Northwest Stadium

Northwest Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Landover, Maryland, United States. It is located in the area called Summerfield, just a short distance east of Washington, D.C.. The stadium is where the National Football League team, the Washington Commanders, play their home games.

The stadium first opened its doors in 1997 and was called Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. From 1999 until 2024, it was known as FedExField. At one point, it could hold the most fans in the NFL, with space for 91,000 people, but today it seats 64,000.

The stadium is owned and run by the Washington Commanders. When they are not playing football, other events are managed by a company called Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. The Commanders plan to move to a new stadium called New Commanders Stadium in Washington, D.C. when it is finished in 2030.

History

In the early 1990s, the owner of the Washington Redskins, Jack Kent Cooke, wanted a new stadium instead of using RFK Stadium. He first thought about building it near Laurel Park Racecourse, but decided to build on Wilson Dairy Farm in Landover, Maryland, close to Summerfield. A new exit from Interstate 495 was built to help people get there. Cooke named the place Raljon after his sons, Ralph and John. Sadly, Cooke passed away before the stadium opened, and it was named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium when it opened on September 14, 1997, with a game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Later, Daniel Snyder bought the team and the stadium. He first called it Redskins Stadium but then sold the naming rights to FedEx, and it became FedExField in 1999. Over the years, some seats were removed to make the stadium smaller, but more were added later. In 2023, Snyder sold the team to a group led by Josh Harris. In 2024, FedEx decided not to keep the naming rights, so the stadium was temporarily called Commanders Field before being renamed Northwest Stadium after a deal with Northwest Federal Credit Union. Plans were announced to build a new stadium in Washington, D.C., by 2030.

Design

Northwest Stadium has five levels: the Lower Level, the Club Level, the Upper Level, and the Lower and Upper Suite Levels. The Lower Level is named after Bobby Mitchell, who played for and worked with the team from 1962 to 2002. The Club Level is named after Joe Gibbs, who was the team's head coach from 1981 to 1992 and again from 2004 to 2007. The Upper Level is named after former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle. As of 2023, the stadium has 257 special seating areas called suites.

Other events

College football

Northwest Stadium is home to the Prince George's Classic, an annual college football game between two historically black universities. It has also hosted many other college games, like a match in 1998 between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Navy Midshipmen, and the Army–Navy Game in 2011 and 2024.

Soccer

The stadium has welcomed many international soccer matches. It was a venue for the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, including a United States vs. Germany quarterfinal. It has also seen exciting club matches, such as D.C. United against Chelsea F.C., Real Madrid, and Manchester United.

Rugby union

On October 23, 2021, the stadium hosted a rugby match between New Zealand and the USA Eagles, with many fans attending.

Concerts

The stadium has also been a popular spot for concerts and musical events.

Criticisms

Northwest Stadium has often been called one of the least favorite places in the NFL. The former owner, Daniel Snyder, talked about building a new stadium as early as 2007. In 2005, new special seats were added in front of the first row of seats that were there when the stadium opened.

There have been some problems at the stadium. In 2021, water leaks happened near fans. In 2022, when Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was walking through a tunnel, a barrier fell down and some fans fell over. Some people said the team did not help the fans right away. The team said they did check on the fans, but one fan said this was not true. Hurts later asked the NFL to make sure nothing like this happens again.