Lucas Oil Stadium is a
multi-purpose stadium in
downtown Indianapolis,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
. It replaced the
RCA Dome as the home field of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...
(NFL)'s
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
and opened on August 16, 2008.
The stadium was constructed to allow the removal of the RCA Dome and expansion of the
Indiana Convention Center on its site. It is located on the south side of South Street, a block south of the former site of the RCA Dome. The stadium's
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of ...
belong to the
Lucas Oil corporation.
The venue also serves as the home for the
Drum Corps International Championships.
Architectural firm
HKS, Inc.
HKS, Inc. is an American international architecture firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas (USA).
History
The firm was founded in 1939 by Harwood K. Smith.
In 2002, HKS expanded its international presence by opening HKS Arquitectos in Mex ...
was responsible for the stadium's design, with
Walter P Moore working as the Structural Engineer of Record. The stadium features a retractable roof and a large retractable window on one end, allowing the Colts and the
Indy Eleven to play both indoors and outdoors. The field surface was originally
FieldTurf, but was replaced with Shaw Sports Momentum Pro in 2018. The exterior of the new stadium is faced with a reddish-brown
brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
trimmed with
Indiana limestone, similar to several other sports venues in the area, including
Gainbridge Fieldhouse,
Hinkle Fieldhouse and
Fairgrounds Coliseum
The Indiana Farmers Coliseum (originally Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum and formerly Pepsi Coliseum and Fairgrounds Coliseum) is a 6,500-seat indoor multi-use arena, located on the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The Indiana Farm ...
.
Name
The home field of the Indianapolis Colts for 24 seasons (
1984–
2007) was the
RCA Dome, which was part of the
Indiana Convention Center. In 2006, prior to the new stadium's construction,
Lucas Oil, manufacturer and distributor of
automotive oil,
additives and
lubricants
A lubricant (sometimes shortened to lube) is a substance that helps to reduce friction between surfaces in mutual contact, which ultimately reduces the heat generated when the surfaces move. It may also have the function of transmitting forces, t ...
, secured the
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of ...
for the stadium at a cost of $122 million over the next 20 years.
Features
Lucas Oil Stadium has a seating capacity of 67,000,
and covers approximately . The stadium offers 139 suites, two club lounges, two exhibit halls and 12 meeting rooms. There are also 360-degree ribbon boards and two tall
HD video boards. An underground walkway directly connects the stadium to the Indiana Convention Center.
Other features include:
* of exhibit space
* 7 locker rooms
* 11 indoor truck docks
* 14 escalators
* 11 passenger elevators
* 2 accessible pedestrian ramps
Retractable roof
The stadium's retractable roof can open or close in about 11 minutes. It is composed of two panels that each weigh .
The home team determines if the roof is to be opened or closed 90 minutes before kickoff.
Retractable window
The retractable north window offers a view of downtown Indianapolis during games, concerts and other events due to the stadium's angled position on the city block.
Gate sponsorship
The four gates leading into Lucas Oil Stadium are each named for a sponsoring corporation:
*
Lucas Oil (north gate)
*
Huntington Bank
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is an American bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The company is ranked 521st on the Fortune 500, and is 26th on the list of largest banks in the United States.
The company's banking sub ...
(west gate)
*
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
(south gate)
*
Verizon Wireless
Verizon is an American wireless network operator that previously operated as a separate division of Verizon Communications under the name Verizon Wireless. In a 2019 reorganization, Verizon moved the wireless products and services into the div ...
(east gate)
The ground-level concourses of their respective gates feature banners and floor coverings with the corporations' logos, advertisements and merchandise displays.
Events
Annual events include:
*
Bands of America Grand National Championships and Indianapolis Super Regionals
*
Big Ten Football Championship Game
*
Circle City Classic
The Circle City Classic is an annual American football game featuring two historically black colleges/universities (HBCUs) and played in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event was established in 1984 and has been played every year except 2020, when ...
*
Drum Corps International World Championships
*
FDIC International
FDIC International (Fire Department Instructors Conference) is an annual firefighting conference and exhibition held at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is one of Indianapolis's biggest conventions ...
(Firefighting Convention)
*
IHSAA Indiana State Football Championships
*
ISSMA Band State Finals
*
Monster Energy Supercross
*
Monster Jam
*
NFL Draft Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...
*
National FFA Convention
Upcoming events include:
*
NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four (April 2026 & April 2029)
*2024 United States Swimming Olympic Trials
Significant past events included:
*
Super Bowl XLVI (February 5, 2012)
*
Kenny Chesney concerts (2008, 2009, 2012, 2015)
*Chelsea vs. Inter Milan (International Champions Cup) (August 1, 2013)
*
NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four (2010, 2015, 2021)
*
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the g ...
–
On The Road Again Tour (July 31, 2015)
*
Gen Con 50 (August 2017)
North American Youth Congress 2017(July–August 2017)
*
U2 –
The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 (September 10, 2017)
*
Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour (September 15, 2018)
*
2021 Big Ten men's basketball tournament
The 2021 Big Ten men's basketball tournament was a postseason men's basketball Big Ten men's basketball tournament, tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season which took place March 10–14, 20 ...
(March 10–14, 2021)
*
NCAA men's basketball tournament, including the Final Four (March–April 2021)
*
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff ...
–
Guns N' Roses 2020 Tour (September 8, 2021)
*
College Football Playoff National Championship (January 10, 2022)
Football
The first games played at Lucas Oil Stadium occurred on August 22, 2008, and were part of the PeyBack Classic, featuring Indiana high school football games between
Noblesville High School
Noblesville High School is a public high school in Noblesville, Indiana, United States. NHS serves students in grades 9 through 12, and graduated its first class in 1876.
Its attendance boundary includes much of Noblesville.
