*What if* - Hypothetical new stadium ideas

[Dallsux]

To start with it HAS to be in DC.

I wouldn't mind a retractable roof type stadium, but an overhang of some sort is essential. I know it's RFKish to say that, but the truth is, part of the reason RFK was one of the hardest places for opposing teams to play was because crowd noise was out of control....& a huge part of that was because of that overhang, So, either an enclosed stadium or semi-enclosed to keep the noise level optimized.

Fewer seats. Where are we now? Like 90,000+? Drop it down to about 70,000 or so.

I know this won't be received well by everyone, but set up statues around the outside of the stadium in strategic areas, at gates where people enter the stadium. Goerge Preston Marshall, Jack Kent Cooke, Joe Gibbs, George Allen, John Riggins, Sammy Baugh, Sonny Jurgenson, Art Monk, Darrell Green, & of course, Sean Taylor. Maybe some other players I'm missing at the moment.

I would like to see a much more Redskins fan friendly environment, rather than an NFL fan friendly environment. Something that expresses the general dislike for Dallas, Philly, & NY especially, since they're in our Division, but also something that tells opposing team fans, "You're in OUR House!" I'm not exactly sure what, without it being politically incorrect.

I would like to see it named for the team, not some corporation that sponsered the stadium. Redskins Stadium, Redskins Nation, or Redskins Park. Anything that indicates "Home of the Washington Redskins".

---------- Post added November-5th-2012 at 01:49 AM ----------

I honestly don't know what they could do to make it more louder and entertaining... Snyder and the rest of the skins organzation did'nt think things threw before they built the stadium.

Uhmm, Snyder had nothing to do with the actual building of the stadium. That was Jack Kent Cooke's design & idea. He basically said he was insulted by the DC politicians & wasn'tgoing to build a new stadium in DC. Felt the same way about Va & so he ended up in Md who welcomed his idea with open arms. So much so that they even were willing to allow him to rename the area Raljon, after JKC's 2 sons.

What Snyder did do tho was sponser the stadium thru FedEx, renaming it & trying to improve it throughout the years with many renovations. Some that haven't gone well, some that have.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

I'd try to change the thought-process and build a 45,000ish stadium in DC somewhere. Make it intimate and add some cool elements to it (everything should be Redskin-themed and colored with imagery, etc. built in).

Up the seats by another 10/15 k, and add a retractable roof, and you've probably got the perfect site for our needs.

Hail.

[Renegade7]

I agree with a smaller, outdoor stadium in the the city proper (preferably on top of the old RFK site). Have to take into account the possibility of a new stadium having sort of the same effect the new nationals stadium did, so really want to be careful about kicking about a whole new section of the city. I wouldn't support that just to get the redskins back into DC...

[skins island connection]

RFK, new or refurbished, would be the way to go, fan-wise.
But in this day, money is the name of the game, and Snyder would choke on his donut at the idea of going to RFK, even though it was the best damn stadium in the league.

[pjfootballer]

Go back to DC, and build a new retractable roof with grass like in Arizona. About 70K, with cupholders on the seats.

As far as the lease goes, does anyone have information on that? I mean, Snyder bought the stadium when he bought the team, so what is holding him back (besides money) from wanting to build a new stadium?

And you'll never get a stadium without naming rights. That's cash in the bank.

[Sticksboi05]

Move back to D.C., retractable roof. 65,000 seats. That's it. And never close the roof but for Superbowls. New RFK Stadium if RFK is demolished.

[Mr_Scotch]

Sadly - if/when there is a new stadium to be built, you can bet your bottom dollar that The Danny will institute those ridiculous PSL's. That will be my queue to not renew.

Now - stadium must be outdoors INSIDE of DC city limits; the outside of the stadium should indicate this is the Redskins' home stadium - not a big advertisement for FedEx; wider seats w/ cup holders; all seats in the different sections should be the same color; keep the super large HD replay screens; create "family friendly" sections; statue(s) outside the stadium featuring great Redskins and great Redskins plays of the past (i.e. - Riggo's amazing SB winning TD run vs Miami; LaVar ending Aikman's career , etc).

