Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field is a

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

East Hartford, Connecticut East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospac ...

. It is primarily used for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and soccer, and is the home field of the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies. In 2010, it was home to the

Hartford Colonials The Hartford Colonials, originally the New York Sentinels, were a professional American football team that played in the United Football League in its 2009 and 2010 seasons. A charter member of the UFL, the Sentinels began play in 2009 nominally ...

of the United Football League. The stadium, which opened in 2003, was the first stadium used primarily by an

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Division I-A (now FBS) team to open in the 21st century. The permanent stadium capacity is 40,000, consisting of 38,066 permanent seats with a standing-room area in the scoreboard plaza that can accommodate up to 1,934 people. It also has a game day capability to add approximately 2,000 temporary seats as it did for UConn football vs. Michigan in 2013. Connecticut played on campus at Memorial Stadium in Storrs, before 2003.

Rentschler Field Rentschler Field was an airport in East Hartford, Connecticut in use from 1933 to 1999. Originally a military facility, later a private corporate airport, it was decommissioned in 1999, after which the football stadium of the same name was bui ...

was originally the name of the company airfield for

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...

that formerly occupied the site. The airfield, which began operations in 1931, was named after

Frederick Rentschler Frederick Brant Rentschler (November 8, 1887 – April 25, 1956) was an American aircraft engine designer, aviation engineer, industrialist, and the founder of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. Rentschler created and manufactured many revolution ...

, who founded Pratt & Whitney in 1925 and also founded its parent company,

United Technologies United Technologies Corporation (UTC) was an American multinational conglomerate headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut. It researched, developed, and manufactured products in numerous areas, including aircraft engines, aerospace systems ...

. It was originally used for test flights and maintenance operations, and later for corporate aviation. The site was decommissioned as an airport in the 1990s, and donated to the state of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

by United Technologies in 1999. A subsequent 65-acre donation by United Technologies in 2009 allowed for the construction of additional grass parking lots adjacent to the Stadium. Pursuant to a lease agreement with the State, UConn plays all its home football games at Rentschler Field.

History

The

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

considered moving to Connecticut and sharing a stadium with the UConn football team in the mid-1990s. The new stadium was supposed to be built on the

Connecticut Convention Center The Connecticut Convention Center is a convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut, United States, overlooking the Connecticut River. History The center opened on June 2 2005. It was designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & ...

site in downtown

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

. However, when the Patriots completed the deal for

Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown Boston. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Footb ...

Foxboro, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...

, the Hartford stadium plan was scaled down and the location was moved to

East Hartford East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,045 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River, directly across from Hartford, Connecticut. It is home to aerospac ...

. The current capacity of 40,000 can expand to 50,000 with limited rehabilitation and has the layout and design for expansion of up to 60,000 seats in the future. The stadium is owned by the State of Connecticut, Office of Policy and Management, while operations are overseen by the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA). Global Spectrum, L.P. has managed the building on behalf of CRDA since 2013. Previously, the Stadium was managed by Bushnell Management Services (2011-2013),

Anschutz Entertainment Group The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), also known as AEG Worldwide, is an American global sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports even ...

(AEG)(2007-2011) and Madison Square Garden L.P. (2003-2007). Prior to the 2013 season, a new 28 feet high by 73 feet wide and a 15HD pixel video display was installed replacing the stadiums original scoreboard. On July 16, 2015, it was announced that the stadium had been named Pratt & Whitney Stadium in a deal between

and UConn. The playing surface is still named Rentschler Field. In return, Pratt and Whitney donated additional land that will be used for game day parking.

Connecticut Huskies

The UConn Huskies football team has an all time 67–54 record at Rentschler Field.

Sellouts

Soccer

Hartford Athletic

On March 11, 2019, it was announced that the renovations at

Dillon Stadium Trinity Health Stadium (formerly Dillon Stadium) is a multipurpose facility in Hartford, Connecticut. It has been host to concerts and sporting events. It was formerly the home of the New England Nightmare of the Women's Football Alliance, Wom ...

would not be completed on time for Hartford Athletic's home opener on May 4 against

Charlotte Independence Charlotte Independence is an American soccer team based in Charlotte, North Carolina that plays in the USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid. The Independence currently play their home games at American Legion Memorial ...

. Hartford Athletic played seven games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium.

Major League Soccer

On September 23, 2017,

New York City FC New York City Football Club is an American professional soccer club based in New York City that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the highest level of American soccer, as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. The club is co-owned ...

played a home match at Pratt & Whitney Stadium, against the

Houston Dynamo Houston Dynamo FC (formerly officially, but still commonly, called the Houston Dynamo) is an American professional soccer club based in Houston. The Dynamo compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Establi ...

