FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland)

Huntington Bank Field
Company type	Stadium
Industry	Sports venue
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Cleveland, United States
Area served	Cleveland, Ohio
Products	Football games, soccer matches, concerts, other events

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland), available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

Huntington Bank Field is a stadium situated in Cleveland, Ohio, serving as the home venue for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Beyond NFL games, it also accommodates college and high school football, soccer matches, hockey events, and concerts. The facility originally opened in 1999 under the name Cleveland Browns Stadium. From 2013 until 2023, it was known as FirstEnergy Stadium, before briefly reverting to its initial name until 2024. Initially designed to seat 73,200 spectators, a renovation completed in 2014 reduced its capacity to 67,431. Positioned between Lake Erie and the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, the stadium lies within downtown Cleveland’s North Coast Harbor, adjacent to landmarks such as the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It stands on the site formerly occupied by Cleveland Stadium, which existed from 1931 to 1996.

History

The current Huntington Bank Field occupies the location of the former Cleveland Stadium, a multipurpose arena constructed in 1931 that served as the Browns' home field from their inception in 1946 through the end of the 1995 season. During that season, team owner Art Modell declared his intention to relocate the franchise to Baltimore, prompting legal challenges from both the city of Cleveland and Browns season ticket holders. In response, voters in Cuyahoga County approved an extension of a 1990 sin tax on alcohol and tobacco products to finance renovations for Cleveland Stadium.

Under a negotiated agreement involving Modell, city officials, and the NFL, Cleveland Stadium was demolished and replaced with a new facility funded by sin tax revenues. Modell retained ownership of the Browns’ name, colors, and history in Cleveland while establishing a new franchise, the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL committed to reactivating the Browns by 1999 through either expansion or relocation of an existing team. Demolition of Cleveland Stadium commenced in November 1996 and concluded by early 1997; debris from the site was submerged in Lake Erie to create an artificial reef.

Construction of the new stadium began with a groundbreaking ceremony on May 15, 1997, leading to its opening in July 1999. The inaugural event was a preseason contest against the Minnesota Vikings on August 21, followed shortly by a game versus the Chicago Bears. The first regular-season matchup took place on September 12, 1999, resulting in a 43–0 defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 2011, local comedian and Browns enthusiast Mike Polk coined the nickname "factory of sadness" for the stadium in a viral video highlighting the team's challenges. Following a Browns victory over the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in 2021, local broadcaster WKYC featured Polk symbolically "closing" this so-called "factory of sadness."

As of the conclusion of the 2023 season, Huntington Bank Field remains unique among NFL stadiums in never having hosted a postseason game. The Browns are one of five franchises without a home playoff appearance in their current venue; others include the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and New York Jets. Unlike these teams’ stadiums—which have held Super Bowls or playoff contests for other tenants—Huntington Bank Field has yet to host such postseason events.

New Huntington Bank Field

The Browns' current stadium lease concludes following the 2028 season. In October 2024, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and the Cleveland Browns revealed plans to construct a new indoor stadium located in suburban Brook Park, near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, with an anticipated opening for the 2029 season. The existing naming rights agreement guarantees that the Huntington Bank Field name will be carried over to the new venue once it becomes operational. Public financing for this project was sanctioned on June 30, 2025.

Facility

Created by Populous (formerly known as HOK Sport Venue Event Division of HOK), the stadium showcases a design combining concrete and glass, featuring both precast concrete and cast-in-place components, accented by natural stone at its foundation. The construction process involved delivering more than 6,000 truckloads of concrete, amounting to roughly 60,000 cubic yards and weighing close to 235 million pounds.

Its playing surface consists of irrigated Kentucky Bluegrass planted over a sand-soil root zone, supported by an underground heating system that includes nine boilers and an extensive network of 40 miles of piping. This system prevents freezing and helps prolong the turf’s durability. Although primarily intended for football, the field is also equipped to host international soccer events.

