Pizza Hut Park

Pizza Hut Park
Former names	Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Complex
Location	9200 World Cup Way, Ste 202 Frisco, TX 75034-4958
Coordinates	33°9′16″N 96°50′7″W / 33.15444°N 96.83528°W / 33.15444; -96.83528Coordinates: 33°9′16″N 96°50′7″W / 33.15444°N 96.83528°W / 33.15444; -96.83528
Broke ground	February 18, 2004
Opened	August 6, 2005
Owner	City of Frisco
Operator	Frisco Soccer, LP
Surface	Grass (Tifway 419)
Construction cost	$80 million ($90 million in 2011 dollars[1])
Architect	HKS, Inc.
General Contractor	Lee Lewis Construction, Inc.[2]
Capacity	21,193[3]
Field dimensions	117 by 74 yards (107 × 68 m)
Tenants
FC Dallas (MLS) (2005–present) Frisco ISD teams (2005–present) NCAA Division I Football Championship (2010–2012)

Pizza Hut Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a 21,193-seat capacity, built and owned by the city of Frisco, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer (MLS) team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb. The naming rights to the facility were acquired by the large pizza chain Pizza Hut whose corporate headquarters are in Addison, Texas (a northern Dallas suburb).

History

The stadium, which cost approximately $80 million, 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 Los Angeles 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 extra time with the Houston Dynamo defeating the New England Revolution 4–3 on penalty kicks.

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 for practice by FC Dallas, matches for the FC Dallas reserve squad, and for hosting youth soccer tournaments. Youth tournaments that have made use of the complex include Dallas Cup, Olympic Development Program National Championships, and the USYSA National Championships.

Nicknames for Pizza Hut Park are 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).

Notable events

• Starting in 2008, Pizza Hut Park became the new venue for Christian radio station 94.9FM KLTY's Celebrate Freedom (Presented By The Luis Palau Evangelical Association) which took place on June 27–28, 2008.

• On August 8, 2008, Pizza Hut Park played host to the heavy metal/hard rock festival tour Ozzfest.^[4]

• On December 12 and 14, 2008, Pizza Hut Park hosted the NCAA Men's College Cup. In the semifinals, North Carolina defeated Wake Forest and Maryland defeated St. John's^[5].Maryland defeated North Carolina 1-0 in the NCAA division I championship on December 14, 2008.

• On August 5, 2010, Pizza Hut Park played host to Inter Milan who won the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League Final.^[6] The game drew a single-game attendance record for the park with 21,193 spectators. The game ended in a 2 - 2 tie.

• On February 26, 2010, it was announced that Pizza Hut Park in Frisco would become the new host of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, the title game of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), for the 2010 through 2012 seasons. The game had been played for the previous 13 seasons in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The first matchup, hosted by the Southland Conference, was played on January 7, 2011.^[7]. This match-up paired the University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens against the Eastern Washington University Eagles. Vice President (and former Delaware Senator) Joe Biden was in attendance as his alma mater surrended a 19-point lead late in the 3rd quarter en route to a 20-19 loss.

• 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).

• The May 1, 2011, FC Dallas game against the Los Angeles Galaxy broke the record for largest single-game attendance originally set the previous year against Inter Milan. The game drew a record 21,867 fans, but most left due to a one hour rain delay in the 83rd minute. FC Dallas won the game 2 - 1 thanks to a Brek Shea goal after the one hour delay.

Dr. Pink Field

North of the main stadium is Dr. Pink Field, a mini-stadium named for Frisco ISD high school football and soccer. The field was named after former Frisco doctor Dr. Erwin G. Pink.^[8]

See also

Dallas-Fort Worth portal

• FC Dallas
• Frisco Independent School District
• Major League Soccer
• Pizza Hut

References

1. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
2. ^ http://www.leelewis.com/about-us.htm
3. ^ FC Dallas Pizza Hut Park site
4. ^ www.ozzfest.com/
5. ^ "2008 NCAA Men's Soccer Bracket"
6. ^ http://www.fcdallas.com/Inter-Milan
7. ^ Caplan, Jeff (2010-02-26). "20 teams to compete for FCS crown". ESPNDallas.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/news/story?id=4949141. Retrieved 2010-02-26. 
8. ^ http://www.friscoisd.org/ly/news/pinkfield_dedication_06jan.htm

External links

• Pizza Hut Park official website

Events and tenants
Preceded by Cotton Bowl	Home of FC Dallas 2005–present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by The Home Depot Center	Host of the MLS Cup 2005, 2006	Succeeded by RFK Stadium
Preceded by Finley Stadium	Host of the NCAA Division I Football Championship 2010–2012	Succeeded by current