, in the stadium's first

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

game. The game was relocated from

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

in New York City due to a schedule conflict with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. On September 11, 2020, Governor Ned Lamont announced that

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

would finish their season's home matches at Pratt & Whitney Stadium due to travel restrictions during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

United States men's national soccer team

Rentschler Field has hosted several

United States men's national soccer team The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) represents the United States in men's international soccer competitions. The team is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and is a member of FIFA and CONCACAF. The U.S. team ha ...

's home games, including

Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan (born March 4, 1982) is an American former professional soccer player. Donovan is also the co-founder and vice-president of soccer operations for USL Championship side San Diego Loyal SC, and serves as strategic advisor fo ...

's last game for the National Team on October 10, 2014.

United States women's national soccer team

Rentschler Field has also hosted several

United States women's national soccer team The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's Association football, soccer. The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning four FIFA Women's World Cup, Wom ...

's home games.

Other Matches Hosted

Hartford Colonials

The

were a United Football League team that played their home games at Rentschler Field. During their (

2010 UFL season The 2010 United Football League season was the second season of the United Football League. The regular season ran from September 18 to November 20 and featured five teams playing eight games each (twice against each of the other teams) over a 10 ...

), the Colonials played all four home games at Rentschler, after having played one there the previous season while they were known as the New York Sentinels. Attendance at Colonials games averaged a consistent 15,000 people, third place in the five-team league behind Omaha and Sacramento. The UFL suspended the Colonials franchise in 2011 and the franchise was officially terminated when the team's former owner ( Bill Mayer) was named as the new owner of the

Virginia Destroyers The Virginia Destroyers were a professional American football team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They began play in the United Football League (2009–2012), United Football League (UFL) in the 2011 UFL season, 2011 season. They played their ...

Lacrosse

On May 19, 2019, Rentschler Field hosted the Quarterfinals for the 2019 NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship. In 2021 and 2022, Rentschler Field will host the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship for Divisions I, II, and III.

Rugby union

On June 4, 2005, Rentschler Field hosted two rugby union matches;

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

vs USA Rugby and the 2005 U.S. Rugby Super League Championship game, between

New York Athletic Club Rugby Football Club The New York Athletic Club Rugby Football Club is a rugby union team based in New York City that is affiliated with the New York Athletic Club. Sponsorship American Rugby Premiership Club honors * Rugby Super League Champions: 2005, 2008, 2010, ...

and

Belmont Shore RFC Belmont Shore Rugby Club is an American rugby union team named after the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, California, which has a tradition of amateur rugby. History The Belmont Shore team was founded in 1974, and was one of the origi ...

in front of 8,027. Wales would defeat the US 77–3 and NYAC would defeat Belmont Shore 23–19. In 2008 Rentschler Field hosted a match between Irish provincial side Munster and the USA Eagles, with Munster winning 46–22.

Whalers Hockey Fest

On August 24, 2010, a fan event, called Whalers Fan Fest, occurred, featuring many of the former players, draws were close to 5,000 people on a Saturday afternoon. From February 11 to the 20th, 2011, the stadium hosted the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011. A hockey rink was constructed on the field much like is done for the annual

NHL Winter Classic The NHL Winter Classic (french: La Classique hivernale de la LNH) is an annual regular season outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on or around New Year's Day, generally in a football or baseball stadium in an area ...

. Events included a

Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...

Alumni vs.

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

Alumni game, with an appearance from the

Hanson Brothers The Hanson Brothers are fictional characters in the 1977 movie '' Slap Shot''. The characters are based on the Carlson brothers, who were actual hockey players. The movie, which stars Paul Newman, was written by Nancy Dowd. The story was based ...

, from the film

Slap Shot ''Slap Shot'' is a 1977 American sports film directed by George Roy Hill, written by Nancy Dowd and starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean. It depicts a minor league ice hockey team that resorts to violent play to gain popularity in a declin ...

, a double-header featuring both UConn men's and

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

hockey teams, a Hockey Legends team faced off against the

Mystery, Alaska ''Mystery, Alaska'' is a 1999 American sports comedy-drama film, directed by Jay Roach, about an amateur ice hockey team from the fictional small town of Mystery that plays an exhibition game against the National Hockey League (NHL)'s New York Ran ...

Hollywood team, along with the

from the movie

, and the second edition of the American Hockey League Outdoor Classic between the host Connecticut Whale and the

Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the primary development team for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rh ...

. Over 15,000 fans came out to watch the so-called "Whale Bowl", while over 1,700 attended the UConn men's game.

Concerts

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field College football venues American football venues in Connecticut Sports venues in Hartford County, Connecticut UConn Huskies football venues Soccer venues in Connecticut Hartford Athletic USL Championship stadiums Major League Soccer stadiums Toronto FC Rugby union stadiums in the United States Rugby union stadiums in Connecticut United Football League (2009–2012) venues New York Sentinels stadiums Hartford Colonials stadiums CONCACAF Gold Cup stadiums 2003 establishments in Connecticut Sports venues completed in 2003 Lacrosse venues in Connecticut Buildings and structures in East Hartford, Connecticut Music venues in Connecticut