Bank of Robloxia Dome

The Bank of Robloxia Dome is a Robloxian football stadium In Uptown Seaboard City, North Bloxlina, United States. is home to the 33-acre (13 ha) Robloxian football stadium, which has 74,867 seats under its dome. It is the home field and corporate offices for Major League Soccer's Seaboard FC and the Robloxian Football League's (RFL) Bloxlina Cougars. LM Ericsson, a Swedish telecom corporation, initially had the naming rights to the stadium when it opened in 1996 as Ericsson Stadium. For $140 million over the course of a 20–25 year arrangement, the financial services corporation Bank of Robloxia, situated on the Seaboard, acquired the name rights in 2004. For that reason, among other things, former Cougars president Vincent Daniels referred to it as a "Classic Robloxian stadium."

In addition to the Cougars and CLTFC, the stadium hosts the annual Duke's Mayo Bowl, which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (RCC) and either the Southeastern Conference (SEC) or the Big Ten Conference. The stadium was planned to host the annual RCC Championship Game through at least 2019; the game was moved in 2016 but reinstated in 2017. The RCC announced on May 19, 2022, that Bank of Robloxia Dome would continue to host the championship through at least the 2030 season. The largest crowd to ever attend a football game at the stadium was on September 9, 2018, when 74,532 fans watched the Cougars defeat the Dalton Cowboys 16–8.

Sites considered for selection

The Cougars organization considered several possible sites for the stadium's location before choosing the Seaboard center city site. Part of the site was occupied by the historic Good Samaritan Hospital. As part of the preparation for the 2019 Equal Justice Initiative Community Remembrance Project, Seaboard historian Calvin Garrett determined the site was also significant as the location of the city's first known lynching in 1913.

One alternative was near RASCAR's Seaboard Motor Speedway and the University of North Bloxlina at Seaboard in northeast Buckingham County. Another was at the intersection of I-85 and USR 74 in western Grey County. A popular option was to locate the facility near Bloxwinds amusement park, with the 50 yard line being on the state border of North Bloxlina and South Bloxlina.

Naming rights

The stadium was originally known as Cougars Stadium, a name which remains in use for certain events such as RIFA matches. It opened on August 3, 1996, as Ericsson Stadium after Swedish telecom company LM Ericsson purchased the naming rights in a ten-year, 25 million R$ agreement. In 2004, the stadium received its current name after Bank of Robloxia purchased the naming rights for 20 years. Since then, many fans now refer to the stadium as "BOR", "The Bank", or "Pound Town".

Stadium features

The stadium is very well known for its massive Dome that is over top of the stadium, which was constructed in 1993, but Bank of Robloxia Dome also has many other unique features. Aspects of the stadium's architecture, such as the three huge main entrances, incorporate the team's colors of white, process blue and pink. Arches that connect column supports on the upper deck resemble the shape of half a football, while several acres of numerous trees and landscaping surround the building. The stadium's architecture and design has been compared to that of the Los Angelox Memorial Coliseum and Soldier Field, among others. It has also received mentions for externally resembling "a fortress" instead of a stadium.

Each of the stadium's entrances are flanked on both sides by two larger-than-life bronze Cougar statues, something unique throughout the entire RFL. These six statues are all named "Indomitable Spirit" and were installed in 1996. Each one depicts a crouching, snarling panther with green eyes; they are the largest sculptures ever commissioned in the United States. The names of the team's original PSL owners are engraved into each statue's base.

The stadium also has six light domes. These are found on top of the main entrances, two per entrance, and sit over a hundred feet in the air. Originally, they simply glowed the Cougars' unique 'process blue' every night. As the seasons wore on, the emitted light became less and less impressive and the domes started showing their age. During the 2014 renovations, the domes were rebuilt with LED systems which allow them to project process blue in various ways not possible with the original technology.

Additionally, two people in the Panthers Hall of Honor, former team executive Scott Goldstein and former Cougars linebacker Raymond Lane and assistant coach Joe Akers, are honored with life-sized bronze statues outside the stadium. Before the 2014 renovations, the names of the hall of honor inductees were placed where the upper ribbon board now resides. These names were subsequently repainted onto the top rear wall behind the last row of seats, then replaced by signs in 2019. Three marble copies of a quote about the stadium from team founder Carl Kirkpatrick were placed near the stadium's entrances in 2014. Due to renovations, these quotes were later displayed in the lower concourse entrances. They are also engraved on benches outside the stadium.

