StubHub Center

Dignity Health Sports Park, formerly the Home Depot Center and StubHub Center, is a multiple-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California that consists of a soccer stadium, a separate tennis stadium, a track and field facility, and a velodrome: VELO Sports Center.

It is approximately fourteen miles (23 km) south of downtown Los Angeles and its primary tenant is the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS). It is also the temporary home of the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL).

Opened in 2003, the $150 million complex was developed and is operated by the Anschutz Entertainment Group. With a seating capacity of 27,000, it is the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and the second-largest among its kind in MLS, after Canadian Toronto FC’s BMO Field. In addition to hosting LA Galaxy games since its opening, the stadium also served as the home of the now-defunct Chivas USA MLS team from 2005 to 2014.

General information

Official website: http://www.dignityhealthsportspark.com/

Arena capacity: 30,000 spectators

Address: 18400 S Avalon Blvd, Carson, CA 90746, USA

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 33.864°N 118.261°W

Year of construction: June 1, 2003

Construction cost: $150 million

Field: Bandera Bermuda Grass lawn with dimensions of 120 yd × 75 yd (110 m × 69 m)

Seating plan of the StubHub Center

Beginning with the 2017 season, the Chargers will call the StubHub Center their home for a few seasons. The stadium is a stark contrast to Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers’ previous home in San Diego.

While Qualcomm Stadium handled up to 70,000 guests for football games, the StubHub Center only holds 27,000 fans. Because of its dual-purpose as a football and baseball venue, Qualcomm Stadium offered fans some of the worst sitelines in the NFL. The StubHub Center is also a dual-purpose venue – catering to the LA Galaxy of the MLS – but its overall intimacy leads to better views for a higher-proportion of fans.

One of the biggest issues with Qualcomm Stadium’s lower level is that fans are pushed back too far from the field – and sit too low to the ground. Unfortunately, this will also be an issue at the StubHub Center. Because soccer fields are roughly 20 yards wider than NFL fields, there will be a lot of extra space between the players on the sidelines and the first row of seating.

Recommended Seats in the Lower Level

Because the awe-factor of sitting the first few rows is greatly diminished, we recommend sitting in rows J-Z in the 100 level to maximize your view. These seats will give you 10+ rows of extra elevation, which makes it easier to see action on both sides of the field. As an added bonus, most of these seats are covered which can keep you cool or dry when the weather plays its tricks.

200 Level Seats

While most NFL venues have three or four decks of seating, the StubHub Center has just two decks of seating – and the second deck only wraps around one side of the field. The views from this “upper” level are similar to what you would find in club seating at other football venues. The seats are well-elevated and hang slightly over the lower bowl. This brings you closer to the field and gives you one of the best views in the NFL. The front rows in sections 230-234 are the best of the best, but we recommend just about any row in these sections for an outstanding view.

Shaded Views From the South Endzone

If sideline seating is a little out of your price range, you’ll find cheaper Chargers tickets in the endzone sections. When looking at seats here, first consider sections in the South endzone (101-103, 140-142). The views of the field will be similar to what you get in the North endzone, but the sun won’t be shining in your eyes, and you’ll have a head-on look at the primary videoboard.

Overall, it’s going to be tough to find a bad view at a stadium that’s even smaller than every Major League ballpark. You’ll never be more than 50 rows from the field, and you’ll never have to walk more than 25 rows to your seats (and if you are walking that far, it’s because you’re sitting in the front row). Don’t be scared off by seats in one of the upper rows in any sideline section. They will be cheaper than the lower rows, on average, and the view upgrade will be negligible.

Where to buy tickets?

The Box Office is open Monday – Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. On event days, the Box Office is open 10:00 a.m. – 1/2 hr after event start.

• Children under two years of age will be admitted without a ticket and will be required to remain seated in the lap of their guardian. If the child has reached their second birthday, they must have a ticket to enter.
• Take a look at the freebets offered by the bookmaker.
• Cash, Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express are accepted at the Box Office.

Will Call

Will call may be picked up on the day of the event.

• The main Box Office (Southwest Box Office) is located off of the main entrance at Avalon and 184th Streets.
• For Galaxy games, the Box Office is open until the start of the second half.
• For Los Angeles Chargers games, the main Box Office is located at the Northwest end of the stadium.

Even if you buy them from ticket resellers you might pay close to $100 (or more) for a Chargers game, which is a lot of money for a sporting event. However, that is typical of the LA market, and is not far off from many other pro football venues.

Anywhere in the 200 or 300 sections would be great, or in the highest rows of sections 107 thru 115 – StubHub Center is such a small facility that even if you sit that far up you won’t be very far from the action, and you will be able to see the game better from up there anyway, given that you can’t see the whole field if you sit too close.

