There’s no doubt about it: St. Louis CITY SC are enjoying a paw-esome start to their inaugural MLS season. (Yes, there will be multiple dog puns in this story.)
Despite some down results in April (1W-3L-1D in MLS play), CITY SC sit second place in the Western Conference table, largely thanks to a five-match winning streak to start their season – the best opening stretch by any expansion team in MLS history.
But it’s not just on-field results that have delighted fans (and set tails wagging) in Missouri. It’s the amenities surrounding matches at their brand-new CITYPARK soccer-specific stadium, which, along with its surrounding plaza area, was built to create what chief experience officer Matt Sebek calls “a festival-like atmosphere.”
Now, with April 29’s soft-opening of the Purina Club – four in-stadium loges that accommodate two dogs and four humans each – CITYPARK may have found that festival's proverbial headliner.
So step aside Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dog, Three Dog Night and even Wolf Parade, the pups of St. Louis are coming to rock CITYPARK from first kick to the final whistle.
All in the planning
The Purina Club fully opens to fans on May 20 for St. Louis’ home match against Sporting Kansas City, but planning for the dog-friendly premium box seats started over two years ago, when St. Louis-based pet food company Purina were introduced as the club’s first founding partner and kit sponsor.
“When we announced Purina as a corporate partner, fans really embraced it. And what we saw in the launch and some of the activations we did around the endorsement is fans that were discovering soccer for the first time simply because they were pet lovers,” said Sebek.
“And for us, as a new club with a two-year runway, it was great. Pets were a magnet to bring people into the fold because we had so much time to teach them about the players, about the game, et cetera. So we knew, I think, really early on in the partnership announcement that pets were going to be a focal point for us just because they make people smile.”
Focal point indeed. With only four available boxes, Sebek noted that “demand is through the roof” (or through the woof, if you will), with ticket interest going “beyond our wildest expectations.” Though the chief experience officer is quick to point out there’s plenty to do outside of the downtown stadium for canines who haven’t gotten their claws on tickets yet.
“We've designed the stadium and our surrounding plaza areas in a way – tons of green space – that we actually think the 32-acre campus that we have is very dog friendly, whether or not you're inside the stadium," said Sebek.
“So that's one thing we've been educating our fans, is if you don't have a ticket to the match or the Purina Club, still come on down because there's plenty to do. We've got a pregame show. We've got food outside the stadium. That festival atmosphere isn't limited to the tickets inside the stadium.”
Detail-oriented. Emphasis on tails
Inside the stadium, creating dog-friendly box seats that can accommodate pups both big and small did pose challenges, not the least of which was dimming the noise of STL’s raucous 22,500-capacity crowd. But through numerous consultations with experts in fields ranging from acoustical engineering to pet-behavior science, the club and Purina worked together to ensure each space was designed for maximum canine (and human) comfort.
“You think through things around building a space. That space has to be applicable for an eight-pound dog or 100-pound dog,” said Sebek, who described a detailed planning process that took everything into account from wall height to flooring material (they picked rubber matting over turf because it’s safer for paws and nails).
For the simpler necessities, each loge in the Purina club comes equipped with water bowls, toys, treats and easy access to a doggy relief area for when nature calls. Every section is also completely covered from the elements.
Even the connection between dogs and the players on the field has been thought through. Asked which breed would make the best player, Sebek didn’t hesitate to name-check Jack Russell Terriers: “I think that's kind of the style of play at CITY is very aggressive, very hunt-you-down. So, yeah, I’ll go with a Jack Russell Terrier."
St. Louis will need to bring that tireless terrier energy on the road for their next match at FC Dallas this Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass). The fixture has early Audi MLS Cup Playoffs implications, with both clubs currently in the top four of the Western Conference standings.
More details: Purina Club tickets and rules
