PPL Park

PPL Park is an American soccer-specific stadium located in Chester, Pennsylvania that is home to the Philadelphia Union, a Major League Soccer club.^[7] The project is the result of combined commitments of $30 million from Delaware County and $47 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The stadium is located on Chester's waterfront along the Delaware River, at the Commodore Barry Bridge's southwestern corner. PPL Park^[8] was designed to be a catalyst for economic development on the waterfront, with additional plans calling for a riverwalk amidst other entertainment, retail, and residential projects. The stadium was constructed by the Ardmore, Pennsylvania-based T.N. Ward Company.^[9]

History

Major League Soccer (MLS) had been interested in entering the Philadelphia market for several years, with many promises of a team by Commissioner Don Garber, as evidenced by his statement, "It's not a matter of if but when Philadelphia gets a team."^[10] Initially, Major League Soccer was interested in a site in the borough of Bristol, Pennsylvania, about 23 miles (37 km) north of Center City, Philadelphia.^[11] Those plans never came to fruition. Later, Rowan University provided details for a soccer stadium near its campus in Glassboro, New Jersey. However, funding from the state of New Jersey fell through in 2006.

In late 2006, a group of investors led by Rob Buccini, co-founder of the Buccini/Pollin Group; Jay Sugarman, chief executive of iStar Financial; and James Nevels, a former chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission, initiated the planning for a soccer-specific stadium in the city of Chester after the funding for the Rowan project failed to pass the New Jersey legislature. After many months of negotiations, Delaware County politicians announced their approval of funding for the stadium in October 2007.^[12] Delaware County owns the land and the stadium itself, while the team owns the naming rights based on their approval of a 30-year lease. The newly formed Delaware County Sports Authority pays the county's share of $30 million through taxes from the Harrah's Chester harness racing track and casino. An additional $80 million was donated by private investors.

On January 31, 2008, Governor Ed Rendell and Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, unveiled a combined soccer stadium and economic revitalization package for the city of Chester.^[13] $25 million was allocated to the construction of PPL Park, with an additional $7 million towards a two-phase project composed of 186 townhouses, 25 apartments, 335,000 square feet (31,100 m²) of office space, a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m²) convention center, more than 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) of retail space, and a parking structure to house 1,350 cars. In phase two, another 200 apartments will be built, along with 100,000 square feet (9,300 m²) of office space and 22,000 square feet (2,000 m²) of retail space.^[14]

On February 25, 2010, the Philadelphia Union announced that the Allentown, Pennsylvania-based PPL Corporation purchased the naming rights to its home venue for $20 million over 11 years. As part of the deal, PPL EnergyPlus provides the stadium with sustainable energy derived from other sources in Pennsylvania.^[15]

Construction delays led to the Philadelphia Union's decision to play their inaugural home game at Lincoln Financial Field instead of PPL Park.^[16] Their first match at the stadium was played on June 27, 2010 when they defeated Seattle Sounders FC by a score of 3–1. Sébastien Le Toux scored the Union's first goal at PPL Park on a penalty kick. However, Pat Noonan of Sounders FC scored the first goal in the venue's history.

Due to consistently high attendance and ticket sales, the Philadelphia Union has expressed interest in expanding the capacity of the stadium. The planned expansion would occur in three phases, initially to 20,000, then to 27,000, and finally to approximately 30,000. The planned first phase of expansion could start as early as 2014.^[17]

PPL Park hosted the 2011 USA Sevens Collegiate Rugby Championship^[18] and will do so again in 2012.^[19]

On November 19, 2011, the Battle of the Blue was the first American football game to be played at PPL Park, in which Delaware beat Villanova to earn the trophy for the first time.^[20] PPL Park has been mentioned as a possible future home venue for Villanova if they join an athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision in order to fulfill minimum stadium capacity requirements.^[21]

Features

The Philadelphia Union's ownership group, Keystone Sports & Entertainment, designed a specific entrance of PPL Park for the Sons of Ben supporters group in recognition of their loyalty.^[22] This entrance leads into a 2,000-seat section reserved specifically for the group.^[23] Additional features include thirty luxury suites, a full-service restaurant, a built-in concert stage, and sideline roofs designed to protect fans from the elements. Even with the inclusion of these features, approximately sixty percent of the venue's spectators will be able to view the Commodore Barry Bridge and the Delaware River from their seats. PPL Park's façade is made up of brick and natural stone, a continuity of traditional Philadelphia architecture.^[6] Its concessions, catering, and ticket sales are managed by the Philadelphia-based Comcast Spectacor company.^[6] The Panasonic Corporation is one of the stadium's major sponsors and provides broadcast and television production systems, large-screen LED displays, security systems, and point-of-sale systems.^[24]

Awards

• In September 2010, Mid-Atlantic Construction Magazine named PPL Park the "Sports/Recreation Project of the Year." The company grants the award to premier construction projects in the Mid-Atlantic region.^[25]

• On February 25, 2011, the Delaware County Planning Commission awarded PPL Park the 2010 William H. Bates Memorial Award.^[26] Since 1980, the honor is presented annually to real-estate developers that improved a Delaware County property.

Concessions

Under the care of Comcast Spectacor, PPL Park features many of the foods commonly sold at American sports venues such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, and ice cream. It also offers traditional Philadelphia food items such cheesesteaks, hoagies, and soft pretzels (shaped like the Union's primary logo). Local companies such as Turkey Hill (based in Lancaster County),^[27] Herr's Snacks (from Notthingham),^[28] and Seasons Pizza^[29] are the exclusive providers of ice cream, non-carbonated beverages, pizza, and other snack foods. The stadium is unique for its peanut butter and jelly sandwich stand. Anheuser-Busch beers are the majority sold at PPL Park but Bass, Heineken, Corona, and Victory are also available.^[30]

Attendance

The largest attendance overall at PPL Park was on October 15, 2011 for a regular season MLS game when the Union hosted the Toronto FC in front of 19,178 fans. The game was a 1 - 1 draw. This clinched the club's first ever MLS Playoff berth. ^[31]

Transportation

Like the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, PPL Park is located near Interstate 95. It is approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the Chester Transportation Center SEPTA station, where shuttle service is provided from four hours prior to kickoff and from full time until the park is empty. The Philadelphia International Airport is 5 miles (8.0 km) from PPL Park.^[6]

Photo gallery

References

External links

• [1]
• Philadelphia Union
• Chester Institute for Economic Development