Maps Toyota Stadium (Texas)
Complex
The complex also has an additional 17 regulation size, stadium-quality soccer fields (both grass and artificial turf) outside the main stadium. These fields are used for practice by FC Dallas, matches for the FC Dallas reserve squad, and for hosting soccer tournaments. Youth tournaments that have made use of the complex include Dallas Cup, Olympic Development Program National Championships, Generation adidas Cup, and the USYSA National Championships.
Stadium name
From 2005 until January 2012, the naming rights to the facility were held by national pizza chain Pizza Hut, which is headquartered in nearby Plano, Texas, and the stadium was known as Pizza Hut Park. Nicknames for Pizza Hut Park included PHP, the Hut, and The Oven, the latter referring to Texas' summer climate during afternoon games (and also because the field is well below ground level). On January 7, 2012, the contract linking the pizza franchise with the stadium expired, and the stadium was renamed FC Dallas Stadium.
On September 10, 2013, FC Dallas reached an agreement with Toyota, who would later move its United States headquarters to Plano, to rename its home field Toyota Stadium. The 17 practice fields around the stadium would be known as Toyota Soccer Center.
National Soccer Hall of Fame
On October 14, 2015, plans were announced that the stadium would be the new home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. In addition to the museum, the stadium will receive a wide range of renovations as part of a $39 million proposal. Improvements to the stadium are to include a 3,000-square-foot private club to serve about 1,800 members, premium chair-back seats to replace bleacher seating, a new team store, a 7,000-square-foot deck with bar and concession stands, and additional upgrades to the video and audio equipment throughout the stadium.
Notable events
College football
- Beginning in 2010, the stadium became the new host of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, the title game of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The contract, originally for the 2010 through 2012 seasons, was later extended through the 2015 season, then again extended through the 2019 season. The game had been played for the previous 13 seasons in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- The Frisco Bowl postseason college football game had its inaugural game played at the stadium on December 20, 2017.
Soccer
- In December 2008, the stadium hosted the NCAA Men's College Cup. In the semifinals, North Carolina defeated Wake Forest, and Maryland defeated St. John's. Maryland defeated North Carolina in the final.
- On August 5, 2010, a then-record crowd of 21,193 saw FC Dallas and Inter Milan, fresh off victory in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final, play to a 2-2 exhibition tie.
- On March 19, 2011, FC Dallas opened the 2011 season against the Chicago Fire with a 1-1 tie. The game was the team's first ever regular season sellout (20,145 spectators).
- On July 28, 2012, FC Dallas set a single-game attendance record of 22,565 when the visiting LA Galaxy defeated Dallas 1-0.
- The stadium played host to the inaugural men's soccer tournament of the American Athletic Conference.
- The stadium played host to matches in the 2015 and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
- The stadium also hosted the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifier. It also hosted the second leg of the 2016 Men's Olympic Qualifying Playoff between the United States and Colombia.
Concerts
In 2008, the stadium hosted Christian radio station 94.9FM KLTY's Celebrate Freedom (presented by The Luis Palau Evangelical Association) on June 27-28 and heavy metal/hard rock festival tour Ozzfest in August. It has regularly hosted concerts by Jimmy Buffett. It was also the site for several editions of Edgefest organized by former Dallas alternative rock station KDGE.
Notable concerts
Dr. Pink Field
North of the main stadium is Dr. Pink Field, a mini-stadium named after former Frisco doctor Dr. Erwin G. Pink. The field is used for Frisco ISD high school football and soccer.
Dr. Pink Field also hosts games for the Frisco Griffins Rugby Club. The Griffins generally draw an attendance of a few hundred people per game.
See also
- FC Dallas
- Frisco Independent School District
- List of sports venues with the name Toyota
- Major League Soccer
References
External links
- Official website
- Toyota Stadium (Texas) at StadiumDB.com
Source of article : Wikipedia
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