CityPark – stadium description

How did the construction of a new soccer stadium in St. Louis happen?

After several unsuccessful attempts to create a football team in St. Louis to participate in the MLS, a new investor initiative was created in the autumn of 2018, with a sizeable financial backing and support from local officials. In August 2019, the MLS authorities announced the licensing of a future club from St. Louis from the 2023 season onwards, with the new team being named St. Louis City SC. The foundation of the club was to be a new, soccer-specific stadium.

Where is the new stadium in St. Louis located?

Land located downtown near Union Station, on representative Market Street, was chosen as the site for the development. This was a site originally intended for the construction of a section of a short highway to run inside the administrative boundaries of St. Louis, the construction of which ultimately did not take place. Prior to the development of the stadium, the site was mainly occupied by car parks.

In the past, there were residential buildings on the site, which began to be demolished in the 1950s for the construction of the would-be motorway. With the erection of the new stadium, a monument of eight columns was erected right next to it to commemorate the existence of the former housing estate.

When was the new stadium for St. Louis City FC built?

Site clearance work began in February 2020, with the ceremonial driving of the first structural steel beam on December 9, 2020. Construction was completed in the summer of 2022. The main contractor for the facility was a consortium of Mortenson Construction, Alberici Corporation and L. Keeley Construction (abbreviated as MAK), and the project cost closed at $457.8 million. The design of the stadium was created by HOK Architects and Snow Kreilich Architects.

How was the new stadium in St Louis named?

In February 2022, it was announced that a 15-year sponsorship agreement had been signed with a healthcare company, Centene Corporation, under which the facility under construction was henceforth called Centene Stadium. In October 2022, however, Centene reduced its sponsorship stake in the club, relinquishing, among other things, the naming rights to the stadium. The facility was then renamed CityPark, although it would eventually gain a new title sponsor.

When did CityPark in St. Louis open?

The opening of the stadium was supposed to take place as early as September 2022, but electricity problems caused the game scheduled as the inaugural to be moved to another venue. The facility was finally inaugurated on November 16, 2022, when the St. Louis City SC 2 team (St. Louis City SC reserves, playing in the MLS Next Pro competition from 2022) played a friendly against Germany's Bayer 04 Leverkusen (0:3) at the new stadium.

What are the characteristics of CityPark in St. Louis?

The new facility has a typically football-oriented, rectangular layout, with two-tier stands surrounding the pitch on all sides. The playing surface is 12 m below the level of the surrounding ground. The capacity of the arena is 22,500 spectators and the seats in the stadium are in the club's colours (red and dark blue). A number of white seating in the lower tier of the east stand forms the inscription 'City'.

In designing the stadium, special care was taken to ensure that spectators were as close as possible to pitch events - the furthest seats are 120 feet (37 m) from the playing field.

The upper tier of the auditorium has a mixed-use approach, with each of its four sections separated from one another. The most distinctive section is behind the south gate, where a large glass pavilion is located. The separateness of this section of the stands is to be emphasised by the clear cut canopy over this part of the stadium.

The main stand with VIP boxes is located on the west side. The facility also has a premium seating offer, which is available in the central part of the main stand and in the upper tier of the stand behind the south gate. In the lower part of the sections behind the north gate, intended for the most energetic fans, railings have been installed alongside the seats, creating more than 3,000 secure standing places. Two wide screens have been placed in the stands behind the goals.

Most of the spectator seats are under a canopy, resting on vertically aligned circular steel beams. Floodlighting and a sound system have been installed under the roof. Notable are the cut-outs over the northern corners and the pavilion on the south side. In the vicinity of the stadium, three training pitches have been created, as well as additional retail and service areas.