Dick's Sporting Goods Park

DSG Park, The Dick, Dick's
Location	Commerce City, Colorado
Coordinates	39°48′20″N 104°53′31″W / 39.80556°N 104.89194°W / 39.80556; -104.89194Coordinates: 39°48′20″N 104°53′31″W / 39.80556°N 104.89194°W / 39.80556; -104.89194
Broke ground	September 28, 2005
Opened	April 7, 2007
Owner	Commerce City
Operator	Kroenke Sports Enterprises
Surface	Kentucky Bluegrass
Construction cost	~$131 million USD (estimate)
Architect	Populous (formerly HOK Sport)
Capacity	18,086 (seating) 19,680 (with standing room) 26,000 (concert)
Tenants
Colorado Rapids (MLS) (2007-present) Denver Dream (LFL) (2009-present) Denver Barbarians (RSL)

Dick's Sporting Goods Park is a soccer-specific stadium located in Commerce City, Colorado, home to the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team. The stadium can seat up to 18,086 people, but may accommodate up to 26,000 for certain events and is built on over 360 acres (1.5 km²) of land.

Also included at the venue are youth soccer fields (24 fully-lit professional fields, two of which are year-round artificial grass fields), retail development, and a new Commerce City civic center. The stadium is owned by Commerce City and operated by Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) who also own the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Crush and the Colorado Mammoth, and who is a co-owner of the English Premier League side Arsenal F.C. via subsidiary. The estimated cost of this project was $131 million, with investment shared equally between the city and KSE.^[1]

The first game at the new stadium was a scrimmage between members of the Colorado Rapids on April 4, 2007. The event was open only to Commerce City residents and season ticket holders. The first official match was played against DC United on April 7, 2007.^[2]

The complex is close to Denver's former Stapleton International Airport and is bordered on the north and east by the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, to the south by 56th Avenue, and to the west by Quebec Street.

In the stadium's inaugural year, it hosted the 2007 MLS All-Star Game with a sell-out crowd in attendance. More recently, the venue grounds have hosted the Mile High Music Festival in July 2008, and the soccer pitch hosted a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between USA and Guatemala on November 19, 2008.

In 2008 the complex hosted the first Mile High Music Festival, which saw attendance at approximately 40,000 people each day over the course of two days. By utilizing the open soccer fields surrounding the stadium and additional stages throughout the complex, the complex's total capactity was able to greatly exceed what the stadium could hold alone.

In May 2009 it hosted the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Championships with the Michigan Wolverines defeating Chapman University 12-11 in overtime on the Division I side and University of St. Thomas beating the University of Dayton 16-11 in Division II. The MCLA oversees game play and conducts "virtual varsity" national championships for over 200 teams in ten conferences throughout the United States and Canada. Some of the other notable teams invited to the Nationals were Florida State University, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, Boston College, Sonoma State and the University of Colorado. The Park will is scheduled to host the Championships thru the 2011 season.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Colorado Rapids official website
• Dick's Sporting Goods Park official site
• Class VI seating club @ the stadium
• MCLA College Championships

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