Located in Miami Gardens to the north of the city’s downtown area, the Sun Life Stadium is home to both the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins and the University of Miami Hurricanes team. It can seat more than 65,000 spectators for football, baseball and soccer games, as well as serve as a venue for big-name music artists that have included the Rolling Stones, U2 and Coldplay.
Also known as Hard Rock Stadium, the Sun Life Stadium has hosted five Super Bowls throughout its history, as well as two World Series and WrestleMania events. While built predominantly as a football stadium for the Miami Dolphins, 50% of the venue was purchased by Wayne Huizenga in 1990 in the hopes of bringing a Major League Baseball team to Southern Florida. Extensive renovations were conducted to accommodate what would become the Florida Marlins baseball club, with the field shared jointly with the Miami Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes. Two large video boards were added in 2006, the largest of their kind in a professional sports setting when installed, together with bars, lounges and a roof to protect fans from the rain. When the Marlins moved to Marlins Park in 2012 and baseball games were no longer held at the stadium, the sidelines of the lower bowl were redesigned to bring supporters closer to the action. Luxury four-seater pods have recently been added to the lower bowl and in the south end zone, providing a living room style setting with premium furniture and exclusive access to NFL programming on private television screens. The stadium has undergone numerous name changes throughout its history depending on corporate sponsorship, from Pro Player Park, Land Shark Stadium and Sun Life Stadium to its most recent name, Hard Rock Stadium.
The stadium is served by its own bus terminal in the northwestern corner which connects to downtown Miami and the surrounding suburbs, in addition to a stop outside the main gate on NW 199th Street. There is also extensive car parking available onsite with the capacity for more than 24,000 cars.
The venue first opened in 1987 as the Joe Robbie Stadium, named after the founder of the Miami Dolphins who led its financing campaign. Its field was purposely designed to be slightly wider than a regular NFL stadium, making it compatible with baseball games and soccer fixtures.