- University of Phoenix Stadium
Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = University of Phoenix Stadium
location = 1 Cardinals Drive
Glendale, Arizona , 85305
broke_ground = July 30, 2003
opened = August 1, 2006
owner =Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority
operator = Global Spectrum
surface = Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda Grass
construction_cost = $455 million
architect =Peter Eisenman /HOK Sport
former_names = Cardinals Stadium (August-September 2006)
tenants =Arizona Cardinals (NFL) (2006-present)Fiesta Bowl (BCS) (2007-present)
seating_capacity = 63,400 permanent seats (can be expanded to 73,719 [cite news| url=http://www.buccaneers.com/news/newsdetail.aspx?newsid=6289 | title=The Big Game On the Horizon | publisher=Buccaneers.com | date=2008-02-09 | accessdate=2008-02-13] )
field_dimensions = 134 yds x 78 yrds (122m x 71m)University of Phoenix Stadium is a multipurpose football
stadium located inGlendale, Arizona . It is the home of theArizona Cardinals of theNational Football League (NFL) and the annualFiesta Bowl . The new stadium is located next door to theJobing.com Arena , where the NHL'sPhoenix Coyotes play, and it has the first fully retractable natural grass playing surface built in the United States. An opening on one side of the stadium allows the playing field to move to the exterior of the building so the entire natural turf playing surface can be exposed to daylight when it is not in use. University of Phoenix Stadium hostedSuper Bowl XLII .The
University of Phoenix , a for-profit university specializing inadult education , acquired thenaming rights in September 2006, shortly after the stadium had opened under the name Cardinals Stadium. The "University of Phoenix" name is applied as a corporate sponsor, and not as the home stadium of the University (which has no intercollegiate athletics program).Facility information
The 63,400-seat stadium (expandable to 73,719) opened on
August 1 ,2006 after three years of construction. It is considered an architectural icon for the region and was named byBusiness Week as one of the 10 “most impressive” sports facilities on the globe due to the combination of its retractable roof and roll-in natural grass field [ [http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/02/sports_stadiums/source/9.htm World-Class Sports Stadiums | BusinessWeek ] ] . It is the only American facility on the list. The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new stadium was held onApril 12 ,2006 .The cost of the project was $455 million. That total included $395.4 million for the stadium, $41.7 million for site improvements, and $17.8 million for the land. Contributors to the stadium included the
Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority ($302.3 million), theArizona Cardinals ($143.2 million), and the City of Glendale ($9.5 million).The first preseason football game was played
August 12 ,2006 when the Cardinals defeated thePittsburgh Steelers , 21-13. The first regular season game was playedSeptember 10 against theSan Francisco 49ers (the Cardinals won 34–27). The stadium's air-conditioning system made it possible for the Cardinals to play at home on the opening weekend of the NFL season for the first time since moving toArizona in 1988.The stadium hosted the highest attended soccer match in the state of Arizona on
February 7 ,2007 when 62,462 fans watched theUnited States men's national soccer team defeat Mexico, 2–0.The multipurpose nature of the facility has allowed it to host 91 events representing 110 event days between the dates of
August 4 ,2006 through theBCS National Championship January 8 ,2007 . These events includedArizona Cardinals games; public grand opening tours heldAugust 19 & 20, 2006 (attended by 120,000 people); various shows, expositions, tradeshows and motor sport events; theRolling Stones concertNovember 8 2006 ; the AIA 4A and 5A state championship games for football (the first high school to win a football championship at the stadium was Cactus Shadows High School of Cave Creek, AZ onDecember 2 ,2006 ); an international soccer exhibition match; theFiesta Bowl National Band Championship High School Marching Band competition (the first marching band to ever play on the field wasFoothill High School , fromPleasanton, California onDecember 29 ,2006 ); theTostitos Fiesta Bowl January 1 ,2007 featuring theBoise State Broncos vs. theUniversity of Oklahoma Sooners (Boise State won 43-42 in overtime); and the BCS National ChampionshipJanuary 8 ,2007 between the No. 1Ohio State Buckeyes and the No. 2University of Florida Gators. It also held the2008 Fiesta Bowl between theOklahoma Sooners and theWest Virginia University Mountaineers . It has also held many high school graduations.The stadium has 88
luxury suites — called luxury lofts — with space for 16 future suites as the stadium matures.The 25 acres surrounding the stadium is called Sportsman's Park. Included within the Park is an eight-acre landscaped tailgating area called the Great Lawn.
There are no obstructed view seats in the stadium. There are visible areas in the upper deck of the end zone where seats could have been put in but were not due to the giant super columns supporting the roof structure.
The stadium seating capacity can be expanded by 9,600 for "mega-events" such as college bowls and NFL Super Bowls by adding risers and ganged, portable "X-frame" folding seats. The endzone area on the side of the facility where the mobile turf moves in and out of the facility can be expanded to accommodate the additional ticketholders.
The roof is made out of translucent "Bird-Air" fabric and opens in twelve minutes. It is the first retractable roof ever built on an incline.
The shape of the stadium is loosely modeled after a barrel cactus, a widespread plant in the Arizona desert.
On
January 15 2008 it was officially announced that the stadium is attempting to hostWrestleMania in 2010. A stir was caused weeks prior whenWayne Gretzky wore a shirt while in Sweden that promoted the event in Arizona, dubbing the event "Destruction in the Desert". [Watters, Carrie. Talks ongoing to bring WrestleMania in 2010 "The Arizona Republic" Jan. 18, 2008 http://www.azcentral.com/community/glendale/articles/0118gl-wrestle0118-ON.html]uper Bowl XLII
University of Phoenix Stadium hosted
Super Bowl XLII onFebruary 3 2008 in which theNew York Giants defeated theNew England Patriots by a score of 17-14. This was the second time the Phoenix area hosted aSuper Bowl , the other beingSuper Bowl XXX held in nearby Tempe atSun Devil Stadium in 1996 when theDallas Cowboys defeated thePittsburgh Steelers .Naming rights
On
September 26 ,2006 theUniversity of Phoenix acquired the naming rights to the stadium totalling $154.5 million over 20 years. [cite news | url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0926stadiumfolo26-ON.html | title=Stadium name deal: $154.5 mil over 20 years | first=Scott | last=Wong | publisher=Arizona Republic | date=2006-09-26 | accessdate=2006-09-26] The University does not field any intercollegiate sports teams, because it is a non-traditional university, specializing in providing access to higher education for adults already in the workforce.External links
* [http://www.azsuperbowl.com/ Super Bowl XLII website]
* [http://www.azcardinals.com/stadium/ Arizona Cardinals' website for stadium]
* [http://www.universityofphoenixstadium.com/ Global Spectrum’s website for stadium]
* [http://www.az-sta.com/ Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority]
* [http://www.phoenix.edu/ University of Phoenix]Notes and references
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