Huntington Bank Field

Huntington Bank Field
Company type	Stadium
Industry	Sports venue
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Area served	Cleveland metropolitan area
Products	Football stadium, multi-purpose sports and event venue
Owner	Haslam Sports Group (implied)

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Huntington Bank Field, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 8 August 2025

Huntington Bank Field is a stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio, serving as the home venue for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Beyond football, it accommodates college and high school games, soccer matches, hockey events, and concerts. Originally inaugurated in 1999 under the name Cleveland Browns Stadium, the facility was known as FirstEnergy Stadium from 2013 until 2023 before briefly reverting to its initial name until 2024. Initially designed to hold 73,200 spectators, a renovation finalized in 2014 decreased its seating capacity to 67,431. Positioned between Lake Erie and the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway within downtown Cleveland's North Coast Harbor district, the stadium neighbors the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was constructed to replace Cleveland Stadium, which occupied the site from 1931 through 1996.

History

The current Huntington Bank Field stands on the grounds formerly occupied by Cleveland Stadium, a versatile arena established in 1931 that hosted the Browns from 1946 until 1995. In 1995, Browns owner Art Modell declared his intention to move the franchise to Baltimore, triggering legal challenges from both the city of Cleveland and season ticket holders. Subsequently, voters in Cuyahoga County approved an extension of the 1990 sin tax on alcohol and tobacco products to finance upgrades for Cleveland Stadium. As part of a legal agreement involving Modell, the city, and the NFL, Cleveland Stadium was demolished to make way for a new stadium funded by these sin tax revenues. Modell relinquished rights to the Browns' name, colors, and history in Cleveland while rebranding his team as the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL pledged to restore the Browns franchise by 1999. Demolition commenced in November 1996 and concluded by early 1997; debris from the old stadium was deposited into Lake Erie to create an artificial reef.

Groundbreaking for the new stadium took place on May 15, 1997, with its opening following in July 1999. The inaugural event was a preseason matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on August 21, succeeded by a game versus the Chicago Bears. The Browns' first regular-season contest at this venue occurred on September 12, 1999, resulting in a 43–0 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In 2011, Browns supporter and local comedian Mike Polk coined the nickname "factory of sadness" for the stadium in a widely shared video that highlighted the team's ongoing challenges. After a Browns victory over the Steelers at Acrisure Stadium in 2021, Polk ceremonially "closed" this so-called "factory of sadness" during a televised segment.

Up through the conclusion of the 2023 season, Huntington Bank Field remains unique as the only NFL stadium yet to host any postseason contests. The Browns are one of five franchises without a home playoff game at their current stadium; however, unlike teams such as the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, and New York Jets, Huntington Bank Field has not served as a venue for Super Bowl or playoff games involving other teams.

New Huntington Bank Field

The Browns' stadium lease is set to conclude following the 2028 season. In October 2024, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and the Cleveland Browns revealed plans to construct a new indoor stadium in suburban Brook Park, situated near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, targeting the 2029 season for its debut. The existing naming rights agreement guarantees that the Huntington Bank Field designation will carry over to this new venue. Public financing for the project received approval on June 30, 2025.

Facility

The stadium, designed by Populous (previously HOK Sport), showcases a design combining concrete and glass with accents of natural stone. Construction was overseen by Indianapolis-based Huber, Hunt & Nichols, involving the delivery of over 6,000 truckloads of concrete amounting to approximately .

Kentucky Bluegrass covers the playing field, supported by a sand-soil root zone and an underground heating system equipped with nine boilers and of piping to prevent turf freezing and enhance durability. While primarily built for football, the field is also suitable for international soccer contests.

The eastern stands feature the Dawg Pound, a bleacher section that continues the legacy from Cleveland Stadium’s east end zone. Initially, this area offered 10,644 double-deck seats when Huntington Bank Field opened in 1999. Renovations in 2014 reduced the upper deck to make room for a larger scoreboard, an auxiliary scoreboard, and improved fan spaces, replacing upper-level bleachers with individual chairback seating.

