SoFi Stadium

Coordinates: 33°57′00″N 118°20′17″W / 33.95°N 118.338°W / 33.95; -118.338
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Los Angeles Stadium
at Hollywood Park
File:LA Stadium Hollywood Park.PNG
File:Inglewood Stadium.png
Artist's rendering.
Map
LocationInglewood, California, U.S.
Coordinates33°57′00″N 118°20′17″W / 33.95°N 118.338°W / 33.95; -118.338
OwnerKroenke Sports & Entertainment
Hollywood Park Land Company, LLC. (A joint venture of The Flesher Group and Stockbridge Capital)
Executive suites69
Capacity70,240[6] expandable to 100,000[7][8] for Super Bowls, Final Fours, FIFA World Cups, Summer Olympics and other major events.[9]
Acreage298 acres (121 ha)
SurfaceArtificial turf
Construction
Broke groundNovember 17, 2016
Construction cost$2.66 billion (estimated)
ArchitectHKS, Inc.
Project managerLegends Global Planning[3]
Structural engineerWalter P Moore Engineers and Consultants[1]
Services engineerHenderson Engineers, Inc.[2]
General contractorTurner/Hunt JV[4]
Tenants
Los Angeles Chargers (NFL) (2020–) planned
Los Angeles Rams (NFL) (2020–) planned
Inglewood is located in the United States
Inglewood
Inglewood

The Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park / City of Champions Stadium[10] is a sports and entertainment district under construction in Inglewood, California, United States. Formerly the site of Hollywood Park Racetrack, it is approximately three miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport, and The Forum arena is adjacent to the north.

Planned to open in 2020, the stadium will serve as the home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL); it is also scheduled to host Super Bowl LVI in February 2022 and the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2023. Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park will be the third stadium to be shared by two NFL teams: MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is home to the New York Giants and New York Jets, as was its predecessor, Giants Stadium.

It will also be the second shared stadium in Los Angeles of any professional sport: Staples Center is shared by the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings and by the National Basketball Association's Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers. The Forum hosted the Kings and Lakers for over three decades.

The stadium is a component of the City of Champions Revitalization Initiative, the working title of the development on the site of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack. Hollywood Park Casino opened on the lot in 2016, becoming the first establishment to open on the property on October 21.[11]

History

Hollywood Park Racetrack

The stadium site was previously home to Hollywood Park, later sold and referred to as Betfair Hollywood Park, which was a thoroughbred race course from 1938 until it was shut down for racing and training in December 2013. The casino remained open, containing a poker card room. Most of the complex was demolished in 2014 to make way for new construction with the rest demolished in late 2016 after the new Hollywood Park Casino was opened. The current stadium project was not the first stadium proposed for the site. The site was almost home to a NFL stadium two decades earlier. In May 1995 after the departure of the Rams for St. Louis, the National Football League teams approved by a 27-1 vote with two abstentions, a resolution supporting a plan to build a $200 million, privately financed stadium on property owned by Hollywood Park for the then Los Angeles Raiders. Al Davis, who was then the Raiders owner balked and refused the deal over a stipulation that he would have had to accept a second team at the stadium.[12]

2014

On January 31, 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that Stan Kroenke, owner of the then St. Louis Rams, purchased a 60-acre parcel of land just north of the Hollywood Park site in an area that had been studied by the National Football League in the past and at one point attempted to purchase.[13] This set off immediate speculation as to what Kroenke's intentions were for the site: it was originally planned to be a Walmart Supercenter; however, in 2014, most of the speculation centered around the site as a possible stadium site or training facility for the Rams.[14] NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell represented that Kroenke informed the league of the purchase. As an NFL owner, any purchase of land in which a potential stadium could be built must be disclosed to the league. Speculation about the Rams' returning to their home of nearly fifty years had already been discussed when Kroenke was one of the finalists in bidding for ownership in the Los Angeles Dodgers, but speculation increased when the news broke that the Rams owner had a possible stadium site in hand.[15][16]

2015

2015 view of stadium and complex site, with the Downtown Los Angeles skyline in background.

