Spectrum Stadium

Coordinates: 28°36′33″N 81°11′33″W / 28.6091°N 81.1924°W / 28.6091; -81.1924

Spectrum Stadium
"The Bounce House"
Former names Bright House Networks Stadium (2007–17)[1]
Location 4465 Knights Victory Way
Orlando, Florida 32816
Public transit UCF Transit Center,
Owner University of Central Florida
Operator N/A
Executive suites 24[2]
Capacity 45,323 (2007–2014)[3]
44,206 (2015–present)[4]
Record attendance 48,453 (2009)[5]
Surface Tifway 419 Bermuda[6]
Scoreboard 114 feet (35 m) x 36 feet (11 m)[2]
Construction
Broke ground March 22, 2006 (2006-03-22)[7][8]
Opened September 15, 2007 (2007-09-15)[9]
Renovated 2014–15, 2017
Construction cost $55 million[6]
($66.8 million in 2017 dollars[10])
Architect 360 Architecture[2]
General contractor Wharton-Smith[2]
Tenants
UCF Knights (NCAA) (2007–present)
Florida Cup (2017–present)
Orlando Apollos (AAF) (2019–) planned[11]

Spectrum Stadium (formerly known as Bright House Networks Stadium) is an American football stadium located in Orlando, Florida, United States, on the main campus of the University of Central Florida. It is the home field of the UCF Knights of NCAA Division I FBS college football.

The stadium opened in 2007 as a replacement for Camping World Stadium (then known as the Citrus Bowl) in Downtown Orlando, where the Knights had played since their inaugural season in 1979.[2] The steel and brick-clad stadium was designed by 360 Architecture and constructed in 18 months. The stadium underwent an $8 million renovation following the 2014 season. The Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership was built on the east facade of the stadium, and a party deck was added to the east stands.[12][13] Since the renovations, its seating capacity is 44,206.[4] The attendance record as of the 2017 season was 48,453 for an October 18, 2009 match-up against the Miami Hurricanes.[5]

The stadium is known as The Bounce House, as it was found to be susceptible to considerable shaking when its crowd jumps in unison. Although it was stated that the stadium was structurally sound and that this effect would not cause long-term damage to the facility, measures were undertaken following the stadium's inaugural season to reduce these effects.

Location

Knights Plaza, part of the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village.

Spectrum Stadium is located on the northeastern edge of UCF's 1,415-acre (573 ha) main campus, which is approximately 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Downtown Orlando and 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Daytona Beach.[14] The stadium is a part of the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village and is bordered by McCulloch Road on the north side, Knights Plaza on the west side, and Orion Boulevard on the southern and eastern sides.

To the west in Knights Plaza is the CFE Arena, The Venue, John Euliano Park, and the UCF Track and Soccer Complex. Also located in Knights Plaza are The Towers residence halls, housing 2,000 UCF students, including student-athletes.[15]

History

Panoramic view of Spectrum Stadium during its inaugural game in September 2007

On March 31, 2005, UCF received the results of a feasibility study it commissioned on whether it should build an on-campus football stadium.[16] On April 14, 2005, the UCF Board of Trustees approved the construction of an on-campus stadium. The stadium, initially known as "UCF Stadium," was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2006 football season.[17] However, the Board of Trustees delayed construction until March 2006 due to the concerns from local residents regarding potentially falling property values and noise levels from the stadium.

Construction on the new stadium began on March 22, 2006. The stadium was originally built without water fountains. The university argued that the building code used when the stadium was approved did not require water fountains. However, this claim turned out to be incorrect because the 2004 Florida building code (in effect in 2005, when the UCF Board of Trustees approved the stadium design) mandated that stadiums and other public arenas must have one water fountain for every 1,000 seats, or half that number of fountains if water was also available for sale.[18]

On May 9, 2006, it was announced that the Texas Longhorns would be the first opponent for the UCF Knights in the new stadium. The game, the first of three scheduled meetings between the schools,[19] was held September 15, 2007. A sellout crowd of 45,622 saw the Knights put a scare into the Longhorns before falling 35–32.[20][21]

