Yahoo Sports What NWSL stadium is at the highest elevation?
The Utah Royals’ America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium) is the NWSL stadium sitting at the highest elevation. Roughly 4,463 feet above sea level, the soccer-specific stadium nestles just off the slopes of the Wasatch Mountains.
No other NWSL club plays its home games at a venue with an altitude of more than 750 feet. That makes America First Field an outlier in the women’s football league, offering a unique challenge for visiting teams. It also highlights the diversity of NWSL venues seen across the US.
Elevations of every NWSL stadium
Given Salt Lake Valley’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains, it’s fitting for the Utah Royals to claim the stadium with the highest elevation in the NWSL. But the league’s 13 other stadiums have much lower elevations, with some barely hitting double digits.
Team | City | Stadium | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
Angel City FC | Los Angeles, CA | BMO Stadium | 176 feet (54 m) |
Bay FC | San Jose, CA | PayPal Park | 56 feet (17 m) |
Chicago Red Stars | Bridgeview, IL | SeatGeek Stadium | 614 feet (187 m) |
Houston Dash | Houston, TX | Shell Energy Stadium | 43 feet (13 m) |
Kansas City Current | Kansas City, MO | CPKC Stadium | 743 feet (227 m) |
NJ/NY Gotham FC | Harrison, NJ | Red Bull Arena | 10 feet (3 m) |
North Carolina Courage | Cary, NC | WakeMed Soccer Park | 485 feet (148 m) |
Orlando Pride | Orlando, FL | Inter&Co Stadium | 105 feet (32 m) |
Portland Thorns FC | Portland, OR | Providence Park | 105 feet (32 m) |
Racing Louisville FC | Louisville, KY | Lynn Family Stadium | 448 feet (136 m) |
San Diego Wave FC | San Diego, CA | Snapdragon Stadium | 71 feet (22 m) |
Seattle Reign FC | Seattle, WA | Lumen Field | 16 feet (5 m) |
Utah Royals | Sandy, UT | America First Field | 4,463 feet (1,360 m) |
Washington Spirit | Washington, D.C. | Audi Field | 25 feet (8 m) |
The impact of elevation on football players
The US is one of the world’s most geographically diverse countries due to its expansive land area.
For sports fans, the nation’s topographies go on full display as teams travel and compete in different regions. However, drastic changes in climate and elevation can present challenges for athletes on the road — especially in mountainous environments, cold-weather areas, and places with extreme heat.
Playing at higher elevations can induce altitude sickness, with symptoms like headaches and fatigue. While professional footballers are generally more resilient to altitude sickness, the risk remains if players don’t acclimatize to the environmental conditions.
Elevating football in the US
With the NWSL constantly expanding, there are more possibilities for high-altitude stadiums to enter the league. A Denver-based investment group launched an effort in July 2023 to land an NWSL or USL Super League team. A team in Colorado would certainly rival the Utah Royal’s claim to the NWSL stadium at the highest elevation.
Speaking of the USL Super League, Spokane Zephyr FC will have that league’s highest-elevation stadium when it kicks off in August 2024. Its One Spokane Stadium sits at around 1,900 feet (580 m) near the Selkirk Mountains.
