Gillette Stadium

When in Boston, the grocers always take a moment to check out Gilette Stadium and its mall! They tell you a little more about this arena of American Football!
The stadium of the U.S. Soccer team New England Patriots football team's stadium was built on September 9, 2002 after more than 2 years of construction. It replaces the old stadium, Foxboro Stadium, which was in use since 1971 and qualified as "one of the worst in the NFL" according to the fans. The construction of Gillette Stadium was wanted and initiated by Robert Kraft after he bought the franchise in 1994. The name of the stadium is subject to rights, acquired by Gillette, the razor brand, until 2031. It was originally supposed to be called CMGI Field, named after a Boston-based search engine in the 1990s, but it went bankrupt when the dot-com bubble burst.
Since its opening, this stadium has become mythical!

All about Gillette Stadium

Location

The location of the stadium has been the subject of much discussion. Connecticut offered to host it in Hartford, Boston was discussed, then Providence. There were numerous appeals from local residents who felt that a stadium would cause a lot of inconvenience. Finally, in 1999, the Pats announced that they would stay in Foxborough, on the site of the old Foxboro Stadium. Foxborough is a town located 20 miles south of Boston. It is part of Norfolk County and the Greater Boston metropolitan area. It has a population of 17,000.
In addition to being the home of the Patriots NFL team, it is known for having been the site of one of the world's largest straw hat factories, the Union Straw Works (which was devastated by fire in the early 1900s), and for the nearby Gilbert Hills State Forest of pine and oak trees.
The exact address of the stadium is:
One Patriot Place
Foxborough,
Massachussets 02035.

Construction and Dimensions

The construction was entirely financed by the owner of the franchise, Bob Kraft.
This is notable because it is very rare for an owner to finance the construction of a stadium alone. It is usually supported by the state.
Its architecture was entrusted to the Populous firm, a very large firm that specializes in the construction of ballparks (baseball stadiums, basketball...).
We owe them notably the State Farm Stadium (of Arizona Cardinals), the renovation of New Era Field in Buffalo, and dozens of other sports complexes.
A little anecdote, based 95% in the U.S.A., the firm also created the new Olympique Lyonnais Park, which is located a few miles from the grocery store.
The New England Patriots stadium will have cost 325 million dollars, it has a capacity of 65,878 seats & includes 89 executive suites. It will also have required the construction of a new road, the old one being judged not adapted for the number of fans that the new arena can accommodate.
The field reserved for the NFL is 120 Yards x 53.33 Yards, it is composed of synthetic turf FieldTurf since 2006 and the defeat of the Patriots due in part to the condition of the lawn after two days of heavy rain.
The stadium is also the home of the New England Revolution soccer team.
It also hosted the Massachusetts Minutemen NCAA team for a few seasons.

Patriot Place

A true city next to the stadium, Patriot Place is an open-air shopping center.
Built in two phases, it opened in the fall of 2007. More than 120,000 m2 dedicated to shopping and entertainment!
You will find all kinds of stores, but also a cinema, restaurants, fast foods...
But the most interesting is the Patriots Hall Of Fame. It's a museum that traces the history of the most famous American soccer franchise, and the jerseys of the most prestigious players of the team.