Add in the high cost of parking and concessions to the ticket price, and this could be an expensive outing especially if you have a big group.

However, you will get to be a lot closer to the action on the field here than at other NFL venues, so for a lot of fans this could be a worthwhile trip.  And it is sure to be a fun day, given all the nice amenities StubHub Center offers.

How to get there?

Public Transportation

There are several available options when taking public transportation to the complex.

Please visit lacmta.metrocloudalliance.com to find available bus routes and rail lines.

Enter your starting address and enter 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson, 90746 as the ending address. (You’ll be asked to confirm 18400 Avalon Blvd., Carson, 90747 as the destination address. Although the correct zip code for the stadium is 90746, the website will return routes to our stadium with the 90747 zip code.)

Enter any additional search criteria for your route as directed.

A list of bus/rail options is displayed.

The Galaxy Express

The Galaxy Express offers fans free non-stop shuttles to and from Dignity Health Sports Park for every LA Galaxy home match.

• Operates approximately every 10 minutes;
• Begins 90 minutes prior to kickoff and runs through the match’s 15th minute;
• Return trips operate from the 75th minute through 45 minutes after the final whistle.

Harbor Gateway Transit Center:

731 W. 182nd St. Gardena, CA 90248

Harbor Gateway Transit Center:

20220 Santa Fe Ave. Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220

Fans are encouraged to connect to the Galaxy Express by riding the Metro Silver Line to the Harbor Gateway Transit Center or the Metro Blue Line to the Del Amo Station

The Chargers Express

The Chargers Express offers fans free non-stop shuttles to and from Dignity Health Sports Park for every Los Angeles Chargers home game.

• Operates approximately every 10 minutes;
• Begins 2.5 hours prior to kickoff;
• Return trips operate 1.5 hours after the game.

Harbor Gateway Transit Center:

731 W. 182nd St. Gardena, CA 90248

Harbor Gateway Transit Center:

20220 Santa Fe Ave. Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220

Fans are encouraged to connect to the Chargers Express by riding the Metro Silver Line to the Harbor Gateway Transit Center or the Metro Blue Line to the Del Amo Station.

Ride Share Drop Off/Pick Up

LA Galaxy

Riders may be dropped off and picked up at Gate A, located on Avalon Blvd. and 184th Street. Guests will see the Uber beacon on the far right of the inbound lane at Gate A.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Lyft Lot is the official rideshare lot for the Los Angeles Chargers and is located at Towne Avenue Elementary School, 18924 Towne Ave, Carson, CA 90746. Fans will get 20% off rides to and from Dignity Health Sports Park for all 2017 Chargers home games. Enter code LYFTLACHARGERS into the ‘Promos’ section of your app to receive. Valid for 20% off two rides to/from Dignity Health Sports Park on gameday from noon – 5pm. Lyft, the fastest growing ridesharing service in the U.S., is proud to partner with the Chargers this football season.  Save the hassle of parking, and take a Lyft ride to the game.

Where to eat?

On the plus side, StubHub Center has all the food options you could ever want at a sporting event and then some, but of course all this variety comes with the high prices typical of pro sports in America today.

Each of the concessions stands at StubHub Center seems to offer something different. And in addition to the freestanding vendors, there are also several food trucks which offer even more unique items, such as Korean BBQ and Sushi Burritos (which are exactly what they sound like – traditional sushi rolls the size of Mexican burritos). But the crown jewel of the concessions here just may be the Chargers Beer Garden, complete with hammock chairs and picnic tables, in addition to a huge selection of alcoholic drinks.

One possible downside is that your more basic food options are actually a little hard to come by at StubHub Center – while you can find staples such as chicken tenders or pizza, a lot of the other staples like burgers and hot dogs only seem to come in upscale versions with higher price tags. For example, you can find several stands and food trucks serving gourmet burgers, gourmet hot dogs, upscale tacos and nachos, and even gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.

In addition, there are also tons of other non-traditional options, too many to name them all in fact.  Selections range from bulgogi, kimchi, and poké bowls to French dip sandwiches, pasta, and cannolis, as well as more basic items such as empanadas, ice cream, cookies, and more.  Most main dishes will run you $10 or more, however, so the cost per person to eat here is probably around $25 for a meal.

The drink selection at StubHub Center is equally wide, and includes everything you might expect such as bottled water, soda, milk, hot cocoa, coffee, and smoothies, as well as beer, wine, and mixed drinks, including frozen cocktails.  The beverage prices are a little more reasonable, however; for example, beer starts at just $5, but you can pay more to find craft brews and beer on tap, while wine starts at $9 and mixed drinks start a little higher.

