State Farm Stadium

State Farm Stadium
Former names Cardinals Stadium (August–September 2006)
University of Phoenix Stadium (2006–2018)
Address 1 Cardinals Drive
Location Glendale, Arizona
Coordinates 33°31′39″N 112°15′45″W / 33.52750°N 112.26250°W / 33.52750; -112.26250Coordinates: 33°31′39″N 112°15′45″W / 33.52750°N 112.26250°W / 33.52750; -112.26250
Parking 14,000 on-site parking spaces
Owner Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority
Operator SMG[1]
Executive suites 88
Capacity 63,400 (expandable to 72,200; standing room to at least 78,600[2][3])
Surface Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda Grass
Construction
Broke ground April 12, 2003
Opened August 1, 2006
Renovated 2014, 2017
Construction cost $455 million[4]
($552 million in 2017 dollars[5])
Architect Eisenman Architects
Populous (then HOK Sport)
Structural engineer TLCP Structural, Inc. (bowl)[6]
Walter P Moore[7] to a design by Buro Happold (roof)[8]
Services engineer M-E Engineers, Inc.[9]
General contractor Hunt Construction Group[10]
Tenants
Arizona Cardinals (NFL) (2006–present)
Fiesta Bowl (NCAA) (2007–present)

State Farm Stadium, formerly known as University of Phoenix Stadium, is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Glendale, Arizona, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. It replaced Tempe's Sun Devil Stadium as the Valley of the Sun's main stadium. The stadium is adjacent to the Gila River Arena and it features the first fully retractable natural grass playing surface built in the United States on top of an AirField Systems drainage system. An opening on one side of the stadium allows the playing field to move to the exterior of the building, allowing the entire natural turf playing surface to be exposed to daylight and also allowing the floor of the stadium to be used for any other purpose (such as seating for concerts or to accommodate motorsports events) without damaging the turf.

The stadium has hosted the Fiesta Bowl, the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, 2011 BCS National Championship Game and 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship a game that it hosted every four years, which set the venue's entertainment attendance record of 78,603 on January 11, 2011,[11] 2008 Super Bowl XLII, 2015 Super Bowl XLIX, 2023 Super Bowl LVII, the 2015 Pro Bowl, WrestleMania XXVI, and matches from the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. It was one of the stadiums for the Copa América Centenario in 2016, with one of those matches being the 3rd place final. It hosted the NCAA Final Four in 2017 and will do so again in 2024.

The University of Phoenix acquired the naming rights in September 2006, shortly after the stadium had opened under the name Cardinals Stadium and retained the rights until September 2018. The "University of Phoenix" name was applied as a corporate sponsor, and not as the home stadium of the university, which has no intercollegiate athletics program (the university is a private, for-profit venture).

On September 4, 2018, State Farm acquired the naming rights. The Cardinals and State Farm reached agreement on an 18-year commitment that resulted in the team’s home venue becoming State Farm Stadium.[12][13]

Facility information and history

Since moving to Arizona in 1988, the Cardinals had played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University. The Cardinals had only planned to play there until a new stadium could be built in Phoenix. However, the savings and loan crisis derailed funding for a new stadium during the 1990s. Over time, the Cardinals expressed frustration at being merely tenants in a college football stadium. The lack of having their own stadium denied them additional revenue streams available to other NFL teams. The Cardinals campaigned several years in the years prior to its construction for a new and more modern facility.

The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new stadium was held on April 12, 2003, and the 63,400-seat stadium opened on August 1, 2006 after three years of construction. The stadium was designed by Eisenman Architects and HOK Sport (now Populous).[14] The stadium is considered an architectural icon for the region and was named by Business Week as one of the 10 “most impressive” sports facilities on the globe due to the combination of its retractable roof (engineering design by Walter P Moore) and roll-in natural grass field,[15] similar to the GelreDome and the Veltins-Arena.[16]

LED video and ribbon displays from Daktronics in Brookings, South Dakota were installed in 2006 prior to Arizona's first game of the season at the new stadium.[17]

The cost of the project was $455 million. That total included $395.4 million for the stadium, $41.7 million for site improvements, and $17.8 million for the land. Contributors to the stadium included the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority ($302.3 million), the Arizona Cardinals ($143.2 million), and the City of Glendale ($9.5 million).

The playing field outside and lined for the Arizona Cardinals.
The interior of State Farm Stadium with field removed. To protect the stadium's grass playing surface, non-sporting events are always held with the facility in this configuration.

The stadium has 88 luxury suites — called luxury lofts — with space for 16 future suites as the stadium matures.

