Top facts about Subaru Park, Talen Energy Stadium

Subaru Park (previously known as PPL Park and Talen Energy Stadium) is a soccer-specific stadium located near the Commodore Barry Bridge on the Delaware River's waterfront in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. The

of Major League Soccer calls this arena home.

Subaru Park was envisioned as the first step toward economic development on the waterfront, with future plans including a riverwalk, as well as various entertainment, retail, and residential developments.

T.N. Ward Company, located in Ardmore, designed and built the stadium. The project is funded by a $30 million investment from Delaware County and a $47 million commitment from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The stadium's naming rights sponsor is Subaru of America.

A cruise through top facts about Subaru Park, Talen Energy Stadium

In this article of top facts about Subaru Park, we'll take a complete tour of the facility, learning about its structure as well as its history. This post also contains information about the stadium's historical uses and how its name came to be. Let us dive straight into the

top facts about Subaru Park

and learn more about this field without further ado.

Subaru Park history

Starting from the beginning of the Subaru Park project formation, we dedicated the first section of top facts about Subaru Park to its history.

For numerous years,

(MLS) had expressed interest in joining the Philadelphia market, with Commissioner Don Garber repeatedly promising a team, as evidenced by his statement, "It's not a matter of if, but when Philadelphia gets a team."

Initially, Major League Soccer was interested in a location near Bristol, some 23 miles (37 kilometers) north of Philadelphia's Center City. Those proposals were never carried out.

Later, Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, revealed plans for a soccer stadium near its campus. Funding from the state of New Jersey, on the other hand, fell through in 2006.

After funding for the Rowan project failed to pass the New Jersey legislature 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, began planning for a soccer-specific stadium in the city of Chester.

In October 2007, Delaware County legislators announced their acceptance of funding for the stadium after months of negotiations.

The team owns the name rights to the stadium and the site, while Delaware County owns the land and the stadium itself, according to a 30-year lease agreement.

The county's $30 million part is paid by the Delaware County Sports Authority, which is funded by taxes from the Harrah's Chester harness racing track and casino. Private investors provided an additional $80 million.

Subaru Park construction

The construction process took time, and the field is still being developed with the future being designed for a bigger and better stadium. Let us talk about this in a much-detailed manner in this section of top facts about Subaru Park.

On January 31, 2008, Governor Ed Rendell and Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi proposed a package for the city of Chester that included a soccer stadium and economic revival.

A total of $25 million was set aside for stadium construction, with an additional $7 million going toward a two-phase project that includes 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 1,350-car parking structure.

Another 200 apartments, as well as 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) of office space and 22,000 square feet (2,000 m2) of retail space, would be erected in phase two.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborated with the city of Chester to ensure that construction activities did not negatively damage the adjoining parking facility, which had previously housed the Wade Dump.

Wade Dump was a Chester, Pennsylvania-based rubber recycling and illegal industrial waste storage and disposal site. It was located at 1 Flower Street, just north of the Commodore Barry Bridge, on the western bank of the Delaware River.

How did the field end up with the name that it occupies now? The next section of top facts about Subaru Park is all about that.

Subaru Park naming rights

The Philadelphia Union announced on February 25, 2010, that the Allentown-based PPL Corporation had purchased the naming rights to their home facility for $20 million over an 11-year period. PPL EnergyPlus provides the stadium with sustainable energy sourced from various Pennsylvania sources as part of the agreement.

Panasonic manufactures broadcast and television production equipment, as well as large-screen, LED displays, security systems, and point-of-sale systems. The stadium is unique in that there is no visible American flag for spectators or competitors inside.

Talen Energy took over the stadium's naming rights and energy supplies on November 30, 2015. PPL spun off Talen Energy as an electricity generator, with PPL concentrating on transmission and distribution.

Subaru of America was revealed as the stadium's new naming rights holder on February 18, 2020, and that is why this article is called

top facts about Subaru Park

.

Subaru Park structure and facilities

Let us take a tour inside the walls of this magnificent field and describe the structure itself in this section of top facts about Subaru Park.

The stadium intended to be an oval-shaped stadium with a cantilevered canopy covering all seating zones, similar to most European football grounds, according to the first design drawings.

The Union's ownership group, Keystone Sports & Entertainment, redesigned a special entrance for the Sons of Ben supporters organization in acknowledgment of their loyalty after speaking with the young club's followers. This entry connects to a 2,000-seat area at the stadium's southeast end that is allocated exclusively for The River End.

The Main and Bridge Stands have cantilevered canopies that shelter fans from the weather while allowing them to see the Commodore Barry Bridge and the Delaware River from their seats.

The brick and natural stone outside the façade is a continuation of classic Philadelphia architecture. Thirty luxury rooms, a full-service restaurant and club over the Chester End, and a built-in concert stage at The River End are among the additional amenities (which have yet to be used).