Renovations

In 2013, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced a two-phase upgrade plan for the stadium, which was completed during the NFL offseasons of 2014 and 2015. The first phase enhanced the audio system, installed new scoreboards that were three times larger than previous ones—ranking as the fourth largest in an NFL venue at that time—and added seating in the lower bowl. The second phase concentrated on improving concessions, updating technology, enhancing graphics, and upgrading premium suites. These improvements decreased overall capacity to roughly 68,000 seats. The $120 million renovation was financed with $30 million contributed by the city of Cleveland over fifteen years, with the remainder funded by the Browns organization.

Stadium naming

Initially, city officials chose not to sell naming rights for the stadium itself but instead sold naming rights for its four primary entrance gates to local businesses such as National City Bank and Cleveland Clinic Sports Health. Although this practice was discontinued at one point, it was partially reinstated by 2022 with gate sponsorships from Meijer, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and Electronic Merchant Systems.

After acquiring the Browns from Randy Lerner in 2012, Jimmy Haslam expressed intentions to sell naming rights for the stadium but excluded his own company, Pilot Flying J. In January 2013, naming rights were secured by FirstEnergy, an electric utility based in Akron serving northeastern Ohio. Following approval by Cleveland City Council in February 2013, the stadium was renamed "FirstEnergy Stadium, Home of the Cleveland Browns." It is noteworthy that power supplied to the stadium comes from Cleveland Public Power rather than FirstEnergy.

Amid 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 the Browns and FirstEnergy agreed mutually to end their naming rights contract prematurely, restoring the stadium’s original name. The initial agreement was scheduled to expire in 2029.

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 provisions allowing the naming rights to move with the team should it relocate to another stadium within the region.

Services

Although the stadium does not provide on-site public parking, several nearby facilities are available for visitors, including the Port Authority visitor lot, the West 3rd Street parking area, the garage at the Great Lakes Science Center, and various city-operated lots where tailgating is a popular activity on game days. Additionally, the stadium 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 venue accommodates college and high school football games, international soccer matches, concerts, and various other gatherings.

The stadium was the site of the Ohio Classic, an event spotlighting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, in both 2003 and 2005. In September 2006, it welcomed a matchup between the Bowling Green Falcons and the Wisconsin Badgers, drawing an audience of 30,307. Between 2007 and 2009, it served as the host for the Patriot Bowl, a season-opening game featuring teams from the Mid-American Conference. The inaugural Patriot Bowl pitted the Army Black Knights against the Akron Zips, attracting 17,835 spectators. The following year’s game saw Boston College defeat Kent State before 10,788 attendees. The final Patriot Bowl in 2009 showcased a contest between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Toledo Rockets, with a crowd of 71,727 predominantly supporting Ohio State.

Huntington Bank Field regularly hosts numerous high school football contests, including playoff games sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The Browns reinstated the Charity Football Game during 2010–2011 as a doubleheader featuring local high schools, reviving a tradition that dates back to 1931. Among these events are notable rivalry clashes between St. Ignatius and St. Edward, held multiple times since 2016 and consistently drawing significant crowds.

The stadium has also been home to two editions of Monster Jam on July 2, 2022, and June 3, 2023. It served as a filming location for Progressive Corporation’s At Home campaign starring then-Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. On August 3, 2024, Huntington Bank Field hosted WWE’s premium live event SummerSlam, attracting an audience of 57,791.

Soccer

Huntington Bank Field occasionally hosts matches involving both the USMNT and USWNT. Prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, it staged a USMNT match against Venezuela, which ended in a 2–0 victory for the United States. In 2013, it hosted another USMNT game against Belgium that drew 27,720 fans but resulted in a 4–2 loss. Under its previous name as FirstEnergy Stadium, it was a venue for group stage matches during the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup, including a 3–0 USMNT victory over Nicaragua and Panama’s 3–0 win against Martinique. The stadium also hosted group matches during the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup, featuring Panama’s 4–2 triumph over Guyana and a dominant 6–0 USMNT win versus Trinidad and Tobago.

