L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium sits on the southern edge of the University of Louisville campus in Louisville, Kentucky, serving as the home field for the Louisville Cardinals football program. The stadium opened on September 5, 1998, after a two-year construction process on a reclaimed brownfield site that had once been the South Louisville Rail Yard.
Originally christened Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, the venue has carried three names over its history, becoming simply Cardinal Stadium in 2018 before taking on its current sponsorship title, L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium, in January 2023. Through multiple expansions, the horseshoe-shaped facility has grown from an initial 42,000 seats to its present capacity of 60,800.
Stats at a Glance
- Team: Louisville Cardinals (NCAA football)
- Location: Louisville, Kentucky
- Opened: September 5, 1998
- Capacity: About 60,800
- Original Cost: About $135 million
- Notable Fact: Built on a former rail yard whose original shift horn now sounds every time the Cardinals score
From Rail Yard to Football Home
Before it hosted college football, the site was occupied by the South Louisville Rail Yard, a brownfield property that required extensive environmental remediation to address dozens of contaminants left behind by decades of industrial use. Construction broke ground in June 1996, and the stadium was designed by Rosser International and Luckett & Farley, with Huber, Hunt & Nichols serving as general contractor.
As a nod to that industrial past, the rail yard’s original shift horn was preserved and mounted in the north end zone scoreboard, where it still blasts every time the Cardinals put points on the board.
Growing With the Program
The stadium’s capacity has climbed steadily alongside Louisville’s football fortunes. It opened in 1998 with 42,000 seats, then underwent an expansion completed for the 2010 season that pushed capacity to 55,000. A second project, announced in 2015 and finished in 2019, closed the open end of the horseshoe and brought the stadium to its current 60,800-seat capacity.
That growth has been matched by record crowds, including the stadium’s attendance mark of 59,225 fans set during the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry game on November 25, 2023, on FieldTurf Revolution playing surface.
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L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium FAQs
Who plays at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium?
The Louisville Cardinals NCAA football program has played its home games there since the stadium opened in 1998.
What was L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium called before?
It opened as Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, was renamed Cardinal Stadium in 2018, and became L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in January 2023.
How many people does L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium hold?
Following its most recent expansion in 2019, the stadium seats about 60,800 fans.
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Photo: Nolanwebb / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.