Nearly a year went by without a word from Kroenke about his intentions for the land, as he failed to ever address the St. Louis media, or the Hollywood Land Company, about what the site may be used for. There was, however, speculation about the future of the Rams franchise until it was reported that the National Football League would not be allowing any franchise relocation for the 2015 season.[17]

On January 5, 2015, Stokbridge Capital the owners of the Hollywood Park Land Company announced that it had partnered with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to add the northern 60-acre parcel to the rest of the development project and build a multi-purpose 80,000-seat stadium designed for the NFL.[18] The project will include the stadium of up to 100,240 seats (including standing room-only seats) and a performance entertainment venue of up to 6,000 seats while reconfiguring the previously approved Hollywood Park plan for up to 900,000 square feet of retail, 800,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 new residential and condo units, a luxury 300-room hotel and 25 acres of public parks, playgrounds, open space, a lake and pedestrian, bicycle and transit access. The stadium would be ready by 2019. On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved the stadium plan and the initiative with construction on the stadium planned to begin in December 2015.[13][19]

On February 24, 2015, the Inglewood City Council approved plans with a 5–0 unanimous vote to combine the 60-acre plot of land with the larger Hollywood Park development and rezone the area to include sports and entertainment capabilities. This essentially cleared the way for developers to begin construction on the venue as planned in December 2015.[20][21][22]

It was also reported, in early February 2015, that "earth was being moved" and the site was being graded to be prepared for the construction that would begin later in the year.[23]

2016

2016 aerial view of the stadium construction site, adjacent to The Forum. The new Hollywood Park Casino is in the foreground.

The NFL approved the Inglewood proposal and the Rams' relocation back to Los Angeles, 30–2, on January 12, 2016. On July 14, 2016, it was announced that Turner Construction and AECOM would oversee construction of the stadium.[24]

On October 19, 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that a 110-foot-tall LB 44 rotary drill rig would not pose a hazard to air navigation, so it approved the first of several pieces of heavy equipment to be used during construction. The stadium design had been under review by the FAA for more than a year because of concerns about how the structure would interact with radar at nearby Los Angeles International Airport.[25] On December 16, 2016, it was reported in Sports Business Journal that the FAA had declined to issue permits for cranes needed to build the structure. “We’re not going to evaluate any crane applications until our concerns with the overall project are resolved,” said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. [26] The FAA had previously recommended building the stadium at another site due to the risks posed to LAX—echoing concerns raised by former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge.[27]

The Rams held the groundbreaking construction ceremony at the future Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park site on November 17, 2016. The ceremony featured NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Rams' owner Stan Kroenke.[28][29]

On December 23, 2016, the FAA approved the large cranes to build the stadium.[30]

2017

It was announced on May 18, 2017, that due to record rainfall in the area leading to construction holdups, the stadium completion and opening will be delayed until the 2020 NFL season.[31][32]

On August 8, 2017, the LA Stadium Premiere Center in Playa Vista, California opened as a place for suite buyers and season ticket holders to be able to preview the stadium. The center contains a massive replica model of the stadium and LED high definition video boards that go from the field to the ceiling, giving potential buyers a view of what they can expect when the stadium opens.[33][34][35]

Funding

The stadium is being built privately, but the developer is seeking significant tax breaks from Inglewood.[36]

Tenants and events

The Los Angeles Rams have committed to moving to the stadium, as NFL approval for their relocation was obtained on January 12, 2016. The approval also gave the San Diego Chargers the first option to relocate to Los Angeles and share the stadium with the Rams, conditioned on a negotiated lease agreement between the two teams. The option would have expired on January 15, 2017, at which time the Oakland Raiders would have acquired the same option.[37]

On January 29, 2016, the Rams and Chargers came to an agreement in principle to share the stadium. The Chargers would contribute a $200 million stadium loan from the NFL and personal seat license fees to the construction costs and would pay $1 per year in rent to the Rams.[38] The same day, Chargers chairman-CEO Dean Spanos announced the team would remain in San Diego for the 2016 NFL season, while continuing to work with local government on a new stadium.[39] Measure C (the Chargers stadium proposal) did not receive the requisite number of votes required for passage.

On January 12, 2017, the Chargers exercised their option and announced plans to relocate to Los Angeles for the 2017 season, making the Chargers the second tenant at the stadium and returning them to the market where they played their inaugural season in 1960.[40][41]

When the Rams and Chargers move into the stadium, projected for August 2020, it will mark the return of professional sports to Inglewood for the first time since the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings left The Forum for Staples Center in May 1999.

