Q2 Stadium recently became the first Major League Soccer venue and the first soccer-specific venue to earn the National Weather Service’s (NWS) StormReady certification, recognizing the stadium’s preparedness to react to a variety of extreme weather conditions.
Through the certification process, a NWS Advisory Board reviews a venue’s proven operations in Emergency Planning and Preparedness, Emergency Communication, Community Training, and ongoing partnership with NWS.
To become StormReady certified, the venue must:
- Establish a 24hour Emergency Operations Center
- Maintain formal policies and procedures for emergency inclement weather preparedness
- Have multiple systems in place to monitor weather conditions and receive severe weather warnings and forecast
- Implement processes to alert constituents and methods to report information back to NWS
- Hold ongoing emergency exercises, training severe weather spotters, and promoting public readiness through seminars
The venue is also the first soccer-specific stadium in the world to hold Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Gold certification, making it officially recognized as a zero-waste venue. Austin FC sold out all 88 MLS home matches it played at Q2 Stadium during its first five seasons, including three home MLS Cup Playoff matches.
To learn more about StormReady certification, click here.
