Why Do Soccer Stadiums Have Roofs

With an upgraded dome in the region, the metro could continue to host indoor sporting events and conventions while having a better opportunity to land a higher quality and quantity of events in the future. And with the Rams out of the dome and in a new outdoor venue, the dome/convention center would be freed up for prime convention dates from August through January which would enable bookings there to be maximized. With both a spruced up dome/convention center and six more months of activities being possible there, a real opportunity to at least double the annual revenues that the facility generates would be realized.

On the other hand, building a retractable roofed stadium instead of an open air edifice would essentially serve as a direct competitor to the current building. That, of course, would not be advantageous to the region and would essentially deem the dome obsolete. Roofs Staying Closed More Often According to this report via Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, 66 percent of all games played within retractable roofed NFL facilities through the 2012 season were played indoors.

In short, teams with retractable roofed home fields chose to play two of every three contests inside when they had the option of playing them in an outdoor setting. In the desert of Arizona, the Cardinals kept the University of Phoenix Stadium's roof shut 80 percent of the time during the past two years. The Big Red did not remove the roof a single time this season after having opened it twice during the preceding campaign. In Dallas, the Cowboys kept the top of AT&T Stadium closed for nearly 95 percent of home contests during the the last two seasons. In 2013, America's Team did not open the roof a single time.

This year, the Cowboys have allowed the beautiful outdoors of Texas to shine forth onto their gridiron on just one occasion. In Indianapolis, the Colts closed the roof of Lucas Oil Stadium for nearly 73% of all home games during the past two years. They opened the roof just twice in 2013 before pulling the top back on three occasions in 2014. Building a permanent roof makes sense for football venues desiring non-stop events. Opening up to the elements has a draw for those not as concerned with rain or heat.

The retractable roof doesn't have a defined place in football or soccer. The stats show the roofs remain closed roughly three-fourths of the time in warm MLB climates and close only about a quarter of the time in the rain-threatened Pacific Northwest. Us fans, we like the modern comforts of air conditioning. Sixty-eight degrees and artificially sunny always feels nice. Rescheduling 20 or more Mariners games would turn nightmarish. But closing the roof for the sun in Phoenix, Miami and Houston?

Only domed and retractable roof stadiums are included, i.e. stadiums that cover both spectators and playing field. Wembley Stadium in London, which seats 90,000 spectators, is not included as the roof can only be partially closed. The stadiums are divided into current stadiums, closed stadiums, and future stadiums (those currently under-construction and those planned for construction). Tottenham's new venue leads the pack considering development cost per seat as well (EUR 14,800/seat).

It is not only one of the largest stadiums in the Premier League, but also features the world's first dividing, retractable football pitch, which unveils a synthetic turf pitch underneath for NFL games . It offers stadium-wide connectivity, is the first cashless stadium in the UK and, as a multi-purpose venue, hosts concerts and other events, too. The other outstanding development regarding cost per seat was the VTB Arena in the Russian capital – the complex includes a football stadium, home of Dynamo Moscow, and an indoor ice-hockey arena. The football stadium has 27,000 seats but can be expanded up to 45,000, while the complex has a shopping and entertainment centre, office buildings, apartment buildings and a 5-star hotel, too. Further developments with high cost per seat include Zenit's new arena in St. Petersburg (at EUR 12,500/seat), CSKA Moscow's new home, VEB Arena (EUR 9,400 /seat) and the Puskás Arena in Budapest (EUR 8,970/seat). Covering large playing fields, these domes always offered ideal playing conditions and comfortable seating for the fans.

The first domed stadium, the Astrodome, was even named the eighth wonder of the world with its extraordinary design. It reached a peak height of 63.4 m above its second base! Many other domes have been made after it, including the New Orleans Superdome, and Seattle's Kingdome. In Toronto the Skydome gets its name from its retractable roof that would open on nice sunny days.

In the past, many popular, multi-purpose stadia roofs were simply domed. Today, retractable roofs – the next-generation of roofing systems – are convertible and can be opened up to let the sun shine in on good weather days, and closed during bad weather. This provides flexibility in creating the level of required level of weather protection while maintaining optimum play conditions, fan experience, and conditions for natural grass to grow. FedExField has consistently made it to the list of worst NFL stadiums. One reason cited is its location, which makes it difficult for fans to reach especially via public transportation. The five-level venue has hosted college football games, as well as occasional international soccer and rugby matches.

But rain doesn't stop soccer or football, where we see the most expensive stadiums in the world and the largest roofs. In baseball and tennis we want both to avoid rainouts and to protect against heat—three of baseball's six movable roofs are solely to combat heat, not rain. In football, roofs close in order to host non-sporting events, concerts and conventions that bring added revenue to the building's owners. The dual-use nature of the venue was cause for the retractable roof's rise, but also proves our love for keeping it closed. Formerly known as the Millennium Stadium, the Principality Stadium underwent a rename in 2016 for sponsorship purposes. It is the national stadium of Wales, the second largest stadium in the world with a fully retractable roof and is also the home of the Wales national rugby team.