The Union replaced the former video board above the Chester End with a new 3,440 sq ft (320 m2) high dynamic range (HDR) video board in February 2020, as part of Subaru of America becoming the stadium's naming rights holder.

It was the first of its kind in an MLS soccer-specific stadium. LED ribbon boards were also upgraded around the field and seating bowl. For the 2020 season, a new VIP premium area named the "Tunnel Club" opens. 

The "Subaru Plaza" area outside the stadium was expanded to accommodate pregame celebrations as well as a new community garden to cultivate fruits and vegetables for the local community.

Subaru Park first match

What was the first match that took place in this stadium? We will answer that in this section of top facts about Subaru Park.

The Philadelphia Union decided to play their first home game at Lincoln Financial Field rather than Subaru Park due to construction delays. On June 27, 2010, they defeated

3–1 in their first match at the venue. On a crossed header, Sébastien Le Toux scored the Union's first goal at the stadium. Sounders FC's Pat Noonan, on the other hand, scored the venue's first goal.

The stadium's record attendance was set on December 5th, 2021, when the Union was defeated 2–1 by

in front of 19,487 people during the 2021 Eastern Conference Final.

The Philadelphia Union indicated an interest in extending the stadium's capacity in 2011 due to consistently high attendance and ticket sales. The anticipated expansion would take place in three stages: first to 20,000 people, then to 27,000, and lastly to around 30,000.

Subaru Park other uses

The Collegiate Rugby Championship has been held at Subaru Park in June since 2011. The Collegiate Rugby Championship is the most well-known collegiate rugby tournament in the United States, and it is broadcast live every year on NBC. The competition drew almost 17,800 spectators in 2011.

The Maori All Blacks faced the United States in the first rugby union international at Subaru Park on November 9, 2013. The visiting Maori All Blacks won 29–19 in front of a sold-out crowd of 18,500 people.

Subaru Park has lately been chosen as the annual site for the Drum Corps International Summer Competition Tour due to its potential to be used as a football field.

The Army-Navy Cup is an annual men's soccer rivalry between the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, and the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

The schools played at a neutral site for the first time in the 75-year history of the soccer rivalry, and it was the first regular-season neutral-site encounter, with the other two occurring in the NCAA tournament. Philadelphia, located midway between the two colleges, is the traditional home of the legendary football rivalry. The first Philadelphia game drew 3,672 spectators.

The 2012 Big East Men's Soccer Tournament was relocated from Red Bull Arena to Subaru Park due to Hurricane Sandy's effects. The reformed conference's tournament was held at Subaru Park again in 2013. A 2014 international friendly between Greece and Nigeria was also held at the stadium. The game ended in a stalemate.

Subaru Park hosted the College Cup in 2013, and it will host the event again in 2017. France defeated England and the United States defeated Germany in the opening set of matches of the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, which were held at the stadium.

Lacrosse

One of the interesting top facts about Subaru Park is that the stadium hosted some Lacrosse events. In the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship, the stadium hosted two quarterfinal matches.

The Steinfeld Cup, a Major League Lacrosse Championship, was held at the stadium in 2013. In front of 3,892 people, the Chesapeake Bayhawks defeated the Charlotte Hounds 10–9.

The 2015 ACC Lacrosse Championship was held at the facility on April 24 and 26, 2015. The NCCA Division I and Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships were held at the stadium in 2015.

In the DI game, Maryland defeated North Carolina, while in the DIII game, SUNY Cortland defeated Trinity College of Hartford. On May 28 and 29, 2016, the stadium hosted the NCAA Division I and Division III Women's Lacrosse Championships for the second time.

The boys' 2015 Inter-Academic League Championship game between The Haverford School in Pennsylvania and The Hun School in New Jersey was a highlight at the high school level. Haverford School won both the game and the Inter-Ac championship, concluding a perfect 23–0 season.

Subaru Park complementary facts

For the final section of top facts about Subaru Park, we have provided some complimentary facts about this field just to wrap up the article in a perfect manner with no facts left behind.

The stadium was selected "Sports/Recreation Project of the Year" by Mid-Atlantic Construction Magazine in September 2010. The award is given to outstanding construction projects in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The stadium received the 2010 William H. Bates Memorial Award from the Delaware County Planning Commission in February 2011. The award has been given to real estate developers who have upgraded a Delaware County property every year since 1980.

Many of the meals provided at American sports facilities are available at Subaru Park, as well as traditional Philadelphia dishes like cheesesteaks, hoagies, and soft pretzels (formed like the Union's primary emblem).

Local businesses such as Turkey Hill, Herr's Snacks, and Seasons Pizza provide a variety of cuisine, while local breweries such as Victory and Dogfish Head provide beer.

The stadium, like the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, is close to Interstate 95. It's about a mile (1.6 km) from the Chester Transportation Center SEPTA station, where shuttle service is available from four hours before kickoff until the park is completely empty. The nearest airport is Philadelphia International Airport, which is 5 miles (8.0 kilometers) away.

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top facts about Subaru Park

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