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For the first time since the 1981 NFL season, the
Minnesota Vikings play all of their home games
outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium during the 2014 and
2015 seasons. The move from the
Metrodome to TCF Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota
Golden Gophers (NCAA), is for only two years as a
new stadium,
US Bank Stadium, is constructed on the
same site as the Metrodome. This is not the first
time the Vikings have played at TCF Bank Stadium. In
December 2010 the team played one game here when the
roof at the Metrodome collapsed under the weight of
a massive snowstorm.
For 25 seasons the Golden Gophers shared the
Metrodome with the Vikings and Minnesota Twins
(MLB). They had previously played at Memorial
Stadium, located on-campus, for 57 seasons. In 2000
the University of Minnesota began studying the idea
of building a new stadium for the football program
as the Metrodome lacked the atmosphere of an outdoor
stadium, was off-campus and provided little revenue
for the university.
An initial proposal called for a shared stadium for the
Golden Gophers and the Minnesota Vikings. This idea was scrapped
because of problems over design and management of the stadium. In
December 2003, the university unveiled plans for a new stadium to be
built on campus,
near the site where Memorial Stadium was located.
Two years later, in 2005, TCF Financial Corporation
bought the naming rights for $35 million over 25
years. Construction of TCF Bank Stadium began in
July 2007. The $288.5 million stadium has a seating
capacity of 50,300 that is expandable up to 80,000.
TCF Bank Stadium features 39 luxury suites, 59 loge
boxes and 300 indoor seats. It has a traditional
college football stadium look with its horseshoe
shaped grandstand that is open on the west end. The
48 feet high by 180 feet wide HD video/scoreboard is
located here. Through the open west end, fans can
see the campus of the University of Minnesota and
the skyline of Minneapolis.
TCF Bank Stadium will be the home of the Vikings for
two seasons during construction of their
new $975
million stadium. The Vikings will pay the university
$300,000 per game to use TCF Bank Stadium and paid $6.6 million to renovate TCF Bank Stadium for
the NFL season. This includes a hydronic heated
field, heating concession upgrades and 2,000
temporary bleacher seats. This increases the seating
capacity to over 52,000.
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