PNC Stadium

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This article is about the multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas. For the Pittsburgh Pirates stadium, see PNC Park.

PNC Stadium
The Oven, The Orange Box
PNC Stadium logo.png
PNC Stadium Skyline View.jpg
View from inside the stadium with the Downtown Houston skyline in the background
PNC Stadium is located in Houston Downtown
PNC Stadium
PNC Stadium
Location in Downtown Houston
PNC Stadium is located in Texas
PNC Stadium
PNC Stadium
Location in Texas
PNC Stadium is located in the United States
PNC Stadium
PNC Stadium
Location in the United States
Former namesBBVA Compass Stadium (2012–2019)
BBVA Stadium (2019–2021)
Address2200 Texas Avenue
LocationHouston, Texas
Coordinates29°45.132′N 95°21.144′W / 29.752200°N 95.352400°W / 29.752200; -95.352400Coordinates: 29°45.132′N 95°21.144′W / 29.752200°N 95.352400°W / 29.752200; -95.352400
Public transitHoustonMetroLogoOnly.svg EaDo/Stadium HoustonMetroGreenLine.svg HoustonMetroPurpleLine.svg
OwnerHarris County–Houston Sports Authority
OperatorAnschutz Entertainment Group
Capacity22,039
Field size115 yd × 73 yd (105 m × 67 m)[1]
Surface'Celebration' Bermuda grass
Construction
Broke groundFebruary 5, 2011
OpenedMay 12, 2012
Construction cost$95 million
($107 million in 2020 dollars[2])
ArchitectPopulous
Project managerHarris County – Houston Sports Authority/ICON Venue
Structural engineerWalter P. Moore[3]
Services engineerM–E Engineers, Inc.[4]
General contractorManhattan Construction Company[5]
Tenants
Houston Dynamo FC (MLS) (2012–present)
Texas Southern Tigers (NCAA) (2012–present)
Houston Cougars (NCAA) (2013)
Houston Baptist Huskies (NCAA) (2013)
Houston Dash (NWSL) (2014–present)

PNC Stadium (formerly BBVA Compass Stadium then BBVA Stadium) is an American multi-purpose stadium located in Houston, Texas that is home to Houston Dynamo FC, a Major League Soccer club, the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League, and Texas Southern Tigers football. The stadium is the result of combined commitments of $35.5 million from the city of Houston and $60 million from the Houston Dynamo. Harris County agreed to pay for half of the land in exchange for the ability to jointly own the stadium after its completion date in May 2012.[6] PNC Financial Services (stylized as PNC) is the stadium's sponsor company.

The stadium is located on a tract of land bordered by Texas, Walker, Emancipation, and Hutchins in East Downtown and east of Interstate 69/U.S. Route 59 and Downtown Houston.[7][8]

Construction history: 2009–2011[]

Construction site for the stadium

In June 2009, negotiations and financing began to fall into place with construction of the stadium originally beginning as early as Fall 2009. Banks and investors were in the books to finance the project and only minor details were being worked out.[9] Various locations the Dynamo were interested in building a stadium since their arrival were the former Astroworld site, Pearland, Sugar Land, and Northeast Houston near the Lake Houston area.[9]

On January 26, 2010, the Houston Dynamo franchise had expressed an interest in a proposed 30-acre (120,000 m2) parcel for the stadium location at South Rice Avenue and Westpark Drive—adjacent to Bellaire's city limits, and near the southwest corner of the Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 and the Interstate 610 interchanges.[10] Two days later, the Mayor of Bellaire, Cindy Seigel said that she would use whatever power she could to oppose the possible new location and is in communication with the developer to dissuade him. She acknowledges that considering that the land is in Houston's city limits and only abuts her city, the odds are slim and said in an open letter to Midway:

Fans on the north and east side of Houston will have difficulty in getting to this site. Additionally, this site does not have the infrastructure in place to serve it that already exists at other athletic facilities downtown or at Reliant Park.[11]

The highly populated and heavily Hispanic area of Gulfton is within proximity, although former Council member Pam Holm stated that ethnic considerations should not be key to choosing a stadium location: "To position this as a Hispanic sport and say the stadium has to be in proximity to Hispanic neighborhoods doesn’t do it justice, the Dynamo is something that all citizens of Houston have so embraced."[12]

On April 7, 2010, The Houston City Council unanimously approved an agreement Wednesday that is expected to pave the way for a new stadium for the Houston Dynamo and the Texas Southern University football team, which is expected to be on a tract of land bordered by Texas, Walker, Dowling and Hutchins in East Downtown and east of Interstate 69/U.S. Route 59 and Downtown Houston.[7][8] On April 13, 2010, Harris County commissioners voted unanimously to begin construction of the new Dynamo stadium east of downtown,[13] clearing the way for construction sometime in February 2011.