The 25 acres (10 ha) surrounding the stadium is called Sportsman's Park. Included within the Park is an 8-acre (3.2 ha) landscaped tailgating area called the Great Lawn.

There are no obstructed view seats in the stadium. There are visible areas in the upper deck of the end zone where seats could have been put in but were not due to the giant super columns supporting the roof structure.

Cardinals win NFC Championship, January 18, 2009

The stadium seating capacity can be expanded by 8,800 for "mega-events" such as college bowls, NFL Super Bowls, and the NFC Championship Game[18] by adding risers and ganged, portable "X-frame" folding seats. The endzone area on the side of the facility where the field tray rolls in and out of the facility can be expanded to accommodate the additional seats.

The roof is made out of translucent Birdair fabric and opens in 12 minutes. It is the first retractable roof ever built on an incline.

Events

The roof of State Farm Stadium.

Events held at the stadium include Arizona Cardinals home games; public grand opening tours held August 19 and 20, 2006 (attended by 120,000 people); various shows, expositions, tradeshows and motor sport events; the AIA 4A and 5A state championship games for football (the first high school to win a football championship at the stadium was Cactus Shadows High School of Cave Creek, Arizona on December 2, 2006); and international soccer exhibition matches.

The multipurpose nature of the facility has allowed it to host 91 events representing 110 event days between the dates of August 4, 2006 through the BCS National Championship January 8, 2007.

NFL

The first preseason football game was played August 12, 2006 when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21–13. The first regular season game was played September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers (the Cardinals won 34–27). The stadium's air-conditioning system made it possible for the Cardinals to play at home on the opening weekend of the NFL season for the first time since moving to Arizona in 1988.

On October 16, 2006, the stadium hosted a notable game between the Cardinals and the undefeated Chicago Bears where the Bears came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat the Cardinals. The Bears would later go on to play in Super Bowl XLI.

University of Phoenix Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008 in which the New York Giants defeated the previously undefeated New England Patriots 17–14 with a paid attendance crowd of 71,101. This was the second time the Phoenix area hosted a Super Bowl, the other being Super Bowl XXX held in nearby Tempe at Sun Devil Stadium in 1996 when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Cardinals' first home playoff game since 1947 took place at the stadium on January 3, 2009, with Arizona beating the Atlanta Falcons, 30–24. The stadium also hosted the 2008-09 NFC Championship Game between the Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles on January 18, 2009, which the Cardinals won 32–25 in front of over 70,000 fans in attendance.

The 2015 Pro Bowl was the first Pro Bowl to be held at the same location as the same year's Super Bowl since 2010. The Pro Bowl returned to Hawaii in 2016.[19] On February 1, 2015, the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX held at the stadium.

University of Phoenix Stadium from a bird's-eye view

College football

The Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2007 featuring the Boise State Broncos vs. the University of Oklahoma Sooners (Boise State won 43-42 in overtime); and the BCS National Championship January 8, 2007 between the (1) Ohio State Buckeyes and the (2) University of Florida Gators, which the Gators won 41-14.

It also held the 2008 Fiesta Bowl between the Oklahoma Sooners and the West Virginia University Mountaineers, as well as the 2009 Fiesta Bowl between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes. It has also held many high school graduations.

On January 10, 2011, the 2011 BCS National Championship Game between the Auburn Tigers and the Oregon Ducks had an attendance record setting 78,603 on hand for the game.

On January 11, 2016, State Farm Stadium hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship Game featuring No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and No. 1 ranked Clemson Tigers.

College basketball

2017 NCAA Final Four

Before 2018 the venue was known as University of Phoenix Stadium. It hosted the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship in 2017. The State Farm Stadium will also host the Final Four in 2024.

Soccer

On February 7, 2007, the stadium hosted a soccer match attended by 62,462 fans. The United States men's national soccer team defeated Mexico, 2–0. On January 21, 2012, the U.S. played against Venezuela and won the match 1–0.

On January 30, 2013, Mexico played against Denmark, a game that was broadcast on Televisa Deportes, UniMás, and TV Azteca. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[20]

On November 19, 2015, the stadium was one of the sites selected for the 2016 Copa América Centenario.[21][22][23] The stadium hosted three matches, including Mexico vs. Uruguay on June 5, and the third-place match (United States vs. Colombia) on June 25.

In club soccer, Real Madrid battled MLS side LA Galaxy in August 2013. The Spanish side defeated the Galaxy 3–1.

