In Buzzard Point in Washington, D.C., there is a soccer-specific stadium called Audi Field. It serves as the home field for D.C. United of Major League Soccer. The Washington Spirit of the NWSL occasionally plays in this venue. There are 20,000 seats in the stadium.
D.C. United had previously looked into locations in the Washington metropolitan area. D.C. United presented two further stadium plans after the previous one that was rejected in 2006 did not get built.
The club investigated the possibility of constructing a stadium on previously undeveloped property at Buzzard Point in January 2011. This was later verified in July 2013 when Buzzard Point was named as the stadium’s location.
[6] The construction was started in February 2017, and it was finished in July 2018.
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What was the previous name of Audi Field?
DC United’s brand-new stadium is called Audi Field. The team had long desired to construct a new soccer-specific stadium to take the place of the RFK Stadium, which was too big and unsuitable for their needs. Around 2005, the first preparations for a transfer were formed. Different ideas followed in the following years, but they were all abandoned for a variety of reasons, including a lack of funding and a lack of support from the local government.
Plans for a potential location at Buzzard Point, south of Washington, DC, not far from Nationals Park, began to take shape in 2011. According to these proposals, the new DC United stadium would be a part of a larger neighborhood revitalization initiative that included investments in both residential and commercial development.
But more delays prevented the plans from moving forward until a formal agreement with the Washington DC council was declared in June 2015.
The new stadium’s construction began in 2017 and was finally finished during the 2018 MLS season, a little later than anticipated. The inaugural game at Audi Field, a league game against the Vancouver Whitecaps, was played a few days after the stadium’s formal opening date of July 9th (3-1).
The name Audi Field came about when a naming rights sponsorship agreement with the automaker Audi was revealed in 2017.
How to get to Audi Field
Just south of the heart of Washington, DC’s downtown, in the Buzzard Point neighborhood, is where you’ll find Audi Field. It is practically adjacent to National Park, home field of the Washington Nationals.
Capital Hill, the National Mall, and downtown Washington, DC are all within a 30-minute stroll of the property.
On the other side of Nationals Park from the closest metro station is Navy Yard metrorail. Waterfront Station is an alternative that is situated equidistant from the ground. The green line, which travels through downtown and links to a number of other lines, stops at each of these stations.
D.C. United relocated to Audi Field when?
When the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area received a Major League Soccer franchise in 1995, the history of D.C. United officially began. Prior to relocation to their new home, Audi Field, in 2018, D.C. United played its home matches at RFK Stadium, which is situated in the city’s seventh ward close to the Eastland Gardens area and D.C. Armory.
The first franchise given out by Major League Soccer was D.C. United, who dominated the league in its early years. United is frequently referred to as MLS’s “flagship franchise” for these reasons. [1] [2] [3] The team has more regular season and league titles than any other sports franchise in the Washington, DC, area as of 2013. The group has also won a CONCACAF championship and three U.S. Open Cup championships. [3]
Does Audi Field have rain protection?
At Audi Field, about 25% of seats have some sort of shade or cover. The seating examples that are shaded or at least partially covered at various times of the day are shown below. Follow the link to the seat finder to look for tickets or to learn if your seats will be covered from the sun or rain.
Has the Audi Field a roof?
Over the years, Taylor Twellman, an ESPN analyst, has participated in several soccer broadcasts. He has called games during torrential downpours and snowfall, as well as numerous other unexpected events including power outages and weather delays. He has been to stadiums almost everywhere in the world. However, nothing nearly prepared him for the national broadcast of D.C. United’s match against New England in July.
Twellman discovered as he entered the commentary booth at Audi Field on that particular day that he would be calling a large portion of the game while staring directly into the sun due to the facility’s orientation, which was crammed onto a small plot of land in Southwest D.C.
In a phone call with Twellman earlier this month, he said that none of the cameramen were in their customary locations.
They were all seated in the booth’s rear. When we approached the table, the monitors and everything else were simply too hot to touch. The situation only worsened an hour and a half before the game. Because there was no overhang for your eyes, you couldn’t see the monitor. I made all of the first half’s calls while standing 20 feet from the booth’s front, right by the camera. In fact, back there, I totally made the call for the first half using a monitor.