Oliver Luck, at the time President and General Manager of the Dynamo, announced the financing, architect, and project manager for the new stadium. He announced Populous had been chosen to design and build the stadium. Populous, one of the world's leading sports architecture firms, had previously built three other major venues in the city—Minute Maid Park, NRG Stadium, and the Toyota Center,[14] and internationally designed soccer stadia including Wembley Stadium (London), Emirates Stadium (London), Soccer City (Johannesburg), and Aviva Stadium (Dublin).

On February 5, 2011, the Houston Dynamo, led by Houston mayor Annise Parker and Harris County Judge , broke ground on the Houston Dynamo Stadium site. Houston Dynamo President Chris Canetti strongly expressed that the stadium will be ready by April 2012.[15]

Milestones[]

Date Notes
February 5, 2011 Groundbreaking
March 10, 2011 The portion of Bastrop Street and Rusk Street that runs through the site is removed
May 6, 2011 Construction crews begin drilling on site
May 12, 2011 The first concrete is poured
August 15, 2011 First steel beam is installed
November 14, 2011 Last steel beam is installed
December 13, 2011 BBVA Compass acquires naming rights
May 10, 2012 Houston Dynamo Academy 0 – 3 United States U-17 Men's
First event & first soccer match
May 12, 2012 Houston Dynamo 1 – 0 D.C. United
First Houston Dynamo match
May 23, 2012 New Zealand 2 – 2 El Salvador (Association football)
BBVA Compass Content Series
First international sporting event
June 23, 2012 USA 10 – 30 Italy (Rugby union)
2012 Italian Tour of the Americas
First rugby union match
August 31, 2012 Cinco Ranch (Katy) 34 – 6 Cypress Ranch (Cypress-Fairbanks) (American football)
BBVA Compass Kick Off Classic
First American football game
September 15, 2012 Texas Southern 35 – 45 Jackson State (American football)
First Texas Southern match
October 12, 2012 Mexico 5 – 0 Guyana
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CONCACAF Third Round
First FIFA World Cup qualification match
November 4, 2012 Houston Dynamo 2 – 0 Sporting Kansas City
First Houston Dynamo playoff match
December 12, 2012 United States 4 – 0 China PR
International friendly
First visit by the United States women's national soccer team[note 1]
January 29, 2013 United States 0 – 0 Canada
International friendly
First visit by the United States men's national soccer team[note 2]
February 1, 2013 Australia 31 – 12 Japan (Rugby sevens)
2012–13 IRB Women's Sevens World Series – Pool C
First rugby sevens match

United States 12 – 12 Canada (Rugby sevens)
2012–13 IRB Women's Sevens World Series – Pool B
First visit by the United States rugby sevens team

April 14, 2013 Houston Dynamo 2 – 1 Chicago Fire
New record of longest unbeaten run at home in Major League Soccer (36 games)
October 12, 2013 Houston Cougars 25 – 15 Memphis Tigers (American football)
First Houston Cougars match
August 3, 2014 Houston Gaels (White) 20 – 16 Houston Gaels (Blue) (Gaelic football)
First Gaelic Football match [16]
  1. ^ The USWNT last played in Houston on February 3, 2020 at BBVA Stadium in a 6–0 win over Costa Rica.
  2. ^ The USMNT last played in Houston during the Semifinals of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup on June 22, 2011 at Reliant Stadium in a 1–0 win over Panama.

Sports[]

Soccer[]

Houston Dynamo fans at BBVA Stadium in 2015

Construction on BBVA Stadium led to the Houston Dynamo's decision to play their first seven games of the 2012 Major League Soccer season on the road. Their first match at the stadium was played on May 12, 2012 when they defeated D.C. United 1–0. The lone goal came from Brad Davis from 35 yards out which beat D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid. The win happened in front of a capacity crowd of 22,039 and would mark the beginning of what would be an unbeaten year for the Dynamo at home, posting a year-end home record of 11–0–6.