Note that the staff does let you bring in an empty bottle (or cup) that you can fill with water during the game.

Atmosphere

Despite the smallish crowd, the staff here at StubHub Center seems to pull out all the stops to create a good time for fans, and there are tons of amenities here that most other NFL stadiums do not offer.  For example, on the plaza before the game you can get pumped up with a concert by Chargers singers, and there are also tons of picnic tables and other seating (some of it covered) you can take advantage of. StubHub Center also has several cooling fans dotted around the concourse, which are a great boon in the hot California sun.

Besides the unique offerings, the Los Angeles Chargers also offer the traditional football amenities fans have become accustomed to at pro sports, such as flame and smoke spurting forth when the team comes onto the field, the occasional jet flyover, the cheerleaders, and the Chargers band which performs during various breaks in the action, as well as the cannon which goes off after every Chargers score.

One sad bit of nostalgia – the famed sing-song chant from San Diego (San Dee-eh-go Char-gers!) has not been carried over into the new city (not even with a name change), so long time fans may be disappointed; perhaps a new chant will emerge someday.

Neighborhood

Los Angeles is a great city, but StubHub Center is actually located 14 miles south in Carson, so you will have to trek a little bit if you want to soak in the fun and craziness of LA. That said, you will find plenty to do closer to the stadium if you come for the day or weekend, along with hotels and lodging options to fit any budget.

The closest restaurants to StubHub Center (within walking distance) are old-style diners such as Dandy Lion Restaurant and R & R Soulfood, but there are plenty of upscale options to the south along I-405, such as Olive Garden. And if you are looking for ethnic cuisine, there are a ton of options within a few miles of the venue, ranging from Hawaiian to Mexican and Vietnamese. In addition, if you are looking for a quick bite right before you go inside, there is a Kentucky Fried Chicken just outside the main entrance, on the west side of Avalon Blvd.

Alternatively, if you are looking for something truly unique, check out The Proud Bird next to LAX airport; this aviation-themed restaurant and event space features WWII planes and other museum exhibits inside and out, and would be a great place to stop in before or after the game.

If you plan to be in town for the weekend, going on a whale watch from one of the nearby beaches is a great option, especially for games in September or October, which are better months for whale migration. But if indoor activities are more your bag, Carson is also home to the International Printing Museum and the Porsche Experience, either one of which would be a great time for the whole family.

Fans

It is very disappointing that Chargers fans are not able to sell out this relatively small venue (smaller than many college football stadiums, actually, even some of the ones in the MAC).  Also, at times there seems to be more visiting fans than home fans, so you may not see very many powder blue jerseys.

Extras

The beer garden and full-size restaurant/tap room inside are a plus, as is the entertainment before and during the game, such as the pre-game concert and the Chargers football toss). StubHub Center truly offers a carnival-like atmosphere, which in addition to the cooling fans and the multiple seating areas inside the venue will make for a great visit that goes beyond just the action on the gridiron.

History

Originally opened as the “Home Depot Center”, it was renamed “StubHub Center” and then again renamed “Dignity Health Sports Park” after Dignity Health signed a new naming rights agreement.

The 27,000-seat main stadium was the second American sports arena designed specifically for soccer in the MLS era. When the venue opened in June 2003 as the new home of LA Galaxy, a number of special events took place in celebration. Pelé was in attendance at the opening match along with many dignitaries from the soccer world and other celebrities.

In addition to the soccer stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park features the 2,450-seat VELO Sports Center (velodrome), an 8,000-seat tennis stadium, an outdoor track and field facility that has 2,000 permanent seats and is expandable to 20,000. Soccer stadium building costs within the $150 million complex were around $87 million.

Tenants

Aside from being home to the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer, it was also home to two defunct clubs, the MLS team Chivas USA as well as Los Angeles Sol of the Women’s Professional Soccer. The stadium hosted the MLS All-Star Game and the MLS Cup.

Dignity Health Sports Park was also the site of the FIFA Women’s World Cup final. Both the United States women’s and men’s national soccer teams often use the facility for training camps and select home matches.

It also hosted the NCAA Men’s College Cup, with Duke, Indiana, Maryland, and UC Santa Barbara qualifying.

The track and field stadium on the site is also home to the LA Galaxy II of the United Soccer League, farm club to the parent Galaxy.

It hosted an International Champions Cup match between Paris Saint-Germain and Leicester City. Paris Saint-Germain won the match 4–0 to complete a perfect record in the ICC.