One of the few consistent criticisms about Audi Field that fans continue to voice on Twitter and in person more than a year after the venue opened its doors is the sun problem, which the club knew aware would be a problem before the stadium was built. While the majority of spectators gush over the stadium’s sightlines, its practical location, or even the mere fact that it even exists, some bemoan the absence of safe standing places for fans and the fact that the vast majority of the seats aren’t covered. They criticize the venue for feeling sterile and being devoid of any of the historical nuances that made RFK Stadium a warmif occasionally inconvenient and uncomfortablehome by pointing out the several thousand empty seats in the audience at each game.
Sports fans, some would say, will always find something to complain about, but although some of this may be attributed to the personality of those being sampled, some of it feels more than a little deserved. Audi Field is still the most expensive soccer-specific stadium ever constructed in the United States when land and infrastructure expenses committed by the city are taken into account. Because of this distinction, it can be challenging for certain club supporters to visit venues like Allianz Field in Minnesota or Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles without feeling a twinge of envy.
For instance, every seat in both of those stadiums is covered and completely enclosed. The stadium would also have a full roof, according to numerous renderings of Audi Field throughout the years, including many that were used to sell the proposal to the community and the team’s supporters.
What soccer stadium is the largest in the world?
Camp Nou is most likely the biggest stadium that routinely hosts regular matches out of all the soccer-specific venues.
One of the most illustrious soccer clubs in the world, FC Barcelona, calls it home. It is the home of some of the best players in the game right now, like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, along with other icons from the past, including Diego Maradona, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, and Thierry Henry.
With 24 La Liga, five UEFA Champions League, and three FIFA Club World Cup victories, FC Barcelona has established itself as one of the world’s most talented soccer teams, which is why fans flock to see them play.
What does D.C. United mean?
The United States Soccer Federation kept its promise to FIFA by helping to establish a new professional league, which would eventually become Major League Soccer, prior to the 1994 FIFA World Cup (MLS).
[6] One of the league’s inaugural seven franchises, Washington, D.C., was chosen by Major League Soccer (MLS) on June 15, 1994, from a pool of twenty-two applications. Three more franchises were added before the league’s debut. [7] In addition to being the name of the capital of the United States, the team’s name was chosen to be a reflection of the names of European teams like Manchester United or Leeds United. [8] [9]
In October 1995, during a presentation in New York City, the team’s colors and initial logo were revealed, along with those of the other ten original teams.
[10] The primary colors of D.C. United were revealed to be black and white, while the secondary color of the team was revealed to be red.
Washington, DC
Not as a baseball stadium, but as the home of the NFL’s Washington Redskins, RFK Stadium will be remembered in the past. The Senators played at Griffith Stadium, which could accommodate about 30,000 spectators, for almost fifty years. Owner Clark Griffith passed away in 1955, and his son Calvin assumed ownership of the team. The District of Columbia started debating the idea of constructing a multi-use stadium to accommodate both the Senators and Redskins around this time. But by the 1950s’ end, whispers of the Senators’ desire to move started to circulate. After the 1960 campaign, when the Senators relocated to Minneapolis’ Metropolitan Stadium, that rumor came to pass. When the Senators moved, a brand-new, multi-use stadium was already being built in Washington, DC, along the Anacostia River. MLB granted Washington a new franchise, also called as the Senators for the 1961 season, even though the old Senators relocated. Before transferring to D.C. (District of Columbia) Stadium on April 9, 1962, the team played one season at Griffith Stadium. The first of many mass-produced stadiums to open during the following ten years was D.C. Stadium. Baseball was played for ten years at RFK Stadium, which was later named in Robert F. Kennedy’s honor. After the 1971 season, the Senators moved to Arlington, Texas, where they became the Texas Rangers. On September 30, 1971, the Senators played their final game at the stadium in front of a small audience. Even though the stadium was vacant following the 1971 baseball season, the Washington Redskins (NFL) called it home there until 1996, when they relocated to FedEx Field.
- All-Star Game: in 1962 and 1969
- On April 15, 2005, President George W. Bush throws out the ceremonial first pitch.
- On September 24, 1967, Frank Howard hits a homerun that travels 535 feet.
