stadium
An arena with raked spectator seating for sporting events, including enclosed, open-air, and retractable-roof forms.
Pictured: Docklands Stadium
A stadium is an arena where large numbers of spectators can be held in raked seating to watch sporting events. Stadiums can be enclosed halls, open-air structures, or some combination thereof, including arenas with retractable roofs.
Stadiums also include sites with one or more large bleacher sections, even if the multiple bleachers are separated from each other (for example at a racetrack). Relatively small fieldhouses can be classified as stadiums if they have permanent sections of raked seating for spectators inside.
The spectator seating and event space form the common arrangement. Separate bleacher sections can belong to the same stadium, and a relatively small fieldhouse can qualify through its permanent raked seating.
