Independence Stadium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Malaysian Independence Stadium, see Stadium Merdeka.
Independence Stadium is located at the Fairgrounds in Shreveport, Louisiana. Formerly known as State Fair Stadium, it is the site of the annual Independence Bowl post-season college football game, initially (1976) the Bicentennial Bowl. Prior to this, it was the home venue of the Shreveport Steamer of the short-lived World Football League (1974-75).
In 1994-5, Independence Stadium was home to the Shreveport Pirates of the Canadian Football League, which was undergoing US expansion at the time. The team ultimately failed due to low attendance.
In the late 1990s, the stadium was expanded from approximately 40,000 to 50,000 capacity as part of a grander upgrade plan that improved all aspects of the facility, from concourses to playing surface.
Independence Stadium was considered as a possible playing site for the New Orleans Saints in the 2005-2006 National Football League season, but has since lost out to the bigger venues like the San Antonio Alamodome in Texas and Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. Independence Stadium hosted the first preseason home game for the Saints for the 2006-2007 season.[1]