After completion, BBVA Stadium became home to several international matches. The first was between New Zealand and El Salvador for the BBVA Compass Content Series on May 23, 2012. The match ended in a 2–2 draw. The first FIFA Qualifier match was played between Mexico and Guyana on October 12, 2012. Mexico won the match, 5–0.

The United States women's national team made its debut at the stadium with a 4–0 win over China PR on December 12, 2012. The United States men's national team played to a scoreless draw with Canada on January 29, 2013, in its BBVA debut.

Rugby union[]

BBVA Stadium played host to the 2012 Italian Tour of the Americas which saw the USA Eagles play Italy to a 30–10 loss. The Eagles returned to BBVA Compass Stadium to play a mid-year rugby union test match against Ireland on June 8, 2013; the Eagles lost 15–12, but set a record for largest crowd for the Eagles on home soil when 20,181 fans packed the stadium.

BBVA Stadium played host to the 2012–13 IRB Women's Sevens World Series in the USA leg of the series. However, the USA leg of the World Series was moved to the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, Georgia for the 2013–14 series, where it has remained ever since.

College football[]

BBVA Stadium is home to Texas Southern University football. During the 2013 season, the stadium also hosted the Houston Cougars for two games while TDECU Stadium was being built.

Attendance records

Rank Attendance Date Game Result
1 20,197 November 23, 2013 Houston 17, Cincinnati 24
2 20,103 October 12, 2013 Houston 25, Memphis 15
3 19,075 September 5, 2015 Texas Southern 11, Prairie View A&M 38
4 18,361 August 31, 2013 Texas Southern 35, Jackson State 45
5 18,297 September 4, 2021 Texas Southern 17, Prairie View A&M 40
6 16,407 August 31, 2019 Texas Southern 24, Prairie View A&M 44
7 14,623 September 15, 2012 Texas Southern 13, Prairie View A&M 37
8 14,102 November 25, 2017 Texas Southern 16, Prairie View A&M 30
9 12,427 November 11, 2017 Texas Southern 7, Southern 33
10 10,127 October 24, 2015 Texas Southern 21, Southern 40
11 10,121 October 22, 2016 Texas Southern 13, Jackson State 21
12 10,010 October 13, 2018 Texas Southern 21, Grambling State 34
13 9,868 November 14, 2015 Texas Southern 13, Alcorn State 65
14 9,146 November 19, 2016 Texas Southern 28, 17 Grambling State 47
15 9,027 November 1, 2014 Texas Southern 7, Grambling State 35
16 8,462 October 14, 2017 Texas Southern 16, Alabama State 23
17 8,210 October 25, 2014 Texas Southern 37, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 38
18 6,406 November 1, 2013 Texas Southern 24, Southern 31
19 6,218 September 7, 2017 Texas Southern 17, Houston Baptist 24
20 5,782 October 27, 2018 Texas Southern 42, Mississippi Valley State 14

Gaelic football[]

BBVA Stadium played host to the first ever Gaelic football game on an MLS pitch August 3, 2014, when the Houston Gaels played the first of their now-annual demonstration match (divided squad) after the Houston Dynamo-D.C. United match. The Gaels were originally scheduled to play on March 15 after the Dynamo-Montreal Impact match as part of the Saint Patrick's Day weekend festivities, but the game was postponed due to concerns about the rain-soaked pitch. [16]

Features and design[]

The Stadium has a capacity of 22,039 seats, including 34 private suites, 1,100 club seats, Premium Club, dedicated supporters stand, and food court.[3] The stadium is designed to accommodate MLS and FIFA standard international soccer, football, lacrosse, rugby, and concerts.

