Foxboro Stadium
| Foxboro Stadium | |
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| Aerial view of Foxboro Stadium | |
| Earlier names | |
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Schaefer Stadium (1971–1983) |
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| Data | |
| place |
 Foxborough , Massachusetts
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| Coordinates | 42 ° 5 '33 " N , 71 ° 16' 3" W |
| owner | Foxboro Stadium Associates |
| operator | Foxboro Stadium Associates |
| start of building | September 23, 1970 |
| opening | 15th August 1971 |
| First game | August 15, 1971 New England Patriots - New York Giants |
| Renovations | 1993 |
| demolition | Spring 2002 |
| surface | 1971–1990 artificial turf (AstroTurf) 1991–2001 natural turf |
| costs | 7.1 million US dollars (1970) |
| capacity | 60,292 seats |
| Societies) | |
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| Events | |
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The Foxboro Stadium was an American football - stadium in the US city of Foxborough in the state of Massachusetts . The main users were the New England Patriots , a team from the National Football League (NFL). But football games, concerts and other events were also held in the sports facility.
history
When the Boston Patriots were founded, the AFL franchise did not have a contractually bound venue. Finding a stadium in Boston was difficult. The team played in four different stadiums between 1960 and 1971.
The construction of our own football stadium began on September 23, 1970 and the opening was after less than a year on August 15, 1971. The stadium construction cost 7.1 million US dollars . The new home of the Patriots was named Schaefer Stadium after sponsor F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company , who paid US $ 150,000 for this. This was one of the first name sponsorship deals in the United States.
At first there were problems. Visitors were stuck in a traffic jam on route 1 on the way to preparation games and the sanitary facilities were not working properly. The toilets and sinks overflowed. A few weeks before the first game of the season against the Oakland Raiders , the stadium was closed by the health department. Patriots owner Sullivan called a crisis team together. To prove to the agency that this problem would no longer arise, Patriot staff , stadium employees , journalists and Sullivan himself dispersed in the stadium's toilet rooms. In response to the signal from the stadium siren, as many toilets as possible were flushed in order to simulate the extreme case at events.
Until 1983 the contract with the Schaefer Brewing Company ran on the stadium name. The Anheuser-Busch brewery then took over the contract. Anheuser-Busch did not give the stadium a sponsor name. It was named Sullivan Stadium after the New England Patriots family who owned it. In 1988 the Sullivan family sold the Patriots to Victor Kiam after bad investments and losses . The stadium was acquired by Robert Kraft and his business partner Steve Karp. The venue was named Foxboro Stadium .
The stadium was built back then without much comfort or equipment, as there were no grants from the city of Foxborough or the state of Massachusetts. The spectators had to sit on benches without backrests instead of individual seats. There was a lack of luxury boxes, which represent an important source of income for the clubs. With around 60,000 seats, it was also one of the smallest stadiums in the NFL in the late 1990s. After the 2001 NFL season, the stadium closed on January 19, 2002. The demolition followed in the spring of that year.
The next building, the Gillette Stadium , was built only around 200 to 300 meters from the old location. Initially, parking spaces were created on the old stadium grounds. In autumn 2007 the first section of the Patriot Place shopping center was opened there. Two years later u. a. a 4-star hotel added.
other events
In addition to the games of the New England Patriots, the Major League Soccer football team of the New England Revolution used Foxboro Stadium from 1996 to 2001. From 1978 to 1980 the facility was the setting for soccer matches. The New England Tea Men played their games of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in Foxborough for two years . The Patriots stadium was also one of the nine venues for the 1994 World Cup and the 1999 Women's World Cup . The finals in 1996 and 1999 for the MLS Cup were played at Foxboro . The King of the Ring of the World Wrestling Federation hosted the stadium in 1985 and 1986.
The stadium was often the venue for concerts. In 1988 the Monsters of Rock Tour stopped in Foxborough on June 12th. It occurred u. a. Van Halen , the Scorpions , Dokken and Metallica .
The following artists and groups were also guests at Foxboro Stadium.
- Simon & Garfunkel , Paul McCartney , Elton John , Billy Joel , David Bowie , the New Kids on the Block , The Police , Aerosmith , Pink Floyd , U2 ,
- Rage Against the Machine , George Strait , Madonna , Level 42 , Sting , the Dave Matthews Band , The Rolling Stones , Bob Dylan , Grateful Dead ,
- Guns N 'Roses , Faith No More , Korn , Kid Rock , Powerman 5000 , System of a Down , The Who , Genesis , * NSYNC , Sisqó , P! Nk
Games of the 1994 World Cup in Foxborough
Group games
- June 21, 1994, Group D: Argentina - Greece 4: 0 (2: 0)
- June 23, 1994, Group C: South Korea - Bolivia 0: 0
- June 25, 1994, Group D: Argentina - Nigeria 2: 1 (2: 1)
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1 July 1994 Group D: Greece - Nigeria 0: 2 (0: 1)
Round of 16
Quarter finals
Games of the 1999 Women's World Cup in Foxborough
Group games
- June 20, 1999, Group D: Australia - Ghana 1: 1 (0: 0)
- June 20, 1999, Group C: Norway - Russia 2: 1 (1: 0)
- June 27, 1999, Group A: United States - North Korea 3: 0 (0: 0)
- 27 June 1999, Group B: Mexico - Italy 0: 2 (0: 1)
Semifinals
Web links
- football.ballparks.com: Stadium data (English)
- stadiumsofprofootball.com: history of the stadium (English)
- patriot-place.com: Homepage of the Patriot Place (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ everything2.com: Schaefer Stadium and The Great Flush (English)
- ↑ setlist.fm: Concert list of the Schaefer Stadium , the Sullivan Stadium and the Foxboro Stadium (English)