How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (2024)

You Asked and We Grabbed a Mop

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (4)

Flatland visited Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, to hunt down the answer to a question posed by one our curious Kansas Citians. (Michelle Stoddart | Flatland)

Published September 17th, 2018 at 6:00 AM

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When baseball season ends this month, Kauffman Stadium will have hosted 83 Royals home games. That’s 83 days of hot dogs, popcorn and beer. And each night, someone has to clean it all up.

A reader asked curiousKC about that process: How do Kansas City’s professional sports venues get cleaned after games?

We couldn’t connect with our question-asker, but we investigated the cleaning process at Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums anyway. We also grabbed our cameras and headed to Children’s Mercy Park after a Sporting Kansas City game to see for ourselves how that stadium transforms from sloppy to spotless.

Kauffman’s cleanup crew depends on the size of the crowd, said Toby Cook, vice president of publicity for the Royals. A well-attended game can require up to 150 people picking up trash immediately, while one with a smaller crowd can get by with about 80 cleaners.

An additional 50 to 75 people return to the stadium the next day to spray down the seats and concourses and clean the suites and food service areas, Cook said.

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (5)

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (7)

In 2017, the games generated more than 1,100 tons of waste, nearly a quarter of which was recycled, Cook said.

After a Chiefs game, Arrowhead Stadium has a team of 100 to 120 people that cleans inside the facility, said Luke Shanno, corporate communications manager. An additional 80 to 90 employees pick up trash in the parking lots, usually finishing by noon the following day.

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (8)

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (9)

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (10)

The process is similar at Children’s Mercy Park, said Dan Lolli, vice president of operations for Sporting KC. A crew of employees and contracted workers stays late — often until 2 a.m. — to scrub the stadium, returning the next day to finish.

“Everyone cleans up. It’s kind of one of our mantras,” Lolli said. “It might not be everyone’s fault, but it is everyone’s problem.”

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (11)

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (12)

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (13)

— Lindsay Huth, Michelle Stoddart and Meg Vatterott were multimedia reporting summer interns at Flatland.

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How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? (2024)

FAQs

How Are Stadiums Cleaned After Games? ›

Most often, cleaning crews will use leaf blowers to blow all the trash into piles that can be more easily and quickly scooped up. They start at the top of the stands and blow the trash down, sweeping through each row before moving down.

How does a stadium get cleaned? ›

It's not practical to wipe down all the seats by hand, so workers use a pressure washer to hose them down. Then, a special vacuum sucks up the water, leaving the seats and surrounding areas clean and dry. Finally, the seats are sprayed with industrial-strength disinfectants designed to kill germs.

Why do they use fire on stadium seats? ›

When the surface of the material briefly melts, surface tension smooths the surface, restoring back the original colour en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_pol… A really cool process! Gives new life to old seats.

Why do they demolish old stadiums? ›

Mostly to make way for something new to take it's place for economical reasons: Most old stadiums end up being demolished to make way for new stadiums. However, some held on for a while. ... But, ultimately, stadiums meet the same end once their city is ready for something new — they get demolished.

Do stadiums have jail cells? ›

Jail cells were constructed, along with a special, fully legitimate, legal courtroom. Instead of ejecting fans or sending them to a drunk tank — common in pro stadiums around the nation — offenders at Veterans Stadium would be hauled to court in the bowels of the stadium.

What do stadiums do with leftover food? ›

What do teams, stadiums and events managers do with leftover food? A company called Copia is dedicated to serving communities around the United States by taking the leftover food from NFL stadiums, cafeterias, events and restaurants and delivering it to food drives and shelters.

Why do Dodgers tap their heads after a hit? ›

Turner purportedly has memorized the speech and on occasion reenacts it for teammates. The head tapping he and the Dodgers do is their version of Belfort taking a stand.

Who cleans Busch Stadium? ›

SBM Management Services (the team's cleaning partner) is working toward GBAC STAR™ accreditation for Busch Stadium that certifies the organization's thorough cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention strategies.