The USWNT has played at this venue on three occasions, most recently in 2018. Key moments include a commanding 4–0 friendly win over Germany in 2010; a record-setting Ohio attendance of 23,535 during a 2–0 victory against Japan in 2016; and a narrow 2–1 win over China in their latest appearance in 2018.

On April 19, 2025, Huntington Bank Field hosted an MLS regular season encounter between the Columbus Crew and Inter Miami CF, capitalizing on Lionel Messi’s star appeal. This match set a new club attendance record of 60,614 but was met with criticism from Crew supporters alongside a partial boycott organized by fan group Nordecke.

Concerts

Huntington Bank Field has periodically served as a venue for notable concerts since its opening. The first concert featured George Strait in 2000, followed by performances such as NSYNC's 2001 PopOdyssey Tour and The Three Tenors. Kenny Chesney appeared three times at the stadium, performing during his Flip-Flop Summer Tour in 2007, the Poets and Pirates Tour in 2008, and the Brothers of the Sun Tour in 2012. In 2015, the venue hosted One Direction on their On the Road Again Tour alongside Luke Bryan’s Kick the Dust Up Tour. On July 1, 2017, U2 delivered a sold-out show as part of The Joshua Tree Tour 2017.

The year 2018 featured prominent artists including Taylor Swift, who performed on July 17 during her Reputation Stadium Tour, and the duo of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who appeared on July 25 for the On the Run II Tour. Concert events were suspended throughout 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in 2022 with headline acts like Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe, who brought The Stadium Tour to an audience of 34,815. Cleveland native Machine Gun Kelly concluded his U.S. leg of the Mainstream Sellout Tour at the stadium on August 13, drawing a crowd of 42,086 and featuring support from artists such as Avril Lavigne and Travis Barker.

Though initially planned for 2020's No Filter Tour, The Rolling Stones ultimately performed to a full house on June 15, 2024, as part of their ongoing Hackney Diamonds Tour. Future scheduled concerts include appearances by Billy Joel and Rod Stewart on September 13, 2024.

Hockey

In early 2023, Huntington Bank Field expanded its use to include outdoor ice hockey events. Announced on August 22, 2022, the marquee game was a collegiate matchup called Faceoff on the Lake, featuring teams from Michigan and Ohio State. Subsequently, on October 11, 2022, it was revealed that the stadium would host an American Hockey League contest—the Cleveland Monsters Outdoor Classic—pitting the Cleveland Monsters against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Both events utilized a temporary ice surface installed directly on the field.

The venue’s inaugural hockey game took place on February 17, 2023, showcasing a clash between club-level teams from the American Collegiate Hockey Association, with John Carroll University facing off against Canisius College. John Carroll secured a narrow 5–4 victory in what was titled the “John Carroll University Outdoor Classic.” The next day’s Faceoff on the Lake attracted an audience of 45,523 spectators as Ohio State triumphed over Michigan with a score of 4–2, establishing a new attendance record for neutral-site outdoor college hockey games. On March 4, despite a five-hour delay caused by ice conditions, the Monsters Outdoor Classic proceeded with Cleveland defeating Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3–2 in overtime before a crowd of 22,875.

Additional hockey events included a February 22 United States Hockey League (USHL) fixture known as the USHL Cleveland Classic, where the Youngstown Phantoms defeated the Cedar Rapids Roughriders by a score of 4–1. The stadium also hosted Ohio High School Athletic Association playoff games on February 25 and 26; however, games scheduled for March 3 were moved indoors due to inclement weather. Public skating sessions were made available to attendees on February 22 and February 25.

External links

Official website
Cleveland Browns Stadium at StadiumDB.com