Toyota Stadium (Texas)

Toyota Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium with a 20,500-seat capacity, built and owned by the city of Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Its primary tenants are Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and Frisco Independent School District high school football games. It is also the home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame which opened in 2018.[5]

Toyota Stadium

Toyota Stadium Location in Texas Toyota Stadium Location in the United States
Former names	Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Complex (2004–2005) Pizza Hut Park (2005–2012) FC Dallas Stadium (2012–2013)
Address	9200 World Cup Way, Ste 202
Location	Frisco, Texas
Coordinates	33°9′16″N 96°50′7″W
Owner	Frisco, Texas
Operator	Frisco Soccer, LP
Capacity	20,500[1]
Field size	117 by 74 yards (107 m × 68 m)
Surface	Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass[2]
Construction
Broke ground	2004
Opened	August 6, 2005
Renovated	2018
Construction cost	$80 million ($105 million in 2019 dollars[3]); 2018 renovation: $55 million
Architect	HKS, Inc.
General contractor	Lee Lewis Construction, Inc.[4]
Tenants
FC Dallas (MLS) (2005–present) Frisco ISD football (2005–present) Frisco Bowl (NCAA) (2017–present) National Soccer Hall of Fame (2018–present) North Texas SC (USL1) (2019)

History

Toyota Stadium was the third MLS soccer-specific stadium to be built after MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (1999) and Dignity Health Sports Park near Los Angeles (2003). It cost approximately $80 million and opened on August 6, 2005, with a match between FC Dallas and the MetroStars, which ended in a 2–2 draw. The stadium seats 20,500 in a U-shaped design with the north end including a permanent covered stage for hosting concerts, similar to SeatGeek Stadium near Chicago, which opened 1 year after Toyota Stadium. While at the time it was hoped the permanent stage would help the stadium increase revenue by hosting mid-sized concerts, the design proved unpopular and other MLS clubs rejected building permanent stages in their new stadiums, leaving Toyota Stadium’s design looking dated. There is widespread support among club fans for the stage to be removed and replaced with a full stand in a future phase of renovation. The stadium includes 18 luxury suites as well as a private 6,000-square-foot (560 m²) stadium club.

The stadium played host to the 2005 MLS Cup final, seeing the LA Galaxy defeat the New England Revolution 1–0 in overtime for their second MLS Cup. It was also selected to host the 2006 MLS Cup, which ended 1–1 after overtime with the Houston Dynamo defeating the New England Revolution 4–3 on penalty kicks. In 2016, FC Dallas hosted and won the U.S. Open Cup Final, also against the Revolution.

In 2018 construction was completed on an extensive renovation of the south end of the stadium. The renovation included a European-style roof built over the new multi-tiered stand that replaced the old bleacher section, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Club located on the second tier, the third tier season ticket member seating area, new locker rooms, patio, store, entrance, box office and press conference area. Although many club supporters wanted roof structures to be built over the west and east stands to provide shade during the brutal Texas summers, those projects were postponed until a future phase of renovation. Also included in the $55 million project was the new National Soccer Hall of Fame.[6]

Complex

The complex also has an additional 17 regulation size, stadium-quality soccer fields (both grass and artificial turf) outside the main stadium. These fields are used for practice by FC Dallas, matches for the FC Dallas reserve squad, and for hosting soccer tournaments. Youth tournaments that have made use of the complex include Dallas Cup, Olympic Development Program National Championships, Generation adidas Cup,[7] and the USYSA National Championships.

Stadium name

From 2005 until January 2012, the naming rights to the facility were held by national pizza chain Pizza Hut, which is headquartered in nearby Plano, and the stadium was known as Pizza Hut Park. Nicknames for Pizza Hut Park included PHP, the Hut, and The Oven, the latter referring to Texas' summer climate during afternoon games (and also because the field is well below ground level). On January 7, 2012, the contract linking the pizza franchise with the stadium expired, and the stadium was renamed FC Dallas Stadium.[8]

On September 10, 2013, FC Dallas reached an agreement with Gulf States Toyota Distributors, who's headquartered in Houston, to rename its home field Toyota Stadium. The 17 practice fields around the stadium would be known as Toyota Soccer Center.[9][10]

