Allegiant Stadium in the large Las Vegas metropolitan area has recently found a new use. The facility, which is the daily home of the Las Vegas Raiders team, hosted the US Army veterans one week before hosting Copa America 2024 and two years before the World Cup.

Largest event of its kind in Nevada

June 8, 2024 Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas hosted a unique event - the Day of Gratitude. The initiative was born from the dream of Peter Palivos and Bob Maxwell of Voice of the Veteran, who wanted to honour veterans and their families. Together with CityServe, they were able to organise the largest event of its kind in Nevada history.

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A total of 17,000 veterans, members of the armed forces and their loved ones gathered at the stadium to take part in the celebrations. The programme included a bronze medal ceremony, concerts by Walker Hayes and Danny Gokey, a children's play zone, meet-and-greets with Raiders players and giveaways worth more than $3 million. There were also booths on site with health services, home buying assistance and advice on veterans' benefits.

A key element of the event was the partnership with the Las Vegas Raiders, who made the stadium available at no charge. As a token of gratitude, organisers presented Raiders owner Mark Davis with a medal for his leadership in the veteran community. Shelley Berkley and Dan Kamanao were also presented with medals.

The Day of Gratitude was held to remember the tremendous sacrifices made by veterans and to unite the community around a love of country. Other guest speakers included Zaneta Inez Adams from the Department of Veterans and Nevada politicians who highlighted the importance of supporting veterans.

Despite overwhelming interest and closed registration, organisers were determined to make the event an annual tradition, paying tribute to those who fought for the freedom and security of the United States.

© Business Wire

Allegiant Stadium - Copa America 2024 stadium

The stadium is located in Paradise, a town 14 km south of Las Vegas and west of Mandalay Bay and the interstate highway (I-15). The facility is located adjacent to Russell Road and the land with the stadium covers 25 hectares.

The creation of Allegiant Stadium's concept was commissioned by the Raiders on the occasion of the NFL club's possible move to Las Vegas (the decision was finally made in 2017). At the time, the office of Manica Architecture prepared a variation of an earlier vision developed for the same team.

The total construction cost of Allegiant Stadium was $2.03 billion. It is the second most expensive stadium in the world after SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which cost $3.4bn to build. The investment was originally planned to close in on $1.9bn. With the scale of the project, the technical sophistication and the difficulties arising in the course (US-China trade war or pandemic), a cost increase of more than $100 million does not seem very exaggerated.

Allegiant Stadium has a history that began with the dream of a new home for the NFL team, the Las Vegas Raiders. Plans to build the stadium emerged in 2016 when Raiders owner Mark Davis announced his intention to move the team from Oakland to Las Vegas. A key factor in making the move possible was the need for a new stadium, as the previous facility in Oakland did not meet NFL league requirements.

Allegiant Stadium will host two group stage Copa America 2024 matches and a quarter-final match. The first will take place on June 26, 2024 and will be between Jamaica and Ecuador (Group B). The second match is scheduled for June 28 and will face Paraguay and Brazil (Group D). In addition, the quarter-final , featuring the winner of Group C and the runner-up of Group D, will be played on July 6, 2024.

You can find out more about Allegiant Stadium and other Copa America venues you can read on our website.

© Instagram: @robertolv