Pizza Hut Park
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| Former names | Frisco Soccer & Entertainment Complex |
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| Location | 6000 Main Street, Frisco, Texas 75034 |
| Coordinates | 33°9′16″N 96°50′7″W / 33.15444°N 96.83528°WCoordinates: 33°9′16″N 96°50′7″W / 33.15444°N 96.83528°W |
| Broke ground | February 18, 2004 |
| Opened | August 6, 2005 |
| Owner | City of Frisco |
| Operator | Frisco Soccer, LP |
| Surface | Grass (Tifway 419) |
| Construction cost | $80 million |
| Architect | HKS, Inc. |
| Capacity | 20,500 (2005) |
| Field dimensions | 117 x 74 yds |
| Tenants | |
| FC Dallas (MLS) (2005–Present) Frisco ISD teams (2005–present) |
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Pizza Hut Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a 20,500-seat capacity, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer (MLS) team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb. The naming rights to the facility were acquired by the large pizza chain Pizza Hut whose corporate headquarters are in Addison, Texas (a northern Dallas suburb).
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[edit] History
The stadium, which cost approximately $80 million, opened on August 6, 2005 with a match between FC Dallas and the MetroStars, which ended in a 2–2 draw. The stadium has a permanent seating capacity of 20,500, and one end of the stadium, instead of having seats, has a permanent stage for hosting concerts. Like many of the soccer-specific stadiums being built around the country, it is expected that the stadium will make a significant amount of revenue by hosting mid-sized concerts, as well as various other sporting events, such as high-school football games. 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 Los Angeles 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 extra time with the Houston Dynamo defeating the New England Revolution 4–3 on penalty kicks.
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 for practice by FC Dallas, matches for the FC Dallas reserves squad, and for hosting youth soccer tournaments. Youth tournaments that have made use of the complex include Dallas Cup, ODP National Championships, and the USYSA National Championships.
Nicknames for Pizza Hut Park are 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).
Starting in 2008, Pizza Hut Park became the new venue for Christian radio station 94.9FM KLTY's Celebrate Freedom (Presented By The Luis Palau Evangelical Association) which took place on June 27–28, 2008.
On 27 April, Alternative Rock band My Chemical Romance played a concert here on the sixth leg of The Black Parade World Tour.
On December 12 and December 14, 2008, Pizza Hut Park hosted the NCAA Men's College Cup. In the semifinals, North Carolina defeated Wake Forest and Maryland defeated St. John's[1]. Maryland defeated North Carolina 1-0 in the NCAA division I championship on December 14, 2008.
[edit] Dr. Pink Field
North of the main stadium is Dr. Pink Field, a mini-stadium named for a former Frisco ISD doctor. The stadium is used for high school football and soccer.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Cotton Bowl |
Home of FC Dallas 2005–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Home Depot Center |
Host of the MLS Cup 2005, 2006 |
Succeeded by RFK Stadium |
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