The Cleveland Browns have revealed plans for their cutting-edge Huntington Bank Field stadium, set to open in 2029 in Brook Park, Ohio. Central to the design is a dedicated Dawg Pound Stand, occupying the west end zone and promising to be the steepest stadium seating in the NFL at a 34-degree incline. This feature celebrates the team’s fiercely passionate fanbase, which originated during the 1985 training camp when fans embraced the defensive players’ signature barking. The $2.4 billion stadium aims to honor this tradition by creating an immersive experience for Browns supporters.
The design of the Dawg Pound was heavily influenced by soccer supporters’ sections and builds on lessons learned by the Haslam Sports Group from developing Columbus Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in 2021. The Dawg Pound Stand will accommodate 6,500 fans, extending seating all the way to the field with minimal barriers, enhancing the energy and intimacy between players and the team’s most dedicated followers.
Innovations in Fan Experience and Stadium Layout
The Browns’ new stadium will have a seating capacity of 67,500 and will be located on a 176-acre site formerly occupied by a Ford Motor Company plant. Its location next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport requires the playing field to be set 80 feet below ground level to meet FAA height limits, resulting in a stadium profile reminiscent of an art museum rather than a traditional towering sports venue.
This subterranean design allows fans to enter directly onto the main concourse, known as the Grand Concourse, which is three times larger than the current Browns stadium concourse. The layout features only 14 rows in the upper bowl and a premium seating section that accounts for roughly 30% of total capacity. Seating has been compressed to bring all fans closer to the action, with the first and last rows of seats in the NFL’s closest proximity to the field, at 16 and 248 feet respectively.
The stadium’s design minimizes vomitories—traditional stadium passageways interrupting seating—and uses distinct main and premium concourses with separate VIP entrances. This design enhances the flow of up to 40,000 fans entering from the stadium’s east side, where the mixed-use district connects seamlessly to the venue.
Largest Concourses, Premium Amenities, and Player-Focused Facilities
Noteworthy among the stadium’s design elements are the NFL’s largest concourses, totaling 377,000 square feet, exclusive of the expansive east-side plazas. The venue will offer the league’s lowest point-of-sale-to-fan ratio at 1:100, enhancing concession availability and reducing wait times. Twelve bars will encircle the seating bowl, primarily serving premium spaces. The premium seating includes unique field-level end zone products devised from Browns fan surveys to improve sight lines and spectator comfort, overcoming challenges typical of field-level seats.
The stadium will house the NFL’s largest locker room located on an event level that prioritizes athletes, performers, and premium areas. Back-of-house operations, typically found at event level in other stadiums, will be relocated to grade level to optimize the subterranean design’s benefits, including energy efficiency.
Mixed-Use Development Integrates Real Estate with Stadium Experience
The new stadium is part of a broader mixed-use development on the site’s southeast side, which will open concurrently with the stadium and feature hotels, office space, multifamily residences, retail shops, and entertainment venues. Haslam Sports Group intends for this district to serve as a year-round destination, spatially adaptable to bustle during game days and remain tranquil on weeknights.
Lincoln Property Company collaborated early with HKS to masterplan the integration between the stadium and surrounding development. Osborn Engineering contributed to transportation planning, incorporating highways and studying enhancements to public transit options. These efforts aim to blur the lines between ticketed and non-ticketed spaces, encouraging dynamic interactions between the stadium, fan zones, and commercial areas.
The activity of each can drive activity at the other.
Dave Jenkins, Haslam Sports Group President
State-of-the-Art Roof and Sustainable Features
The stadium will feature an ETFE roof that covers only the playing field, eliminating large steel support trusses typical of NFL stadiums. This folded roof design, inspired by origami, allows natural light to permeate while protecting players and fans from weather. It also includes functional benefits such as snow shedding and enhanced structural rigidity, drawing on successful features used at Minneapolis‘ U.S. Bank Stadium.
The choice of a compact, long-span roof reduces construction costs and aligns with the trend of covered stadiums to maximize venue utilization throughout the year. The design also incorporates large video boards above each end zone, avoiding a central-hung display that might block ambient light or create shadows on the field.
We just thought a roof gave you so much more ability to utilize the building.
