Subaru Park

• 1. Economic Development Origins

  ›

  Chester, Pennsylvania sat on the banks of the Delaware River with a polluted Superfund site known as the Wade Dump. The Environmental Protection Agency worked closely with city officials to ensure construction activities did not impact nearby infrastructure during redevelopment efforts. A group of investors led by Nick Sakiewicz initiated planning for a soccer-specific stadium in late 2006 after funding for a Rowan University project failed in New Jersey. Delaware County politicians announced their approval of funding for the stadium in October 2007 following many months of negotiations. The state government unveiled a combined soccer stadium and economic revitalization package for Chester on the 31st of January 2008. Twenty-five million dollars was allocated to the construction of the stadium while seven million went toward townhouses and office space. Private investors contributed an additional eighty million dollars to the total project cost. Delaware County owns both the land and the stadium itself under a thirty-year lease agreement.

  6811

• 2. Construction And Design Evolution

  ›

  Initial architectural drawings revealed plans for an oval-shaped stadium with a cantilevered roof covering all seating areas. This design resembled most European football grounds before consultations changed the layout significantly. Keystone Sports & Entertainment re-designed a specific entrance for the Sons of Ben supporters group after consulting with the nascent club's fans. The new entrance leads into a two-thousand-seat section at the southeast end known as The River End. Cantilevered roofs run above the Main and Bridge Stands to protect fans from weather without obstructing views of the Commodore Barry Bridge. The exterior façade uses brick and natural stone to create continuity with traditional Philadelphia architecture. T.N. Ward Company based in Ardmore constructed the entire facility over several years. Construction delays forced the Philadelphia Union to play their inaugural home game at Lincoln Financial Field instead of Subaru Park.

  5745

• 3. Philadelphia Union Home Ground

  ›

  The first match at the stadium occurred on the 27th of June 2010 when the Philadelphia Union defeated Seattle Sounders FC three-one. Pat Noonan of Sounders FC scored the first goal in venue history while Sébastien Le Toux scored the Union's first goal there. A crossed header by Le Toux marked the team's initial scoring moment inside the new facility. Record attendance reached nineteen thousand four hundred eighty-seven fans during the Eastern Conference Final on the 5th of December 2021. The Union lost that match to New York City FC but drew the largest crowd ever recorded for any event at the site. High ticket sales prompted the club to express interest in expanding capacity starting in 2011. Gensler commissioned a study in 2024 to explore accommodating twenty-seven thousand seats on the current footprint. Three-phase expansion plans originally targeted capacities of twenty-thousand then twenty-seven-thousand before reaching approximately thirty-thousand total.

  141641

• 4. Multi-Sport Hosting History

  ›

  Subaru Park hosted its first rugby union international on the 9th of November 2013 when the Maori All Blacks squared off against the United States. A sold-out crowd of eighteen thousand five hundred witnessed the visiting team win twenty-nine-nineteen in a hard-fought match. The Collegiate Rugby Championship ran every June between 2011 and 2019 with over seventeen thousand eight hundred fans attending the inaugural tournament. The stadium also hosted college football games including the Battle of the Blue where Delaware beat Villanova on the 19th of November 2011. Two quarterfinal matches took place during the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship while the Steinfeld Cup arrived in 2013. Major League Ultimate held championship games here in July 2014 and August 2015 featuring teams like DC Current and Boston Whitecaps. Drum Corps International Summer Competition Tour used the facility annually from 2019 through 2023 due to its ability to function as a football field.

  35213637

• 5. Naming Rights And Sponsors

  ›

  PPL Corporation purchased naming rights for twenty million dollars over eleven years starting the 25th of February 2010. PPL EnergyPlus provided sustainable energy derived from other sources within Pennsylvania as part of that initial deal. Talen Energy assumed naming rights and energy supply responsibilities on the 30th of November 2015 after spinning off from PPL. Subaru of America became the new naming rights holder announced on the 18th of February 2020 with headquarters located in Camden New Jersey. Panasonic Corporation provides broadcast systems large-screen LED displays security systems and point-of-sale equipment throughout the venue. A new high dynamic range video board replaced the previous one above the Chester End in February 2020. This upgrade marked the first HDR video board installed in an MLS soccer-specific stadium at that time.

  50525354

• 6. Community Features And Amenities

  ›

  The stadium features thirty luxury suites plus a full-service restaurant and club area above the Chester End section. Local food concessions include cheesesteaks hoagies and soft pretzels shaped like the Union's primary logo. Turkey Hill Herr's and Seasons Pizza provide several foods while Victory and Dogfish Head offer local beers to fans. The community garden initiative grows fruits and vegetables for the local population outside the stadium boundaries. Subaru Plaza expanded to facilitate pregame festivities alongside the new Tunnel Club VIP premium area opened for the 2020 season. Shuttle service runs from four hours prior to kickoff until the park empties from the nearby Chester Transit Center SEPTA station. Proposals to improve transit service to Highland Avenue station or build a new station closer to the facility remain under consideration as part of future expansion plans.

  495758