Lockhart Stadium
Multi-sport stadium pivotal to soccer's growth in Florida.
Bobak Ha'Eri · via Wikipedia: Lockhart Stadium · CC BY 3.0
Lockhart Stadium, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, served as a multi-purpose venue primarily for soccer and American football. Built in 1959 for high school athletics, its deep ties to soccer started in 1977 when the original Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the original NASL made it their home. The site was later redeveloped in 2019 and 2020 to create Chase Stadium, now used by Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF.
The stadium was constructed in 1959 as part of a larger sports complex that also included a baseball park. It was originally meant for football and track events for four local high schools. Named after former city commissioner H. Y. "Doug" Lockhart, it was dedicated at a football game on September 18, 1959. For nearly two decades, it mainly hosted high school football and track, along with occasional state football and soccer matches. Its soccer role grew in 1977 when the Miami Toros of the original NASL moved there and became the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The Strikers played at Lockhart until 1982, when they relocated to Minnesota. On November 23, 1980, the U.S. men’s national soccer team beat Mexico 2–1 in a World Cup qualifier at the stadium—the first U.S. win over Mexico in over 46 years.
After the Strikers left, the stadium returned mostly to high school sports. In the late 1990s, it hosted Miami Dolphins scrimmages during training camps. In 1998, it was renovated for the Miami Fusion of MLS, boosting capacity to 20,000 and redesigning the field specifically for soccer—an unusual step at the time, as other MLS teams used football stadiums, and it helped start the league’s shift toward soccer-specific venues. During this period, Lockhart also hosted high-profile games, including D.C. United’s 1998 Interamerican Cup win over Vasco da Gama. The Fusion were contracted by MLS in 2002. In 2003, the stadium was refitted for Florida Atlantic University’s college football team, which played there until moving to its on-campus stadium in Boca Raton in 2011.
Billy Graham held his final South Florida crusade at Lockhart in 1985. The stadium hosted Broward County’s 2007 Caribbean Carnival after Miramar declined, and it was the site of the 2008 and 2009 MLS combines. In 2009, Miami FC moved to Lockhart from Miami, renaming themselves the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 2011.
Quick Facts
- Address
- 1350 Northwest 55th Street
- City
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Public Transit
- trirail Cypress Creek
- Owner
- City of Fort Lauderdale
- Capacity
- 17,417
- Surface
- Grass
- Opened
- 1959
- Demolished
- May 8, 2019
- Cost
- Unknown / $5 million renovation in 1998 ($ in US dollarsUS)
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The stadium was built in 1959 as part of a new sports complex that also included the Fort Lauderdale Stadium baseball park. It was originally designed to host American football and track and field competitions for four local high schools: Fort Lauderdale High School, Stranahan High School, Northeast High School, and Dillard High School. The stadium was named for former city commissioner H. Y. 'Doug' Lockhart and was dedicated at a football game on September 18, 1959. For nearly twenty years, Lockhart Stadium was primarily used for high school football and track, but occasionally saw use for state football as well as soccer.
A more substantial role as a soccer venue came in 1977, when the Miami Toros of the original North American Soccer League relocated to the stadium, renaming themselves the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This began Lockhart's long association with the sport. The Strikers played there until 1982, when they moved to Minnesota. On November 23, 1980, the United States men's national soccer team defeated Mexico 2–1 in a World Cup qualifier at Lockhart, the first U.S. win over Mexico in over 46 years. In 1998, the stadium was renovated for use by the Miami Fusion of Major League Soccer (MLS). The renovation increased capacity to 20,000 and redesigned the field expressly for soccer, an unusual move at the time that started the league's eventual trend toward soccer-specific stadiums.
After the Fusion were contracted in 2002, Lockhart was refitted for use by the Florida Atlantic University Owls college football team from 2002 to 2010. Later it was the home of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the second iteration of NASL from 2011 to 2016. The stadium also hosted Billy Graham's final South Florida crusade in 1985, the 2007 Caribbean Carnival for Broward County, and the 2008 and 2009 MLS combines. After the Strikers' 2016 departure, the stadium fell into a state of disrepair. In 2019, Inter Miami CF received approval to redevelop the site, and demolition began on May 8, 2019.
Reader's Guide
Lockhart Stadium holds significance as a pioneering soccer-specific venue in the United States. Its 1998 renovation for the Miami Fusion, which redesigned the field expressly for soccer, was an unusual move at the time and started Major League Soccer's eventual trend toward soccer-specific stadiums. The stadium also hosted a historic U.S. men's national team victory over Mexico in 1980, the first U.S. win over Mexico in over 46 years. Beyond soccer, it served as the home of the Florida Atlantic Owls football team for nearly a decade and hosted high school sports, a Billy Graham crusade, and MLS combines. Its redevelopment into Chase Stadium for Inter Miami CF in 2019–2020 marked the end of its original structure but continued its legacy as a soccer hub.
Did You Know?
- The 1998 renovation for the Miami Fusion increased capacity to 20,000 and redesigned the field expressly for soccer, starting MLS's trend toward soccer-specific stadiums.
- Billy Graham's final South Florida crusade took place at Lockhart Stadium in 1985.
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