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.
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 Protective Stadium in 2021 | |
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| Location | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 33°31′40″N 86°48′33″W / 33.5278°N 86.8092°W |
| Owner | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority |
| Operator | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority |
| Capacity | 47,100[1] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 2019 |
| Opened | October 2, 2021 |
| Construction cost | US$175 million |
| Architect | Populous Goodwyn Mills Cawood |
| Structural engineer | Walter P. Moore[citation needed] |
| General contractor | Brasfield & 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 | |
History
editFootball
editThe 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
editBirmingham 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
editA 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
edit
| 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
edit- ^ While the current AHSAA rotation runs through 2032, the last event in Birmingham during this cycle will be in 2030.
- ^ Played as the 2021 Birmingham Bowl.
References
edit- ^ a b "Houston vs. Auburn - Game Summary". ESPN.com. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ "BJCC bond sale closes, generates $313 million for stadium, arena renovations". Alabama Live. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- ^ "BJCC Reveals Protective Stadium Official Design Plans". UAB Sports. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ "BJCC And Protective Life Announce Naming Rights for Downtown Stadium". UAB Sports. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Birmingham's Protective Stadium brings the magic back to the Magic City". AL.com. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "AHSAA announces 2021-2032 sites for Super 7" (Press release). Alabama High School Athletic Association. November 13, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ "Birmingham Bowl first sellout in Protective Stadium history". wbrc.com. WBRC. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Detroit's Ford Field to Host USFL Games During 2023 Season" (Press release). United States Football League. January 26, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Record attendance at Protective Stadium sold-out concert". wbrc.com. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
- ^ "Alabama A&M vs. UAB - Game Summary - September 1, 2022 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
- ^ 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.