Ford Field
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Template:Infobox Stadium Image:MikerussellFordField.JPG Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan that is the home of the Detroit Lions of the NFL. It is across the street from Comerica Park. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for basketball. The naming rights were paid for by Ford at $40 million over 20 years; the Ford family (including Lions owner William Clay Ford, Sr.) holds a controlling interest in the company.
Ford Field was planned simultaneously with Comerica Park, which opened in April 2000, as part of a public project to replace Tiger Stadium and the Pontiac Silverdome. Ford Field was constructed after Comerica Park, opening in 2002. It cost an estimated $300 million to build, financed largely through public money and the sale of the naming rights.
The stadium's design incorporates a six-story former J.L. Hudson's warehouse, which had stood since the 1920s. Architecturally, the stadium shares a likeness with its sister stadium Ford Center, a multipurpose sports/concert arena located in downtown Oklahoma City.
The presence of the warehouse structure allows for a seating arrangement unique among professional American football stadiums, with the club seats and lounges located along a single side of the field, and the bulk of the grandstand seats along the other three sides. To prevent the stadium's exterior from becoming an overly dominant presence in the Detroit skyline, the playing field and a majority of the stands were set below street level.
Unlike most indoor stadiums, Ford Field allows a large amount of natural light to reach the playing field, thanks to immense skylights and glass-enclosed corners. The southwest corner of the stadium offers fans a fine view of downtown Detroit.
Ford Field features a FieldTurf playing surface made from recycled Firestone tires.
Notable Events Hosted
On December 13, 2003, Ford Field hosted the largest crowd ever to attend a basketball game, as 78,129 people packed the stadium to watch Michigan State University and the University of Kentucky. Kentucky won 84-79.
Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL, which was played on February 5, 2006. The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10 to win their 5th Super Bowl.
Upcoming Major Events
The stadium is set to be the stage for WWE WrestleMania 23 on April 1, 2007. It will be the first WrestleMania held in Detroit since a world record setting 93,173 fans filled the Silverdome for WrestleMania III in 1987. WWE will most likely break Ford Field's attendance record with WrestleMania 23.
Ford Field is also scheduled to host 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament regional semifinal and final games (March 28 and 30, 2008), the 2009 Final Four (April 5 and 7, 2009), and the 2010 Frozen Four (April 8 and 10, 2010).
The stadium hosts the annual Motor City Bowl, which usually features the Mid-American Conference champion playing a Big Ten Conference team. It also hosts the Michigan High School Athletic Association's football championships on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving.[1]