SaberCats Stadium is a rugby union stadium in Houston, Texas, United States as part of Houston Sports Park and is the home of the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 24, 2018.[5][6][7] Naming rights for the stadium were initially purchased by British information technology company AVEVA, and it was opened as AVEVA Stadium on April 13, 2019. Following the 2022 season, its name officially changed to "SaberCats Stadium".
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| Former names | AVEVA Stadium (2019–2022) |
|---|---|
| Address | 12131 Kirby Dr Houston, Texas 77045 |
| Location | Houston Sports Park |
| Coordinates | 29°38′04″N 95°23′24″W / 29.6345°N 95.3899°W |
| Public transit | HCC South Campus Station, METRO Bus |
| Owner | Houston SaberCats |
| Operator | Houston SaberCats |
| Type | Stadium |
| Capacity | 4,000 |
| Field shape | Rectangular |
| Acreage | 41[4] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 24, 2018[1] |
| Built | 2018–2019 |
| Opened | April 13, 2019 |
| Construction cost | Approximately $15.25 million USD[2] |
| Architect | Goulas & Associates, Inc.[3] |
| Structural engineer | HMSE, Inc. |
| General contractor | Christensen Building Group |
| Tenants | |
| Houston SaberCats (MLR) (2019–present) Houston Dynamo 2 (MLS Next Pro) (2022–present) Houston Havoc (UFA) (2023–present) | |
| Website | |
| houstonsabercats.com | |
It is the first stadium in the league built specifically for use by Major League Rugby, and the second rugby-specific stadium primarily for professional competition in the United States.
History
editPlanning and funding
edit
In March 2017, local rugby organization and predecessor to the Houston SaberCats, the Houston Strikers publicly announced their plans to build a stadium at the Houston Sports Park located roughly three miles from NRG Park and eight miles from Downtown Houston along the South Freeway.[8] The group also released several other key details such as early renderings, an estimated cost of $10 million, and a 5,000 person initial capacity.
Leading up to the inaugural season of the team, the City of Houston agreed to partially fund a permanent stadium with a contribution of $3.2 million in February 2018. The ownership group expects to invest an additional $12.0 million of their own funds to construct the 3-field, multi-use facility.[9][10] Details of the deal, outlined in Houston City Ordinance 2018–0085, also confirmed the construction on city-owned property in south Houston at Houston Sports Park, with the city maintaining ownership and leasing stadium grounds back to the team for a 43-year term.[11]
Design and construction
editOn July 8, the Houston SaberCats released new preliminary architectural drawings and a groundbreaking announcement for July 24, 2018 via Instagram and then via press release several days later.[7][6] On July 17, the SaberCats announced naming rights were awarded to AVEVA.[12]
The groundbreaking ceremony took place on July 24, 2018, with the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, representing the city.[5]
Opening and current use
editConstruction was still ongoing as the venue opened as "AVEVA Stadium" on April 13, 2019 with a game against the Seattle Seawolves.[13]
After its inauguration, previous games were played before the grand opening, which was postponed and took place on May 29, 2019. The Houston team played against the Glendale Raptors.
Beginning in 2022, Houston Dynamo 2, the reserve side of MLS club Houston Dynamo, began playing home matches at the stadium. As naming rights with AVEVA ended, it became known as "SaberCats Stadium" beginning with the 2022 season.
Other events
editSaberCats Stadium has hosted non-MLR events. In 2022 it hosted both the Division 1-A Rugby final and the United States national rugby union team in a match against the French Barbarians.[14] Also, beginning in 2023 it is the home of the UFA team Houston Havoc, a professional Ultimate Frisbee team.
Facilities
editSaberCats Stadium's overall facilities include a 1,200-car parking lot and two secondary fields for multipurpose use. While seating capacity exceeds 3,000, the stadium features up to 4,000 maximum capacity by utilizing standing-room-only areas. The venue is primarily the home of the Houston SaberCats professional Rugby team but can accommodate other sports and non-sports events due to the large size of the fields.
The stadium's east and west side stands are grandstands with individual seats. The south side stands feature a mix of bleacher and individual seats, while the north side stands are uncovered bleacher seating. Also located on the south end of the stadium, below the video board, is a full-service bar known as the "Cat's Den" and two berms. Both the bar area and berms allow for general standing.
References
edit- ^ Verpraet, Illya (July 19, 2018). "Houston SaberCats to break ground on new Aveva sports complex". Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ Morris, Mike (February 5, 2018). "Houston City Council to consider $3.2M stadium deal with SaberCats rugby team". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Advertisement for Construction Competitive Sealed Proposals" (PDF). City of Houston. March 9, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ^ "City of Houston – City Council Agenda Item #13". Houston City Council. February 6, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ a b "Houston Sabercats and Sylvester Turner break ground on AVEVA Stadium". KTRK-TV. July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
- ^ a b "Houston SaberCats & City of Houston (Mayor Turner) Break Ground on New Rugby Stadium" (Press release). Houston: Houston SaberCats. July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ a b "Instagram: houstonsabercats". Houston SaberCats. July 8, 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-25. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ Hlavaty, Craig (March 22, 2017). "Houston group bringing a rugby franchise, stadium to the city". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
- ^ Schneider, Andrew (February 7, 2018). "Houston City Council Approved $3.2 Million Deal To Build A New Rugby Stadium". Houston Public Media. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Vote set on whether to fund new stadium for Houston's rugby team". KRIV. February 6, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ Elliott, Rebecca (February 7, 2018). "Houston signs off on $3.2M rugby stadium deal with SaberCats". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "SaberCats, city to break ground on new AVEVA Stadium late July". KHOU. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
- ^ "SaberCats fall to Seawolves in first match played at SaberCats Stadium". Houston Chronicle. April 13, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
- ^ "USA Men's Eagles vs. French Barbarians 2022". Houston SaberCats. April 27, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.