Protective Stadium

Protective Stadium
Protective Stadium in 2021
Map
LocationBirmingham, Alabama, United States
Coordinates33°31′40″N 86°48′33″W / 33.5278°N 86.8092°W / 33.5278; -86.8092
OwnerBirmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority
OperatorBirmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority
Capacity47,100[1]
Construction
Broke ground2019
OpenedOctober 2, 2021
Construction costUS$175 million
ArchitectPopulous
Goodwyn Mills Cawood
Structural engineerWalter P. Moore[citation needed]
General contractorBrasfield & Gorrie[citation needed]
Tenants
UAB Blazers (NCAA) 2021–present
Birmingham Bowl (NCAA) 2021–present
Birmingham Legion FC (USLC) 2022–present
Birmingham Stallions (USFL, UFL) 2022–present
New Orleans Breakers (USFL) 2022–2023

Protective Stadium is a football stadium owned and operated by the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.[2][3] Since its opening in 2021, the stadium has been named for Protective Life, a financial service holding company based in Birmingham, which pays $1 million per year as part of a 15-year naming rights deal.[4] It is the host site of the annual Birmingham Bowl and serves as the home stadium of the UAB Blazers football team. The stadium has also served as the home for the city's professional soccer and football team.

History

Football

The stadium replaced Legion Field as the home of the UAB Blazers football program. The Blazers played their first game in the stadium on October 2, 2021 against Liberty.[5]

In December 2021, the stadium hosted the Super 7, the football championship games of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA), as part of a three-year rotation with Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa and Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn that will run through at least 2032.[6][a]

The stadium has hosted the annual Birmingham Bowl since the bowl's 2021 edition—played on December 28, 2021, it was the first event at the venue to sell out.[7]

The United States Football League (USFL) played most of its 2022 games in Birmingham at Protective Stadium with the rest played at Legion Field.[8] In 2023, Protective Stadium became one of the league's four hub sites, hosting home games for the Birmingham Stallions and also "home" games for the New Orleans Breakers.[9]

Soccer

Birmingham Legion FC, a USLC soccer team, has played at Protective Stadium since the 2022 season.[10] Birmingham Legion FC set a club-best attendance mark of 18,418 fans in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match played against Major League Soccer (MLS) club Inter Miami CF on June 7, 2023.[11]

Other events

A June 2022 concert by Garth Brooks set an attendance record for the venue of approximately 50,000 fans.[12]

The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2022 World Games in July 2022.

A round of the 2024 Monster Energy American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Supercross Championship Series was held at the stadium in March. It is the second Supercross race held in Alabama during the 50-year history of the series.

Monster Jam came to the stadium on March 23, 2024 as part of the Stadium Championship Series West. This was the first Monster Jam stadium show in Alabama.[citation needed]

Attendance records

Protective Stadium's debut: UAB vs. Liberty on October 2, 2021
Rank Attendance Date Notes
1 approx. 50,000[12] June 4, 2022 Garth Brooks concert
2 47,100[1][b] December 28, 2021 Houston 17 – Auburn 13
3 37,167 October 2, 2021 UAB 12 – Liberty 36
4 32,542[13] September 1, 2022 UAB 59 – Alabama A&M 0
5 approx. 27,000[14] July 7, 2022 World Games Opening Ceremony
6 25,363 August 31, 2023 UAB 35 – North Carolina A&T 6
7 25,191 October 9, 2021 UAB 31 – Florida Atlantic 14
8 24,845 October 23, 2021 UAB 24 – Rice 30
9 24,302 September 17, 2022 UAB 35 – Georgia Southern 21
10 23,694 October 8, 2022 UAB 41 – Middle Tennessee 14

Footnotes

  1. ^ While the current AHSAA rotation runs through 2032, the last event in Birmingham during this cycle will be in 2030.
  2. ^ Played as the 2021 Birmingham Bowl.

References

  1. ^ a b "Houston vs. Auburn - Game Summary". ESPN.com. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "BJCC bond sale closes, generates $313 million for stadium, arena renovations". Alabama Live. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  3. ^ "BJCC Reveals Protective Stadium Official Design Plans". UAB Sports. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "BJCC And Protective Life Announce Naming Rights for Downtown Stadium". UAB Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Birmingham's Protective Stadium brings the magic back to the Magic City". AL.com. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  6. ^ "AHSAA announces 2021-2032 sites for Super 7" (Press release). Alabama High School Athletic Association. November 13, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Birmingham Bowl first sellout in Protective Stadium history". wbrc.com. WBRC. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  8. ^ Johnson, Roy S (October 28, 2021). "USFL, BJCC ready to 'finalize' agreement to host inaugural season in Birmingham in spring 2022". AL.com. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  9. ^ "Detroit's Ford Field to Host USFL Games During 2023 Season" (Press release). United States Football League. January 26, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  10. ^ "Protective Stadium to Serve as Home of Legion FC Starting in 2022". 7 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  11. ^ Hennessy, Ryan (2023-06-08). "Legion FC fall to Inter Miami in U.S. Open Cup in front of record crowd". WVTM. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  12. ^ a b "Record attendance at Protective Stadium sold-out concert". wbrc.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  13. ^ "Alabama A&M vs. UAB - Game Summary - September 1, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  14. ^ Baer, Rebecca Angel (July 13, 2022). "Southern Hospitality Is on Full Display as The World Games 2022 Take Over Birmingham, Alabama". Southern Living. Retrieved 2022-09-15.