During the opening game, vendors ran out of water at halftime, leading to the hospitalization of 18 people for heat exhaustion. In order to correct the issue, UCF provided a free bottle of water to each person at the next game and immediately began work to install at least 50 water fountains throughout the stadium in order to comply with the 2004 building code requirement.[22]

The stadium's naming rights were sold to cable provider Bright House Networks, naming the facility Bright House Networks Stadium. In 2016, Bright House Networks was acquired by Charter Communications; in accordance with Charter's trade name for its cable services, the facility was renamed Spectrum Stadium in April 2017.[23]

On April 7, 2018, the Alliance of American Football (AAF) announced that Orlando would host one of the AAF's first franchises, the Orlando Apollos, and that the team would play at Spectrum Stadium beginning in 2019, the league's inaugural season.[24]

UCF unveiled banners on Roth Tower honoring the team's conference championships, New Year's Six/BCS bowl wins, and their National Championship claim at the football team's 2018 spring game.[25]

Renovations

The stadium was designed for a planned expansion to 65,000 seats. UCF plans to begin the expansion by expanding the Roth Tower with more suites and club seating, and also adding an additional 10,000 seats in a third level on the east side of the stadium, increasing the stadium's capacity to 56,000.[26]

The capacity for the 2015 season dropped by 1,117 seats when UCF removed seats on the east sidelines to construct the "Carl Black and Gold Cabana," which includes a bar, catered barbecue, and padded seats above the bar.[27][28] In 2017, private field-level cabanas were erected in the south endzone, adjacent to the new J. & J. Rosengren Lounge.[29] In 2018, additional field-level cabanas were added to the north endzone, as well as Loge cabana tables along the top rim of the grandstands.

In 2016, UCF removed its original scoreboard, located at the north end of the stadium, and replaced it with a full LED scoreboard measuring 114 ft x 36 ft.[30] One year later, UCF replaced the stadium's original auxiliary scoreboard, located at the south end of the stadium, and replaced it with a ribbon board that measures approximately 7 by 199 feet (2.1 m × 60.7 m).[31]

In 2017, the university sued the architects and contractors that designed and constructed the stadium. Cited in the lawsuit were claims of "defects and deficiencies" which ostensibly led to "premature wear of the steel," as well as visible rust issues.[32]

Attendance records

The highest attendance for games played at Spectrum Stadium against the Knights have included the South Florida Bulls, the Miami Hurricanes, and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

RankAttendanceDateGame result
148,543October 17, 20099 Miami 27, UCF 7
247,605September 28, 201312 South Carolina 28, UCF 25
347,129November 24, 2017South Florida 42, 15 UCF 49
446,805September 6, 200817 South Florida 31, UCF 24
546,103November 3, 2007Marshall 13, UCF 47
645,952November 29, 2013South Florida 20, 17 UCF 23
745,671September 10, 2011Boston College 3, UCF 30
845,622September 15, 20076 Texas 35, UCF 32
945,510October 20, 2007Tulsa 23, UCF 44
1044,904September 29, 2018Pittsburgh 14, 13 UCF 45

The "Bounce House"

The stadium is also known as "The Bounce House"[33][34][35][36] because the stadium vibrates and shakes when fans jump in unison, most notably when Zombie Nation's song Kernkraft 400 is played.[37] While many fans like this feature, some are uneasy with the bouncing. Stadium officials claimed the stadium was structurally sound, and an independent contractor confirmed that the bouncing will not damage the stadium and shorten its expected 50–year useful life. Still, a project was begun prior to the 2008 season to reinforce the stadium superstructure and mitigate the bouncing effect.[38]

