- March 15, 2017
- Posted by: SportsV
- Categories: Case Studies, Features, Home News, Industry News, News
At the beginning of the month, the LA Galaxy, AEG and the Los Angeles Chargers announced numerous investments to improve facilities and the fan experience at StubHub Center in advance of the 2017 Major League Soccer (MLS) and 2017 National Football League (NFL) seasons.
Highlighting the multi-faceted enhancements to StubHub Center, which now total over US$35m since 2013, will be a new 20ft by 52ft video board on the stadium’s south side, suite renovations throughout the stadium, locker room renovations, club seating upgrades and state-of-the-art LED ribbon boards, among others. Construction is already underway and will not affect LA Galaxy game days.
Dan Beckerman, President and CEO of AEG, said:
A key element of our philosophy is to continually re-invest in our properties around the world to enhance the fan experience at our facilities. These additional improvements cement StubHub Center as a top, versatile and cutting-edge venue in North America. AEG and the LA Galaxy have worked closely with the Chargers to enhance an already world-class experience and atmosphere at StubHub Center by implementing multi-faceted improvements. This investment will greatly benefit our fans, athletes and partners.
As part of improvements to the fan experience at StubHub Center, a new 20ft by 52ft, 1,040sqft LED video board will be built on the south side of the stadium to complement the north side’s GalaxyTV, a 5,100sqft LED screen, which is the largest in MLS and rivals most NFL stadium video boards.
There will also be upgraded club seating in sections 110-112, located at midfield, and additional upgrades to the suites throughout StubHub Center. In the upper sideline sections, new tip-up seats will be installed to replace the bleacher row seating. State-of-the-art LED ribbon boards will also be installed throughout the stadium.
Last year, StubHub Center became the first soccer-specific stadium in MLS to illuminate its field using high-efficiency LED sports lights. The new, upgraded lights use over 60 percent less energy than the lighting array it replaces and offer enhanced viewing for fans in stadium and through broadcast.
Since 2013, the LA Galaxy have now invested over US$35m into StubHub Center, including the implementation of the LED video board, the addition of the all-inclusive premium club Jim Beam’s Champion Lounge and upgrades to the American Express Stadium Club. LA Galaxy have also created new and dedicated locker rooms to house the LA Galaxy, LA Galaxy II and LA Galaxy Academy teams at StubHub Center, making the club the only in the United States that offers use of the same location and facilities for players from the youth level to the ranks of the professional first team.
StubHub Center, the first state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium and training facility in MLS, has served as host for some of the biggest soccer matches in the region since it opened in 2003, including MLS Cups in 2011, 2012 and 2014, all of which were won by the Galaxy.
STUBHUB CENTER UPGRADES
- AEG, LA Galaxy and Los Angeles Chargers invest in StubHub Center ahead of 2017 MLS and NFL seasons
- AEG and LA Galaxy have invested over $35m in StubHub Center since 2013
- A new 20ft by 52ft, 1,040sqft LED videoboard on the south side of the stadium to compliment GalaxyTV, the largest board in MLS
- Suite upgrades throughout StubHub Center
- State-of-the-art LED ribbon boards around StubHub Center
- Upgrade to club seats in section 110-112
- Tip up seats in the upper sideline section to replace bleacher rows
Managed by AEG Facilities, StubHub Center, a privately-financed facility was developed by AEG on a 125-acre site on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) in Carson, California.
StubHub Center also features an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, a 2,000-seat facility for track & field and a 2,450-seat indoor Velodrome – the VELO Sports Center – for track cycling. StubHub Center is also home of the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High Performance Training Center, the national team training headquarters for the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) and EXOS, an international training centre for elite and professional athletes.
In January, it was announced that StubHub Center will serve as the temporary home of the Chargers, who have relocated to Los Angeles, for the upcoming 2017 NFL season.
The LA Galaxy kicked-off the 2017 MLS Season on Saturday, March 4, at StubHub Center when they hosted FC Dallas.
