Soccer-specific stadium

Soccer-specific stadium (or football-specific stadium) is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada, coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium whose primary purpose is to host association football matches. An SSS may host other events such as other sporting events (mostly lacrosse and gridiron football), and concerts, but the design and purpose of an SSS is centered on soccer. These venues tend to be located in the suburbs outside the city limits instead of in the city itself, with the current exceptions of Columbus, Ohio and Toronto. Some facilities (namely Toyota Park and Pizza Hut Park) have a permanent stage at one end of the stadium used for the express purpose of staging concerts.

A SSS typically has amenities, dimensions and scale suitable for soccer in North America, including a scoreboard, video screen, luxury suites and possibly even a roof. The field dimensions are within the range found optimal by FIFA — 110-120 yards (100-110m) long by 70-80 yards (64-75m) wide, [cite web|url=http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/lotg2006_e_1581.pdf |title=Laws of the Game 2006 |publisher=FIFA |format=PDF |pages=p. 6 |month=July | year=2006 |accessdate=2007-06-22 Although the official Laws of the Game allow for pitches in adult matches to be 100-130 yards (90-120m) long by 50-100 yards (45-90m) wide, the more restrictive range is specified for international matches.] wider than the regulation American football field width of 53⅓ yards. Lastly, the seating capacity is generally small enough to provide an intimate setting, between 18,000 - 30,000 for a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise, or between 5,000 - 15,000 for a franchise in the United Soccer Leagues (whose attendance is subject to more variation), as opposed to the much larger American football stadiums in which most MLS teams were compelled to play at the league's inception (generally 60,000 - 80,000). The seating capacity for USL Premier Development League fields ranges from 1,000-5,000. The first major SSS in Canada is BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario.

The term "football-specific stadium" is sometimes used in countries where the sport is known as football, although it is not as common in countries where football is the dominant sport and thus football-specific stadia are quite common, or in countries where baseball is dominant (Far East, Central America and the Caribbean). The term tends to have a slightly different meaning in these countries, usually referring to a stadium without an athletic track surrounding the pitch.

List of soccer-specific stadiums

Major League Soccer (MLS)

Current MLS stadiums

United Soccer Leagues (USL)

Current USL stadiums

ee also

*List of American soccer stadia by capacity
*List of Canadian soccer stadia by capacity
*List of football (soccer) stadiums by capacity
*Major League Soccer stadiums

Notes and references

External links

* [http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=35 BigSoccer, online community for fans - Stadium discussions]
* [http://www.footballmatch.de/ Footballmatch Stadiumguide]
* [http://www.worldstadiums.com/ World Stadiums]