Toyota Field is a

soccer-specific stadium Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada to refer to a sports stadium either purpose-built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multi- ...

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, Texas, United States. Located next to Heroes Stadium, and adjacent to the STAR Soccer Complex and Morgan's Wonderland, the facility opened on April 13, 2013. The stadium is the home of

San Antonio FC San Antonio FC is a professional soccer club based in San Antonio, Texas. It competes in the USL Championship, the second-highest level of the United States soccer league system, as a member of the Western Conference. History San Antonio F ...

and has a capacity of 8,296 for soccer matches and 13,000 for concerts and festivals. The stadium was the home of the

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stad ...

of 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 ...

until the team's dissolution following the 2015 season. The stadium is expandable to 18,000+ seating capacity in three phases and is currently built to its Phase 1 design.

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

Motor Corporation currently holds the sponsor naming rights for the facility. Toyota Field Scorpions

History

Toyota Field was originally owned and operated by S.O.A.R. Inc., a non-profit organization founded by San Antonio philanthropist Gordon Hartman. During S.O.A.R. Inc.'s operation of the facility, all proceeds went to Morgan's Wonderland, which is across the street from the stadium. Hartman also started Soccer For A Cause, a community-wide effort to bring pro soccer to San Antonio in order to help fund the operation of Morgan’s Wonderland. This led to Hartman’s acquisition of the

in 2010, with the team starting play in the 2012 season. Construction of Toyota Field ran from February 2012 through April 2013. On April 13, 2013, the Scorpions started play at Toyota Field in a NASL match against the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

with a 0–2 defeat. The team had played at nearby Heroes Stadium during construction. Toyota Field was host of

Soccer Bowl 2014 Soccer Bowl 2014 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship match of the 2014 season to determine the NASL Champion. The event was contested in a one-game match between the San Antonio Scorpions ( Fall Season champions) and ...

, where the Scorpions claimed their first and only NASL championship over the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 * Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profe ...

, 2–1.

Acquisition by City and County

In November 2015, the

City of San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

and Bexar County jointly acquired the stadium for $18 million.

Spurs Sports & Entertainment Spurs Sports & Entertainment L.L.C. (SS&E) is an American sports & entertainment organization, based in San Antonio, Texas. The company owns and operates several sporting franchises including the National Basketball Association (NBA) San Antonio ...

(SS&E) paid an additional $3 million to Hartman, bringing the total purchase price of the facility to $21 million. SS&E received an initial 20-year lease to operate the facility with a new professional soccer team, with penalty fees of up to $5 million should the organization not bring a

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 Cana ...

franchise after the first six years. Toyota Field is host to San Antonio's USL franchise,

, who started play in March 2016.

Design

Toyota Field was designed by San Antonio architecture firm, Pro Sports Developments (PSD), which is the sports entertainment division of Luna Architecture and Design. The stadium was designed as a soccer-specific stadium, to strategically expand to upwards of 18,000 seats in 3 total phases and to accommodate UIL,

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 ...

, MLS and

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

standard international soccer events. The design also accommodates

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

and concerts. The stadium currently exists as Phase 1 in the stadium expansion phases. The stadium currently has a capacity of 8,296 seats, including 16 private suites, 864 midfield club seats, a field level beer garden for over 200 fans with tiered table and chair seating as close as 15 feet behind the south goal. A suite level observation terrace for over 100 fans overlooks the entire field, plus a fan zone behind the north-end seating allows fans to gather and get autographs before and after a game. The stadium capacity could reach approximately 9,000 spectators with standing-room only accommodations. The architectural design by PSD reflects the industrial heritage of the historic Longhorn Quarry which the stadium now resides in. The stadium contains ribbed metal and perforated metal facades with exposed structural elements throughout the facility, accentuating the steel and creating a contemporary industrial feel. The metal façades and the metal roof canopy that extends over the west side suite balconies and stadium seating, together amplify the crowd noise. The permanent west side roof canopy combined with lower bowl stadium seating that starts only 17 feet from the soccer touchlines gives Toyota Field an intimate feel, a quality the designers say will continue with the future expansion phases as planned.

Field

The soccer field playing surface was designed and built by sports field contractor Texas Multi-Chem, of

Kerrville Kerrville is a city in, and the county seat of, Kerr County, Texas, United States. The population of Kerrville was 24,278 at the 2020 census. Kerrville is named after James Kerr, a major in the Texas Revolution, and friend of settler- ...

. The field's natural grass surface is TifSport hybrid Bermuda and the root zone consists of an 8" layer of USGA sand and Dakota peat. The field also contains an internal drainage system to help avoid rain outs.

Sports

Soccer

The Scorpions played their first game at Toyota Field on April 13, 2013 against the

, losing 2–0. On May 21, 2013, Toyota Field hosted its first

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country. The 2023 U.S. Op ...

match between the Scorpions versus

FC Tucson FC Tucson is an American soccer club based in Tucson, Arizona that plays in USL League Two. The club has an amateur women’s team, FC Tucson Women, that play in the WPSL. Organized in 2010, the club first fielded a team in March 2011, then join ...

of the

PDL PDL is an initialism for: Politics * Democratic Liberal Party (''Partidul Democrat Liberal''), a former political party in Romania *Labour Democratic Party (''Partito Democratico del Lavoro''), a former political party in Italy *Pole of Freedom ...

. On July 6, 2013, Toyota Field hosted its first international friendly match between the Scorpions versus Tigres UANL of

Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...

. On October 13, 2013, Toyota Field hosted Santos Laguna versus

Club Tijuana Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente, commonly known as Tijuana, or simply as ''Xoloitzcuintle, Xolos'', is a Mexican professional Football team, football club based in Tijuana. The club's badge is the founder's (Jorge Hank) hairless xoloit ...

, both of Liga MX, in a friendly match. On December 6–7, 2013, Toyota Field hosted the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship and the

NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship The NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship is an American intercollegiate college soccer tournament conducted by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the Division III national champion. It has been held annually ...

Rugby union

On March 30, 2019, Toyota Field hosted the

Austin Elite The Austin Gilgronis were a professional rugby union team based in Austin, Texas, United States. The team was founded in 2017 as the Austin Elite, and competed in Major League Rugby. History On September 19, 2019, after extensive polling at th ...

and

Rugby United New York Rugby New York, formerly known as Rugby United New York and now officially nicknamed the Ironworkers, are a professional rugby union team based in New York City that is a member of Major League Rugby (MLR). The team played an exhibition season in ...

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

. Rugby United New York would win 19-11 in front of 1,000 fans.

References

External links

Official site

Stadium pictures
{{San Antonio San Antonio Scorpions Austin Gilgronis USL Championship stadiums North American Soccer League stadiums Soccer venues in Texas Sports venues in San Antonio Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States Spurs Sports & Entertainment San Antonio FC Rugby union stadiums in Texas Major League Rugby stadiums 2013 establishments in Texas Sports venues completed in 2013