HARRISON, NJ- Red Bull New York installed the last piece of Kentucky Bluegrass sod today into the new field at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey. Today marks another key milestone in the construction of the club's state-of-the-art soccer specific facility, scheduled to open on March 27, 2010, when the Red Bulls host the Chicago Fire. It was just 14 months ago, on August 19, 2008, that the first piece of steel was laid into place. Since that time, over 7,100 tons of steel has been erected, and just seven of the 94 panels of the dynamic form roof are left to be installed. In all, Red Bull Arena will have 25,000 seats, including 30 suites and 1,000 club seats.
"Installing the last piece of sod today marks the first step in what we hope will be the creation of the best playing surface in MLS," said Red Bull New York Managing Director Erik Stover. "We recognize that the best soccer facilities in the world have top-notch fields and in building Red Bull Arena and installing our own pitch, we want to match those standards."
On hand at Red Bull Arena with Stover were MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Red Bulls captain Juan Pablo Angel, and former MetroStars captain Tab Ramos. Also attending were current Red Bulls players Mike Petke (Bohemia, NY) and John Wolyniec (Staten Island, NY) as well as former MetroStars players Mark Lisi and Cris da Silva.
Red Bull Arena is situated on a 12.34 acre lot bounded by 6th Street to the west and Cape May Street to the south and east. The lot is owned by the Town of Harrison. However, the entire stadium construction process is being funded by Red Bull.