The eastern stands contain the Dawg Pound, a bleacher section that succeeded the original located at Cleveland Stadium. Opened in 1999 as a two-tiered area seating 10,644 fans, it underwent renovations in 2014 which removed part of the upper deck to accommodate a larger main scoreboard, an additional auxiliary scoreboard, and expanded fan spaces. The upper bleacher seats were replaced with chairback seating to improve comfort.

Renovations

In 2013, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced a two-stage upgrade plan for the stadium slated for completion during the 2014 and 2015 NFL offseasons. The first phase enhanced the audio system, installed new scoreboards that were triple the size of the originals—ranking fourth largest among NFL stadiums at that time—and increased seating in the lower bowl. The second phase concentrated on improving concessions, upgrading technology connectivity throughout the venue, refreshing stadium graphics, and modernizing premium suites. These improvements led to a reduction in overall seating capacity to about 68,000. The $120 million renovation was financed partly by $30 million from the city of Cleveland over a 15-year span, with the Browns covering the balance.

Stadium naming

Initially, city officials opted against selling naming rights for the stadium itself and instead marketed naming rights for its four primary entrance gates. These gates were originally sponsored by National City Bank, Steris Corp., CoreComm Inc., and the Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. Although this sponsorship model was discontinued later on, it saw partial reinstatement by 2022 with gate sponsorships from Meijer, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and Electronic Merchant Systems.

After acquiring ownership in 2012, Haslam expressed intentions to sell naming rights but excluded his family’s business from consideration. In January 2013, naming rights were sold to FirstEnergy Corporation, an electric utility based in Akron serving northeastern Ohio. The Cleveland City Council approved this agreement in February 2013, leading to the renaming of the venue as "FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the Cleveland Browns." It is important to note that stadium electricity is provided by Cleveland Public Power rather than FirstEnergy.

Following FirstEnergy’s involvement in the Ohio nuclear bribery scandal, Cleveland City Council passed a resolution in June 2022 urging FirstEnergy to relinquish its naming rights. No immediate action was taken by either party; however, on April 13, 2023, both sides mutually agreed to end the naming rights contract prematurely—originally scheduled through 2029—restoring the stadium’s original designation.

On September 3, 2024, Haslam Sports Group announced a new two-decade naming rights deal with Huntington Bank, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. This contract includes clauses allowing for name transfer should the franchise relocate to a new regional stadium.

Services

Although the stadium does not provide on-site public parking, several nearby facilities accommodate visitors, such as the Port Authority visitor lot, the West 3rd Street parking area, the Great Lakes Science Center garage, and various municipal lots managed by the city of Cleveland. These locations are popular spots for tailgating during game days. Additionally, the venue is accessible via the West 3rd Street station on Cleveland’s Waterfront light rail line.

Other events

In addition to hosting Browns home contests, the stadium serves as a venue for college and high school football games, international soccer matches, concerts, and a variety of other activities.

Among significant college football occasions are the Ohio Classic games in 2003 and 2005, which featured Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 2006, the stadium welcomed a matchup between Bowling Green and Wisconsin, drawing an audience of 30,307. Between 2007 and 2009, it was the site of the Patriot Bowl, showcasing teams from the Mid-American Conference. The inaugural game featured Army versus Akron with an attendance of 17,835; the following year Boston College defeated Kent State before 10,788 spectators; and the final Patriot Bowl attracted 71,727 fans for Ohio State versus Toledo.

Huntington Bank Field frequently hosts playoff contests for the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The Browns reinstated the Charity Football Game as a high school doubleheader in both 2010 and 2011, spotlighting leading local programs like Saint Edward, Mentor, Saint Ignatius, Lake Catholic, Mayfield, Medina, and Glenville. Since 2016, the longstanding rivalry between St. Ignatius and St. Edward has been played at this stadium multiple times, drawing crowds up to 17,400. In August 2022, Saint Ignatius also faced Mentor at this venue.

The stadium has twice been a location for Monster Jam events—in July 2022 and June 2023—and was prominently featured in Progressive Corporation’s At Home advertising campaign starring then-Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. Furthermore, Huntington Bank Field hosted WWE’s premium live event SummerSlam in August 2024, attracting an audience of 57,791.

