Britten Takes the Bull by the Horns for New York Red Bulls

Situation

As this year’s season home opener was fast approaching, the New York Red Bulls were ready to bring a new team tradition to the field. Sports Illustrated Stadium would undergo a grand renovation and facelift, with the unveiling of its new look, the Red Bulls were planning to incorporate a brand-new custom player entrance tunnel to celebrate the kickoff. Serving jointly as a gift to their retired keeper, Ryan Meara, the player tunnel featuring two massive foam bull sculptures was designed to capture the passion, spirit, and culture of the team as the players surge out onto the field for another season.

When the last phase of the initiative underway the player entrance tunnel was still on the agenda to be completed, but the start of the new season was just two weeks out. With such a tight timeline, the New York Red Bulls were confident in reaching out to us at Britten, a team that they knew had the skills, speed, and quality of work to get it done right and on time.

Solution

With under fourteen days to approve, build, and ship the entire project, our team worked hard to get the finished entrance tunnel down to New York before the season opening celebration. The build required several different mediums to capture the entire vision, including foam, wood, and print, along with close collaboration with the New York Red Bulls pyrotechnics team. The full project would be near impossible to bring together in time for a partner that uses outsourced work. At Britten, we do all of our custom event fabrication work in Traverse City, MI, which makes us one of the only full-service providers in America that can accommodate such tight turnaround times with no compromise on quality.

Impact

The start of the new season marked a game changing moment in Red Bulls history. The new and improved stadium welcomed in starry-eyed fans, ready to be wowed by the players emerging from the fully custom fire-breathing player entrance tunnel among the massive, intimidating stark-red foam bull sculptures. The new season opening tradition stood tall and proud as a tribute to the present team, past players, and the dedicated fans that create an amazing atmosphere for competition and build up the MLS fan experience.