Salt Lake recently added yet another architectural wonder to its arsenal of athletic and entertainment venues, this one in the form of the $110-million Rio Tinto Stadium, home to Salt Lake's professional soccer team, Real Salt Lake. Opened Oct. 9, Rio Tinto Stadium is said to be the most beautiful stadium in all of major league soccer. Indeed, Forbes named it one of 10 new super stadiums, joining the ranks of the new Yankee Stadium in New York, the Olympique Lyonnais soccer stadium in Lyon, France, and Landsdowne Road Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.
Not unlike EnergySolutions Arena (home to the NBA's Utah Jazz) and Franklin Covey Field (home of Salt Lake's AAA Bees), Rio Tinto Stadium offers sweeping and breathtaking views of the Wasatch Mountains on the east and the Oquirrh Mountains on the west. This world-class venue seats 20,000 people for Major League Soccer and other sports events, while capacity increases to 25,000 for concerts. Stadium amenities include 32 luxury suites, a 2,000-square foot Stadium Club, 1,000 premium club seats, five locker rooms, a 60-foot video board, press box and press lounge.
The stadium features 6,700 parking stalls within 15 minutes of the venue and is within close proximity to the TRAX light rail line.
