The newly designed DRV PNK Stadium is home to the Inter Miami soccer team. The man and the public face behind Inter Miami is David Beckham, instantly familiar to millions the world over, even those who know, or care, little about soccer otherwise.
And, after a glittering career as a player, with Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and PSG, Beckham will be looking to bring glamour and a sprinkling of stardust to the game once more, with his new club which, technically, is known as Club Internacional de Futbol Miami, acknowledging the heavy Hispanic population of the city.
The Englishman has already made quite a sizeable impact on soccer in the United States. His five-year spell as a player with LA Galaxy between 2007 and 2012 helped raise the profile of MLS like no other event before and since. Not only did he win the MLS Cup twice, and the Supporters Shield on two occasions but he helped make soccer an established spectator sport in the country. Arguably, the legacy of his time with the Galaxy was to put MLS on a much firmer footing than previous examples of organized professional soccer in America, such as the North American Soccer League (NASL).
He had been looking to get back into the sport on the ownership side, and finally was given the green light for his Miami franchise team in January 2018.
History of Drv Pnk Stadium
Lockhart Stadium was established as a dedicated football sports venue in September 1959. The stadium is named after H. Y. “Doug” Lockhart, the former commissioner of the city. The venue was originally designed to host American football games as well as field and track competitions for the local high schools in the area. It was also occasionally used for soccer. In 1977, it took on a substantial role as a sports stadium when the Miami Toros relocated here and renamed themselves the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. They played in this stadium until 1982. Then they relocated to Minnesota
After the relocation of the Strikers, the venue largely returned to its original use of hosting local high school football games. In 1998, Lockhart Stadium underwent a $5 million revamp for the MLS. As a result, the stadium was converted into a 20,000-seat venue dedicated to only soccer games. Later, the venue was once again renovated for use by the college football team of Florida Atlantic University Owls. The team stayed there until 2011.
In 2009, Miami FC moved to this venue. In 2011, the team changed its name to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. They played there until 2016.
With the first professional MLS team in Miami set to debut in early 2020, there wasn’t enough time to build a stadium on the proposed location in Miami. So, it was decided to repurpose the older Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. In 2019, Inter Miami CF received a 5-decade lease of the site, in addition to the permission to build an updated stadium and a new training facility with six fields.
The construction costs of the new stadium were $60 million. The venue opened with a football match, The United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) played its first game at this venue in December 2020. They won against El Salvador 6-0. Currently, Inter Miami FC uses DRV PNK Stadium for home games.
East Coast Limousine offers affordable charter bus rentals, shuttles, and transfers to Drv Pnk Stadium from facilities in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. Get in touch with us to learn more,