It has a seating capacity of 74,500 and the stadium has staged multiple games for the Welsh national football team and even the UEFA Champions League Final last year. Many of the popular domed stadiums that were built during the 1960s and 1970s required artificial turf as the enclosed structures wouldn't allow adequate sunshine for natural grass to grow. Retractable roofs have been a game changer as they create a better environment for natural grass in the open conditions. Two NFL teams, the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, have gone to extraordinary lengths to play on natural grass in retractable-roof and fixed-roof stadiums, respectively.

The Cardinals' rollout grass field is contained in a 40-inch-deep tray that is rolled outside the stadium on 546 steel wheels resting on 13 railroad-like tracks to get sunlight on non-game days. Similarly, the Raiders' new stadium features a sliding field tray containing a natural-grass playing surface, which is rolled outside, powered by 72 motors, into the sunlight on non-game days. Nick Reynolds, Populous architect and designer of Wimbledon's movable roof, says that 10 years ago steel retractable roofs were installed almost as a matter of course. Typical retractable steel roofs—with added engineering, materials and structure to support weight—add roughly a five percent surcharge to your project. An after-market addition, such as for Arthur Ashe Stadium, though, could easily top $100 million, even for that relatively small venue. During eras when a stadium set you back a mere $250 million, a surcharge wasn't as foreboding.

As football stadiums top $1 billion, that cost isn't minimal. In summary, football stadium do not have roofs for several reasons. These reasons include the costs of construction, the complexity of construction and the natural light and air requirements of grassed playing surfaces. In addition , football is culturally known as a fun, outdoor sport. Having roofed stadiums may negatively impact this perception.

These include the fact that weather can no longer cause cancellations and that venues can be multifunctional. State Farm Stadium is regarded as an architectural landmark in the area, and has won awards for its design. It boasts the first retractable natural grass-playing surface in the US, as well as the first completely retractable roof operating at an incline. State Farm is a multi-purpose facility, also having hosted soccer and basketball matches, motor sports, and trade shows.

This protection was tolerable in certain climates, but it stopped local teams from participating in the big leagues when it was too hot, too cold or too wet. This was the case in Houston, USA, with its subtropical summers, temperatures reaching 36°C and frequent storms, which lead to the construction of the first fully covered stadium in history, the Astrodome. Completed in 1963, its domed roof with a diameter of 220 metres not only provided shelter for its visitors but also allowed the air inside to be conditioned. Although it is now closed for future demolition, it marked a trend that continued in all future renovations and new stadiums around the world.

It showed that advances in architecture and engineering allowed any city in the world to host first division clubs. Traditionally, the beautiful game has always been considered a game outdoors where the weather played a decisive role. Rain, cold, hot, air, snow, few were the pretexts for a meeting not be played. But nevertheless, The advancement of technology has meant that in recent years have increased the number of stadiums that have retractable roofs with which close the campus at any given time.

In Germany and France, the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany and the 2016 UEFA Europe Cup in France had led to several stadium revamp projects, therefore, currently there are only a few major developments. Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin are aiming to move away from their current home, Berlin's 74k-capacity Olympiastadion, built for the 1936 Olympic Games – their proposed new 55k-seater Fussballarena is to be completed by 2025. SC Freiburg are to move into their new, 34,700-seater stadium next season. Despite the large number of venues inaugurated in recent years, the renovation, reconstruction or development of new stadium infrastructure remains a challenge for many European clubs and countries. Pricing is also a factor when it comes to building domed stadiums. The added price of an extra roof often inflates the budget of a stadium.

A fixed roof can add around $40 million extra to a stadium. Any city or financier of a stadium would not want extra tens or hundreds of millions added to their stadium project because of an "unnecessary" component. The venue also has retractable seating, enabling a modification of the stadium's seating configuration for certain events such as soccer and rugby , to bring the fans even closer to the action. The Level 1 seating bays on all four sides of the arena can be moved closer to the field of play to give fans the ultimate viewing experience.

The seating bays on the Eastern and Western sides of the arena will be moved in by 18 metres, while the bays on the Southern and Northern sides will move in 15 metres. At its closest point spectators will be within 10 metres of the field of play. Another possible solution to facilitating a healthy pitch is to retract the roof over the stands when the weather is good. Wembley Stadium, for example, has retractable roof panels that open over stands on three sides exposing the grass to sunlight when needed.

