Lincoln Financial Field Timeline Feb. 2, 1999 The state of Pennsylvania approves their portion of the stadium funding Oct. 5, 2000 Eagles officially unveil plans to build a new football stadium in the city of Philadelphia. Presented a rendering of the new stadium to the public Dec. 9, 2000 The city of Philadelphia and the Eagles agree on a deal to construct a new stadium. The city’s portion of the funding is approved April 3, 2001 Existing warehouse demolition at the site of the new stadium begins May 7, 2001 Excavation begins for a new stadium May 30, 2001 Pile driving begins June 7, 2001 Official groundbreaking takes place July 16, 2001 Pouring of concrete foundations begin Oct. 15, 2001 Structural steel erection begins March 21, 2002 The installation of precast concrete, the forms on which seats will eventually rest, begins June 3, 2002 Eagles announce Lincoln Financial Group as stadium naming rights partner June 30, 2002 Structural steel is completed July 30, 2002 Pre-cast concrete seating is completed Aug. 15, 2002 Seat installation begins Nov. 26, 2002 Grass field is installed Dec. 15, 2002 Roof completed and the building is enclosed May 19-20, 2003 With the NFL owners' spring meetings held in Philadelphia, the Eagles host owners, head coaches, and executives at Lincoln Financial Field Aug. 3, 2003 Lincoln Financial Field hosts its first ticketed event, a soccer match between Manchester United and FC Barcelona Aug. 22, 2003 The Eagles host the New England Patriots in the first football game at Lincoln Financial Field Sept. 8, 2003 The Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers square off on Monday Night Football in the “Inaugural Game” at Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field, familiarly known as The Linc, is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 (69,032 with Standing Room Only tickets). The stadium was named in June 2002 when Lincoln Financial Group paid $139.6 million for naming rights over the next 21 years. The Eagles sold Stadium Builder Licenses to their fans in order to finance some of the construction cost of the stadium. It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th Streets, closer to the area's stretch of Interstate 95 than to Pattison.
The stadium replaced the old Veterans Stadium after over two years of construction. While its total capacity barely changed, the new stadium contained double the amount of luxury and wheelchair-accessible seats, along with the newer, more modern services. Like the Vet, Lincoln Financial Field had a jail inside the stadium, that contained four cells. However, this jail was done away within two years as the level of unruly behavior had dropped considerably from the worst days of the Vet. The Linc also plays hosts to several soccer games each year, and in the past two years it has played host to the NCAA lacrosse national championship.
The stadium opened on August 3, 2003 with a preseason friendly match between European soccer giants Manchester United and FC Barcelona. Some matches in the FIFA Women's World Cup for soccer were also played there in 2003. Bruce Springsteen performed three sold-out concerts there in 2003. Also, the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 2005 and 2006 were held there. The Army-Navy football game is also played at the stadium, and the stadium is scheduled to host more in the future.
Temple University's Division I-A college football team also plays their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, paying the Eagles $6 million a year to do so.
