Bonney Field

Bonney Field
Location 1600 Exposition Blvd
Sacramento, CA 95815
Coordinates 38°35′28″N 121°26′17″W / 38.59111°N 121.43806°W / 38.59111; -121.43806Coordinates: 38°35′28″N 121°26′17″W / 38.59111°N 121.43806°W / 38.59111; -121.43806
Owner Sacramento Republic FC, Cal Expo, and Ovations Food Service
Operator Sacramento Republic FC
Capacity 11,442[1]
Field size 120 x 80 yds
Surface Grass
Construction
Broke ground March 2014
Opened June 20, 2014[2]
Construction cost $3 million US
Tenants
Sacramento Republic FC (USL) (2014–present) Sacramento Express (PRO Rugby) (2016–present)

Bonney Field (formerly known as the Cal Expo Multi-Use Sports Field Facility) is a sports venue located on the grounds of Cal Expo in Sacramento, California. The soccer-specific stadium has a capacity of 11,000 and includes a full-sized (120 x 80 yard) soccer field. Bonney Field is the current home of Sacramento Republic FC soccer team and PRO Rugby team, Sacramento Express.

The field is located in a previously empty area of the Cal Expo property, and is bordered on the west and south by the Cal Expo monorail, and on the east by Raging Waters water park.

History

Construction of the stadium began in March 2014, following approval by the Cal Expo Board of Directors. Funding for the stadium came from an agreement between Ovations Food Services, Cal Expo, and the Republic FC. Original schedules put the grand opening for the Republic FC's June 7 match against Arizona United, but that date was postponed two weeks, with the grand opening falling instead on June 20, when the Republic FC played the reserve team of the Colorado Rapids in a match that ended in a victory for the Republic.

The name of the stadium was originally Cal Expo Multi-Use Sports Field Facility, but on April 21, 2014, Republic FC President Warren Smith announced a multi-year deal with Bonney Plumbing, Heating, Air and Rooter Service for the naming rights of the stadium and the name was changed to Bonney Field.[3]

Structure

Bonney Field is open-ended, with the south endline lacking a grandstand but hosting the VIP section.[4] The north endline is home to the Tower Bridge Battalion, the SRFC supporters group.[5] The team benches and premium seating are located along the west sideline.[4]

Soccer

Bonney Field is the home stadium for the Sacramento Republic FC soccer team of the USL.[6] The Republic hosted its first match at Bonney Field on June 20, 2014.[6] In addition to USL Pro matches, Bonney Field also hosted Republic friendly matches against visiting foreign teams, such as Mexican Premier Division team Club Atlas, Scottish Championship team Rangers F.C. and Premier League team West Bromwich Albion F.C..[7]

Rugby

Bonney Field is the home of the Sacramento Express that play in the PRO Rugby competition.[8]

Bonney Field has hosted several international rugby matches.[9]

Date Team #1 Result Team #2 Competition Attendance
June 21, 2014  United States 38–35  Canada Pacific Nations Cup 7,804
July 24, 2015  Fiji 30–30  Samoa Pacific Nations Cup 5,500
 United States 23–18  Japan 11,000
June 25, 2016  United States 25–0  Russia friendly TBD

Expansion

After a successful inaugural season for the Republic FC, which consisted of 16 sell-outs in 17 matches and a USL Pro championship at Bonney Field, Smith indicated plans to expand the stadium by 2,000 to 3,000 seats for the 2015 USL Pro season.[10] The expansion project, which forced a reschedule of the 2015 home opener, added approximately 1,300 sideline seats, 2,500 endline seats, and an expanded market area.[5]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.sacrepublicfc.com/matchday/bonney-field/
  2. ↑ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/north-america/united-states/california/bonney-field/
  3. ↑ "First home match at Bonney Field moved to June 20"
  4. 1 2 "Bonney Field Seating Map", Bonney Field.
  5. 1 2 "Crews Race to Finish Bonney Field Expansion", KCRA, April 8, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Bonney Field", Sacramento Republic FC.
  7. ↑ "Republic FC will play Liga MX team at Bonney Field on July 6", Sacramento Bee, June 11, 2014.
  8. ↑ "It's official: Sacramento will get team in nation's first pro rugby league", Sacramento Business Journal, November 18, 2015.
  9. ↑ "San Jose, Sacramento for PNC Home Matches", Rugby Today, February 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Republic FC wins first USL Pro championship, will expand stadium", Sports Illustrated, October 1, 2014.

External links

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