Dignity Health Sports Park

Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-sports venue located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez in Carson, California which is regarded as the largest soccer-specific stadium in the United States. It was opened in 2003 and is operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group.

This stadium was formerly known as Home Depot Center and StubHub Center. The opening match was witnessed by prominent sports personalities, including the football legend Pele. The center went under a major renovation in 2017 and was designed by the prominent architectural company Rossetti Architects.

The complex consists of the capacity to support 27,000 seats for Soccer, Tennis, and other national and international sports competitions. This stadium is also home to the Major League Soccer's L.A. Galaxy, MLS Cup Champions for five times, United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) High-Performance Training Center, U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF).

The stadium was inaugurated in 2003. This stadium has been home to many teams of many other clubs. For example, it is home to the Los Angeles Wildcats of XFL and for 2020 and 2021.  The stadium also served as the temporary home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team.

History of Dignity Health Sports Park Stadium

Dignity Health Sports Park stadium was developed and operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group with $150 million U.S. dollars. It is the second-largest soccer-specific stadium in the USA. During the stadium’s first decade,  its sponsor was a hardware retailer, The Home Depot. In 2013, the title sponsor became the online ticket marketplace StubHub and later on the sponsor name changed to the healthcare provider Dignity Health in 2019 with the new naming rights agreement.

The stadium began with L.A. Galaxy (MLS) from 2003 till present, defunct Club Deportivo Chivas USA, Los Angeles Riptide from 2005 till 2014, Los Angeles Sol (WPS) for women soccer championship in 2009, L.A. Galaxy II (USLC) since 2015, for Los Angeles Chargers (NFL) from 2017-2019, Los Angeles Wildcats (XFL) in 2020 and the San Diego State Aztecs Football (NCAA) from 2020-2021.

The architecture of the Dignity Health Sports Park stadium was designed and developed by the Rossetti Architects, and the contractor was PCL Construction Services, Inc.

Construction

The stadium was the second American sports arena designed specifically for soccer in the Major League Soccer (“MLS”) era. The Dignity Health Sports Park features a 2,450-seat VELO Sports Center (velodrome), an 8,000-seat tennis stadium. Furthermore, an outdoor track and field facility has 2,000 permanent seats and can be expanded to 20,000.

Renovations

The stadium had gone into renovation process to increase the audience's capacity. In 2017, to accommodate the Los Angeles Chargers use of the stadium many upgrades were made such as the luxury suites were renovated with new seats, furniture, community tables and engineered hardwood floors and the press box underwent an upgrade with a third row added to the main box, boosting from about 35 to 53.

Moreover two new radio booths were built outside the south side of the press box, and a large new booth on the north side to serve as a security command post for police and NFL officials were constructed.

Later on after the Los Angeles Chargers (“NFL”) left for Inglewood, the football facilities were taken over by the Los Angeles Wildcats (“XFL”) when the XFL team began operations in 2020.

Significance of Dignity Health Sports Park

• The Dignity Health Sports Park was designed with multiple stadiums for Soccer, football, tennis, cycling and other sports and entertainment purposes.
• This stadium has been home to multiple sports clubs and teams.
• The stadium held FIFA Women’s World Cup 2003.
• During the first year of the centre after its inauguration, it witnessed the MLS All-Star Game. The centre also hosted the MLS Cup in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
• Dignity Health Sports Park also hosted the United States Men’s National Rugby Union Team match for the Pacific Nations Cup from 2013-14.
• The International Champions Cup's match between Paris Saint-Germain and Leicester City was held here on July 30, 2016. The former won by (4-0).
• The Vans Warped Tour was held annually in the stadium parking lot until 2018. (Tour’s final year)
• CONCACAF Women’s Olympic qualifying in 2020 held in this stadium.
• It also hosted the "Quest for Gold" pre-Olympic Rugby Sevens showcase in June 2021.
• This stadium is scheduled to host 2028 Olympic Rugby Sevens Tournaments as well tennis, modern pentathlon, field hockey and track cycling.
• The center includes a soccer stadium, VELO Sports Center (velodrome) with 2,450-seating capacity, a tennis stadium with 8,000 seating capacity and a track and field facility to conduct other outdoor games with 2,000 permanent seats.