<P> It hosted the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 1971 to January 2003 and the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball from 1971 to 2003 . The 1976 and 1996 Major League Baseball All - Star Games were held at the venue . The Vet also hosted the annual Army - Navy football game seventeen times, between 1980 and 2001 . </P> <P> In addition to professional baseball and football, the stadium hosted other amateur and professional sports, large entertainment events, and other civic affairs . It was demolished by implosion in March 2004 after being replaced by the adjacent Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field . A parking lot now sits on its former site . </P> <P> As early as 1959, Phillies owner Bob Carpenter proposed building a new ballpark for the Phillies on 72 acres (290,000 m) adjacent to the Garden State Park Racetrack in Cherry Hill, New Jersey . The Phillies' then - home, Connie Mack Stadium, was starting to show its age (it had been built in 1909), had inadequate parking, and was located in a declining neighborhood . Furthermore, in 1959 alcohol sales at sporting events were banned in Pennsylvania but were legal in New Jersey . The proposed ballpark would have seated 45,000 fans, been expandable to 60,000 and would have had 15,000 parking spaces . </P> <P> The American League's Philadelphia Athletics had moved to Kansas City, Missouri after the 1954 season and Philadelphians weren't about to lose another professional sports franchise . In 1964, Philadelphia voters approved a US $25 - million - bond issue for a new stadium to serve as the home of both the Eagles (who played at the University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field) and the Phillies . Because of cost overruns, the voters had to go to the polls again in 1967 to approve another $13 million . At a total cost of $60 million, it was one of the most - expensive ballparks to date . </P>

Where did the phillies play before veterans stadium