Who sits behind home plate at Dodger Stadium? ›

He rarely misses a game. Around Dodger Stadium, and sometimes away from the ballpark too, Dennis gets stopped asked, "Hey, aren't you the guy who sits right behind home plate?" Initially, people would ask for a selfie or an autograph or both, then might ask, "Who are you?" He would smile and say, "I'm Dennis Gilbert."

What is the most expensive seat in a football stadium? ›

The highest priced ticket available tops out at $2,111 – a midfield VIP experience that includes all-inclusive dining and other perks.

Why are stadium seats made of plastic and not steal? ›

Strong sunlight can warp and bleach wooden seating causing cracking and splinters. A plastic seat is built to withstand extremes of temperature while requiring minimal maintenance.

Why are stadium seats called bleachers? ›

Name origins

The open seating area in baseball was called the "bleaching boards" as early as 1877. The term "bleachers" used in the sense of benches for spectators can be traced back to at least 1889; named as such because the generally uncovered wooden boards were "bleached by the sun".

What is the biggest abandoned football stadium? ›

But all three of those combined only just account for the capacity of the Great Strahov Stadium, which is world's largest abandoned ground.

Why do stadiums have open roofs? ›

Stadium retractable roofs are generally used in locales where inclement weather, extreme heat, or extreme cold are prevalent during the respective sports seasons, in order to allow for playing of traditionally outdoor sports in more favorable conditions, as well as the comfort of spectators watching games played in ...

What was the worst stadium collapse? ›

The Estadio Nacional disaster took place on 24 May 1964 at the Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru, during a match between Peru and Argentina. An unpopular decision by the referee outraged the Peruvian fans, who invaded the pitch.

Why do cell phones not work in stadiums? ›

Why doesn't my phone work in a crowd? Lots of phones are competing for the attention of a cellular network's antennas. Networks are further strained because these are times when people are apt to use data-heavy applications such as photo and video sharing.

Is there an underground stadium? ›

Quzhou Stadium covers an area of 34 000 m². However, in addition to the stadium, the entire complex includes a gymnasium seating up to 10 000 people, a swimming pool and a shopping centre. Although the centre is made up of underground attractions as well, sunlight gets into each of these places.

Is there concrete under football fields? ›

After removing the natural grass, they have to compact ground before they can begin to layer the products. Once the ground has been compacted there are a couple of things that can be placed at this time. Two of those options are concrete or crushed stone.

Why do stadiums charge so much for food? ›

The reason that prices are so high for food and drink in sports stadiums is that concessions have become a major part of professional sports teams' overall revenues, and that systematically raising prices, in a monopolistic environment, has become an important part of the big-league sport business.

Why do stadiums have bag policies? ›

A clear bag policy is in effect at many stadiums and concert venues. It helps security quickly see what you are carrying for faster entry as well as enhanced security. Most venues use the NFL clear bag policy as a template, which was implemented in 2013.

What do Vegas buffets do with leftovers? ›

Both Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts hotel-casinos donate all their leftover food to R C Farms, the big pig farm in North Las Vegas, to be used as pig feed. Collectively, it saves more than 30 million pounds of food per year from going to landfills.

Why do Dodgers fist their helmets? ›

It's like a basketball terminology like you're dunking on somebody. It's just kind of a way of showing a good play. Dodgers announcer Joe Davis revealed on a broadcast recently that it was a basketball thing, so we already sort of knew that.

Why do baseball players shake their heads? ›

Hold runner: Catcher signs that signal to hold a runner are the same as the pickoff, but without actually throwing to the base. Shake off pitch: Sometimes a catcher will tell the pitcher to intentionally shake his or her head at a certain pitch in an attempt to confuse the batter.

Why do baseball players tap their wrist? ›

They provide extra support, stability, and strength to the wrists. Also, prevent injury, or decrease the pain of a previous injury. Alongside, wearing wrist tapes gives a professional look and increases the confidence of the players.

Who sits behind home plate at Busch Stadium? ›

The Cardinal Club is an extremely exclusive enclave on the ground level of the structure, directly behind home plate.

