America First Field

America First Field

America First Field is a special stadium in Sandy, Utah. It is where the soccer teams Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals play their home games. The stadium opened on October 9, 2008, and can seat 20,213 people for soccer matches. It can also be made bigger for concerts or when there are more fans watching a game.

The stadium has been used for many important soccer events. It hosted the 2009 MLS All-Star Game, part of the 2011 CONCACAF Champions League Finals, and the final of the 2013 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. It was also one of the stadiums used during the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup and for the final stages of the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship.

Originally called Rio Tinto Stadium, the name changed in September 2022 to America First Field after an agreement with America First Credit Union. The stadium can be expanded to hold more people when needed.

Before Real Salt Lake played at America First Field, they used to play at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium. Different places near Salt Lake City were thought of for a new stadium, like the Utah State Fairgrounds and a small town called Vineyard.

Finally, after many talks, an agreement was made. The team would build their new home in Sandy, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The stadium was designed by Rossetti's office in California. It opened on October 9, 2008, with Real Salt Lake playing against the New York Red Bulls.

The stadium is also liked by the United States men's national soccer team for playing matches. The first big game there was in 2009, and since then, many important games have been held there. It has hosted games for both the men's and women's national teams.

Besides soccer, the stadium is used for rugby matches and big concerts too.

America First Field sits at the base of the Wasatch Range.