Dave Jenkins, Haslam Sports Group President
Advanced Fan Amenities and Event Hosting Capabilities
Fans entering from the east side will access a 215,000 square-foot plaza—the largest of its kind in the NFL—featuring retail, a team store, event space, and hotels. On the west side, adjacent to the Dawg Pound Stand, lies a designated plaza and tailgating parking above team parking, designed to encourage pregame interactions between players and the Browns’ most loyal fans.
The seamless flow between outdoor plazas and the stadium’s main concourse creates an extended fan environment accessible during games and events. The Grand Concourse itself offers tall ceilings and expansive spaces that will support robust game-day atmospheres and private events, making the stadium not only a sports venue but also a versatile entertainment hub.
To have a spot to put food down, engage with other fans, friends, family that really only happens in premium spaces.
Josh Tooill, HKS Senior Designer and Principal
Leadership Changes and Expanded Business Strategy
In July 2023, the Browns elevated Michele Powell to vice president of stadium operations and event development, reflecting the organization’s ambition to diversify use of the stadium beyond football. Powell’s extensive experience, notably from her decade at Washington D.C.’s Capital One Arena, prepares her to handle the complexities of a venue designed to host a wide range of major events including concerts, international soccer, NCAA tournaments, WWE, and UFC.
This is going to be different as a business, and the scale and amount of non-football events we want to do, I would expect we would bolster Michele’s staff.
Dave Jenkins, Haslam Sports Group President
While designed to be suitable for a Super Bowl, questions remain about whether local infrastructure, such as adequate hotel capacity and transport, will support hosting an event of that magnitude.
The commissioner recently said it will be a Super Bowl-ready stadium. The issue we’ll have to solve for is the infrastructure, hotel rooms, etc., for an event of that scale.
Dave Jenkins, Haslam Sports Group President
A New Benchmark for NFL Supporters Sections
The Browns’ Dawg Pound Stand will be the NFL’s first soccer-inspired supporters’ section, echoing innovations like the Intuit Dome’s basketball supporters section opened in 2024. Its steepness is twice that of adjacent seating and offers a prime viewing experience, with the middle rows 54 feet closer to the field compared to the current stadium.
The section extends uninterrupted to field level, separated only by a low wall, creating an intense atmosphere and fostering direct connections between the fans and players. Above the Dawg Pound, a 50-foot-tall video board slants toward the field at a 35-degree angle to enhance sound and image quality. The stage at this end will be used for concerts and live events, integrating entertainment programming directly within the stadium.
If there is something we have to preserve from the current building, it’s the Dawg Pound. We’re really excited about the energy that’s going to create on the field.
Dave Jenkins, Haslam Sports Group President
Construction Timeline and Investment Details
Site preparation is underway, with full-scale construction anticipated to begin in early 2026. The Ohio state government is contributing approximately $600 million towards the project, with Haslam Sports Group covering cost overruns. Excavation work scheduled to start this spring will remove around 65 million dollars worth of earth to create the stadium’s sunken bowl, which is expected to reduce energy consumption by an estimated 20% due to increased efficiency in heating and cooling.
The stadium’s mixed-use development, partially privately funded and managed by Haslam Sports Group and partners including Lincoln Property Company and DiGeronimo Companies, will proceed in two phases over the next five years. This approach integrates commercial, residential, and entertainment properties into the stadium ecosystem, ensuring it remains active year-round and maximizes economic impact.
Significance and Future Outlook for the Browns and Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns’ new stadium design represents a pioneering approach in NFL architecture, blending fan culture, innovative engineering, and urban development. By emphasizing the Dawg Pound’s legacy and adopting soccer-inspired fan experiences, the project aims to strengthen community bonds and redefine game-day atmospheres.
The strategic incorporation of mixed-use real estate and event flexibility seeks to elevate the venue beyond football, supporting an intensified schedule of concerts, sporting events, and cultural gatherings that will serve as a catalyst for regional economic growth. However, execution challenges remain regarding infrastructure readiness for major events like the Super Bowl.
As construction progresses, the Browns and Haslam Sports Group face the delicate balance of honoring tradition while advancing into a new era of sports entertainment, positioning the Huntington Bank Field stadium as a beacon of innovation in professional football’s future.
