Of all of the spectacular stadiums in the world, SoFi Stadium in California might be the most impressive. SoFi Stadium is a modern indoor sports and entertainment arena located in Hollywood Park, a 300-acre mixed-use real estate complex in Inglewood, just outside of Los Angeles. In addition to SoFi, Hollywood Park has retail spaces, office spaces, residences, a hotel and outdoor parks. The stadium name comes from the San Francisco based financial services firm, SoFi Technologies; the firm spends $30 million per year for naming rights to the Stadium.
SoFi Stadium opened in September 2020, after a four year construction project. The massive arena seats over 70,000 people and has a glass rooftop, or canopy, which makes you feel like you are outdoors, even though you are indoors. The glass canopy is made of 302 panels, some of which can be tilted open for ventilation. In addition, the glass canopy has 27,000 LED lights on it that can display images and videos.
SoFi Stadium is managed in an environmentally conscious way. The stadium is equipped with management systems that maximize sustainability, such as energy efficient light fixtures and variable speed fans. In addition, the Stadium employs responsible food and supply sourcing, recycling and resuming products when possible. SoFi also minimizes water waste with low-flow water fixtures in the Stadium and water capture outside the Stadium; an artificial lake in Hollywood Park collects water runoff from around the complex.
It is the home stadium of the Los Angeles Chargers and the Los Angeles Rams, two American football teams that recently moved locations from San Diego and St.Louis, respectively. Although very few people were able to go to the stadium when it first opened because of COVID restrictions, by September 2021, the stadium was packed to full capacity with fans.
Several major sporting events have already taken place, or are planned to take place, in SoFi stadium. First, on February 13, 2022, Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and the Bengals, was played there place. The Super Bowl is generally the most watched sporting event of the year in America. Second, the College Football National Championship is scheduled to be hosted at Sofi Stadium in 2023. Lastly, the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2028 Summer Olympics are going to take place there. Thus, despite how new it is, Sofi Stadium is already becoming one of the most important and famous stadiums worldwide.