Demographics
The dem ...
and
Fishers High School
Fishers High School (FHS) is one of two high schools in Hamilton Southeastern Schools in Fishers, Indiana, United States.
History
The original Fishers High School was located at Lantern Road and 116th Street, where the current Fishers Elementary ...
in Game 1, followed by
New Palestine High School
New Palestine High School is a rural public high school (grades 9–12) located in New Palestine, Indiana, managed by the Community School Corporation of Southern Hancock County. As of the 2016–2017 school year it serves 1,137 students and emp ...
and
Whiteland Community High School
Whiteland Community High School (or WCHS) is a public high school located in Whiteland, Indiana. It is the only high school in continuous use in the town of Whiteland.
It is a part of the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation, which serves ...
in Game 2.
On November 26, 2008,
Cardinal Ritter High School became the first high school to win a state championship on the field, beating
Sheridan High School 34–27 for the class A state title. The Colts faced the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...
in a rematch of
Super Bowl XLI in their first regular season game in the stadium.
Soccer
The stadium hosted its first soccer game on August 1, 2013, when
Chelsea played
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter i ...
in a first-round game of the
International Champions Cup, drawing 41,983 fans.
From 2018 to 2020, Lucas Oil Stadium served as the home field of the
United Soccer League's
Indy Eleven, replacing the venue the team used while in the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league ba ...
,
Carroll Stadium.
Basketball
In March 2021, various rounds of the
2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament were moved to Lucas Oil Stadium as part of the NCAA's decision to consolidate the tournament into sites in Indiana. Lucas Oil hosted games in all rounds (except the "First Four"), including the Final Four and championship game every 5 years up until 2040.
Entertainment
On August 9, 2006,
Drum Corps International (DCI) announced that it would move its corporate offices to Indianapolis and that the DCI World Championships would be the inaugural event for the stadium and would be held at Lucas Oil Stadium every year through 2018.
In 2015, Drum Corps International and the city of Indianapolis announced a 10-year contract extension, allowing the World Championships to continue through 2028.
The competition was held for the first time at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2009.
Other regular events include the
Bands of America Grand National Championships
and the
Indiana Marching Band State Finals
{{unreferenced, date=January 2011
The Indiana Marching Band State Finals is a competition for marching bands governed by the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA). ISSMA has sanctioned the event annually since 1981; from 1973 until 1980 ...
,
both major events for the city in
marching band
A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, o ...
competitions.
Concerts
Financing
The total cost of Lucas Oil Stadium was $720 million. The stadium is being financed with funds raised by the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis, with the Indianapolis Colts providing $100 million.
Marion County has raised taxes for food and beverage sales, auto rental taxes, innkeeper's taxes, and admission taxes for its share of the costs. Meanwhile, there has been an increase in food and beverage taxes in the eight surrounding
doughnut counties (with the exception of
Morgan County) and the sale of Colts license plates.
The County Commissioners of each county voted whether to levy the 1% food and beverage tax proposed by Marion County. Sweetening the deal for those counties was the fact that half of the revenue from the tax would stay in the respective county.
Morgan County was the only county to turn down the offer, yet in a later vote, it levied its own 1% tax – thus keeping ''all'' of its additional generated revenue.
Budget shortfall
In August 2006, the Capital Improvement Board, which operates the stadium, estimated that daily operating expenses of the new stadium would be $10 million more per year than the RCA Dome. The board urged the
Indiana General Assembly to authorize funding to cover the shortfall.
The Indiana Legislature considered a bill to raise sales taxes statewide to cover the shortfall, however this plan faced stiff opposition from legislators outside the Indianapolis metro area.
The assembly ultimately authorized a tax increase in Indianapolis-Marion County. In addition, the CIB trimmed staff and cut $10 million from its budget. Still, the agency anticipated a $20 million operating deficit for Lucas Oil Stadium in 2009. Anticipated expenses are $27.7 million—far outstripping the $7.7 million CIB expects to collect from its share of revenue from stadium events.
The Colts organization has been criticized for the favorable lease terms and the high percentage of revenue it can keep under the terms of its agreements with the stadium authorities and there have been calls for the team to cover the shortfalls of the CIB. The Colts responded to these criticisms in an open letter to fans on September 16, 2009.
Complications
On September 8, 2013, after the Colts defeated the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...
in the season opener, a rail over the opposing team tunnel collapsed, injuring two fans. One fan was transferred to the hospital for evaluation. No serious injuries were reported.
On September 3, 2015, three fans were injured by a bolt that fell from the roof of the stadium as it was being opened during an NFL preseason game against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...
.
The stadium was pronounced safe by officials, but the roof remained closed for events until a final investigation was completed as to why the bolt fell.
Construction pictures
File:Lucas Oil Stadium 080207.jpg, Early phases of construction
File:LucasOilStadiumBuiltSat.png, Satellite image
File:LucasOil earlystages.JPG, Mid-stage of construction
See also
*
List of current National Football League stadiums
*
List of American football stadiums by capacity
*
List of music venues
*
List of attractions and events in Indianapolis
*
List of tallest buildings in Indianapolis
*
List of tallest buildings in Indiana
This list of tallest buildings in Indiana ranks skyscrapers in the state of Indiana, United States of America by height. The tallest building in Indiana is Salesforce Tower in Indianapolis, which contains 49 floors and is tall. The second-tallest ...
References
External links
*
{{Indianapolis skyscrapers
American football venues in Indiana
Basketball venues in Indiana
Retractable-roof stadiums in the United States
Indianapolis Colts stadiums
National Football League venues
Sports venues in Indianapolis
Rugby union stadiums in Indiana
2008 establishments in Indiana
Sports venues completed in 2008
Soccer venues in Indiana
Music venues in Indiana
Lucas Oil
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four venues
USL Championship stadiums