Chase Stadium
| File:DRV PNK Stadium logo.png | |
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| Former names | Inter Miami CF Stadium (2020–2021) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1350 NW 55th Street |
| Location | Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Coordinates | 26°11′35″N 80°9′40″W / 26.19306°N 80.16111°W |
| Public transit |  Broward County Transit:55 |
| Owner | City of Fort Lauderdale |
| Operator | Inter Miami CF |
| Capacity | 18,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 8, 2019 |
| Opened | July 18, 2020 |
| Construction cost | $60 million |
| Architect | MANICA Architecture |
| Tenants | |
| Inter Miami CF (MLS) 2020–present Inter Miami CF II (MLS Next Pro) 2020–present | |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
DRV PNK Stadium (pronounced as Drive Pink Stadium, formerly Inter Miami CF Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Built on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium, the 18,000-seat stadium is the home pitch of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer and its MLS Next Pro reserve side Inter Miami CF II. DRV PNK Stadium opened in 2020 as an interim venue for Inter Miami CF until the completion of the proposed Freedom Park stadium.
The stadium is the primary headquarters for the team and its youth academy, in addition to further training grounds.[1]
History
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers announced in 2016 that they were moving out of Lockhart Stadium,[2] after which the stadium fell into a state of disrepair.[3] In January 2019, Major League Soccer expansion team Inter Miami CF announced its intentions to pursue the Lockhart Stadium site to serve as the club's training ground for its first team, youth academy, and future USL League One (USL1) team Fort Lauderdale CF. The Fort Lauderdale city council unanimously approved Inter Miami's bid for the Lockhart Stadium site in March 2019. In April, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission cleared Inter Miami to begin the demolition process.[3][4]
On July 9, 2019, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission unanimously approved a 50-year lease agreement for the Lockhart Stadium site with Inter Miami; under the terms of the agreement, the city of Fort Lauderdale will retain ownership of the property while Inter Miami will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the new facilities.[5] The stadium is intended to be an interim facility for Inter Miami CF until the completion of the proposed Freedom Park stadium in downtown Miami; the expansion franchise was granted on the condition that a stadium eventually be built in downtown Miami.[1][6][7]
On November 13, 2019, Inter Miami CF announced that the club's inaugural home match would be scheduled for March 14, 2020, against the LA Galaxy.[8] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MLS season was paused.[9] Fort Lauderdale CF therefore played the first match of the new stadium, a 0–2 loss to Greenville Triumph SC.[10] Inter Miami CF would not play home matches until August 22, 2020, when they beat their in-state rival Orlando City SC 3–2 in the first MLS match at the stadium.[9]
On April 8, 2021, it was reported that Inter Miami CF had reached a naming rights agreement with AutoNation; the agreement was officially announced the next day. The stadium is branded as DRV PNK Stadium, a tie-in with AutoNation's breast cancer awareness campaign.[11][12]
Soccer
On December 9, 2020, the stadium hosted its first international match between the United States and El Salvador; the United States won 6–0.[citation needed] During the 2021 MLS season, CF Montréal used the stadium to play their home matches since the start of the season after travel restrictions prevented the team from playing their matches in Montreal.[13]
| Date | Home | Result | Away | Tournament | Spectators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 9, 2020 |  United States |
6–0 |  El Salvador |
International friendly | 2,500 |
| July 2–3, 2021 |  Haiti |
6–1 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification – First Round | 2,601 |
 Guatemala |
4–0 |  Guyana |
17,161 | ||
 Trinidad and Tobago |
6–1 |  Montserrat |
7,425 | ||
 Guadeloupe |
2–0 |  Bahamas |
100 | ||
 Bermuda |
8–1 |  Barbados |
2,025 | ||
| July 6, 2021 | Haiti |
4–1 | Bermuda |
2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification – Second Round | 3,448 |
| Guatemala |
1–1 (9–10) | Guadeloupe |
3,571 | ||
| Trinidad and Tobago |
1–1 (8–7) |  French Guiana |
1,124 | ||
| March 27, 2022 | Guatemala |
2–1 | Haiti |
International friendly | unknown |
| June 11, 2022 |  Ecuador |
1–0 |  Cape Verde |
4,950 | |
| July 19, 2022 | Inter Miami | 0–6 | Barcelona | Club friendly | 19,113[14] |
| November 10, 2022 | United States |
1–2 |  Germany |
Women’s International friendly | 16,917 |
Transportation
DRV PNK Stadium is located near Interstate 95 at its junction with Commercial Boulevard (State Route 870) in Fort Lauderdale. The stadium has three designated parking lots for pre-purchased ticketholders and an additional lot for other visitors.[15] The nearest Tri-Rail commuter rail station is Cypress Creek, but additional nighttime train service is not provided for Inter Miami CF matches.[16]
In April 2022, Inter Miami CF announced a partnership with Brightline to provide passenger trains from Miami and West Palm Beach to Fort Lauderdale station with a dedicated shuttle for fans. The service, named the GOOOL Getter, will have three round-trips before and after home matches.[17]
References
- ^ a b Bandell, Brian (March 14, 2019). "David Beckham wants MLS team to play initial seasons in Fort Lauderdale at Lockhart Stadium". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
- ^ Barszewski, Larry; Heizer, Pedro (July 14, 2016). "Strikers leaving longtime home at Lockhart". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ a b Boehm, Charles (April 3, 2019). "Inter Miami cleared to begin demolition of old Lockhart Stadium". MLS Soccer. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ "Demolition Of Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Underway". WFOR-TV. May 8, 2019.
- ^ Boehm, Charles (July 10, 2019). "City of Fort Lauderdale approves Inter Miami stadium, training facility". MLS Soccer. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ Kaufman, Michelle (March 1, 2020). "MLS commissioner Don Garber on Inter Miami: "They will not stay in Fort Lauderdale"". Miami Herald.
- ^ Oshan, Jeremiah (July 29, 2014). "MLS won't go to Miami without downtown stadium, commissioner says". SB Nation. Retrieved August 4, 2014.
- ^ Borgya, Andrew (November 13, 2019). "Beckham's Inter Miami soccer stadium taking shape in Fort Lauderdale". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Price, Khobi (August 22, 2020). "Carranza, Pizarro star as Inter Miami wins first game, 3-2, in home opener vs. Orlando City". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ "MATCH RECAP: Fort Lauderdale CF Makes Club debut, Falls 0-2 to Greenville Triumph SC". Inter Miami CF. Major League Soccer. July 18, 2020. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ Price, Khobi (April 8, 2021). "Inter Miami's stadium gets a naming-rights sponsor for second season". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ "Inter Miami rename stadium DRV PNK Stadium, enter AutoNation partnership". MLSSoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ "Inter Miami CF Facilities to Host CF Montreal for the Start of the 2021 MLS Season". Inter Miami CF. March 8, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ "Inter Miami Shut Out by FC Barcelona in Historic Friendly Match". www.nbcmiami.com. NBC Universal Media. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ Kaufman, Michelle (February 24, 2022). "Everything fans need to know for 2022 Inter Miami season: roster, bios, tickets, parking". Miami Herald. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "Transportation". Inter Miami CF. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
- ^ "Brightline For The Assist: Announces "GOOOL Getter" Train to Inter Miami CF" (Press release). Inter Miami CF. April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.