Toyota Park (Bridgeview)
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| Toyota Park | |
|---|---|
| Bridgeview | |
  |
|
| Location | 7000 S. Harlem Avenue, Bridgeview, Illinois 60455 |
| Broke ground | 30 November 2004 |
| Opened | 11 June 2006 |
| Closed | n/a |
| Owner | Village of Bridgeview |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction cost | $98 million US |
| Architect | Rossetti Associates Architects |
| Former names | |
| Bridgeview Stadium | |
| Tenants | |
| Chicago Fire (MLS) (2006-Present) | |
| Seats | |
| 21210 (soccer) 28000 (concerts) |
|
Toyota Park is the home stadium for the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, having opened during the 2006 season. It is a soccer-specific stadium located in Bridgeview, Illinois and concert venue developed at a cost of more than $100 million.
Designed to incorporate more traditional stadium features from both American and European facilities, Toyota Park includes mostly covered seating, a brick façade and stone entry archway, and first rows that are less than three yards from the field. It also includes 42 executive suites, the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame, and the Fire club offices in the stadium as well as a large stadium club facility measuring some 9,000 square feet.
Practice facilities with two fields for the club and its youth programs are being constructed adjacent to the stadium. In addition to the approximately 20000 permanent seats, an additional 8000 can be accommodated on the field for concerts and other stage events.
The permanent stage was incorporated into the stadium design to not only facilitate hosting concerts but also to be able to quickly change from stage configuration to soccer configuration and vice-versa. A typical total stadium conversion takes less than 18 hours to complete.
According to statements by Fire President John Guppy, the stadium is designed so that it could be expanded, should demand outstrip seating capacity for home games. He noted that the stadium could be expanded by 10000 permanent seats with no serious renovation issues. That would be a nearly 50% increase in permanent seating (from 20000 to 30000) from the original design capacity.
Expansion would most likely be achieved by adding a covered second tier from the northern end of the executive suites to the northwest corner next to the western stands, and possibly adding a south end (to either side of concert stage) second tier of seating. While no stadium expansion plans are currently being considered, the designers have made certain the stadium has the ability to be expanded without great cost in anticipation of future attendance growth.
In 2006, Toyota announced that it had entered into a 10-year naming rights agreement with the Village of Bridgeview, as the stadium was renamed Toyota Park.[1]
On August 5, 2006, Toyota Park hosted the 2006 MLS All-Star Game, in which an all-star team of MLS players defeated English champion Chelsea F.C. 1-0. Up and coming hip-hop artist Lupe Fiasco performed at the halftime show. Attendance was recorded as being a sellout with ESPN announcing 21,210 in attendance at the game.
On November 18, 2007, Toyota Park will host MLS Cup 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ Toyota Purchases Naming Rights For Stadium. mlsnet.com. Retrieved on June 9, 2006.
[edit] External links
| Current Stadiums in Major League Soccer |
||
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Arrowhead Stadium | Columbus Crew Stadium | BMO Field | Giants Stadium | Gillette Stadium | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | Toyota Park | The Home Depot Center | INVESCO Field | Pizza Hut Park | Rice-Eccles Stadium | Robertson Stadium | |