National Soccer Hall of Fame

In 2015 plans were announced that the stadium would be the new home of the National Soccer Hall of Fame (NSHOF). In addition to the NSHOF museum, the stadium’s south end received extensive renovations and the entire project cost $55 million and was completed in 2018. The Hall of Fame has two components – the NSHOF Experience and the NSHOF Club. The Experience houses the museum and serves as the location for the Hall of Fame annual induction ceremony. The Club includes specialty seating for season ticket holders for all FC Dallas home matches, as well as multiple event spaces that functions as food and beverage hubs on game days. The NSHOF includes soccer memorabilia, modern technology, and virtual reality exhibits.[11]

Notable events

College football

• Beginning in 2010, the stadium became the new host of the NCAA Division I Football Championship, the title game of college football's Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). The contract, originally for the 2010 through 2012 seasons, has been extended three times: first through the 2015 season, next through the 2019 season, and most recently through the 2024 season with an option for the 2025 season. The game had been played for the previous 13 seasons in Chattanooga, Tennessee.[12][13][14]
• The Frisco Bowl postseason college football game had its inaugural game played at the stadium on December 20, 2017.
• The 2020 edition of the New Mexico Bowl between the University of Hawaii and University of Houston was scheduled in Toyota Stadium for December 24, 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions in New Mexico.[15]

Soccer

• In December 2008, the stadium hosted the NCAA Men's College Cup. In the semifinals, North Carolina defeated Wake Forest, and Maryland defeated St. John's.[16] Maryland defeated North Carolina in the final.
  

  2015 FCS National Championship football game between North Dakota State and Jacksonville State at Toyota Stadium.
• On August 5, 2010, a then-record crowd of 21,193 saw FC Dallas and Inter Milan, fresh off victory in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final, play to a 2–2 exhibition tie.[17]
• On March 19, 2011, FC Dallas opened the 2011 season against the Chicago Fire with a 1–1 tie. The game was the team's first ever regular season sellout (20,145 spectators).
• On July 28, 2012, FC Dallas set a single-game attendance record of 22,565 when the visiting LA Galaxy defeated Dallas 1–0.[18]
• The stadium played host to the inaugural men's soccer tournament of the American Athletic Conference.
• The stadium played host to matches in the 2015, 2017, and 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
• The stadium also hosted the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifier. It also hosted the second leg of the 2016 Men's Olympic Qualifying Playoff between the United States and Colombia.[19]

Concerts

In August 2008, the stadium hosted the heavy metal/hard rock festival tour Ozzfest. It has regularly hosted concerts by Jimmy Buffett. It was also the site for several editions of Edgefest organized by former Dallas alternative rock station KDGE.

Notable concerts

Date	Artist(s)	Opening act(s)	Tour	Tickets sold	Revenue	Additional notes
April 15, 2007	My Chemical Romance	Muse	The Black Parade World Tour	—	—	This concert was part of Edgefest.
April 28, 2007	Jimmy Buffett	—	Bama Breeze Tour	—	—	[20]
April 26, 2008		—	The Year of Still Here Tour	—	—	[21]
April 27, 2008	My Chemical Romance	Billy Talent Drive By	The Black Parade World Tour	—	—	This concert was part of Edgefest.
August 9, 2008	Metallica	—	2008 European Vacation Tour	—	—	This concert was part of Ozzfest.
April 18, 2009	Jimmy Buffett	—	Summerzcool Tour	—	—	[22]
May 17, 2009	Kenny Chesney	Lady Antebellum Miranda Lambert	Sun City Carnival Tour	25,026 / 25,026	$1,840,494	The concert was originally scheduled on May 2, 2009, but was rescheduled on May 17, 2009 due to heavy rain and lightning.
May 22, 2010	Jimmy Buffett	—	Under the Big Top Tour	—	—
September 18, 2010	Kiss	Pat Green Drowning Pool	The Hottest Show on Earth Tour	—	—
May 21, 2011	Jimmy Buffett	Ilo Ferreira	Welcome to Fin Land Tour	—	—	[23]
April 22, 2012	Garbage	—	Not Your Kind of People World Tour	—	—	These concerts were part of Edgefest.
	The Black Keys	Arctic Monkeys	El Camino Tour	—	—
	Evanescence	—	Evanescence Tour	—	—
May 4, 2013	Jimmy Buffett	Jackson Browne	Songs from St. Somewhere Tour	—	—	[24]
June 21, 2014		Jackson Browne John Fogerty Monte Montgomery	This One's For You Tour	—	—	[25]
May 30, 2015		Huey Lewis & The News	Workin' n' Playin' Tour	—	—	[26]
September 5, 2015	Ed Sheeran	Christina Perri Jamie Lawson	x Tour	—	—
May 28, 2016	Jimmy Buffett	Jerry Jeff Walker	I Don't Know Tour	—	—	[27]
June 10, 2017		—		—	—	Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top was the special guest.[28]
October 20, 2018	Imagine Dragons	—	Evolve World Tour	—	—