Architecturally, the stadium features a faceted facade of expanded metal mesh with orange polycarbonate enclosed entrances and spectator facilities that reflects the industrial heritage of the East Downtown location. The stadium architect, Christopher Lee of Populous, stated that, “We set out to design the perfect urban soccer stadium: tight, atmospheric, and intimate.”[17] Christopher Lee was the designer of the famed Emirates Stadium in London, England, and his design brings European stadium traditions of intimate and atmospheric soccer specific stadia to MLS.[18] The $95 million stadium construction cost makes the BBVA Compass Stadium the most cost-effective of modern soccer-specific stadiums, with recent venues like the Red Bull Arena costing $200 million,[19] Rio Tinto Stadium costing $110 million,[20] and PPL Park costing $115 million.[21]

East Facade along Emancipation
North Facade along Texas Avenue
Stadium Geometric Entrance
Stadium Illuminated at Night

Sponsors[]

On December 13, 2011, BBVA Compass, an international bank with dozens of branches in Houston, signed a 10-year, $20 million naming rights deal. The stadium was renamed to "BBVA Stadium" on June 13, 2019, as part of the company's brand changes.[22]

During the second half of the 2021 season, BBVA Stadium was rebranded as PNC Stadium following PNC Financial Services' acquisition of BBVA USA in June 2021. [23]

Awards[]

On December 10, 2012, BBVA Compass Stadium received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The stadium received the award for its innovative construction and sustainable design. Notable achievements during the stadium's construction process included diverting 86.85% of on-site generated construction waste to landfills, reducing water use by 41% from the installation of high-energy toilets, reducing energy use by 20.41%, using 98.42% of the wood-based building materials from certified forests and providing preferred parking spaces for fuel-efficient low-emissions vehicles.

Concessions[]

On March 22, 2012, AEG Facilities-managed BBVA Compass and the Houston Dynamo announced that Levy Restaurants will be the official restaurant partner.

Stadium partners[]

The following are its current official stadium partners:[24]

  1. Budweiser
  2. Audi
  3. Papa Johns
  4. Life Storage
  5. AT&T

Accessibility and transportation[]

The stadium is adjacent to METRORail light rail at EaDo/Stadium station, served by the Green and Purple lines. Taxi, Buses, street, and garage parking nearby. The stadium is located southeast of Minute Maid Park—within the East Downtown district (which is undergoing revitalization efforts) and east of Downtown Houston.

International matches[]

BBVA Stadium hosted its first international match on May 23, 2012, when New Zealand and El Salvador played to a 2–2 draw. The stadium hosted its first women's international match when it hosted a 4–0 win by the United States over China in December 2012.

Men's matches[]

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
May 23, 2012  El Salvador 2–2  New Zealand Friendly 15,500
October 12, 2012  Guyana 0–5  Mexico 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification 12,115
November 14, 2012  Honduras 0–0  Peru Friendly 9,142
January 29, 2013  United States 0–0  Canada 11,737
July 15, 2013  El Salvador 1–0  Haiti 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup 21,783
 Honduras 0–2  Trinidad and Tobago
June 1, 2014  Israel 4–2  Honduras Friendly 19,235
September 10, 2014  Panama 2–0  Nicaragua 2014 Copa Centroamericana 19,287
 El Salvador 2–0  Belize
 Honduras 0–2  Guatemala
July 11, 2015  Jamaica 1–0  Canada 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup 22,017
 Costa Rica 1–1  El Salvador
September 4, 2015  Argentina 7–0  Bolivia Friendly 22,000
October 9, 2015  El Salvador 1–3  Haiti unknown
July 11, 2017  Costa Rica 1–1  Canada 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup 12,019
 Honduras 3–0  French Guiana
October 8, 2017  El Salvador 1–0  Canada Friendly 8,500
June 2, 2018  Honduras 0–1  El Salvador 17,747
March 26, 2019  United States 1–1  Chile 18,033
June 21, 2019  El Salvador 0–0  Jamaica 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup 22,395
 Honduras 0–1  Curaçao
July 13, 2021  Qatar 3–3  Panama 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup 10,625
 Honduras 4–0  Grenada
July 17, 2021  Grenada 0–4  Qatar TBD
 Panama 2–3  Honduras
July 20, 2021  Suriname 2–1  Guadeloupe TBD
 Honduras 0–2  Qatar
December 4, 2021  El Salvador 1–1  Ecuador Friendly 10,709

Women's matches[]