How much does an usher at Busch Stadium make? ›

Louis Cardinals Ushers earn $22,000 annually, or $11 per hour, which is 10% higher than the national average for all Ushers at $20,000 annually and 100% lower than the national salary average for ​all working Americans.

Can you bring a bottle of soda in Busch Stadium? ›

Guests may bring their own food & drinks into Busch Stadium for all games. Most food items are permitted, but guests should consider our bag policy when deciding what food to bring. Non-alcoholic beverages including water and soda in factory sealed clear plastic containers no larger than 2 liters are allowed.

Who is the blonde lady behind home plate at Dodger Stadium? ›

Mary Hart (born Mary Johanna Harum; November 8, 1950) is an American television personality and actress.

How much do Dodger dugout seats cost? ›

Los Angeles Dodgers Dugout Club seats (Sections 1-15, rows AA-HH) sell as low as $200 for low-demand regular season games, but as high as $15,000 to $20,000 for World Series games.

What celebrity is a huge Dodgers fan? ›

Mila Kunis. Not only is the Hollywood actress a huge Los Angeles Dodgers fan. She can also throw a great first pitch!

What is the cheapest NFL stadium to go to? ›

The cheapest NFL stadium belongs to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. Opened on Sept. 29, 1957, the initial construction cost for the “Frozen Tundra” was $960,000.

What are cheap seats in a stadium called? ›

The cheap seat is also commonly referred to as the "nosebleed section" of a venue.

What is the cheapest NFL stadium to see a game? ›

Least expensive, No. 1: Cincinnati Bengals Game at Paul Brown Stadium: $131.93. Named after Paul Brown who coached both the Browns and the Bengals, Cincinnati's NFL stadium offers the cheapest game according to our study.

Why are purses not allowed in stadiums? ›

The NFL doesn't allow any sort of backpacks, large purses, or other large bags at any of their stadiums or sporting events. This is mostly for the safety of everybody in the stadium, and it also speeds up the process of letting people enter the stadium so they can get seated and enjoy the game.

Why are bags not allowed in stadiums? ›

Most large stadiums and arenas have implemented clear bag policies that limit the size and types of bags of attendees. This aims to provide a safer environment for spectators; as well as faster entry into the events by allowing security personnel to quickly identify the contents of a each bag.

Why are stadium seats so steep? ›

They're designed so that spectators in the upper decks are closer to the action with unblocked sightlines, but some spectators say those steep views can be dangerous.

Why are they called nosebleed seats? ›

A common tongue-in-cheek reference to having seats at the upper tiers of a stadium is "sitting in the nosebleed section," or "nosebleed seats." The reference alludes to the tendency for mountain climbers to suffer nosebleeds at high altitudes.

What is the best seat at stadium? ›

Ideally you want to be central in the side stands, as close to the halfway line as possible. The further towards one end or another you are, the more difficult it will be to see the pitch and to understand exactly what's happening.

What is the difference between a stadium and a grandstand? ›

The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way around. Grandstands may have basic bench seating, but usually have individual chairs like a stadium. Grandstands are also usually covered with a roof, but are open on the front.

What is the smallest stadium in the US? ›

Smallest Capacity NFL Stadium

Soldier Field is the smallest NFL stadium with a standard capacity of 61,500. State Farm Stadium, host of Super Bowl LVII – and home to the BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium – is the second-smallest standard-capacity stadiums in the league. Attendance for the Super Bowl was 67,827.

What city has the oldest NFL stadium? ›

1924: Soldier Field – Home of the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears arrived in 1971, reconfiguring the seating and renovating the field into a full-time football stadium and the venue now stands as the oldest facility in the NFL.

What is the oldest big stadium? ›

The oldest known stadium is the Stadium at Olympia in Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games were held from 776 BC. Initially the Games consisted of a single event, a sprint along the length of the stadium.

Why is there a hole in the roof at Texas Stadium? ›

Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof (Cowboys linebacker D. D. Lewis once famously said that "Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof, so God can watch His favorite team play").

How much does a stadium cost? ›

average cost of a modern NFL stadium in current dollars is $898 million. The median cost is $662 million. construction industry.

