Ford Field is a domed American football stadium located in Downtown Detroit. The regular seating capacity is approximately 65,, though it is expandable up to 70, for football and 80, for basketball. In , the Lions moved to the Pontiac Silverdome after playing at Tiger Stadium from to and to On November 5, , voters approved a referendum for the stadium. Groundbreaking for the stadium occurred on November 16, , as part of a downtown revitalization plan for the city of Detroit, which included Comerica Park.
The stadium's design incorporates a former Hudson's warehouse, which was constructed in the s. The presence of the warehouse allows for a seating arrangement that is unique among professional American football stadiums. The majority of suites are located in the warehouse along the stadium's southern sideline, as are the lounges that serve the premium club seats on that side of the field.
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The upper deck on the stadium's northern sideline also contains one level of suites and a smaller section of club seating. A similar design was implemented at the renovated Soldier Field , albeit with the use of a new structure as opposed to an existing building to house four levels of suites. Unlike most prior domed stadiums, Ford Field allows a large amount of natural light to reach the field, thanks to immense skylights and large glass windows at the open corners.
The south entrance provides the seating bowl and concourse with sunlight year-round and also offers fans a view of downtown Detroit. Ford Field is one of the few venues in the NFL that has end zones in the east and the west. There is no NFL rule for field construction in roofed venues regarding sunlight distracting players on the field. The natural light is not a distraction to the players in a day game, because the light only reaches as far as the sidelines, leaving the field still properly lit with the combination of artificial stadium lighting and sunlight.
In , Ford Field underwent its first major renovation. It also marked the final game in the year career for Steelers running back , and Detroit native, Jerome Bettis.