In April 2005, Major League Baseball made its way back to RFK Stadium after a 33-year absence. Before 2005, a number of teams, including the San Diego Padres and Houston Astros, were reported to relocate to Washington, DC. The Montreal Expos struggled to draw crowds to Olympic Stadium from 1995 through 2004 and encountered several financial and ownership issues. MLB started looking at the possibility of moving the Expos in 2001, and in September 2004 decided to do so for the 2005 MLB season, moving the team to DC and RFK Stadium. RFK Stadium underwent a $18.5 million renovation as part of the endeavor to lure the team to the city. As DC United (MLS) continued to play at the stadium, renovations included new dugouts, enhancements to the clubhouses, scoreboard, and pressbox, and the ability to retract the lower deck seats once more.
On April 15, 2005, the Washington Nationals, now known as the Expos, played their inaugural game at RFK Stadium against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The baseball setup at RFK Stadium for Nationals games was essentially the same as it had been for Senators games thirty years before. From the right field foul pole to the area behind home plate and to the left field foul pole, the spacious lower deck, made up of three sections of orange seats, stretched out. Behind the outfield wall there was no lower level seating. Below the upper deck, a tiny circle of white chairs encircled the field, and the upper deck surrounded the entire playing area. The bullpens, the Nationals behind the left field wall, and the visiting team behind the right field wall were all outside the outfield fence. The huge manual scoreboard that was situated behind the right field fence during the Senators’ time at RFK Stadium is no longer present. A huge Washington Nationals clock took its place. The Nationals played at RFK Stadium for three seasons. The Nationals played their final game at RFK Stadium on September 23, 2007, and in April 2008, they relocated to the 41,000-seat Nationals Park. From 1996 to 2017, the stadium served as the home of the DC United soccer team. The stadium is currently empty. The District of Columbia revealed intentions to demolish RFK Stadium in 2022 in September 2020.
Is the Audi Field secure?
From Navy Yard metro station, it takes about 10 minutes to get to Audi Field on foot (past Nationals stadium). Incredibly secure. For those who find walking difficult, there is a $1 shuttle service that runs from the subway to the stadium. We are overjoyed that DC has a place like this.
At Audi Field, is a mask required?
All visitors to Audi Field must wear masks starting in August if they are inside a building, unless they are seated and eating or drinking. Restrooms, the Audi Field Club Shop, indoor Premium Entrances and Spaces, elevators, and stairwells are just a few examples.
Guests (age 3 and older) who have received their vaccinations completely, which is two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose series or two weeks after receiving a single dose of the vaccine, will not be required to wear a mask while entering the stadium through any outdoor entry point or while seated in an outdoor seating area. Until they are actively eating or drinking in their seat, unvaccinated visitors must always wear a mask.
General Guidelines
All participants must wear masks when inside, with the exception of those who are seated and eating or drinking. Restrooms, the Audi Field Club Shop, indoor Premium Entrances and Spaces, elevators, and stairwells are just a few examples.
To protect your safety and the safety of those around you on matchday, please heed the instructions of stadium workers.
Throughout the arena, hand sanitizing stations will be placed in high traffic areas including the suites, toilets, and all access gates.
Signage has been erected all over the stadium to direct visitors and serve as a reminder of the rules.
Matchday Information
The entire Audi Field will have mobile ordering capabilities. Fans are invited to examine the menu selections and make reservations for in-seat delivery or pickup by using their smart device to scan QR codes from their seat and at concession stands.
Fans can visit stands with a choice of options close to their seat thanks to the concessions that will be offered around the stadium.
To reduce interaction throughout the purchasing process, cashless transactions will be made available and promoted across the space (there will be one ATM on-site to exchange cash for credit, located in the concourse near the Premium Entrance directly behind section F1).
We strongly advise spectators not to bring bags to the stadium so that entry into Audi Field can be processed more quickly. There will be separate lanes set up for spectators carrying bags and fans without luggage. Please read the critical information below if you must bring a bag to the stadium.
Backpacks are not permitted (“cinch bags that fit the size restriction will be allowed).
Coolers, luggage, huge handbags, and other comparable bags that are larger than permitted will also not be permitted at Audi Field.