What was the biggest death in stadium? ›

Recent News. Hillsborough disaster, incident in which a crush of football (soccer) fans ultimately resulted in 97 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The crushing occurred during a match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England, on April 15, 1989. The tragedy was largely attributed to mistakes made by the police.

What was the deadliest football match in history? ›

The disaster is the second deadliest in the history of association football worldwide, after the 1964 Estadio Nacional disaster in Peru, which killed 328 people.

Which stadium has a jail? ›

The Eagles jail was moved to Lincoln Stadium with the team in 2003. The court was not brought back. In the first year of the new location, they arrested 79 people. The jail only stayed open two years at Lincoln Financial Field as the behavior of the fans improved.

How is stadium grass maintained? ›

For natural grass athletic fields, a maintenance plan based on known best practices and the latest turf science that includes mowing, fertilization, irrigation, aeration, and overseeding will keep the grass healthy year-round and provide a safe playing surface throughout the season.

Do stadiums use fake grass? ›

The one key element that can change from stadium to stadium is the playing surface. There is no set rule for real grass versus turf, so it is up to each stadium to decide.

What makes a stadium environmentally friendly? ›

Using green building materials in the design and build of a stadium means there is less waste and pollution. Today for example, many stadiums are built using recycled materials, such as paper and plastics.

How often does a football field need to be watered? ›

A grass football field will typically require at least an inch of water per week, or 60,000 gallons of water, according to the Sports Turf Managers Association. In other climates, some fields could need 1 to 2 inches per acre, 1 to 3 times per week. This comes to roughly over 100,000 gallons of water per week.

How often do NFL stadiums replace turf? ›

All clubs with natural grass fields submit a resodding plan to the league; nearly all fields require re-sodding at least once during the season.

How do NFL fields stay green? ›

Keep the Soil from Freezing – They keep the soil temperature high enough that it doesn't freeze with a complex system of anti-freeze piping that pumps extremely hot water through it. This warms the soil temperature tricking the plants into thinking it is the middle of the the growing season.

Do any NFL fields use real grass? ›

Of the 30 NFL stadiums, 16 use natural grass, while the remaining 14 use turf. Before the 2023 season, Nissan Stadium will join the other 14 turf stadiums.

Is the Super Bowl field real grass? ›

The Super Bowl's field looked immaculate on Tuesday morning, with thick, lush grass, the NFL logo painted in the center and team logos in each of the end zones. This particular batch of turf — which has a Bermuda grass base that includes rye grass overseed — started growing at a local sod farm in May 2021.

Do NFL players prefer grass or turf? ›

Players have long said they prefer grass over artificial turf, arguing it was not only safer but also that it feels better to play on. In an essay posted to the NFLPA website Wednesday, union president J.C. Tretter noted that the injury rate on grass surfaces was lower from 2012 to 2020.

What happens to the losing teams Super Bowl confetti? ›

The losing team's confetti is returned to the manufacturer where it then goes back through their recycling process so it isn't used in its current form but it doesn't go to waste.

How do you stay dry in a stadium? ›

avoid suede (water will ruin it) and any leather that hasn't been treated with a protectant. Also avoid wearing denim and cotton since these fabrics tend to absorb and hold in moisture. A water-resistant, breathable rain jacket is highly, highly recommended. Layer so you have options.

Why are stadiums so strict about bags? ›

Most large stadiums and arenas have implemented clear bag policies that limit the size and types of bags of attendees. This aims to provide a safer environment for spectators; as well as faster entry into the events by allowing security personnel to quickly identify the contents of a each bag.

What is the most sustainable stadium in the world? ›

Johan Cruijff ArenA, Amsterdam

More than 4,200 solar panels provide the power for Johan Cruijff ArenA. The energy is stored via a system that reuses retired electric vehicle batteries. The capacity is so large that it can even be used as a backup power source for the surrounding neighborhoods.

How do they cool stadiums? ›

The cooled air is pumped out through the pitch-side nozzles using solar-powered fans and through grilles beneath the seats in the stands. The air is then sucked back in through vents, filtered, cleaned, re-cooled and pumped back out.

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