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
February 7, 2007 United States2–0 MexicoInternational Friendly62,462
January 21, 2012 United States1–0 VenezuelaFriendly22,403
January 30, 2013 Mexico1–1 DenmarkFriendly43,345
June 5, 2016 Mexico3–1 UruguayCopa América Centenario Group C60,025
June 8, 2016 Ecuador2–2 PeruCopa América Centenario Group B11,937
June 25, 2016 Colombia1–0 United StatesCopa América Centenario Third place playoff29,041

WWE

An attendance record setting 72,219 fans at the State Farm Stadium for WrestleMania XXVI

The stadium hosted the WWE event WrestleMania XXVI with 72,219 fans in attendance. The event was held in the stadium on March 28, 2010. WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on March 28, 2010, at the venue when it was known as University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.[24] This was the first WrestleMania since WrestleMania XI with a non-title match as a main event, the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Arizona and the third to be held in an open-air venue,[24][25] after WrestleMania IX and WrestleMania XXIV. WrestleMania XXVI was a joint-promotion event, with performers both from the Raw and SmackDown brands. The event's card consisted of eight matches, including three main matches. The first of these matches was a no disqualification, no count-out match, in which The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels to improve his undefeated WrestleMania streak to 18–0. Per the pre-match stipulation, Michaels was forced to retire. The second was a singles match for the WWE Championship that saw John Cena defeat Batista to win the championship. The third saw World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Jericho, defeat Edge to retain the title. The undercard also included a No Holds Barred match between Bret Hart and Mr. McMahon and the sixth annual Money in the Bank ladder match. Tickets for the event commenced sale to the public on November 7, 2009.[26] WrestleMania XXVI generated approximately 885,000 PPV buys, grossing US$49 million in revenue.[27] With an attendance of 72,219, the event grossed $5.8 million in ticket sales, making the event the highest grossing and attended entertainment event held at the University of Phoenix Stadium.[28][29][30][31]

Concerts

Date Artist Opening act(s) Tour / Concert name Attendance Revenue Notes
September 8, 2006The Black Eyed Peas—Monkey Business Tour——
November 8, 2006Rolling StonesAlice Cooper A Bigger Bang Tour41,772 / 41,772$3,286,121
November 26, 2007Fall Out BoyGym Class Heroes
Plain White T's
Cute Is What We Aim For
Doug		Young Wild Things TourN/AN/A
May 31, 2008Kenny ChesneyKeith Urban
Gary Allan
Sammy Hagar		Poets and Pirates Tour40,098 / 47,132$3,151,970
October 20, 2009U2The Black Eyed PeasU2 360° Tour50,775 / 50,775$4,912,050
September 16, 2014One Direction5 Seconds of SummerWhere We Are Tour56,524 / 56,524$5,035,880
August 15, 2016Guns N' RosesZakk Wylde
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown		Not in This Lifetime... Tour44,110 / 48,914$4,257,189[32]
August 4, 2017MetallicaAvenged Sevenfold
Gojira		WorldWired Tour52,926 / 52,926$5,246,586
September 19, 2017U2BeckThe Joshua Tree Tour 201742,814 / 42,814$4,169,215[33]
May 8, 2018Taylor SwiftCamila Cabello
Charli XCX		Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour59,157 / 59,157$7,214,478This is the highest attended concert in the stadium to date.
September 19, 2018Beyoncé
Jay Z		Chloe X Halle and DJ KhaledOn the Run II Tour37,174 / 37,174$4,426,568

Other events

Other events included the Fiesta Bowl National Band Championship High School Marching Band competition (the first marching band to ever play on the field was Foothill High School, from Pleasanton, California on December 29, 2006). It has also held many high school graduations.

On August 1, 2009, the stadium hosted Monster Jam Summer Heat, with Maximum Destruction defeating Captain's Curse in the racing finals and Grave Digger winning the freestyle event.

On September 21, 2012, Ron Elsensohn, former troubadour of the hardcore country punk band Scrotum Grinder, performed a harp rendition of Take Me Out to the Ball Game.

The stadium hosted the inaugural Stadium Super Trucks race on April 6, 2013.[34]

On January 30, 2016, Monster Jam returned to the stadium for the first time since 2009, with 16 of the best trucks. On February 6, the AMA Supercross Championship raced for the first time, after visiting Chase Field from 1999 to 2015.

A panoramic view of the interior of the stadium before a Cardinals football game, September 27, 2009

Naming rights

The movable field outside of the stadium.

On September 26, 2006 the University of Phoenix acquired the naming rights to the stadium totalling $154.5 million over 20 years.[35] On April 11, 2017, the University of Phoenix terminated the naming rights just 11 years into a 20-year deal, citing financial woes; however, the university kept its name on the stadium until a replacement company was found to give naming rights to. On September 4th, 2018, State Farm reached a deal securing the rights thru 2036. University of Phoenix will remain involved as a sponsor with the team in a reduced capacity as Cardinals' "official education partner."