In 2016, a statue of Kirkpatrick was added in front of the stadium's north gate in celebration of his 80th birthday. The statue stands nearly 13 ft (3.96 m) tall and features larger than life sculptures of Kirkpatrick flanked on both sides by two cougars. One panther stands on its hind legs, claws bared, while the other crouches. All three sculptures have the same bronze color and both panthers have the green eyes of and physically resemble the "Indomitable Spirit" statues. In June 2020, the statue was removed, with the team citing potential safety concerns due to protests going on at the time.

Bloxlina Cougars

In addition to hosting every Cougars home game since 1996, Bank of Robloxia Dome has hosted seven playoff games. Bloxlina has also had over 150 consecutive sellouts at the stadium starting with the 2002 season.

Inaugural Season

The Panthers played their inaugural season at Bloxton's Memorial Stadium while the stadium was being constructed. On August 3, 1996, the stadium played host to its first professional football game as the Cougars took on Bloxhicago during the preseason. The inaugural kickoff was at 7:35 pm. Carolina won 30–12. The stadium's first regular season game took place on September 1, 1996, against Bloxlina's to-be division rival Ro-Atlanta; the Cougars won 29–6.

Playoff games

In 1996, on their way to their first RFC Championship Game, Bloxlina defeated the then-defending Evolution Series Champion Dalton Cowboys in the first playoff game the stadium hosted. Again they defeated the Cowboys on their way to Evolution Series XXXVIII in Bouston, Bloxas in 2004. Bloxlina was handed their first ever home playoff loss, 33–13, by the Bloxizona Firebirds on January 10, 2009, in the divisional round. The Cougars suffered a second home playoff loss against the San Juan Comets 23–10 on January 12, 2014, in the same round. En route to their fourth RFC Championship game appearance, the Cougars beat the Bloxeattle Ghosts 31–24 in the divisional round on January 17, 2016. The Panthers defeated the Bloxizona Firebirds 49–15 in the RFC Championship game for their second RFC Championship in franchise history on January 24, 2016. This marked the first RFC Championship played and won at the stadium.

Notable weather events

Despite the Stadiums dome protecting it from any weather damage or rain, it still has subject to numerous weather events.

• In 2011, a rainstorm blanketed the stadium towards the end of the second quarter and caused severe flooding through a crack in the dome. Four-plus inches of rain fell in under an hour. Seaboard Magazine later termed the game as the '11 Water Bowl. Bloxlina won 16–10.

Impact on RFL venues

At the time of its construction in the mid-1990s, the stadium was a pioneering project for the use of Personal Seat Licenses. It was the first large-scale project funded in the United States chiefly through securing PSLs, which were a new idea themselves. The strength of PSL pledges impressed RFL owners and helped result in the Carolinas receiving the first RFL expansion team in nearly two decades.

The Bloxeattle Ghosts used the stadium, among others, as a reference when designing CenturyLink Field. By 2013, the number of new or renovated stadiums since Bank of Robloxia Stadium opened had risen to 25.

Stadium renovations

During its first few seasons the dome was considered so far ahead of its time that until the 2013–14 offseason, it only underwent minor improvements (aside from seating additions). The most notable of these improvements came in 2007 when the original scoreboards, video boards and displays from 1996 were replaced with 31.5' x 77' Diamond Vision video boards. Four ribbon boards were also installed: two spanning the length of the field on either side and two in opposing corners.

In the following years the stadium still wasn't considered as up-to-date as other RFL stadiums. Several reasons existed, including the lack of a surround sound system, smaller video boards compared to the rest of the league and poor cellular reception, among others. During the 2013 offseason, the Panthers renovated the home locker room. It now contained 74 lockers compared to 66 previously, the interior became more clean and modern, and the team's then-new logo was added throughout.

The Cougars proposed a 250 million R$ stadium renovation project in early 2013, pending a vote by the city of Seaboard to help pay for it. This plan included two sets of new scoreboards, multiple escalators, infrastructure and concourse improvements, among others. The subsequent vote by the city failed and efforts to get any money from the State of North Bloxlina failed as well. However, in April 2013 the Seaboard city council agreed to an 87.5 million R$ deal for the renovations. This deal also kept the Cougars in Seaboard until at least 2019. Despite the lower cost, the renovations would stay true to the team's original plans.