In January, NFL’s San Diego Chargers announced the decision to move to Los Angeles, but there was one hitch, they didn’t have a stadium to call home. To accommodate the displaced football team, L.A.’s Galaxy Major League Soccer club invited the Chargers to utilize their state-the-art StubHub center temporarily until the completion of their new Inglewood stadium. This marks the first time in history an NFL stadium has played at a soccer specific venue.
As the industry leader in customized sports construction equipment, Sportsfield Specialties, Inc. (SSI) was brought on the project to transform the StubHub center into a multi-sport venue for football use. Because the 27,000 seat venue is smaller than traditional NFL stadiums, SSI was tasked with installing Football Netting Systems without the typical pole-to-pole set up.
While most stadiums install pole structures to anchor netting systems, Jeff Longwell, Engineer at SSI, explained that, in the smaller venue, poles would compromise sight lines and the stadium’s aesthetics. Instead, SSI utilized existing structures as the anchor for a network of cables that supports the netting.
To insure a positive viewing experience for fans seated behind the AdjustRight® Football Goal Posts (also manufactured and installed by SSI), Ultra Cross® Knotless Netting was used for the system. According to Longwell, the low profile braided and knotless twine offers 95% visibility to fans, without compromising net strength. SSI’s sister-company, Promats Athletics also provided customized wall padding at the stadium, Longwell said.
“Many of our products, including our netting systems and football goal posts, are designed specifically for applications like this,” explained Longwell. He continued that the StubHub Center, in working with SSI, can now easily transform the L.A. Galaxy’s world-class soccer venue into an NFL level stadium safely and with ease.