Inter Miami CF Stadium


Inter Miami CF Stadium is a soccer stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium. The 18,000-seat stadium is the temporary home of Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer until the completion of Miami Freedom Park in Miami and the permanent home of the club's USL League One reserve side Fort Lauderdale CF. The stadium is oriented north–south for soccer configuration, so the sun is not in the eyes of the goalkeepers. The stadium is the primary headquarters for the team and its youth academy in addition to further training grounds.

History

The Fort Lauderdale Strikers announced in 2016 that they were moving out of Lockhart Stadium, after which the stadium fell into a state of disrepair. In January 2019, Major League Soccer expansion team Inter Miami CF announced its intentions to pursue the Lockhart Stadium site to serve as the club's training ground for its first team, youth academy, and future United Soccer League team Fort Lauderdale CF. The Fort Lauderdale city council unanimously approved Inter Miami's bid for the Lockhart Stadium site in March 2019. In April, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission cleared Inter Miami to begin the demolition process. On July 9, 2019, the Fort Lauderdale City Commission unanimously approved a 50-year lease agreement for the Lockhart Stadium site with Inter Miami; under the terms of the agreement, the city of Fort Lauderdale will retain ownership of the property while Inter Miami will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the new facilities.
On November 13, 2019, Inter Miami CF announced that the club's inaugural home match was scheduled for March 14, 2020, against the LA Galaxy. The first match has since been delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.