Red Bull Arena (MLS)

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Red Bull Arena
nickname = |

location = Harrison, New Jersey
broke_ground = September 19, 2006
opened = Summer-Autumn 2009 (expected)
closed =
demolished =
owner = Red Bull GmbH
operator = Red Bull GmbH
surface = Grass
construction_cost = $180–$200 million USD (estimate) [ [http://www.nj.com/redbulls/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1172468262176170.xml&coll=1 Red Bulls: MacDonald strives to fulfill a town's tradition] by The Star Ledger] | architect = Rossetti architects
former_names = Red Bull Park (2006-08) "prior to opening"
tenants = Red Bull New York (MLS) (starting in 2009)
seating_capacity = 25,189 [ [http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20071128&content_id=131231&vkey=pr_rbn&fext=.jsp&team=t107 New York Red Bulls: News: Article ] ] (2009)

Red Bull Arena (formerly known as Red Bull Park) is a soccer stadium under construction that will be the home of Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer (MLS). Located in Harrison, New Jersey, it was slated to be completed in time for the 2008 MLS season, but due to various delays in construction that date is now set for late 2009. The soccer-specific stadium (SSS) is expected to have a capacity of about 25,000 or more. It will feature a full, translucent, European-style roof that will cover all of the seats in the stadium but not the field. The stadium will sit alongside the Passaic River with a view of the Newark, New Jersey, skyline. The stadium will be accessible via public transportation at the PATH train stop at Harrison.

The construction project has been beset with delays. The original plan, announced on July 1, 2004, was to move the MetroStars (as Red Bull New York was known at the time) 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 to begin playing there in the 2007 season. Concerns about environmental clean-up at the site forced another delay. [ [http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/redbulls2.php?article_id=9829 Stadium Delay] via bigapplesoccer.com]

Though the groundbreaking was on September 19, 2006, construction was set for November 2007. That was delayed by one month when Red Bull bought out the MetroStars club from Anschutz Entertainment Group, changing the club's name in the process.

Red Bull Buyout and New Design

In addition to purchasing the team, Red Bull bought out AEG's $100 million share of the stadium, an aftereffect of lasting disagreements between the two corporations regarding their plans for the facility. Their differences prompted a significant delay in the early stages of the stadium's construction. After the naming rights of the soccer team were acquired, leading to the name "Red Bull Park", Red Bull instituted a number of changes to the stadium's original design, which sparked tension between the Austrian-based energy drink company and AEG. Red Bull opted out of AEG's plan to construct a stage in the stadium for performances, one that would have increased profit margins for the group. [ [http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=10583 Red Bull negotiating to buy out Red Bull Park from AEG] article via Big Apple Soccer] [http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20071116&content_id=129632&vkey=news_rbn&fext=.jsp&team=t107 N.Y. now full owners of new park] Construction of Red Bull Park began in late December 2007 with an undetermined 2009 completion date. The updated design was completed by Rossetti architects from Los Angeles and will be built by New Jersey-based Hunter Roberts Construction Group, LLC. The new design features a roof extending just past the field's touchlines with convert|60|ft|m of the roof being transparent to allow for natural light. The first row of seating is to be approximately convert|21|ft|m from the touchlines. The design is on par with those of soccer stadiums around the world. [ [http://www.mlsnet.com//news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20071128&content_id=131231&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp Red Bulls reveal updated design of Red Bull Park, MLS Press Release Nov. 29, 2007] ] [ [http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/04/digging-in-the-dirt-in-harrison-nj/ Digging in the Dirt in Harrison, N.J., NY Times Jan. 4, 2008] ] . The stadium will look very similar to the Hypo-Arena in Klagenfurt, Austria in appearance.

Construction

Construction commenced on Red Bull Park on January 3, 2008, including the first of 3,000 timber piles driven into the ground to support the new stadium. On January 11, 2008, Erik Stover was announced the GM of Red Bull Arena during construction and then on after. He has served as GM of Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego since 2005. [ [http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=12688/ Park Boss Stover to be Red Bull Park GM] ] On February 20, 2008, a CAN$28–$30 million contract was announced with Structal-Heavy Steel Construction to assist in the fabrication and construction of steel components. Fabrication will occur offsite in the second quarter of 2008, and erection will begin in Fall, 2008. [ [http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/080220/e_structal_30m_contra.html?.v=1 Structal secures a CAN$30 M contract for the construction of Red Bull Arena, the new home of the New York Red Bulls] ]

By Summer 2008, many news sources—both online and print—published articles doubting the ability of the project to be finished on schedule. They cited the lack of physical structure on the site. However, Managing Director Erik Stover sent an email to season ticket holders on August 1, 2008 stating that construction in still within the 2009 timetable. The email indicated that all underground work and piles are completed. The first steel girder was put in place on August 19, 2008. [cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/harrison/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1219213557243510.xml&coll=3|title=Red Bull Arena's 1st beam in place|last=Villanova|first=Patrick|date=2008-08-20|work=The Jersey Journal|accessdate=2008-08-20]

Name change

On August 18, 2008, the club announced that the name of the stadium had been changed to Red Bull Arena. [http://redbullsreader.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/first-piece-of-steel-goes-in-renamed-arena/ First Piece Of Steel Goes In Renamed Arena]

References

* [http://redbull.newyork.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20060811&content_id=68844&vkey=pr_rbn&fext=.jsp&team=rbn September 19, 2006 Ground Breaking Press Release]
* [http://www.aegworldwide.com/news/aeg_news_060731.html Sale of Revenue Bonds Allows Managing Partners AEG to Proceed With Construction]
* [http://www.gamefaceinc.com/newsltrs/prssarbadhikari.htm Game Face Places Premium Sales Manager with AEG New York—Red Bull Park]
* [http://www.curbed.com/archives/2006/09/13/across_the_hudson_red_bull_park.php Across the Hudson: Red Bull Park] by Curbed.com
* [http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=7105 The Stadium Details, Report: $220M park 'is different'] by Big Apple Soccer
* [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10A14F9385C0C728CDDAE0894DC404482 New York Times article on original announcement]
* [http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1196318105194970.xml&coll=1 Red Bulls stadium to rise at last]

External links

* [http://www.redbullarena.us/ Red Bull Arena Official Website]
* [http://www.nyredbulls.com/ Red Bull New York Official Website]
* [http://www.rossetti.com/ Rossetti Architects Official Website]
* [http://web.mlsnet.com/gen/photogallery/mls/year_2008/month_01/day_15/cf135321.html/ Red Bull Park Construction Photos 1/15/08]