The Rapids Soccer Stadium is located in Commerce City, Colorado and is home to the Colorado Rapids professional soccer team. It can seat up to 20,000 people, yet can also accommodate up to 25,000 for certain events and is built on over 360 acres of land. Also included at the venue are youth soccer fields, retail development, and a new Commerce City civic center. It is owned by Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) who also own the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Crush and The Colorado Mammoth. The estimated cost of this project was $130 million, with investment shared equally between the city and KSE.
Why was Commerce City Chosen?
There were many elements that factored into the decision to choose Commerce City for this project. However, the single most influential reason was the city's excitement and collaborative attitude about the project. The city and KSE were able to share their respective visions and blend the two mutually beneficial plan. Another factor to KSE was the focus of Commerce City to bring a project of value to the community and its residents. The current and future growth in Commerce City and neighboring communities also played a major role in the decision making process.
Who are the Colorado Rapids?
The Rapids were established in Colorado in 1995 and was named one of Major League Soccer's 10 original franchises. In the six months before their first game, the Rapids were able to completely build a franchise from scratch, bringing in a veteran coaching staff and a solid core group of players that included many well known international stars. Like any other sports franchise, the Rapids have had its shares of wins and losses. Supporters hope that this year, the Rapids will make great improvements with their players and coaching staff.
Soccer-specific stadium (SSS) is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada.
The original Toronto stadium plan was centered on a ground at York University that would have been used by the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts and an MLS team.
The term "football-specific stadium" is sometimes used in countries where the sport is known as football, although not so much so in countries where football is the dominant sport and thus football-specific stadia are quite common.