March 27, 2007

Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, USA


Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, USA

Paul Brown Stadium is a football stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals NFL franchise, and is named after coaching legend Paul Brown, a Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and founder of both the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals franchises.

The stadium sits on approximately 22 acres (89,000 m²) of land and has a capacity of 65,535. The Bengals are the sole tenant. The stadium opened in August 2000, and the Bengals debuted there during the 2000-2001 NFL season.

Originally, the field was natural grass, but problems arose in maintaining it. At one point, the field was rated by the NFL Players Association as the third-worst field in the league. The stadium’s owner, Hamilton County, and the team explored various options, and the revolutionary FieldTurf system, which looks and feels like real grass, won out. The reduced maintenance saves the county approximately $100,000 annually since field markings are actually sewn into the fabric and do not need to be repainted between games. Additionally, it opens Paul Brown Stadium to other uses without worry of damage to the turf.

Two video-equipped scoreboards at either endzone ensures that every fan has a good view of on-field action.

The stadium also houses the Bengals’ administrative offices and training facilities. In addition, there are three smaller practice fields adjacent to Paul Brown Stadium. Two are sodded with natural grass while the third is equipped with FieldTurf.

As a convenience for fans, local bussing companies offer transportation to and from designated parking locations throughout the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area for a modest fee. One such example is the Cincinnati Metro’s Jungle-to-Jungle Express.

Shortly after the completion of the stadium, cost overruns led to Hamilton County filing a lawsuit against Los Angeles-based NBBJ, the architectural firm that designed and built Paul Brown Stadium. The suit was settled in October 2004 for $14.25 million.

Bengal fans lovingly refer to Paul Brown Stadium as “The Jungle.” This is in reference both to the Bengal Tigers natural habitat as well as the Guns ‘n’ Roses Anthem “Welcome to the Jungle,” from the album Appetite for Destruction, which is played at every Bengals home game. This theme was enhanced in 2004 with the addition of jungle and Bengal tiger graphics to the walls surrounding the field.

Fans enjoy premium seating options in the 114 private suites and thousands of club seats. Amenities include in-seat food and beverage service and access to the club lounges for fine dining options.

[Source: Wikipedia]

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