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Lockhart Stadium

Coordinates: 26°11′35″N 80°9′40″W / 26.19306°N 80.16111°W / 26.19306; -80.16111
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Lockhart Stadium
Map
Address1350 Northwest 55th Street[1]
LocationFort Lauderdale, Florida
Coordinates26°11′35″N 80°9′40″W / 26.19306°N 80.16111°W / 26.19306; -80.16111
OwnerCity of Fort Lauderdale
Capacity17,417[1]
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened1959
Construction cost$5 million USD renovation in 1998
Renovations: ($9.35 million in 2024 dollars[2])
Tenants
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) (1977–1983)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (ASL/APSL) (1988–1994)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (USISL) (1994–1997)
Miami Fusion (MLS) (1998–2001)
Florida Atlantic Owls (NCAA) (2003–2010)
Miami FC (USL-1) (2009–2010)
Fort Lauderdale Barracudas (SFL) (2011)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) (2011–2016)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers U-23 (NPSL) (2016)

Lockhart Stadium is a stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. It is the former home of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of North American Soccer League. It has seen use in a variety of sports, particularly soccer and American football.

Originally designed in 1959 for high school sports, the stadium's long-standing soccer connection began in 1977 when it became the home venue for the original Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the original NASL. In 1998 it was refitted specifically for soccer as the home of the Miami Fusion in Major League Soccer; the team folded in 2002. It was also the home stadium of the Florida Atlantic Owls football team from 2002 to 2010.

History

The stadium was built in 1959 as part of a new sports complex that also included the Fort Lauderdale Stadium baseball park. It was originally designed to host American football and track and field competitions for four local high schools: Fort Lauderdale High School, Stranahan High School, Northeast High School, and Dillard High School. The stadium was named for former city commissioner H. Y. "Doug" Lockhart and was dedicated at a football game on September 18, 1959.[3]

For nearly twenty years, Lockhart Stadium was primarily used for high school football and track, but occasionally saw use for state football as well as soccer. A more substantial role as a soccer venue came in 1977, when the Miami Toros of the original North American Soccer League relocated to the stadium, renaming themselves the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This began Lockhart's long association with the sport. The Strikers played there until 1982, when they moved to Minnesota.[3] On November 23, 1980, the United States men's national soccer team defeated Mexico 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier at Lockhart, the first U.S. win over Mexico in over 46 years.

After the departure of the Strikers, the stadium largely returned to its original use for high school sports for several years. In 1998, the stadium was renovated for use by the Miami Fusion F.C. of Major League Soccer (MLS). The renovation increased capacity to 20,000 and redesigned the field expressly for soccer. This was an unusual move at the time, as all other MLS teams played in football stadiums, and started the league's eventual trend toward soccer-specific stadiums.[3][4]

The stadium continued to host high-profile soccer games through this period, including D.C. United's 1998 victory over Vasco da Gama in the Interamerican Cup. However, the Fusion were contracted by the league in 2002.[3] In 2003 Lockhart was refitted once again for use by the Florida Atlantic University Owls college football team.[5] In 2011, the Owls began playing at the on-campus FAU Stadium in Boca Raton.

Billy Graham's final South Florida crusade took place at the Lockhart Stadium in 1985. The stadium was host to the 2007 Caribbean Carnival for Broward County, after Miramar turned their request down.[6] The stadium also hosted the 2008 and 2009 MLS combines.

In 2009, Miami FC moved to Lockhart Stadium from Miami. They changed their name to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.strikers.com/stadium
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Thuma, Cynthia (2007). Sport Lauderdale. The History Press. p. 11. ISBN 1596291451. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  4. ^ Sun Sentinel, Fusion's Lockhart Stadium stint paved way for new MLS venues, Oct. 8, 2012, http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2008-10-12/sports/0810110129_1_mls-miami-fusion-rio-tinto-stadium
  5. ^ Thuma, Cynthia (2007). Sport Lauderdale. The History Press. p. Thuma, p. 12. ISBN 1596291451. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
  6. ^ http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbcarnival1009nboct09,0,7738165.story?coll=sofla_tab01_layout
  7. ^ Elfrink, Tim (September 1, 2015). "Aaron Davidson's Stunning Soccer Bribery Case Could Clean Up FIFA's Corruption". Miami New Times.
Preceded by Home of Fort Lauderdale Strikers
2009–2016 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
first stadium
 Home of Miami Fusion F.C.
1998–2001 		Succeeded by
last stadium
Preceded by Host of the College Cup
1982–1983 		Succeeded by
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