One of the newest facilities in the NFL is AT&T Stadium, which broke ground on September 20th, 2005. After nearly three and a half years of construction, the stadium opened on May 27th 2009 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Although initial costs were estimated to be $650 million, the final cost of the project ballooned to $1.3 billion, landing it in the top three of the most expensive stadiums ever built. The Cowboys are the world's most valuable sports franchise, valued at $4 billion with an estimated annual revenue that hovers around half a billion, no doubt buoyed by the new facility.
AT&T Stadium has the largest seating capacity of any NFL venue, with the ability to seat 85,000 fans during a game. When standing room is included, the capacity of the stadium rises to a whopping 105,000. The first regular season game ever played at AT&T ended up setting a record for the biggest crowd to watch an NFL game, with 105,121 fans watching the New York Giants edge the Cowboys by a score of 33-31 on September 20th, 2009.
Located in Arlington, which is about halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, the stadium is just off of Tom Landry Freeway.
Dallas Cowboys Stadium
Oddly enough, the Cowboys don't seem to be too comfortable competing in their new stadium, playing at a .500 clip over the past five years. Their play on the road has been far superior, especially in 2014 when they went a perfect 8-0 away from Arlington. In fact, their road winning percentage over the same period is .550, earning four more wins on the road than at home.
The NFLPA survey of playing fields in 2010 listed AT&T Stadium as the fifth-best artificial surface in the league. Despite the newness of the field and its approval by players, it was replaced by Matrix artificial turf.
As the saying goes, everything's bigger in Texas, including the fact that AT&T Stadium boasts the world's largest interior built without columns. The HD video screen is fourth largest in the world, spanning between the 20-yard lines. Each end zone has a giant sliding window and the roof features a retractable design, allowing for outside games to take place according to weather.
Stadium Vitals
Date Opened: May 27th, 2009
Construction Cost: $1.3 billion
Architect: HKS, Inc.
Capacity Attendance: 105,000
Playing Surface: Matrix Artificial Turf
Previous Dallas Cowboys Stadiums
Cotton Bowl; Texas Stadium
Other Major Events
Super Bowl XLV
AT&T Stadium beat out Lucas Oil Stadium and the University of Phoenix Stadium for the honor of hosting the Super Bowl on February 6th, 2011. Despite an ice storm that caused difficulty for some workers and fans, the event went well, with the Green Bay Packers beating the Pittsburgh Steelers by a score of 31-25 to earn the right to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
College Football
Several big college football events have taken place at AT&T Stadium, including the College Football Playoff National Championship, the Big 12 Championship Game and the annual Cotton Bowl Classic.
2010 NBA All-Star Game
Another attendance record set at AT&T Stadium was for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which drew 108,713 fans, setting a record for the best attended basketball game in history.
WrestleMania XXXII
The WWE will attempt to set a new attendance record for WrestleMania on April 3rd, 2016, by taking advantage of the expansive confines of AT&T Stadium.