2028 Summer Olympics

During the 2028 Summer Olympics, the stadium is expected to host the opening ceremonies and Soccer. Archery will be held on the grounds outside the stadium. [42]

Other events

In addition to Rams and Chargers games, the stadium will host Super Bowl LVI in 2022.[43] It was initially to host Super Bowl LV in 2021, but construction delays mentioned above have pushed back the Super Bowl hosting duties by one year (NFL owners voted to move Super Bowl LV to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida).

The stadium also allows other potential NFL opportunities on the complex such as an NFL retail store, an NFL Network studio, the NFL Honors ceremony, NFL Films premieres, other NFL-themed events, a West Coast wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and NFL-themed hotels.[44]

It was announced the College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be held on January 9, 2023. [45]

The stadium could serve as a FIFA World Cup venue if the North America 2026 FIFA World Cup bid is successful. [46]

Entertainment district

The stadium and surrounding development around the site will include a new entertainment complex with 8.5 million square feet (790,000 m2) for business parks, it also includes a 6,000-seat music and theatre venue, ballrooms, indoor and outdoor room, a multiplex movie theater, a lake with multiple waterfall fountains, luxury hotels, high-scale dining, and an NFL Network Flagship Campus,[47] studio for the league's digital properties.[44] The first new establishment to open service on the site was the new and modern Hollywood Park Casino, which opened on Oct. 21, 2016.[11]

Defeated rival proposals

The Hollywood Park stadium project plan competed directly with a rival proposal. On February 19, 2015, the Oakland Raiders, and the then-San Diego Chargers announced plans for a privately financed $1.85 billion stadium that the two teams would build in Carson, California if they were to move to the Los Angeles market. Both teams stated that they would continue to attempt to get stadiums built in their respective cities.[48]

