University of Phoenix Stadium is a multipurpose stadium located in Glendale, Arizona. Its primary tenants are the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL
and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The new stadium is located across the street from the Jobing.com Arena, home to the NHL Phoenix Coyotes. The
University of Phoenix, a for-profit university specializing in adult education, acquired the naming rights in September 2006, shortly after the
stadium had opened under the name Cardinals Stadium. The facility illustrates how return on investment is maximized when kinetic architecture
accommodates a multitude of events through rapid building transformations.
The 63,400-seat stadium (expandable to 73,000) opened on August 1, 2006 after three years of construction. It is considered an architectural
icon for the region and was named by Business Week as one of the 10 “most impressive” sports facilities on the globe due to the combination of
its retractable roof and roll-in natural grass field[citation needed]. It is the only North American facility on the list.
The ceremonial groundbreaking for the new stadium was held on April 12, 2003. The cost of the project is $455 million. That total includes:
$395.4 million for the stadium;
$41.7 million for site improvements;
$17.8 million for the land.
Contributors to the stadium are:
The Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority = $302.3 million;
The Arizona Cardinals = $143.2 million;
The City of Glendale = $9.5 million.
The first preseason football game was played August 12, 2006 when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-13. The first regular
season game was played September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers (the Cardinals won 34-27). The stadium's air-conditioning made it
possible for the Cardinals to play at home on the opening weekend of the NFL season for the first time since moving to Arizona in 1988.
The stadium hosted the highest attended soccer match in the state of Arizona on February 7, 2007 when 62,462 fans watched the U.S. National
Team defeat Mexico, 2-0.
The multipurpose nature of the facility has allowed it to host 91 events representing 110 event days between the dates of Aug. 4, 2006 through
the BCS National Championship January 8, 2007. These events included Arizona Cardinals games; public grand opening tours held August 19 &
20, 2006 (attended by 120,000 people); various shows, expositions, tradeshows and motor sport events; the Rolling Stones concert November
8, 2006; the AIA 4A and 5A state championship games for football (the first high school to win a football championship at the stadium was Cactus
Shadows High School of Cave Creek, AZ on December 2, 2006); an international soccer exhibition match; the Fiesta Bowl National Band
Championship High School Marching Band competition (the first marching band to ever play on the field was Foothill High School, from
Pleasanton, California on December 29, 2006); the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl January 1, 2007 featuring the Boise State Broncos vs. the University of
Oklahoma Sooners (Boise State 43-42); and the BCS National Championship January 8, 2007 between the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes and the
No. 2 University of Florida Gators (Florida 41-14).
Upcoming events include Super Bowl XLII in 2008 and it will also be the site for the West Regional Finals of the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I
Basketball Tournament.