Date Winning Team Result Losing Team Tournament Spectators
December 12, 2012  United States 4–0  China PR Friendly 15,643
February 11, 2016  Guatemala 1–2  Trinidad and Tobago CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying 836
 Canada 5–0  Guyana
February 14, 2016  Guyana 2–1  Guatemala 1,453
 Trinidad and Tobago 0–6  Canada
February 16, 2016  Trinidad and Tobago 5–1  Guyana 859
 Canada 10–0  Guatemala
February 19, 2016  Canada 3–1  Costa Rica 5,516
 United States 5–0  Trinidad and Tobago 5,561
February 21, 2016  Canada 0–2  United States 10,119
April 9, 2017  United States 5–1  Russia Friendly 11,347
April 8, 2018  United States 6–2  Mexico 15,349
January 28, 2020  Costa Rica 6–1  Panama CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying 4,363
 United States 4–0  Haiti
January 31, 2020  Haiti 0–2  Costa Rica 14,121
 Panama 0–8  United States
February 16, 2020  Panama 0–6  Haiti 7,082
 United States 6–0  Costa Rica
June 10, 2021  United States 1–0  Portugal Friendly 9,951
June 13, 2021  United States 4–0  Jamaica 8,737

Rugby union[]

Date Home Team Result Away Team Tournament Spectators
June 23, 2012  United States 10–30  Italy Italy tour of the Americas 17,214[25]
June 8, 2013  United States 12–15  Ireland Ireland tour of the Americas 20,181[26]
June 7, 2014  United States 6–24  Scotland Scotland tour of the Americas 20,001[27]
February 6, 2016  United States 35–35 Argentina Argentina XV 2016 Americas Rugby Championship 10,241[28]
June 16, 2018  United States 30–29  Scotland Scotland tour of the Americas

See also[]

  • List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
  • List of soccer stadiums in the United States

References[]

  1. ^ "Houston Dynamo widen BBVA Compass Stadium pitch as pass-and-move mindset brings "different direction"". houstondynamo.com. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Dynamo Stadium Information
  4. ^ "Stadia Project Descriptions". M–E Engineers, Inc. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  5. ^ Barr, Greg (October 4, 2010). "Manhattan Construction to Build Dynamo Stadium". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  6. ^ Olson, Bradley (April 7, 2010). "Council Approves Deal for New Dynamo Stadium". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 7, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Olsen, Bradley (April 7, 2010). "Council Approves Deal for New Dynamo Stadium". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
  8. ^ a b "Welcome to EaDo". East Downtown Management District. Archived from the original on May 21, 2010. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  9. ^ a b Barr, Greg (June 19, 2009). "Dynamo Stadium Deal Gets Closer to Goal". Houston Business Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  10. ^ Shay, Miya (January 26, 2010). "Dynamo looking at stadium site near Galleria". Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  11. ^ Auilar, Charlotte (January 28, 2010). "Bellaire mayor challenges Dynamo stadium plan". Memorial Examiner. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  12. ^ Aguilar, Charlotte (January 28, 2010). "Who knew? Dynamo private stadium deal was privileged info". West University Examiner. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  13. ^ "County approves Dynamo stadium deal".
  14. ^ "Dynamo Choose Stadium Architect, Project Manager".
  15. ^ De Jesus Ortiz, Jose (February 5, 2011). "Dynamo Break Ground on New East End Stadium". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Simon, Jason (August 6, 2014). "Soccer, a win, and Gaelic Football…". What's the Score. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  17. ^ Populous selected to design Dynamo stadium
  18. ^ Populous Designs Stadium for Houston Dynamo Archived 2014-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Giase, Frank (February 26, 2007). "Red Bulls: MacDonald Strives to Fulfill a Town's Tradition". The Star-Ledger. Newark, New Jersey. Retrieved October 18, 2011.
  20. ^ "Stadium Facts". Rio Tinto Stadium. Archived from the original on April 20, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
  21. ^ PPL Park
  22. ^ "BBVA Compass Stadium renamed BBVA Stadium with ceremonial logo unveiling" (Press release). BBVA. June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  23. ^ "PNC Completes Acquisition of BBVA USA". PNC Financial Services Group – MediaRoom. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  24. ^ Stadium Partners BBVA Compass Stadium official website. Retrieved 27 July 2016
  25. ^ "Record Crowd a Good Thing". Rugbymag. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "Ireland tour 2013 2013". espnscrum. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  27. ^ "Scotland tour 2014 2014". espnscrum. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
  28. ^ "United States of America (16) 35 �� 35 (21) Argentina (FT)". espnscrum. Retrieved April 30, 2021.

External links[]

Preceded by
Sporting Park
 Host of the College Cup
2016 		Succeeded by
PPL Park
Retrieved from ""