Audi Field

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Audi Field
Audi Field logo
The Audi Field at the end of June 2018l
The Audi Field at the end of June 2018
Earlier names

DC United Stadium (planning phase)

Data
place 100 Potomac Avenue Southwest Washington, DC 20024
United StatesUnited States
Coordinates 38 ° 52 '8.1 "  N , 77 ° 0' 46.6"  W Coordinates: 38 ° 52 '8.1 "  N , 77 ° 0' 46.6"  W.
owner Washington city, DC
operator DC United
start of building February 27, 2017
opening July 9, 2018
First game July 14, 2018
D.C. United - Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1
surface Natural grass
costs 400 million US dollars
architect Populous
Marshall Moya design
capacity 20,000 seats
Societies)
Satellite image of the location of the new Audi Field in Buzzard Point. Nationals Park is nearby .
Entrance to the stadium
The Audi Field before the opening game

The Audi Field is a soccer stadium in the US capital Washington, DC It replaced the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK Stadium) as the home of the soccer franchise D.C. United from Major League Soccer (MLS) for the 2018 season .

history

DC United has been based at RFK Stadium since 1996. The stadium opened in 1961 and is out of date by today's standards. 15 of the 22 teams in the 2017 MLS season played their games in newly built or converted football stadiums. The rest use modern arenas for American football or baseball . However, one of the league's most successful franchises with four league titles played in the oldest stadium.

For a few years now, fans have wanted a football stadium for DC United. Finding the right location for the venue turned out to be difficult. As early as 2006, DC United negotiated with the city about building a 27,000-seat stadium in Southwest Washington, DC In July 2007, negotiations failed.

On July 25, 2013, DC United and Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced the signing of a contract to build a football stadium. It is being built at Buzzard Point, a site on a peninsula at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers , in southwest Washington, DC. The agreement envisaged a public-private partnership (PPP) to build a stadium with 20,000 to 25,000 seats for $ 300 million. The site is located just three blocks from Nationals Park away, the stadium of the baseball team of the Washington Nationals from the MLB . In June 2014, the architecture firm Populous published the first rendered images of his stadium design.

In mid-February 2017, it became known that the US subsidiary of the German car manufacturer Audi will be the name sponsor of the future home of DC United and that it will be called Audi Field . The contract has a term of 12 years and is said to be one of the highest value contracts in the MLS.

The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony on the construction site took place on February 27, 2017 . The Turner Construction Company implemented the plans of the architecture firms Populous and Marshall Moya Design. The new building on an area of ​​500,000 sq ft (around 46,452 m 2 ) has 20,000 spectator seats as well as 31 luxury suites and a bicycle parking service . In addition to football, concerts, cultural and community events will take place. The complex also includes residential buildings and shops that are open all year round. The cost should be around 300 million US dollar amounts, sharing the city and DC United. After 13 years of planning, construction of the new home could begin.

In June of that year it became known that the stadium construction will be funded with around 22 million euros by the Ministry of Energy and Environment. The sum was invested in sustainability . A solar system was installed on the stadium roof . It is expected to produce 1 million kWh per year , which is around a third of the stadium's energy requirements. A system for collecting rainwater was also installed. In addition, highly efficient heating and cooling systems, additional building insulation and water-saving sanitary facilities were installed. The lighting by LED - floodlights should bring annual cost savings of up to 110,000 euros.

Half a year after the groundbreaking ceremony, the new venue began to take shape in August 2017. Since the stadium was not completed until July 2018, the Washington team had to play a total of 12 away games in the first 14 match days of the 2018 season , which began in March . The team also played one home game at the Maryland SoccerPlex and one at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium .

The Audi Field was opened on July 9, 2018 with the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon. On July 14, DC United met the Vancouver Whitecaps at the US $ 400 million venue and beat them 3-1. New signing Wayne Rooney made his first game for the club. In the complex filled with 20,504 visitors, the Argentine Yamil Asad scored the first goal for DC in the 27th minute.

On November 12, 2019, Washington Spirit from the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) announced that the team will play four of their twelve home games at Audi Field in the 2020 season .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ washingtonpost.com: Talks Fall Apart On Stadium for DC Soccer Team article from July 21, 2007
  2. ↑ stadiumdb.com: Stadium design from 2014 , article from June 16, 2014 (English)
  3. ↑ stadionwelt.de: German car manufacturer buys naming right to MLS-Stadion Article from February 16, 2017
  4. ↑ stadiumdb.com: Washington, DC: Audi lands DC United naming rights article from February 15, 2017 (English)
  5. ↑ mlssoccer.com: DC United host official Audi Field groundbreaking ceremony on Monday Article from February 26, 2017
  6. ↑ dcunited.com: Audi Field (English)
  7. ↑ stadionwelt.de: Groundbreaking ceremony for DC United's new stadium Article dated March 2, 2017
  8. ↑ stadionwelt.de: 22 million euros in environmental funding for MLS stadium Article from June 29, 2017
  9. ↑ washingtonpost.com: Photos: DC United's new stadium takes shape at Buzzard Point Article dated August 7, 2017
  10. ↑ stadionwelt.de: MLS Stadium: Opening in July Article from January 5, 2018
  11. ↑ blackandredunited.com: DC United open Audi Field with ribbon cutting ceremony Article from July 9, 2018 (English)
  12. ↑ blackandredunited.com: Match report DC United against Vancouver Whitecaps
  13. ↑ washingtonpost.com: Some might call Audi Field opening tasteful. Others might say underwhelming. Article from July 14, 2018
  14. ↑ Washington Spirit to play 2020 games at Audi Field, Segra Field and the Maryland SoccerPlex. In: washingtonspirit.com. November 12, 2019, accessed March 6, 2020 .