Huntington Bank Field

Huntington Bank Field is a stadium in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the home field of the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium also hosts other events such as college and high school football, soccer, hockey, and concerts.

The stadium opened in 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium. It was later called FirstEnergy Stadium from 2013 to 2023 before becoming Huntington Bank Field in 2024. After a renovation project in 2014, the seating capacity was reduced to 67,431 people.

The stadium is located on 31 acres of land between Lake Erie and the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway in the North Coast Harbor area of downtown Cleveland. It is next to the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Before Huntington Bank Field was built, another stadium named Cleveland Stadium stood on the same site from 1931 to 1996.

History

Huntington Bank Field is built where an old stadium, Cleveland Municipal Stadium, used to be. That old stadium was home to the Browns from 1946 until 1995. In 1995, the team's owner wanted to move them to Baltimore, but fans and the city fought back. They agreed to tear down the old stadium and build a new one right in the same spot.

The new stadium opened in 1999, and the Browns played their first game there that year. It has been called different names over time, but today it is known as Huntington Bank Field. The Browns plan to build a new indoor stadium nearby starting in 2026, and they hope to move there by 2029. The city of Cleveland and the team have been discussing the plans and working out details.

Facility

The stadium was designed by Populous, which was known at the time as the Sport Venue Event Division of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum (HOK). Indianapolis-based Huber, Hunt & Nichols managed the construction. The stadium is made of concrete and glass, using precast concrete and cast-in-place for the upper part. Natural stone accents are at the base of the stadium.

The playing surface is a Kentucky Bluegrass field with a special system to keep it from freezing, allowing it to grow longer. Though made for football, the field is big enough for international soccer matches.

The eastern part of the seating is home to the Dawg Pound, a section of bleacher seats. It opened in 1999 and was updated in 2014 to add new scoreboards and more seating areas.

Renovations

In 2013, the Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced plans to update the stadium. These updates happened in 2014 and 2015. They improved the sound system, added bigger scoreboards, and made other changes to make the stadium better for fans. These updates reduced the stadium's capacity to about 68,000 people.

Stadium naming

The city chose not to sell the naming rights to the whole stadium but sold the rights to each of the four main entrance gates. These gates were sponsored by different companies over time. In 2013, the stadium was renamed "FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the Cleveland Browns" after a deal with FirstEnergy Corporation. However, in 2023, this deal ended, and the stadium went back to its original name. In 2024, the naming rights were sold to Huntington Bank, based in Columbus, Ohio, in a 20-year agreement.

Services

The stadium does not have its own parking, but there are several nearby parking spots and a light rail station that serves the stadium.

Other events

Huntington Bank Field is not just for football games. It also hosts many other events throughout the year, including college and high school football games, international soccer matches, concerts, and even ice hockey games.

The stadium has been the venue for special college football games, such as the Ohio Classic, and has welcomed teams from across the country for exciting matches. It has also hosted memorable concerts featuring famous musicians and artists from around the world.

The stadium occasionally hosts soccer games for both the United States men's and women's national teams. It has been the site of important matches in international tournaments and friendly games between top teams.

In a unique twist, the stadium has also been transformed into an ice rink for outdoor hockey games. This included college hockey matchups and events for local teams, drawing large crowds to watch ice hockey in an unexpected setting.