Dr. Pink Field

North of the main stadium is Dr. Pink Field, a mini-stadium named after former Frisco doctor Dr. Erwin G. Pink.[29] The field is used for Frisco ISD high school football and soccer.

Dr. Pink Field formerly hosted games for the Frisco Griffins Rugby Club.[30] The Griffins drew an attendance of a few hundred people per game.[31]

See also

• List of sports venues with the name Toyota

References

1. "About Toyota Stadium". FC Dallas. August 6, 2005. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
2. "About Toyota Stadium". F.C. Dallas. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
4. "Lee Lewis Construction, Inc. – About Us". Leelewis.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
5. "National Soccer Hall of Fame". National Soccer Hall of Fame.
6. Davis, Emily (August 3, 2018). "First Look: FC Dallas opens south end of Toyota Stadium renovations".
7. Baum, Carter (March 9, 2018). "Generation adidas Cup Returns to Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco on March 23". FC Dallas. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
8. Wilonsky, Robert (December 21, 2011). "Pizza Hut Pulls Its Slice Out of Pizza Hut Park". Dallas Observer. Unfair Park blog. Retrieved December 21, 2011.
9. "FC Dallas announce new naming-rights partner as their home becomes Toyota Stadium". MLSsoccer.com. September 10, 2013.
10. "FC Dallas announces Toyota as official stadium naming rights partner". September 10, 2013. Archived from the original on September 10, 2013.
11. "The National Soccer Hall of Fame is here!". The National Soccer Hall of Fame is here!.
12. Caplan, Jeff (February 26, 2010). "20 teams to compete for FCS crown". ESPNDallas.com. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
13. "NCAA keeping FCS title game in Frisco through at least 2020". USA Today. Associated Press. January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
14. "FCS Championship Will Stay in Frisco Through 2025 With Option for 2026" (Press release). Southland Conference. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
15. "Hawai'i Accepts Invite To 2020 New Mexico Bowl". University of Hawai'i at Manoa Athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
16. "2008 NCAA Men's Soccer Bracket".
17. "Inter Milan". Archived from the original on July 2, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
18. "Record Setting Crowd at FC Dallas against LA Galaxy". F.C. Dallas. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
19. "USA Olympic Bid Falls Short in 2–1 Playoff Loss to Colombia". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
20. "Saturday, April 28th, 2007 – Frisco, TX – Pizza Hut Park » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
21. "Wednesday, April 26th, 1995 – Nashville, TN – Nashville Arena » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
22. "Saturday, April 18th, 2009 – Frisco, TX – Pizza Hut Park » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
23. "Jimmy Buffett Set List – Frisco, TX – 5/21/11 » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
24. "Jimmy Buffett Set List – Frisco, TX – 5/4/13 » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
25. "Jimmy Buffett Set List – Frisco, TX – 6/21/14 » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
26. "Jimmy Buffett Set List – Frisco, TX – 5/30/15 » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
27. "Jimmy Buffett Set List – Frisco, TX – 5/28/16 » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
28. "Jimmy Buffett Set List – Frisco, TX – 6/10/17 » Jimmy Buffett World". www.buffettworld.com.
29. "Pink Field Dedicated (January, 2006)". Friscoisd.org. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
30. "Official Website of Griffins Rugby". Griffinsrugby.com. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
31. "Frisco conquering Texas DII". Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Toyota Stadium (Texas) at StadiumDB.com