Aurecon undertook the structural engineering of the arch and the roof, which required the use of advanced structural engineering to achieve the 315-metre span arch and elegant proportioned roof structures design. With the north side covered by the fixed roof, seven independently driven roof panels move in a parallel motion to the south to open over the eastern, western and southern stands. Fans and supporters don't attend events if they know they are going to get wet. Thanks to retractable roofs, events can proceed as planned regardless of the weather conditions.

The fan experience and the environment in which fans experience sporting events is far better when it involves a retractable roof. This is part of the financial business case for choosing a retractable roof. MetLife's seating capacity is the biggest among all NFL stadiums. It hosted Super Bowl XLVIII, as well Wrestlemania, soccer games, as well numerous concerts.

It covers 2.1 million square feet, provides parking for 28,000 vehicles, and cost $1.6 billion to construct. Having a retractable roof is a must for the 95-degree early-season games. And while it could be an advantage on the field to keep the roof open on steamy days since most other teams are not used to playing in the Houston heat, it would be miserable for fans. If a stadium with a retractable roof is set to host a Superbowl game or a divisional playoff, it is the NFL that decides if the roof should be closed or remain open during the game. Once this decision is made by the NFL, all of the other rules apply equally, such as the end of game, regular game play, and overtime roof rules.

If at the start of the game the roof is open, it has to stay open unless there are adverse weather conditions. If the roof is to be closed by officials for this reason, it has to stay shut for the whole game. An increasing amount of NFL franchises are looking into or are already building stadiums with retractable roofs.

Due to this fact, a need arose for the National Football League to clarify the rules for when such stadiums are open and closed. There are certain rules the NFL has with regards to retractable stadiums, and every football team also has its own rules in their respective stadiums. Million to a domed stadium project, and it typically costs a few thousand dollars to open and close the structures each time, said Mark Waggoner, a structural engineer who has had a hand in several pro sports stadiums. Going into the 2016 season, 24 out of 32 teams will only be able to play their home games outdoor.

Why Don T Soccer Stadiums Have Roofs The better question is which NFL teams have "indoor" stadiums? The Cardinals, Colts, Cowboys, and Texans play in those stadiums. Retractable roofs are really marvels of modern architecture. They are designed to move panels that weigh millions of pounds in just minutes. By doing so, they give fans a new experience at baseball and football games.

Given their popularity, it's likely we will see many more of these convertible stadiums built in the next decade until they are replaced by the next stadium trend. These are other facets of the business case that compels sports stadium developers to invest in retractable roofs. There was no vaccine requirement for fans, something Biden has urged sports and entertainment venues to impose. Many other football stadiums are taking a similarly lax approach to pandemic measures this fall, and that worries health experts.

The 80,000-seat Lusail Stadium will embody Qatar's ambition, along with its passion for sharing Arab culture with the world. The design of this magnificent stadium is inspired by the interplay of light and shadow that characterises the fanar lantern. The venue will also become the centrepiece of Lusail – a newly built, state-of-the-art metropolis, designed specifically with residents' needs in mind. The stadium will host ten matches up to and including the final of Qatar 2022. U.S. Bank also ranks among the best, and its design is considered a trendsetter for stadiums that have come after it. It has a roof that mimics the effect of a retractable one, effectively protecting fans and players from the city's chilly weather.

Soldier Field, the oldest NFL stadium, was renovated in 2002, which resulted in a more modern facility but also caused it to be removed from the list of National Historic Landmarks. Aside from sporting events such as soccer, boxing, and the Special Olympics World Games, it has also seen concerts, circuses, open-air operas, and skiing events. Soldier Field has the smallest seating capacity among all NFL stadiums. As the host of the last FIFA World Cup, Russia dominates the "upper tier" of this list, having seven new stadiums with a capacity of 44k seats or more, while all the new venues in Turkey have less than 44k seats. Turkish football can benefit from an ongoing government-led nationwide stadium development program to build "30 stadiums in 27 cities", which has already seen over two dozen stadia completed in a decade.

While many of these venues are small, some were developed with a vision to host international tournaments. Focusing on capacity, Moscow's reconstructed Luzhniki national stadium is the only new venue with over 70,000 seats, while there are another five arenas with a capacity of over 60k seats. The Baku National Stadium in Azerbaijan , host of the 2019 Europa League final, is followed by Zenit St. Petersburg's Krestovsky Arena , which will host the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League final.

This group also includes the most recent development, Hungary's 68,000-seat national stadium, Puskás Arena in Budapest; Wanda Metropolitano, the new home of Atletico Madrid ; and the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London . Three of these venues (Baku, Budapest and St. Petersburg) will also host four matches each during the upcoming UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. Lyon's new home, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, is not far behind with a capacity of 59,286 seats. There are some occasions where the officials don't have the right to close the roof, even if the weather conditions are adverse. These occasions include the fourth quarter's final five minutes in a regular time of a game and also when the football scoreboards claim that a game must go into overtime.