Polo Fields

Last updated
Polo Fields
Golden gate park polo field.jpg
Polo Fields
Former namesGolden Gate Park Stadium (1906-36)
Address1232 John F. Kennedy Dr
San Francisco, CA 94121
Location Golden Gate Park
OwnerCity and County of San Francisco
Operator San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
Capacity 57,000
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 6, 1905 (1905-01-06)
OpenedJuly 4, 1906 (1906-07-04)
Construction cost$50,000
($1.44 million in 2020 dollars [1] )
Architect Reid & Reid

The Polo Fields is a large multi-purpose stadium and sporting field in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. [2] Despite its name, polo is rarely played on the Polo Fields. The facility has a multitude of uses. [3] There are six regulation soccer pitches on the grass field, surrounded by a .67-mile cycle track. [4] Wooden bleachers flank the north and south sides of the cycle track surrounding the field. [5] Surrounding the grass field, cycle track, and bleachers is a 0.75-mile (1,210 m) dirt track used for running and horse riding. [6]

Contents

History

The Polo Fields has been the site of diverse events over the years. [7] The Polo Fields was originally called the Golden Gate Park Stadium and opened in 1906 as a velodrome. [8] Cyclists from all over the West Coast have used the track for over a century. [9] In 1967, the Human Be-In counterculture music concert was held on the Polo Fields. [10] The Polo Fields was also the home field for San Francisco-based rugby clubs in the Northern California Rugby Football Union from the 1960s through the early 1990s. It was the site of the Golden Gate Rugby Tournament, held in April, during this time.

Tenants

Cycling, soccer and cross country running events are frequently held on the Polo Fields all year long. The annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is held on the Polo Fields each August. [11] From 1986 [12] to 2009, [13] the annual Bay to Breakers [14] footrace held its post-race event, Footstock, at the Polo Fields each May.

Golden gate park stadium.jpg

Cycling Track

The historic cycling track at the Polo Fields was a 1 kilometer long paved track used by cyclists for training and events. The cycling track was a centerpoint of bicycle racing from the 1930s through the 1950s. [15]

The local group Friends of the Polo Field was recently formed to restore the cycling track to the original condition when it was created.

See also

Related Research Articles

Oracle Park Baseball park in San Francisco, CA, US

Oracle Park is a Major League Baseball stadium in the SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's current name was purchased by the Oracle Corporation in 2019.

Golden Gate Park Urban park in San Francisco, California, United States

Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, United States, is a large urban park consisting of 1,017 acres (412 ha) of public grounds. It is administered by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department, which began in 1871 to oversee the development of Golden Gate Park. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape to but 20 percent larger than Central Park in New York City, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles (4.8 km) long east to west, and about half a mile (0.8 km) north to south. With 24 million visitors annually, Golden Gate is the third most-visited city park in the United States after Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial.

Kezar Stadium Outdoor athletic and football stadium in San Francisco

Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and of the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse. It serves as the home of San Francisco City FC of USL League Two.

Excite Ballpark

Excite Ballpark, previously known as San Jose Municipal Stadium or Muni Stadium, is a baseball park in San Jose, California. It is the home of the Minor League Baseball San Jose Giants, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The team plays in the North Division of the Low-A West. The stadium is also home to the San Jose State University Spartans college baseball team. Local high school baseball divisions also use the ballpark as their championship field. The stadium also hosts concerts, weddings, car shows, and many other community events. It has been the home field for the San Jose Owls, San Jose Red Sox, San Jose Jo Sox, San Jose Pirates, San Jose Missions, San Jose Bees, and the San Jose Expos minor league teams.

SAP Center Arena in California, United States

The SAP Center at San Jose is an indoor arena located in San Jose, California. Its primary tenant is the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League, for which the arena has earned the nickname "The Shark Tank." It is also home to the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League.

Hilltop Park New York City baseball venue

Hilltop Park was the nickname of a baseball park that stood in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. It was the home of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball from 1903 to 1912, when they were known as the "Highlanders". It was also the temporary home of the New York Giants during a two-month period in 1911 while the Polo Grounds was being rebuilt after a fire.

University at Buffalo Stadium College football and track stadium

UB Stadium is a stadium in Amherst, New York on the campus of the University at Buffalo. It is primarily used for football, soccer, and track and field events, and is the home field of the Buffalo Bulls. It opened on September 4, 1993, with a game against the University of Maine.

Robert W. Plaster Stadium

Plaster Stadium is a 17,500-seat football stadium located in Springfield, Missouri. It is home to the Missouri State Bears football team.

Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium Baseball stadium in San Antonio, Texas

Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium is a stadium in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the San Antonio Missions Minor League Baseball team of the Double-A Central. The UTSA Roadrunners baseball team also plays some home games at the stadium. The stadium is named for Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who is a former Texas legislator and San Antonio councilman and mayor.

Stevens Stadium

Stevens Stadium is a 7,000-seat soccer stadium at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The stadium is the current home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer teams and was the former home of the now defunct Santa Clara football team as well as the Santa Clara baseball team. The baseball team moved to their new home at Stephen Schott Stadium in 2005. The stadium is the former home of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. The stadium's capacity was increased in the winter of 2007 from a capacity of 6,800 to 10,300. The stadium was named Buck Shaw Stadium before a renovation in 2015.

Roy Kidd Stadium Stadium in Kentucky, U.S.A.

Roy Kidd Stadium is Eastern Kentucky University's football stadium in Richmond, Kentucky. The stadium is home to the EKU Colonels football team, located on campus. Currently, Roy Kidd Stadium consists of upper and lower-level seating areas with a predominant majority of the seats being metal bleachers. Reserved chairback seats can be found in the middle of the lower level, as well, the seats are generally purchased by season ticket holders and Eastern Alumni.

The San Francisco Marathon is an annual USATF-certified road running event held in San Francisco, California that includes a full marathon, two half marathons, an ultramarathon, a 10k, and a 5K. With the exceptions of 1988 and 2020, the marathon has been held annually since 1977. The marathon starts and finishes on the Embarcadero near the Ferry Building and crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium A multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California

The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose arena in San Francisco, California, named after promoter Bill Graham. The arena holds 8,500 people.

Boxer Stadium

Boxer Stadium is a soccer stadium in San Francisco, California. Located in Balboa Park, the stadium has a capacity of 3,500. It is owned and operated by the San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department and is the only public soccer-specific stadium in San Francisco. Boxer Stadium is the primary home of the century year-old San Francisco Soccer Football League.

Sports in the San Francisco Bay Area Overview of sports in the San Francisco Bay Area

The San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, hosts six major league sports franchises, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts other sports events.

SF Masonic Auditorium

The SF Masonic Auditorium is a building and auditorium located atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. The building was designed by Bay Area architect Albert Roller (1891-1981), and opened in 1958. It serves as the meeting venue for the Masons of California during their Annual Communication, as well as being used as a concert venue the rest of the year. The administrative offices of the Grand Lodge of California are contained in the upper floors, and the Henry Wilson Coil Library and Museum of Freemasonry is located on the mezzanine. The basement contains a five-level public parking garage.

Aztec Bowl (stadium)

Aztec Bowl was a football stadium on the San Diego State University campus in San Diego, California.

Robert Rice Stadium was an outdoor athletic stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, located on the campus of the University of Utah. Originally opened in 1927 as Ute Stadium, it was the home of the Utah Utes football team. Renamed for Robert L. Rice in 1972, it was almost completely demolished after the 1997 season to make way for the Utes' current home, Rice-Eccles Stadium, which occupies the same physical footprint.

Bay to Breakers Annual footrace in San Francisco, California

Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace in San Francisco, California typically on the third Sunday of May. The phrase "Bay to Breakers" reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero and runs west through the city to finish at the Great Highway. The complete course is 7.46 miles (12.01 km) long.

Chase Center Indoor arena in San Francisco

Chase Center is an indoor arena in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The building is the home venue for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and occasionally for San Francisco Dons men's basketball. The Warriors, who have been located in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1962, played their home games at Oakland Arena in Oakland from 1971 to 2019. Chase Center opened on September 6, 2019, and seats 18,064 fans for Warriors games.

References

  1. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ "SFGate Events". The San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  3. ↑ "Golden Gate Park (West)" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  4. ↑ "Cycling in the SF bay area cyclingtales.com" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "The Polo Fields and the Hellyer Velodrome" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "US Track - Polo Fields" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "SF Days - Golden Gate Park History" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Golden Gate Park - Polo Fields". 20 January 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "Bikely - Polo Fields" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "PBS American Experience". PBS . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "SF Outside Lands" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "75th Examiner Bay to Breakers Highlight Show" . Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  13. ↑ "Bay to Breakers is a race with a price". 24 February 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "Bay to Breakers" . Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "License to Race: Cycling on the Golden Gate Park Polo Field 1930s–1950s | www.flysfo.com". www.flysfo.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.