While the bouncing has been greatly reduced by the stadium reinforcements, it is still noticeable - sometimes enough to shake TV cameras during televised games. For the 2010 Conference USA Football Championship Game, ESPN set up a camera position outside of the stadium to eliminate camera bounce caused by fans.[39]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ "Football Facility Now Known as Spectrum Stadium". University of Central Florida. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bright House Stadium Bio". Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Bright House Networks Stadium". UCF Athletics Association. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "2015 UCF Football Media Guide". UCF Athletics Association. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "UCF blown away 27-7 vs. Miami Hurricanes". Central Florida Future. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Bright House Networks Stadium Featured in SportsTurf Magazine". UCF Athletics Association. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  7. ↑ "Tons of steel, 427 toilets in UCF's new home". Central Florida Future. July 26, 2007. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  8. ↑ "UCF Trustees Approve Financing Plan, Groundbreaking for On-Campus Football Stadium". UCF Athletics Association. December 14, 2005. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Student support for UCF remains abysmal". Central Florida Future. September 13, 2007. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  10. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Steimle, Kevin; Breech, John (April 7, 2018). "Steve Spurrier announced as first coach and Orlando first host city for Alliance of American Football". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  12. ↑ Tenorio, Paul (April 2, 2012). "UCF exploring open-air bar in Bright House Networks Stadium". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  13. ↑ "UCF President John Hitt eager to open Wayne Densch Student Athlete Leadership Center". Orlando Sentinel. November 21, 2014. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Facts About UCF". UCF Office of Institutional Research. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  15. ↑ "UCF Men's 2009-2010 Golf Yearbook". University of Central Florida. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  16. ↑ "UCF gets stadium feasibility study". Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Market and Financial Feasibility Analysis for the Development of a New Football Stadium" (PDF). Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  18. ↑ Zequeira, Claudia; Zaragoza, Luis (September 22, 2007). "Code group: UCF didn't adhere to water rules". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  19. ↑ "UCF Football to Face Texas in New On-Campus Stadium in 2007 - 2005 national champs will be first opponent in new stadium". UCF Athletic Association. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2006.
  20. ↑ Hightower, Kyle (September 15, 2007). "Full Up: UCF Sells Out 1st On-Campus Game". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  21. ↑ "Horns' McCoy, Charles team up to end UCF's upset bid". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2007. Retrieved September 15, 2007.
  22. ↑ "UCF To Install Water Fountains in New Stadium". WESH. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2007.
  23. ↑ "Frost: Offense had their 'best day' in Wednesday scrimmage". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  24. ↑ Kevin Steimle, John Breech and. "Steve Spurrier announced as first coach and Orlando first host city for Alliance of American Football". cbssports.com. CBS Sports. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  25. ↑ Adelson, Andrea. "UCF AD sees promise fulfilled as Knights unveil championship banner". Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  26. ↑ "Staying on Offense: $70M Sports Projects". UCF. May 4, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
  27. ↑ Rovell, Darren (January 26, 2015). "Football, with touch of beach, at UCF". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "UCF's East Side Club gets a new name, new six-figure title sponsor". Orlando Sentinel. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Rosengren Lounge, Field Cabanas Open". UCFKnights.com. August 31, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  30. ↑ "UCF Athletics bringing in larger, brighter LED screens for fall". May 18, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Bigger Boards". ucfknights.com. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  32. ↑ Sanklin, Mary (September 29, 2017). "UCF sues over defects to football stadium". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  33. ↑ "UCF continues to study why its football stadium bounces". Orlando Sentinel. March 8, 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  34. ↑ "Bright House Networks Stadium". Stadium Journey. 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  35. ↑ "UCF Stadium Bounce House". WCTV. August 2, 2008. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  36. ↑ "The Miami Hurricanes Will Beat UCF If..." Bleacher Report. October 16, 2009. Archived from the original on October 17, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
  37. ↑ "Jumpy Fans Worry UCF". Orlando Sentinel. November 30, 2007. Retrieved November 30, 2007.
  38. ↑ Zaragoza, Luis (August 2, 2009). "UCF to Take Bounce Out of Stadium". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
  39. ↑ "C-USA Football Championship Blog". Conference USA. December 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Citrus Bowl		 Home of the
UCF Knights
2007–present		 Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by
Citrus Bowl		 Home of the
MEAC/SWAC Challenge
2014		 Succeeded by
Citrus Bowl
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