<\/p>\n

Key facts<\/h3>\n

Club: Columbus Crew SC | Opening: 1999 | Capacity: 20,145 seats<\/p>\n

History and description<\/h3>\n

Mapfre Stadium, previously called Columbus Crew Stadium, was the first soccer-specific stadium of the Major League Soccer. It opened on 15 May 1999 with a match between the Columbus Crew and New England Revolution. Construction of the stadium had cost $28.5 million.<\/p>\n

The stadium hosts a permanent concert stage and regularly hosts open-air concerts.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Crew Stadium got renamed Mapfre Stadium following a sponsorship deal with insurance company Mapfre Insurance.<\/p>\n

Mapfre Stadium has been one of the most-used stadiums for the US national team and in particular the USA vs Mexico match-ups.<\/p>\n

Over the last two decades, the quality of newly built soccer-specific stadiums in the USA has improved dramatically, making the Crew fall behind the commercial opportunities.<\/p>\n

In 2018, the club therefore proposed building a new stadium in a more central downtown location. The new Columbus Crew Stadium<\/a>, with a similar capacity, is expected to be completed in 2021.<\/p>\n

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How to get to Mapfre Stadium<\/h3>\n

Mapfre\u00a0Stadium is located in the north of the city of Columbus, about 3.5 miles from downtown Columbus and not far east from the Ohio State University Campus.<\/p>\n

The stadium lies adjacent to the I-71, which runs between Cleveland and downtown Columbus. From the I-71 take exit 111 toward 17^{th<\/sup> Avenue. Turn west onto 17th<\/sup> Avenue and directly right following the sign for Crew Stadium.<\/p>\n}

If arriving by public transport, Mapfre\u00a0Stadium can be reached with bus<\/a> 4. Take the bus from Capital Square (corner E Broad Street and S High Street) or further north from N High Street. The bus goes in the direction of Indianola. Get off after about 15 minutes at the corner of N 4^{th<\/sup> Street and E 17th<\/sup> Avenue. From there it\u2019s an approximate 15-minute walk to the stadium. Buses run about once every hour.<\/p>\n}

Address: One Black and Gold Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio 43211<\/p>\n