Lockhart Stadium
Miami FC (USL-1) 2009–2010 ) 2016Fort Lauderdale Barracudas (SFL) 2011 Fort Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) 2011–2016 Fort Lauderdale Strikers U-23 (NPSL |
Lockhart Stadium was a
Originally designed in 1959 for high school sports, the stadium's long-standing soccer connection began in 1977 when it became the home venue for the original Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the original North American Soccer League (NASL). In 1998, it was refitted for soccer to house the Miami Fusion in Major League Soccer, but the team folded in 2002. It was also the home stadium of the Florida Atlantic Owls football team from 2002 to 2010. Later it was the home of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the second iteration of NASL from 2011 to 2016.
The stadium site was redeveloped in 2019 and 2020 with the construction of Chase Stadium for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF.[3]
History
The stadium was built in 1959 as part of a new sports complex that also included the Fort Lauderdale Stadium baseball park. It was originally designed to host American football and track and field competitions for four local high schools: Fort Lauderdale High School, Stranahan High School, Northeast High School, and Dillard High School. The stadium was named for former city commissioner H. Y. "Doug" Lockhart and was dedicated at a football game on September 18, 1959.[4]
For nearly twenty years, Lockhart Stadium was primarily used for high school football and track, but occasionally saw use for state football as well as
After the departure of the Strikers, the stadium largely returned to its original use for high school sports for several years. The stadium would, however, play host to Miami Dolphins scrimmages during training camps in the late 1990s.[5][6]
In 1998, the stadium was renovated for use by the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer (MLS). The renovation increased capacity to 20,000 and redesigned the field expressly for soccer. This was an unusual move at the time, as all other MLS teams played in football stadiums, and started the league's eventual trend toward soccer-specific stadiums.[4][7]
The stadium continued to host high-profile soccer games through this period, including
Billy Graham's final South Florida crusade took place at the Lockhart Stadium in 1985. The stadium was host to the 2007 Caribbean Carnival for Broward County, after Miramar turned their request down.[9] The stadium also hosted the 2008 and 2009 MLS combines.
In 2009, Miami FC moved to Lockhart Stadium from Miami. They changed their name to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011.[10]
The
In late January 2019,
On July 9, 2019, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission unanimously approved a 50-year lease agreement for the Lockhart Stadium site with Inter Miami; under the terms of the agreement, the city of Fort Lauderdale will retain ownership of the property while Inter Miami will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the new stadium and facilities.[13]
USA Eagles Internationals
The stadium hosted two
| Date | Home | Score | Opponent | Competition | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 27, 2003 |  United States |
58–13 |  Spain |
2006 Churchill Cup | 1,730[14] |
| February 20, 2016 | United States |
64–0 |  Chile |
2016 Americas Rugby Championship | 13,591[15] |
References
- ^ a b "Lockhart Stadium | Fort Lauderdale Strikers". Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Demolition Of Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Underway". WFOR-TV. May 8, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-1596291454. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the originalon March 25, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- ^ "Dolphins Look Sloppy And Lose Scrimmage". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
- Sun-Sentinel. October 8, 2012. Archived from the originalon 2014-06-22. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
- ISBN 978-1596291454. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
- Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Elfrink, Tim (September 1, 2015). "Aaron Davidson's Stunning Soccer Bribery Case Could Clean Up FIFA's Corruption". Miami New Times.
- Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
- ^ a b Boehm, Charles. "Inter Miami cleared to begin demolition of old Lockhart Stadium". MLS Soccer. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ^ Boehm, Charles. "City of Fort Lauderdale approves Inter Miami stadium, training facility". MLS Soccer. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ "2003 RUGBY WORLD CUP QUALIFIER , Repechage, Round 2 - Fort Lauderdale, 27 April 2003". espnscrum. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "Americas Rugby Championship 2016". espnscrum. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
External links
