Rentschler Field ( stadium ) Rentschler Field is a stadium in East Hartford , Connecticut . It is primarily used for football , and is the home field of the University of Connecticut Huskies . Starting in the fall of 2010 , it became home to the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League . The stadium , which opened in 2003 , was the first stadium used primarily by an NCAA Division I - A ( now FBS ) team to open in the 21st century . It holds 40 , 000 people and can be expanded . Connecticut played on campus at Memorial Stadium in Storrs , before 2003 . Rentschler Field was originally the name of the company airfield for Pratt & Whitney that formerly occupied the site . The airfield , which began operations in 1931 , was named after Frederick Brant Rentschler , who founded the aircraft arm of Pratt & Whitney and later founded its current parent company , United Technologies . It was originally used for test flights and maintenance operations , and later for corporate aviation . The site was decommissioned as an airport in the 1990s , and donated to the state of Connecticut by United Technologies in 1999 . The company ' s contributions were not restricted to the airfield ; it also allows the use of of its corporate campus in East Hartford for game - day parking . The New England Patriots considered moving to Connecticut and sharing a stadium with the UConn football team , in the mid - 1990s . The new stadium was supposed to be built on the Connecticut Convention Center site in downtown Hartford . However , when the Patriots completed the deal for Gillette Stadium in Foxboro , Massachusetts , the Hartford stadium plan was scaled down and the location was moved to East Hartford . The stadium hosts major concerts ( such as Bruce Springsteen , the first artist to play the stadium , in 2003 , The Rolling Stones in 2005 , The Police in 2007 , Eminem in 2010 , and Taylor Swift in 2011 ) , and international soccer and rugby union matches . In addition , the Bollywood movie Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna used the field as the location of the soccer game in the opening scene of the movie . It is owned by the state of Connecticut and is operated by Bushnell Management Services , who took over the stadium in 2011 . Madison Square Garden , L . P . operated the stadium until 2006 , and Anschutz Entertainment Group operated the stadium from 2007 through 2010 . In 2012 , the State exercised a provision in their contract with Bushnell Management Services ending their contract 2 years early and putting it out to bid with the XL Center . In February 2013 , Global Spectrum of Philadelphia , was chosen to take over both the XL Center and Rentschler Field with Ovations Food Services taking over all food and beverage operations . Hartford Colonials . The Hartford Colonials were a United Football League team that played their home games at Rentschler Field . During their ( 2010 UFL season ) , the Colonials played all four home games at Rentschler , after having played one there the previous season while they were known as the New York Sentinels . Attendance at Colonials games averaged a consistent 15 , 000 people , third place in the five - team league behind Omaha and Sacramento . The UFL suspended the Colonials franchise in 2011 , in part because of the high rent the stadium charged ; the franchise was officially terminated when the team ' s former owner ( Bill Mayer ) was named as the new owner of a different franchise . Whalers Hockey Fest . From February 11 – 20 , 2011 , the stadium hosted the Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 . A hockey rink was constructed on the field much like is done for the annual NHL Winter Classic . Events included a Hartford Whalers Alumni vs . Boston Bruins Alumni game , a double - header featuring both UConn men ' s and women ' s hockey teams , a Hockey Legends team faced off against the Mystery , Alaska Hollywood team , and the second edition of the American Hockey League Outdoor Classic between the host Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins . Over 15 , 000 fans came out to watch the so - called " Whale Bowl " , while over 1 , 700 attended the UConn men ' s game .