State Farm Stadium — Pioneer of the Retractable Grass Field
Glendale, Arizona · Home of the NFL Arizona Cardinals · The stadium that changed how America grows its turf.
Built for the Desert, Built to Last
State Farm Stadium — originally known as University of Phoenix Stadium — opened on 1 August 2006 after three years of construction in Glendale, Arizona. The $455 million facility was developed by the Arizona Sports & Tourism Authority and handed to the Arizona Cardinals, who had spent decades groundsharing with other teams and playing in facilities never designed for NFL football.
The stadium was conceived from the outset as a multi-purpose civic asset: a venue capable of staging NFL games, college football bowl games, concerts, international soccer, wrestling events, and championships under one retractable roof. Its location in the West Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area placed it at the heart of one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States, and the "Valley of the Sun" climate — over 300 sunny days a year — shaped every engineering decision.
The Retractable Grass Field — A First in NFL History
No single feature defines State Farm Stadium more than its moveable natural-grass playing surface. The entire field — 234 feet wide, 234 feet long, and mounted on a 18.9 million pound steel tray — rolls through a 200-foot opening at the south end of the building on a 76-wheeled carriage system. The journey takes approximately 75 minutes. When the tray sits outside, it basks in full Arizona sunlight, allowing real Kentucky bluegrass to grow and recover naturally between events. When game day approaches, it rolls back in.
This was a direct response to Arizona's brutal summer heat, which makes it impossible to maintain live turf indoors without prohibitive artificial lighting costs. The engineering team at HOK Sport (now Populous) designed the system to avoid the permanent artificial turf that other domed stadiums had accepted. The result was the first NFL stadium ever built with a fully retractable natural-grass field — a benchmark that has since influenced stadium design worldwide.
A Home the Cardinals Had Always Deserved
The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest continuously operating professional football franchise in the United States, founded in 1898 in Chicago. They arrived in Arizona in 1988, spending years at Sun Devil Stadium — an open-air college ground that seated only 73,000 and offered none of the modern fan infrastructure an NFL venue required. State Farm Stadium changed that completely.
Since 2006, the Cardinals have played in one of the most versatile NFL venues in the league. The stadium's 63,400 fixed seats are arranged in a tight, steeply raked configuration that puts even upper-deck fans close to the action — a deliberate design choice to create atmosphere in a market that had previously struggled to fill a larger venue. The building has hosted NFC Championship games and remains Arizona's primary destination for major sporting spectacles.
Super Bowls, WrestleMania, and the Final Four
Few stadiums anywhere in the world can match the breadth of elite events State Farm Stadium has hosted since opening. On the NFL side alone, it has welcomed four Super Bowls: XLII in 2008 (the New York Giants' famous upset of the undefeated New England Patriots), XLIX in 2015 (won by New England over the Seattle Seahawks on goal line), and LVII in 2023 (Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles). Each Super Bowl brought the stadium's capacity close to its maximum 72,200-seat expanded configuration.
Beyond football, the venue has hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, the BCS National Championship, WrestleMania 26 and WrestleMania 30 (the latter attracting over 75,000 fans), FIFA World Cup qualifier matches, and headline concert tours. The retractable roof and moveable field make it one of the most operationally flexible venues in North America — transforming from a grass NFL field to a basketball court to a concert floor within days.
Stadium Features
Retractable Natural Grass
The only NFL stadium with a moveable natural-grass tray that rolls outside to grow in real sunlight — engineering that no other NFL venue had attempted before 2006. The grass stays alive; the fans stay comfortable.
Four-Time Super Bowl Host
State Farm Stadium has hosted Super Bowls XLII, XLIX, and LVII — three of the most watched television broadcasts in American sports history — and continues to be a preferred NFL host site for its infrastructure and desert climate.
Full Retractable Roof
A motorised retractable roof opens or closes in approximately 12 minutes, giving fans natural outdoor conditions during Arizona's mild winters and full climate control during the summer heat. It operates independently of the field tray.
Visitor Guide & Tips
Read through these crucial game-day checklists to ensure a seamless entry and visitor experience at State Farm Stadium.
Guide Info
Bring a clear bag — the NFL clear-bag policy is strictly enforced at all gates
Guide Info
Arrive at least 90 minutes early; security lines grow rapidly before kickoff
Guide Info
The stadium is cashless — only debit and credit cards are accepted at concessions
Guide Info
Public transport via Valley Metro Rail is the most reliable way to reach the venue
Guide Info
Check the roof status on game day — the Cardinals announce open or closed roof in advance
Guide Info
Mobile tickets only — print-at-home tickets are no longer accepted at entry
Guide Info
Parking lots open 4–5 hours before kickoff; Lot A is closest to the main entrance
Guide Info
Outside food is not permitted; however, factory-sealed water bottles are allowed
"Watching the field roll back in before a Cardinals game is something you genuinely have to see to believe. You're standing on the concourse, and this entire playing surface just glides in from outside — real grass, sunlit and green, in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. There's no other stadium moment like it anywhere in the NFL."
— Glendale, Arizona
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