U stadium will hold soccer if Chicago wins Olympic bid

TCF Bank Stadium would be one of six venues around the United States for Olympic soccer in 2016.

By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune

Last update: February 20, 2009 - 10:33 PM

Print this story

More from Olympics

Where others envisioned only large men in helmets and pads, Joel Maturi imagined a whole different kind of football. The Gophers athletic director saw his idea take a step forward Friday, when the committee promoting Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympics announced that TCF Bank Stadium is among six sites that will stage Olympic soccer games if Chicago wins the bid.

Chicago's plan proposes that preliminary rounds of the Olympic soccer tournament be held at the new Gophers football stadium, set to open this fall, as well as at the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, Calif.; the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.; and stadiums in St. Louis, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The Chicago 2016 committee submitted its bid proposal to the International Olympic Committee last week. The IOC will choose the host city Oct. 2 from a field that includes Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid.

Maturi said he wanted the Gophers' new stadium to be suitable for soccer. Its designers ensured the field would meet dimensions required by FIFA, the international governing body for soccer.

"We did that at the beginning, before we had a decision on Chicago's interest,'' Maturi said. "We built the stadium with the thought that some day, we'd host an Olympic-style or world championship-style soccer game. It's a chance to put our institution in a positive light.''

Maturi added that Big Ten and Chicago 2016 officials also have discussed the possibility of using Big Ten campuses as training sites for teams competing in the Olympics.

Recent Olympics stories

U.S. women's hockey has a place to call home - February 20, 2009

U.S. women's hockey has a place to call home - After years of having to train on their own wherever they could, the best American players now can congregate year-round at the Super Rink in Blaine. More

Sweeping giant Shuster on a new quest for gold - February 20, 2009

Sweeping giant Shuster on a new quest for gold - With a new team and a fresh focus, the Olympic medalist from 2006 hopes to represent the Unites States again, this time as skip. More