I Wouldn’t Get Too Excited About That

By: Mr. Wilson on April 9, 2009
As a soccer fan the idea of World Cup matches being played in Memorial Stadium gets me all giggly inside. But as a soccer fan, I'm also pretty sure Memorial Stadium would be a poor place to play. Unless my memory of the stadium's layout is foggy, I can't see how it could be configured to hold a World Cup class soccer field. It doesn't have the necessary width. Oh well, we can dream, right? UPDATE: The required field dimensions for World Cup matches are 70-80 yards wide by 110-120 yards long. Here are some perspectives on how those dimensions fit into Memorial Stadium. The stadium: image UNL's existing soccer field, located inside Ed Weir Track: image Minimum field dimensions required for an international FIFA soccer match: image Maximum field dimensions allowed for an international FIFA soccer match: image Obviously the maximum dimensions are impossible. The minimum dimensions appear to be playable, though there isn't a lot of excess space in the corners. I assume FIFA has minimum standards for space permitted for corner kicks, technical areas (benches), advertising, photographers, television cameras, and so on. At best I imagine it would be a very tight squeeze. But who knows.

Comments

See what your friends and neighbors have to say about this.

JT
April 9, 2009 at 4:47PM

“The field measures 100 yards long and 53 yards wide.” That’s for football.

“FIFA rules state that a soccer field must be rectangular. It must be between 90 and 120 m (100 and 130 yd) long and between 45 and 90 m (50 and 100 yd) wide.”

Seems like it could work. There’s plenty of room on the sidelines if you take out the fence and move the benches back.

Mr. Wilson
April 9, 2009 at 5:31PM

FIFA rules? Thar be no such thing!

Fields for international matches are required to be 70-80 yards wide by 110-120 yards long. You can see in the images I just added to the post that the maximum dimensions are definitely out, while the minimum dimensions are at least possible. If it can work, awesome. I’m still skeptical.

Fletch
April 9, 2009 at 7:15PM

I am sure there are ones of people around town that share your enthusiasm for this event.

At any rate, for hardcore fans like you and the other seven or eight, I’d like to see this happen for you.

(I kid because I love…)

Peter
April 9, 2009 at 8:11PM

ALL RIGHT!  Get ready for 25,000 drunken, rowdy Scottish football fans beating up 25,000 wine-drinking Italian fans!

Dave K
April 9, 2009 at 9:00PM

If it doesn’t fit now, and Lincoln is seriously a candidate for hosting World Cup matches, then they would have to make it fit. If that means cutting seats out, then so be it.

This is pretty much the most awesome thing that could ever happen to Lincoln.  However, if I know Nebraskans like I think I know them, they won’t be open to the modifications that would be necessary to Memorial Stadium.  For example, making the field dimensions work, and the FieldTurf would have to be ripped out and temporarily replaced with grass (in 1994, grass was installed in the Pontiac Silverdome for their WC matches). 

The 2018 World Cup is likely to go to England, so 2022 is the better bet for the USA.  Who knows what Lincoln will look like then.

This could actually all be a set up.  I’ll predict that USSF comes to Lincoln and concludes that Lincoln would be a great place for World Cup matches, if only it had an arena.

Mr. Wilson
April 9, 2009 at 9:11PM

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Mr. T
April 9, 2009 at 10:45PM

WOW this would indeed be the greatest thing to happen to Lincoln ever, but there is no way hotels in town could support world cup games here. Simply not enough rooms to house all the visitors that would be coming. Cup is like what, 3 weeks? And that is just to the finals which are another week. This is just a cruel tease. No way it can happen in Lincoln.

Fletch
April 9, 2009 at 11:15PM

It wouldn’t be a big deal if it meant a new FieldTurf field after the fact. The field has to be replaced every few years anyway.

D.M.B.
April 10, 2009 at 1:46AM

Lets not get too excited yet.  70 venues were targeted.  The last time the WC was in the US…9 venues were used.

Rose Bowl-8 matches
Pontiac Silverdome-4
Stanford Stadium-6
Giants Stadium-7
Citrus Bowl-5
Soldier Field-5
Cotton Bowl-6
Foxboro Stadium-6
RFK Stadium-5


The average attendance for the tournament was 69,000.

Since then Japan/Korea had 20 venues, France had 10 venues, Germany had 12 venues.

You’d have to think that Nebraska’s stadium size would be a major attraction but the does the city have enough to support an extended event like that?  How huge would this be for not only for Lincoln but Omaha as well? The most popular sporting event in the world right in our backyard? Holding the event in Lincoln would have long lasting effects both economically but image wise. Nebraska should do ANYTHING possible to get this done.

D.M.B.
April 10, 2009 at 1:55AM

Also another thing we’d have to worry about is that the CWS falls right around when the World Cup does (June)

Either the WC matches would have to be before or after the CWS.  Don’t know if we could hold both events simultaneously.

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