Parking space

The stadium has approximately 14,000 on-site parking spaces (plus 12,000 adjacent spaces),[36] located in numerous lots that surround the stadium's 2,000 disabled parking spaces. The design improvement, featured for example in a Discovery program about this stadium, is zoning. Parking spaces for guests are zoned with preferred leaving directions, to achieve the fastest possible movement of traffic.[37]

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "SMG Selected to Manage, Operate, Maintain and Market the University of Phoenix Stadium". Archived from the original on 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2017-06-02.
  2. ↑ "The Big Game On the Horizon". Buccaneers.com. February 9, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  3. ↑ Auburn Claims SEC's Fifth Straight National Title By Dropping Oregon On Late Field Goal
  4. ↑ University of Phoenix Stadium Archived 2010-02-10 at the Wayback Machine. Funding & Economic Impact
  5. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  6. ↑ "The University of Phoenix Stadium Sets New Standards". STRUCTURE magazine. February 1, 2008. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  7. ↑ Emporis.com - University of Phoenix Stadium
  8. ↑ Gannon, Todd (2008). Eisenman Architects/University of Phoenix Stadium for the Arizona Cardinals. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. p. 100.
  9. ↑ M-E Engineers, Inc. - Projects Archived 2012-05-23 at the Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ This Week's News: The Cardinals Signature Stadium
  11. ↑ Sunnucks, Mike (January 11, 2011). "BCS Game Sets New University of Phoenix Stadium Attendance Record". Retrieved January 11, 2011.
  12. ↑ Urban, Darren (September 4, 2018). "New Name For Cardinals' Nest: State Farm Stadium". AZCardinals.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Cardinals Reach Naming Rights Agreement with State Farm; Iconic Arizona Venue to be Known as State Farm Stadium". Newsroom.StateFarm.com (Press release). State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  14. ↑ Stadium Statistics Archived 2012-06-11 at the Wayback Machine.
  15. ↑ "www.lloydengineers.com".
  16. ↑ World-Class Sports Stadiums: BusinessWeek
  17. ↑ "Installation Spotlight: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz". Archived from the original on 2010-02-03.
  18. ↑ Watters, Carrie (January 11, 2009). "Cards vs. Eagles Sells Out in 6 Minutes". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  19. ↑ "2015 Pro Bowl to be played in Arizona - NFL.com". Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  20. ↑ http://www.azcentral.com/sports/azetc/ar
  21. ↑ "Ten Metropolitan Areas from Across the United States Selected to Host Copa America Centenario". CONCACAF.com. 19 November 2015.
  22. ↑ "Diez áreas metropolitanas de Estados Unidos han sido seleccionadas para la organización de la Copa América Centenario". CONMEBOL.com. 19 November 2015.
  23. ↑ "Ten Metropolitan Areas from Across the United States Selected to Host Copa America Centenario". US Soccer. 19 November 2015.
  24. 1 2 "Arizona Hosts WrestleMania XXVI". World Wrestling Entertainment. February 24, 2009. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2009.
  25. ↑ "WWE Magazine Feature of the Week". World Wrestling Entertainment. February 13, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
  26. ↑ "WWE Presents WrestleMania XXVI". University of Phoenix Stadium. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  27. ↑ "WWE PPV buyrate numbers in 2010". Wrestleview.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
  28. ↑ "WrestleMania XXVI Breaks Record". World Wrestling Entertainment. March 28, 2010. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  29. ↑ "WrestleMania Blows Away Attendance Record At Ford Fields". World Wrestling Entertainment. April 21, 2007. Archived from the original on April 18, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  30. ↑ "WrestleMania XXIV Crushes Records, Careers". World Wrestling Entertainment. March 30, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  31. ↑ "WrestleMania Record Sellout". World Wrestling Entertainment. April 5, 2009. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  32. ↑ Young, Alex. "Wolfmother, Zakk Wylde to open Guns N' Roses' reunion tour". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  33. ↑ Woodbury, Jason P. (19 June 2017). "U2 Will Bring Joshua Tree Tour to Phoenix". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  34. ↑ "Schedule". Stadium Super Trucks. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2013.
  35. ↑ Wong, Scott (September 26, 2006). "Stadium Name Deal: $154.5 mil Over 20 Years". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved September 26, 2006.
  36. ↑ Statistics - University of Phoenix Stadium Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine.
  37. ↑ Parking & Directions - University of Phoenix Stadium Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine.
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