Surface: Bluegrass
Year Built: 2000
WPS Seating Capacity: 5,126
Field Dimensions: 75x120
About the SoccerPlex
The dream of a high quality multi-field soccer facility in suburban Maryland began in 1988 when a group of local soccer clubs successfully advocated for the facility to be added to a park master plan. At the time there was no public or private funding for the project.
Then in 1998 a group of soccer parents led by Maureen and John Hendricks, the founder of Discovery Communications, tried again. They established the Maryland Soccer Foundation (MSF), a non-profit corporation whose mission was to build, manage and maintain the 24-field soccer complex. A public-private partnership was formed with the Maryland National-Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC) and a location for the complex was identified in Germantown, Md.
In October 2000, the Maryland SoccerPlex opened with 19 full sized irrigated soccer fields. Each field measures 115 x 75 yards and one side of each field has a berm, ideal for spectator seating. The fields are organized in clusters of four or five fields with parking and a comfort station for each cluster.
One of the attractions of the complex is the Championship Stadium. The stadium sits in a natural bow with a paved lit plaza surrounding it. There is seating for 6,000 spectators with broadcast quality Musco lighting and Kwik Goal Pro Premier World Competition Goals.
The Championship Stadium has hosted a U.S. Olympic qualifier, MLS Open Cup matches, a CONCACAF Champions League match, the ACC Men’s Soccer Championships, USL and W-League matches, training sessions for Argentina’s Boca Juniors and the New Zealand National Team. In addition, the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships were held at the Maryland SoccerPlex.
The Maryland SoccerPlex welcomes more than 600,000 visitors a year. Although the majority of visitors come from the local soccer clubs and leagues that play more than 4,500 matches at the complex, teams from all over the country come to participate in some of the most competitive youth soccer tournaments in the country. The SoccerPlex becomes the home of the Washington Freedom in 2009.