From an abandoned and derelict symbol of failed efforts to establish professional football in south Florida, to the arena where Lionel Messi has dazzled MLS while attracting visitors from around the globe. It has been a unique journey for the site where Fort Lauderdale’s Lockhart Stadium once stood.
“Even after all these years it’s so funny to me that Lionel Messi, one of the most famous faces in the history of mankind, is not only playing for our club but playing in this stadium that was abandoned,” said Nico Abad, a member of The Siege supporters’ group and a native of Broward County, where Chase Stadium stands on the former site of Lockhart. “It’s where kids would go to do doughnuts and to smoke and drink.”
The former home of the defunct Fort Lauderdale Strikers and erstwhile MLS side Miami Fusion was demolished by the newly established Inter Miami in 2019 and rejuvenated almost as a last resort, after years of failed stadium projects in Miami itself threatened the club’s ability to even exist. Founding owner David Beckham’s consolation prize north of Vice City would ultimately become a once-in-a-generation experience for the area’s soccer fans, drawing the eyes of the world.
That era is almost over. On Saturday, Chase Stadium will host its final MLS regular season game when Inter Miami play Atlanta. After the playoffs, it’ll have served its purpose. The time has come for Inter Miami to play in Miami proper.
Next season, the club moves into the purpose-built home in Miami Freedom Park, a 25,000-capacity arena forming the centrepiece of a “soccer village” with shopping, restaurants, office space, and a lush park next to the city’s international airport. It’ll be quite a contrast from the stopgap in Broward County, amid a blue-collar heart of auto repair shops beside an airfield.
While in a sense this is a reward for Miami-based supporters who may well have spent far longer in traffic to Chase Stadium than watching football there, there’s genuine affection among fans for their intimate temporary home.
There are legitimate reasons why Chase Stadium works. The fans are close to the pitch. There are high school-like, open air bleachers behind the goal, where the most vocal and ardent fans gather and are fully exposed to south Florida’s unpredictable summer weather. It’s like coming to watch a lower division club, until you turn to the field to see Messi, Sergio Busquets, Rodrigo De Paul, Jordi Alba and Luis Suárez. Beckham too.
“[It] has grown on me in its mediocrity,” said Abad. “After 150 games there, you do end up having a crush on it. I won’t miss the sauna porta potties. I’m looking forward to air-conditioned bathrooms.”
Many fans recounted those spellbinding early Messi games as their finest football memories. There was the near disbelief of the Argentinian’s July 2023 unveiling in tropical rains dubbed “Hurricane Messi” and then the stoppage-time free-kick to win the game on his debut in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul – a tournament he would lead them to win.
The stadium has also brought down the curtain on legendary careers. Gonzalo Higuaín retired a Heron. Busquets and Jordi Alba will retire at the end of this campaign. Suarez is 38 and his contract expires this season.
“The experience is special because it feels like a small club right now,” said Miami-based season-ticket holder Paul Zamek. “When Suárez or Busquets score, they run to their families. We’re so close you can see the emotion. I’ll miss that intimacy.”
Zamek’s fellow season-ticket holder Mason Harris added: “This is where I got to bond with my kids and watch them show interest in the sport. They didn’t before, so this stadium will always have that for me.”
Lockhart Stadium was originally built in 1959 for high school track and field meets, but professional greats graced it too. Gerd Müller, George Best and Gordon Banks turned out for the Strikers in the late 1970s. Pelé scored there for the New York Cosmos in 1977, and was reacquainted with Banks after that famous save in the 1970 World Cup.
Now, after an up-and-down season under Javier Mascherano, today’s great hero, Messi, has the chance to give the Chase Stadium era the perfect send-off. If Inter Miami reach MLS Cup and face a lower-ranked team, the game would be played in Fort Lauderdale.
It’s why the team aren’t leaning too much into Saturday. They are hosting their annual fan appreciation night and saying, ‘we’ll see you in the playoffs.’ A win against Atlanta could seal homefield advantage for a final run in Broward County.
Fort Lauderdale may not be a bustling hub like Miami itself, but it’s accessible to all three of south Florida’s counties – Broward, Palm Beach to the north and Miami-Dade to the south.
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Inter Miami say match-goers are predominantly Miami-Dade based, but for others following the team will become more difficult. Broward and Palm Beach fans formed the bedrock during the leaner pre-Messi years. Naturally, Inter Miami want to retain them.
The road traffic is the road traffic, but the club says the 2.5 miles of new roadways serving Miami Freedom Park will be among the most extensive for a new US stadium in decades. The club says the 5,000 new parking spaces will be the most at an MLS stadium.
Communal transport may be slightly easier than it is now. Across the street at the airport is the Tri-Rail station, serving all south Florida, and the localised Metro-Rail and Miami Mover options.
Tri-Rail offers affordable trains through Broward and into Palm Beach via 17 stops, but timetable adjustments would be needed to fully support games. The club may yet renew an agreement with the high-speed train company Brightline to bus supporters in from the downtown Miami hub. However, the current lack of clarity is leaving some fans feeling left out of the conversation.
“The club have given us the cold shoulder about everything regarding Miami Freedom Park,” says Abad, who lives between Chase Stadium and Miami Freedom Park. “They’ve asked for zero input. The liaisons between the club and the supporters’ groups have not interacted with us at all in that capacity.”
“My friends who support New York City FC have been included in every aspect of the new stadium build, including where the supporter groups are going to be seated. Their club looks for opinions and advice. Meanwhile, these guys can’t even tell us if they’re going to have a transport agreement with Brightline or the Tri-Rail.”
Inter Miami aren’t waving goodbye to Broward County entirely. The stadium will continue to host major events. The training ground, club HQ, and youth academy will remain within the complex. Beckham has pledged to create a women’s team under the club’s banner, which could bring a new and lasting footballing legacy to the stadium.
And while the memories of this era are fond, most fans we spoke to are enthused by the move. “Get me into a proper bowl already. I think everyone’s going to love it,” said Abad.
Attendance has sagged a little now everyone who wanted to see Messi has done so. Reported figures remain high, but the naked eye tells a different story. There are plenty of empty seats. Primary market tickets are still available in almost every section for Saturday’s game.
“Fort Lauderdale is a great city, but there’s a different energy in Miami,” Zamek adds. “This is a Miami team, it belongs in Miami.”
