Philadelphia Union exploring additional seating options for Subaru Park

The Chester stadium ranks 26th out of 29 MLS stadiums in seating capacity, with 18,500 seats
Subaru Park
Photo credit Holli Stephens/KYW Newsradio, file

CHESTER, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Union may add more premium areas to their Delaware County stadium in a bid to increase its overall seating capacity.

The Union asked the architecture firm Gensler to explore options for an expansion at Subaru Park in Chester. The venue currently has 18,500 seats, making it the fourth-smallest out of all 29 Major League Soccer stadiums.

With recent team success, growing popularity and increased ticket sales, the team is looking at adding to the riverfront stadium.
“[With] the [Lionel] Messi mania that's kind of sweeping the United States now and the MLS, then you think ahead to a couple years to the World Cup coming, we expect the interest and the growth in the MLS will continue in a really big way,” said Union President Tim McDermott.
He says the organization is considering nine different projects — starting first with adding more premium seating over the next few years, then adding more capacity.
“We're only about a couple hundred season ticket holders away from being into a waiting list,” he added, “then as that waiting list would grow, that's when we would entertain the capacity concept.”

“[With] the [Lionel] Messi mania that's kind of sweeping the United States now and the MLS, then you think ahead to a couple years to the World Cup coming, we expect the interest and the growth in the MLS will continue in a really big way,” said Union President Tim McDermott.

He says the organization is considering nine different projects — starting first with adding more premium seating over the next few years, then adding more capacity.

“We're only about a couple hundred season ticket holders away from being into a waiting list,” he added, “then as that waiting list would grow, that's when we would entertain the capacity concept.”

McDermott believes soccer’s profile will continue to grow in the U.S., with the sport’s popularity possibly eclipsing that of the National Hockey League.

“When you look at the growth of the MLS, particularly over the last 7-8 years, you've got new teams, new markets where they're generating 30,000 to 40,000, to 50,000 fans coming to games,” said McDermott.

Gensler recognizes the dedication of the Union’s fans, said design manager Christian Bushong in a statement to KYW Newsradio.

“Gensler is proud to be exploring options for renovating and expanding their seating options at Subaru Park to create more opportunities for fans to engage with the team and each other,” he said. “It's an exciting time to be a Philly sports fan and projects like this allow teams to bring their fans together in new ways.”

Featured Image Photo Credit: Holli Stephens/KYW Newsradio, file