Soldier Field

Soldier Field
Stadium in a park
Semi-finals in the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2009 USA against Honduras 2-0
Earlier names
Municipal Grant Park Stadium (1924-1925)
Data
place	1410 S. Museum Campus Drive Chicago , Illinois 60605
Coordinates	41 ° 51 '44.6 "  N , 87 ° 36' 59.3"  W Coordinates: 41 ° 51 '44.6 "  N , 87 ° 36' 59.3"  W.
owner	City of Chicago
operator	Spectacor Management Group (SMG)
opening	October 9, 1924 September 27, 2003
Renovations	1971, 1978, 2001-2003
surface	Natural grass (1924-1970) Artificial Grass (1970-1988) natural grass (since 1988)
costs	$ 10 million $ 365 million (2002 renovation)
capacity	61,500 seats
Societies)
Chicago Bears ( NFL , 1971-2001, since 2003) Chicago Fire ( MLS , 1998-2001, 2003-2005, since 2020) Chicago Enforcers ( XFL , 2001) Chicago Blitz ( USFL , 1983-1984) Chicago Sting ( NASL , 1975-1976) Chicago Winds ( WFL , 1975) Chicago Fire ( WFL , 1974) Chicago Cardinals ( NFL , 1959) Chicago Rockets / Hornets ( AAFC , 1946–1949) Chicago Spurs ( NPSL , 1967)
Events
Football World Cup 1994 1999 Women's World Cup CONCACAF Gold Cup 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Copa América Centenario 2016 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2019

The Soldier Field is an American football - and football stadium in the US city of Chicago in the state of Illinois . It is currently home to the Chicago Bears in the NFL and, since 2020, the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer . It is also known as New Soldier Field because the stadium was completely rebuilt from 2002 and reopened on September 27, 2003.

history

In 1921 work began on building a stadium in the Chicago Park District. The construction work could be completed a year later, but the stadium was not officially opened as the Municipal Grant Park Stadium until October 9, 1924, the 53rd anniversary of the Great Fire in Chicago . On November 11, 1925, the name was changed to Soldier Field to commemorate the fallen United States soldiers . At that time the stadium had a capacity of 90,000 seats and was adapted to old Greco - Roman architectural styles. The stands were framed by columns in the Doric style .

In 1971, the Chicago Bears moved into the stadium because their old stadium, Wrigley Field, was too small to host American football games . As a result, the stadium was renovated for the first time and the capacity was reduced to 57,000 spectators. In 1978, the simple benches began to be converted into single seats with armrests and backrests. In 1987 Soldier Field was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The stadium was now designated a National Historic Landmark .

In 2001 plans were announced for a complete conversion of the stadium into a modern arena. These plans sparked strong criticism of the stadium operator. But the administration of the Chicago Park District and the city of Chicago stuck to the renovation plans and on January 19, 2002 began the demolition of most of the old parts of the stadium. The architecture firm Holabird & Roche, commissioned with the new design, had the new stadium built into the outer walls of the old Soldier Field. A well-known sports journalist from Chicago described the new stadium as saying it looked like a " spaceship that has landed on the Parthenon ".

The National Park Service was also not enthusiastic about the renovation and revoked the stadium's 1987 title as a National Historic Landmark. In total, the renovation cost 365 million US dollars in 2002 . Since then the stadium has a capacity of 61,500 spectators.

Since the season 2020 which carries MLS - Franchise Chicago Fire back from its home games at Soldier Field.

Events

In addition to the home games of the Chicago Bears in the NFL, the stadium was also used for a long time for an all-star game between the last NFL champions and a selection of the best college players. However, this game has not been played for some time, as the risk of injury to the professionals has become too high and the number of spectators at the last games has also decreased.

Soldier Field is also known for the annual comparison of football teams between the US Army and the US Navy . In the early days of the stadium, boxing matches and even a complete NASCAR race were held in the stadium in 1956 . In 1994 the stadium was used as a venue for the soccer World Cup . The opening game of the World Cup between Germany and Bolivia on June 17, 1994 was played here. In 1999, four group stage games of the 1999 Women's World Cup took place at Soldier Field.

Between July 3 and 5, 2015, the four surviving members of the original line-up of the Grateful Dead gave three concerts in the stadium on the occasion of the band's 50th anniversary.

gallery

• 

  Soldier Field during construction in 1924

• 

  The stadium in 1988

• 

  East side of the stadium with the marina

• 

  Bird's-eye view of Soldier Field in 2008

panorama

and display information about the image

Soldier Field before a soccer game (July 26, 2004)

See also

• List of the largest stadiums in the world

literature

• Liam TA Ford: Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 2009, ISBN 0226257061 .

Web links

Commons : Soldier Field  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official site of the stadium (English)
• Chicago Bears (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ We're Back: Soldier Field 2020 , chicagofirefc.com, October 8, 2019, accessed November 22, 2019.