From Deseret News archives:

Stadium rising: $110 million project pushing for September opening

Published: Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 12:54 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
SANDY — The only roar soccer fans will hear these days at Real Stadium is the whir and spark of welding crews, the bellow of massive propane heaters and the scraping of heavy construction tools. But on a tour of the stadium's construction site, officials told the Deseret Morning News that the cheers of the crowd aren't too far away.

After all, they say, the $110 million project is more than halfway complete.

The final pieces of structural steel have been placed, making visible the final shape and size of the stadium. Two-foot-wide gray and beige bricks are also being laid, and the shapes of rooms and suites are becoming apparent.

"If you're driving on I-15, if you're driving on State Street, you're seeing a massive skeleton of what will be in eight to nine months from now one of the premier sporting venues in the state," said Trey Fitz-Gerald, spokesman for the team. "One of our goals is to make sure that no detail is forgotten."

Leaders with Real Salt Lake, the state's Major League Soccer team, are so confident of the planned opening in mid-September that the team has scheduled a national television broadcast on ESPN from there for Oct. 9, said Sandy economic development director Randy Sant. Real Salt Lake plans to bring in big-name entertainers for the event, but no contracts have been signed, officials said.

Story continues below
The first seats — all of which will be of the tip-up variety — are scheduled to be bolted into place April 1. Other seats will arrive and be placed over the next three months, officials said. Most of the seats are red, but others are black, white and blue — the team's colors. There will be 21,000 permanent seats.

Construction crews are working on welding steel odds andends and pouring concrete. Soon, electronic message boards equipped with LEDs will be put up throughout the stadium. When the time comes, they will flash sponsor messages to the crowds. The stadium will also be equipped with massive screens that will show close-up views of stadium events.

The structure will hold 21,000 fewer soccer fans than the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium, where RSL has played since coming to Utah in 2005. However, the new stadium will have an intimate feel and is expected to delight die-hard fans with features such as a center-field player entrance tunnel and ground-level seats, Fitz-Gerald said.

"We're trying to achieve a level of intimacy here so (the fans) really feel like they're part of the game" he said.

Planned features

Recent comments

Great to finally see some models of the new stadium.
Please post...

ajarizona | Jan. 23, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.

it is SO refreshing to see a local media outlet say something...

chad | Jan. 22, 2008 at 4:21 p.m.


There were 10 original teams in MLS in 1996, of that 9 are still in...

Dear Alternate | Jan. 19, 2008 at 2:06 p.m.

Image

Construction workers aren't letting winter get in the way of building Real Salt Lake's soccer stadium, which is more than halfway done.

previousnext

Latest comments

Legalization of pot is harmful

The last three Presidents have smoked pot. It obviously did not destroy their...

Mitchell called intelligent, controlling

It's only been 5 years, whats the hurry? The state has plenty of money for...

Cougs begin bowl preparations

You still have women's gymnastics. Scoreboard: BYU 26 - Utah 23

Utes won't respond to Hall

You sir are an idiot...I would love see any evidence of Mrs. Max Hall or his...

Millsap in, A.K. out against Memphis

They are only playing for a seeding until April to go into a tournament...

all ye who are sinless.. let him cast the first stone.

I fell in love with The Wheel of Time after the first chapter of Eye of the...

Utes won't respond to Hall

You didn't win 2 BCS you played in two BCS games and defeated Pittsburgh and...

Body of missing woman found

It seems to me that both Roy City and Weber County failed in their attempts...

a bruised knee? are you kidding, what a pansy

Advertisements