Source: http://www.stubhubcenter.com
StubHub Center locks in AstroTurf as Official Partner and provider of Synthetic Turf
Just days after the enhancement package was confirmed, StubHub Center announced a partnership with AstroTurf, makers of one of the world’s best artificial playing surfaces. As part of the agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, AstroTurf will become an official partner of the multi-use sports stadium and the preferred vendor for all future synthetic turf projects. Additionally, the company’s cutting-edge DT23 System will replace the existing crumb rubber synthetic field of StubHub Center’s Field 7, which is used to host various clinics as well as the LA Galaxy’s Girls’ Academy team.
Instead of a traditional crumb rubber infill, the DT System incorporates ZeoFill, an organic mineral found in water filtration systems and health food supplements. ZeoFill’s ability to retain water helps reduce surface temperatures and delivers an exceptional playing surface designed for high use and performance, all while eliminating the use of crumb rubber.
This venue upgrade comes in support of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks “LA Spec” initiative to replace crumb rubber synthetic fields with non-crumb rubber fields across Los Angeles. When properly maintained, non-crumb rubber fields are believed to offer superior playing surfaces, as well as added environmental and economic advantages over time.
Katie Pandolfo, General Manager, StubHub Center, said:
StubHub Center Field 7 is an important location at our facility that allows us to support various forms of youth soccer. We knew we wanted to provide a high performance shock pad in order to make the field safer and more playable. AstroTurf represents the best and latest technology in the industry, and we are excited to select the DT32 System in order to provide our players the best playing surface available and improve the overall experience on Field 7 at StubHub Center.
The “LA Spec” program emerged out of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks’ desire to develop a unique system that yielded a safer, more durable, cooler and more consistent performance than previous generations of rubber-filled synthetic turf can offer. With a dense and compact fibre matrix, heavy-duty fibres, specialised RootZone® technology, and ZeoFill, AstroTurf’s DT System delivers just that.
A custom-designed Brock PowerBase/YSR shock pad, specific to the StubHub Center’s unique needs, will provide shock attenuation guaranteed for 25 years to never exceed 125 Gs. The control of field characteristics with the pad means that the overall artificial turf system can be engineered to accommodate heavy usage under the extreme UV exposure in Southern California. At the same time, it stays cooler and significantly improves performance metrics such as field planarity and ball roll. Additionally, infill fly-out and splash is virtually eliminated.
AstroTurf Director of Soccer, Anthony DiCicco, said of the announcement:
We are the best in the world at building synthetic soccer fields. StubHub Center is a world-class venue, and the LA Galaxy are the standard bearers in MLS. This partnership between AstroTurf and StubHub Center represents two leaders in the industry looking to grow the game of soccer in one of the world’s best venues. This is another example of StubHub Center and the AEG organization leading the way for American soccer. In this case, their off-the-field decisions to move towards synthetic fields that don’t contain crumb rubber is a direct investment in their players’ safety and development on-the-field.
The wave of next generation turf design is gaining ground at StubHub Center and beyond. By supporting the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and U.S. Soccer Foundation, AstroTurf is helping grow the game in communities across the U.S. The company aims to create safe places to play and enable soccer facilities to meet growing usage needs with high performing and consistent surfaces.
AstroTurf’s relationship with StubHub Center goes back to the facility’s origins. AstroTurf and its local distributors and contractors have been loyal supporters of the Galaxy Foundation as well as the venue since 2003. The company has installed a number of projects on-site, one of which included an AstroTurf field featuring the RootZone technology on Field 5. Additionally, AstroTurf and its local contractors helped build fields with the LA Galaxy Foundation, including a project around MLS Cup 2014 at A Place Called Home – a safe haven in South Central Los Angeles for underserved youth.
The new AstroTurf DT32 playing surface at StubHub Center’s Field 7 is scheduled for completion by June of 2017.