Binbox and Audi Field have teamed to make storing your bag quick and straightforward. Unauthorized luggage may be kept at Audi Field in a Binbox locker that is conveniently placed outside the venue, next to gates A and B.
Audi Field is reachable via Metro, bike, car, riverboat, and parking at 100 Potomac Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20024. A guidance on using any of these methods to get to Audi Field is provided below.
Public TransitMetrorail
The Navy Yard Metrorail station on the Green Line connects to Audi Field. Audi Field requests that any incoming fans be considerate of their surroundings and aware of noise when strolling on residential streets if you choose to use the Waterfront station.
Walking to Audi Field from Transit and Parking
Both the Navy Yard-Ballpark and Waterfront Metrorail Stations provide access to Audi Field. There will be signs to guide you. Along the route to the stadium, Navy Yard Station offers more seating, greater sidewalk space, and a large number of restaurants. When walking close to residential areas when using Waterfront Station, be aware of noise. The Anacostia Metrorail Station is one stop away from Navy Yard Station on the Green Line. The Anacostia Metrorail Station offers parking. Use the paths advised for transit users if you are walking from a nearby parking garage or lot.
Driving
Prior to leaving, plan your route. Attempt to avoid
driving close to Audi Field through residential areas. There is no parking since they are so narrow.
Other advice:
I-295/South Capitol Street Bridge should be used instead of I-395/14th Street Bridge while traveling from Virginia.
Use the Maine Avenue exit to park west of South Capitol Street or the 6th Street SE/Nationals Park exit to park east of South Capitol Street when coming via the 14th Street Bridge.
Examine routes that intersect I-395/I-695 from Downtown, such as 4th Street SW, 4th Street SE, and New Jersey Avenue.
Examine routes using the South Capitol Street Bridge and the 11th Street Bridge from Maryland.
Parking at the Anacostia Metrorail Station is an option. Then, either walk across the South Capitol Street Bridge or ride the Metro one stop to the Navy Yard-Ballpark Station.
Parking
With SpotHero, the top parking reservation app in the country, you can reserve convenient and inexpensive parking in advance.
Visit the Audi Field SpotHero Parking Page to reserve a space with discounts of up to 50% compared to drive-up pricing.
Bicycle
Any spectators wishing to keep their bike throughout the game are welcome to do so at the free Audi Field Bike Valet, operated by Lime. The valet is located at the intersection of 2nd and T St. in the stadium’s southwest corner. The valet opens when the gates open and stays open for at least an hour after a game. Along with numerous bike rack spots throughout the venue, Audi Field will also have multiple docks for Lime bikes and e-scooters.
Around Audi Field, there are both standard bike racks and a Capitol Bikeshare corral.
Riverboat
On game days, the Potomac Riverboat Company will operate a boat service to and from Audi Field, departing from the Nationals Park dock and Alexandria Marina. $20 one-way and $25 roundtrip tickets are available.
Rideshare
Rideshare riders will be instructed to come near Nationals Park before to a game because of the heavy traffic in the region around Audi Field on game days. After a game, spectators must return to Nationals Park in order to use their ride-hailing app.
Exit through Gate A and turn right along Potomac Avenue to reach the Rideshare Pickup Zone at Nationals Park.
As you pass through the magnetometer, please heed spoken instructions from our security professionals. There will be divesting bowls accessible, which will be cleaned after each use, for any items that might need to be taken out of your pockets.
In order to speed up admission into Audi Field, touchless ticket scanners will be available. Personnel from Guest Experience will be on hand to assist as needed.
Masks that fit snugly over the ears, wrap over the face, and completely cover the nose are acceptable.
The following masks won’t be accepted:
Visitors who arrive at Audi Field without the proper face protection will be given a standard surgical mask.
Together with our stadium cleaning team, Audi Field will get a thorough cleaning before and after each event. This will involve using EPA List N chemicals to thoroughly clean all high traffic and high contact locations, as well as the seating bowl.
Cleaning staff will actively clean all high touch surfaces, such as doorknobs, handrails, sinks, urinals, and other communal spaces, throughout the game.
Fans will have easy access to hand sanitizer, including at entry gates as you enter and leave Audi Field.