Sometimes to build something new, you have to tear the foundation to pieces. Or in the case of Inter Miami CF, you have to blow things up.
The MLS expansion team, set to begin play in 2020, hosted a demolition event Wednesday whereby club and city officials sent the old Lockhart Stadium crumbling to the ground. The event was hosted by Argentine TV personality Fernando Fiore, who has worked extensively with FOX Soccer.
Demolition Ceremony: Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart propertyWatch Live: The Demolition Ceremony of Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart property
Posted by Inter Miami CF on Wednesday, May 8, 2019
The club, co-owned by former LA Galaxy great David Beckham and run on the sporting side by former Atlanta United and Orlando Citysporting director Paul McDonough, will now begin construction on a new, 18,000-capacity stadium on the same site in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Inter Miami is set to play there during its first two years in the league while a permanent venue is completed at Miami Freedom Park, closer to the Miami International Airport.
Once the move is completed, Inter Miami will use the Ft. Lauderdale facility for a to-be-named USL affiliate squad. It will also be utilized by the club’s first-team players and fledgling academy – both for training purposes.
With the demolition, a chapter in American soccer history is officially closed. The stadium housed the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers, now-defunct MLS side Miami Fusion FC and others throughout the years.