Soccer

Huntington Bank Field occasionally serves as a host for matches involving both the USMNT and USWNT. Among notable fixtures is a pre-2006 FIFA World Cup USMNT triumph over Venezuela by a score of 2–0. In 2013, it saw a USMNT defeat to Belgium with a final score of 4–2 before an audience of 27,720. While known as FirstEnergy Stadium, it held group stage matches during the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including a USMNT victory over Nicaragua by 3–0 within a doubleheader that also featured Panama and Martinique; both Panama and the US secured wins by identical scores. The venue also hosted group stage games during the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, highlighted by Panama’s 4–2 win against Guyana and a commanding USMNT 6–0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.

The USWNT has appeared here three times to date, most recently in 2018. Memorable moments include a dominant 4–0 friendly victory over Germany in 2010; a crowd of 23,535 witnessed their 2–0 win against Japan in 2016—the largest USWNT attendance recorded in Ohio—and a narrow 2–1 victory over China in 2018.

On April 19, 2025, Huntington Bank Field hosted an MLS regular season match featuring Columbus Crew against Inter Miami CF, leveraging the draw of Inter Miami star Lionel Messi. The event set a new attendance record for the club at 60,614 attendees but also sparked criticism from Crew supporters along with a subdued boycott organized by the supporters’ group Nordecke.

Concerts

Since its opening, Huntington Bank Field has served as the venue for several prominent concerts. The first-ever performance was by George Strait in 2000, followed in 2001 by NSYNC’s PopOdyssey Tour and The Three Tenors. Between 2007 and 2012, Kenny Chesney appeared three times, promoting tours such as Flip-Flop Summer and Brothers of the Sun. In 2015, the stadium hosted One Direction’s On the Road Again Tour alongside Luke Bryan’s Kick the Dust Up Tour. U2’s July 1, 2017 concert during The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 sold out within a single day.

The year 2018 saw major performances from Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour and the joint On the Run II Tour by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, drawing large crowds. Concert activities were halted throughout 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed in 2022 with Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe’s The Stadium Tour, attracting over 34,000 attendees. Cleveland native Machine Gun Kelly concluded his U.S. tour stop before more than 42,000 fans, featuring special appearances by Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker.

Postponed from 2020, The Rolling Stones delivered a sold-out performance on June 15, 2024, as part of their Hackney Diamonds Tour. Upcoming shows include Billy Joel and Rod Stewart scheduled for September 13, 2024.

Hockey

Huntington Bank Field transitioned into an outdoor ice hockey venue starting in early 2023. Announced on August 22, 2022, the marquee event was a college hockey matchup between Michigan and Ohio State, branded as Faceoff on the Lake. Subsequently, on October 11, 2022, the stadium was designated to host an American Hockey League fixture—the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic—featuring the Cleveland Monsters versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Both events utilized a temporary ice rink constructed on the field.

The inaugural hockey game at Huntington Bank Field took place on February 17, 2023, showcasing a contest between John Carroll University and Canisius College from the American Collegiate Hockey Association. The "John Carroll University Outdoor Classic" concluded with John Carroll securing a 5–4 victory. The next day, Faceoff on the Lake attracted a record-setting crowd of 45,523 spectators for an outdoor neutral-site college hockey game, with Ohio State prevailing over Michigan 4–2. On March 4, despite a five-hour delay caused by ice conditions, the Monsters triumphed over the Penguins 3–2 in overtime during the Outdoor Classic before an audience of 22,875.

Additional hockey events included a United States Hockey League (USHL) matchup on February 22 between the Youngstown Phantoms and Cedar Rapids Roughriders, which Youngstown won 4–1. The Ohio High School Athletic Association conducted playoff games on February 25–26; however, games scheduled for March 3 were moved indoors due to rain. Public skating sessions were also available on February 22 and February 25.

External links

Official site
Cleveland Browns Stadium on StadiumDB.com