ST. LOUIS — Opening Day at CityPark has been months in the making. Before St. Louis CITY SC and Charlotte FC take the field Saturday night, many things needed to happen at the 32-acre soccer stadium.
Staff members have been working around the clock getting ready for this weekend. Among their projects: growing green grass in the middle of winter in the Midwest. How does that happen?
5 On Your Side was with CityPark Stadium Grounds Director Josh McPherson on Monday when he walked out onto the field and pulled back a section of the white plastic covering the entire pitch.
“Alright, this is my first peak in a couple days, so I’m pretty excited,” McPherson said. “Yeah, this is great. This is exactly what we’re looking for. We have the longer grass on top, which is the ryegrass. Then the grass down below is the Bermuda grass, which is the warm season grass, which likes 80-degree temps.”
To see how CityPark ground crews make that happen, 5 On Your Side was escorted to the stadium basement, in the sub-vault room.
There, McPherson said, “So, these are the boilers that pump heat under the root zone. We’re pulling air from the entire system, so I’m able to look at all my field sensors, throughout. I can see the root-zone temperature, and I can see the percentage of moisture. And we’re trying to lower that down for playing conditions.”
A track of grow lights helps the south end of the field, which spends a lot of time in the shade.
“They’re pretty bright,” McPherson said, standing in the yellow glow. “I’m squinting. We get a little heat off of them. The heat’s great. If it would snow, we could put the lights out in the worst areas, and we could melt some snow with the lights.”
Technology goes beyond just the soccer pitch. It's also helping improve the visitor experience.
There is Wi-Fi throughout the CityPark campus, Chief Experience Officer Matt Sebek said. He got out his phone and showed 5 On Your Side just one way to order food from the local vendors.
“A lot of our local food partners that we brought in, whether it’s Balkan Treat Box or Steve’s Hotdogs, you can certainly order at the kiosk at the front windows," McPherson said. "Or if you want to place an order on our mobile app, quick and easy. Boom. It has beautiful photography of the food, and then we’ve got dedicated pick-up windows on the side, so it gets you outside of the concourse to pick up your bag and head back to your seat.”
Another ordering option is to visit one of the stadium's friction-less markets. Sebek showed 5 On Your Side how they work.
“So, as you come up to one of these friction-less markets, you’re just going to scan a credit card, or even Apple Pay on a mobile wallet,” he said. “That’s what’s going to open these gates and turnstiles. Now, I’m free to grab a slice of pizza, peanuts, candy, a beer ... Then there is camera-tracking technology in the ceiling and sensors on all the shelves. It works very similar to a hotel mini-bar. It tracks what you took or even what you put back.”
Back on the field, McPherson said he hopes to make an impression on soccer fans.
“Our goal is to wow people with the green,” McPherson said. “Busch Stadium has set the standard for a lot of years around here. We want to have a similar effect.”
Security is a priority at CityPark, as well. The gates on all four sides of the stadium have Evolve metal detectors. Sebek said they provide accelerated metal detecting technology, making the process quick.
Soccer fans should be aware CityPark does not allow large bags. Purses or bags must be clear and no larger than your hand.
Want more local sports delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for the 5 On Your Side Sports Plus newsletter.