Zions Bank Stadium will host this season’s most important games.
January 4, 2024 by Alex Rubin in News with 1 comments
The AUDL will hold its 2024 Championship Weekend at Zions Bank Stadium, just south of Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 23-24. The 5,000 seat stadium is host to the AUDL’s Salt Lake Shred as well as the Real Monarchs, an MLS Next Pro team affiliated with Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake, and the Utah Warriors, a Major League Rugby team.
The stadium opened in 2018 and is adjacent to the Real Salt Lake training complex. It has hosted major events in the past such as the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup and the 2020 Premier Lacrosse League Championship Series. The site is about 20 miles south of Downtown Salt Lake City and its airport.
“It’s a way to recognize and really reward what Salt Lake has done over the past couple of seasons,” said Ryan Pierce, the AUDL’s Senior Director of Product Marketing & Communications. “It’s not just having really good teams, but also drawing super well with the shred heads and all that. They’re super excited to have us, and it’ll be fun to go out west and recognize all the growth that’s happening over there.”
The Salt Lake Shred finished 2023 as the league runner-up, falling to the New York Empire in the championship game, and are the early favorites to repeat as the West Division’s representative at Championship Weekend. 2023’s Championship Weekend was held in Minnesota where the atmosphere was buoyed by a large home crowd; the Minnesota Wind Chill earned the Central Division’s place in the final four.
Whether or not the Shred make it, the league is expecting a large turnout given the community interest in ultimate that fans in Utah have demonstrated. The region is no stranger to hosting important ultimate events. In 2023, the High School National Invite was held in the greater Salt Lake City area.
The league is still in the process of determining which complementary events will surround the semifinals and final games themselves. In previous seasons, the league has hosted youth clinics, a disc golf competition, and a fan fest featuring local vendors. Given the league’s recent focus on youth as well as the strong local youth scene, it is a near certainty that a youth clinic or tournament will be part of the weekend.
This will be the 12th AUDL Championship Weekend event. It is the third time it will be contested in a West Division city1, and the first time in the state of Utah.
The 2024 season is expected to open in Salt Lake as well, with an expected matchup between the DC Breeze and the Salt Lake Shred at Zions Bank Stadium in late April. More information about the schedule as well as other league updates are expected in the coming weeks.
The Bay Area played host in 2015 and 2019 ↩