On April 21, 2015, Carson City Council bypassed the option to put the stadium to a public vote and approved the plan 3-0.[49] The NFL approved the Rams' relocation on January 12, 2016, with 30 of the 32 owners voting their approval to relocate, effectively ending the Carson proposal.[50]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Lee Slade". SportsBusiness Journal. April 18, 2016. p. 22. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  2. ^ Busta, Hallie (August 8, 2016). "LEDs Shed New Light on Sports". Architectural Lighting Reports. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  3. ^ Muret, Don (April 13, 2016). "Rams Tab Legends Global Planning As Owner's Rep For Stadium". SportsBusiness Daily. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  4. ^ Muret, Don (July 14, 2016). "Turner, Hunt Construction Win Bid To Build Rams' $2.5B L.A. Stadium". SportsBusiness Daily. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  5. ^ http://theramswire.usatoday.com/2017/06/01/los-angeles-rams-renderings-city-of-champions-stadium-that-will-host-super-bowl-lvi/
  6. ^ Fenno, Nathan; Farmer, Sam (November 17, 2016). "Los Angeles Rams break ground on $2.6-billion Inglewood stadium, 'new era' of NFL". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  7. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/style/article/new-nfl-stadium-los-angeles/index.html
  8. ^ https://archpaper.com/2016/11/los-angeles-rams-stadium-breaks-ground/#gallery-0-slide-0
  9. ^ "Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Breaks Ground on HKS-Designed L.A. Stadium". November 17, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  10. ^ https://www.stadiaworld.com/index.php?head=City-of-Champions-Stadium&folder=sites&site=renderings-view&gal_id=146
  11. ^ a b "Hollywood Park Casino's Grand Opening Oct. 21 - Poker News". CardPlayer.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  12. ^ Springer, Steve (September 23, 2011). "The day Al Davis walked away". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  13. ^ a b Wagoner, Nick (February 1, 2014). "St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke buys 60 acres of land in Los Angeles". ESPN. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  14. ^ Reed, Scott M. (November 9, 2014). "Will Stan Kroenke bring the Rams west?". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  15. ^ Ozanian, Mike (January 26, 2012). "Kroenke's Bid For Dodgers Implies Rams Are Headed To L.A." Forbes. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  16. ^ Farmer, Sam (January 30, 2014). "A return of L.A. Rams? Owner is said to buy possible stadium site". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  17. ^ Schwab, Frank (December 20, 2014). "No NFL team moving to Los Angeles for 2015, report says". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  18. ^ Campbell, Robert (2015). "Text of the Measure - City of Champions Revitalization Project". Champions Initiative. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  19. ^ Piper, Brandie (January 31, 2014). "Report: Rams owner bought 60 acres of land in Calif". KSDK. St. Louis. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2015. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ Larkin, Michael; Schwartz, Gadi (February 25, 2015). "Inglewood Council Rams Through NFL Stadium Proposal". KNBC. Los Angeles. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  21. ^ Crabtree, Curtis (February 25, 2015). "Inglewood unanimously approves stadium plan at Hollywood Park". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  22. ^ Logan, Tim; Jennings, Angel; Fenno, Nathan (February 24, 2015). "Inglewood council approves NFL stadium plan amid big community support". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  23. ^ Florio, Mike (February 8, 2015). "Inglewood stadium construction begins, sort of". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  24. ^ Michaud, Stephanie (July 14, 2016). "Stadium Contractors". MyNewsLA. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  25. ^ Fenno, Nathan (October 19, 2016). "Excavation for the Rams' stadium could begin in just weeks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  26. ^ "FAA declines to allow cranes at Inglewood construction site". NBCSports.com. December 12, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  27. ^ Bott, Michael (August 26, 2016). "LAX INGL UPDATE (F) 26AUG2016". DocumentCloud.org. NBC Bay Area. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  28. ^ Fenno, Nathan; Farmer, Sam (November 10, 2016). "Rams to break ground on Inglewood stadium next week, source says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  29. ^ Gonzalez, Alden (November 11, 2016). "Rams to break ground on $2.6 billion Inglewood stadium Thursday". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  30. ^ Fenno, Nathan (December 23, 2016). "FAA approves first cranes for new Rams stadium". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  31. ^ Fenno, Nathan; Farmer, Sam (May 18, 2017). "Inglewood football stadium's opening will be delayed a year because of record rainfall". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  32. ^ Orr, Conor (May 18, 2017). "Opening of Inglewood stadium delayed until 2020". National Football League. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  33. ^ DaSilva, Cameron. "Take a virtual tour of the Rams' $2.6 billion stadium". MSN. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  34. ^ Lago, Kristen (August 9, 2017). "L.A. Stadium Premiere Center Opens in Playa Vista". Los Angeles Rams. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  35. ^ Elwood, Hayley (August 8, 2017). "Bolts Buzz: First Look Inside L.A. Stadium". Los Angeles Chargers. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  36. ^ Gross, Benjamin (January 12, 2015). "High Public Cost of the Proposed Inglewood NFL Stadium". Curbed. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  37. ^ Hanzus, Dan (January 12, 2016). "Rams to relocate to L.A.; Chargers first option to join". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  38. ^ Acee, Kevin; Garrick, David; Wilkens, John (January 29, 2016). "Chargers here for a year -- then what?". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  39. ^ Wesseling, Chris (January 29, 2016). "Chargers announce they will stay in San Diego for 2016". National Football League. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  40. ^ "Chargers announce decision to relocate to Los Angeles". National Football League. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  41. ^ Farmer, Sam; Fenno, Nathan (January 12, 2016). "NFL will return to Los Angeles for 2016 season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  42. ^ http://la24-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdf/LA2024-canditature-part2_english.pdf
  43. ^ Schrotenboer, Brent (January 14, 2016). "With NFL back in Los Angeles, Super Bowl becomes a hot topic". USA Today. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  44. ^ a b Gantt, Darin (January 6, 2016). "Rams' L.A. proposal includes offer to host Pro Bowl, Combine". NBC Sports. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  45. ^ http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/CFP-Selects-Los-Angeles-to-Host-the-National-Championship-Game-in-2023/cc236e81-48a1-475b-bebf-0e4330bf226d
  46. ^ "United Bid Committee Moves to Next Stage of Bid Process for 2026 FIFA World Cup". www.ussoccer.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  47. ^ Green, Nick (January 27, 2016). "Could a new light rail line connect Torrance with the NFL stadium in Inglewood?". Daily Breeze. Los Angeles. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  48. ^ Farmer, Sam (February 20, 2015). "Chargers, Raiders will jointly pursue an NFL stadium in Carson". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  49. ^ Logan, Tim; Fenno, Nathan (April 21, 2016). "Carson City Council gives unanimous approval to NFL stadium". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  50. ^ Logan, Tim; Fenno, Nathan (January 13, 2016). "NFL will return to Los Angeles for 2016 season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 10, 2016.

External links

Preceded by Home of the Los Angeles Rams
2020–beyond
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Preceded by Home of the Los Angeles Chargers
2020–beyond
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Preceded by Host of the Super Bowl
LVI 2022
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Preceded by Summer Olympics
Opening Ceremony (Olympic Stadium)

2028
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