[TheBear27]

I agree that a new stadium should be made counter-intuitively. By that I mean, the smaller the better. A stadium with capacity around 60 - 70K (approximately the size of RFK and CenturyLink Field in Seattle) would hopefully create a more fan friendly atmosphere. Ideally this would create less traffic inside and outside of the stadium, a smaller supply of tickets for visiting fans to buy, and an overall more intimate setting. Assuming the stadium was built in DC, I'd also like to see better sight lines for the monuments and/or an iconic feature of the stadium (e.g.. the jumbotron in Dallas, how the stands rocked at RFK, or the noise level of CenturyLink in Seattle)

However, the downside to all of this is that a stadium this small would never happen. Currently, FedEx field holds roughly 85K. Assuming the average ticket price is about $60, building a stadium to hold 65K would cost the Redskins about $1.2 million annually in ticket sales and revenue (assuming they sell out every game). There's just no way I can see Snyder going for this. This would also probably lead to higher ticket prices and PSLs for season ticket holders. We should be careful what we wish for.

[DC9]

I think with the redzone channel and the "home" experience and HD tv's etc... you are going to see stadiums shrink in size.

The next lot of stadiums that are built in the next 40 years or so are going to be 40-50k seat stadiums at the most.

What I would like to see in a dream world and no PSLs? A stadium in Georgetown oriented to where you can see the Potomac/Arlington/Crystal City on one side of an open end, and the Washington Monument on the other side. I think that would be pretty cool.

I would like a rectangular stadium. Not a bowl. But a stadium with an old school touch. A lower section and an Upper Section. The lower section would go around the whole field. The upper section would only be on the sidelines (hence the open ends on each end zone). There would be a large HD stadium board on the end by the river, and a smaller one on the end by the monument (giving sort of a touchdown Jesus effect). I want there to be a half roof (similar to an old baseball roof) going over each upper level.

The outside of the stadium would be made of cement (to look like a monument) with large pillars going around it. It would look really archaeic. I'd also like a picture of a Redskins great to be above every pillar (like the ring of fame is now, but outside, so everyone can enjoy it as a monument).

Also, it should be engineered to be loud as a mother ****er. That would be sweet.


GHH, myself, and a few others are obviously partial to "Fortress Anfield" where Liverpool plays in the EPL. I love the old girl and I love the lighting scheme. I would like it to have higher rises on the second levels though... and I would like for them to not put any roof on the endzone seats. That way you can better see the landmarks around the stadium.


Below, is a picture of Doughboy Stadium at Fort Benning, GA. I've spent many a morning running up and down the stadium steps and vomiting along the sides of them, lol. Good times. If you have ever seen the movie "We were Soldiers," this is where Mel Gibson gave his speech to the families of the unit that was about to deploy. The reason I posted this... is because it's beautiful on the outside. I'd love for our stadium to look like this. Arches/pillars, with unit patches from every unit that deployed during WWI above each arch. Instead of unit patches, we put a picture of a member of our ring of fame, and their names, with a plaque for each one that will tell the story of their Redskins greatness. This will make it a DC landmark and a place that people will want to go and visit year round. It has to look classic and classy. Nothing modern... it has to fit in with the rest of the monument schemes. I think this would be top shelf.

[jmyers75]

FedEx is junk. Too many clowns in too tight of an area. 50k seating capacity, back in DC.

[spjunkies]

FedEX is just a more modern version of old Giants stadium it's time for that POS to go.

Put me on the list for a 65K outdoor facility at the RFK site. That's the perfect location with the metro and all.

[mi6]

Not in favor of building a new stadium in DC. It's a nightmare getting there, and some parts of the DC are just rough.

Would love to see a new stadium either in Columbia or Laurel. Or, upgrading the current stadium.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I'd try to change the thought-process and build a 45,000ish stadium in DC somewhere. Make it intimate and add some cool elements to it (everything should be Redskin-themed and colored with imagery, etc. built in).

You would either:

A. Go bankrupt or
B. Have an average ticket price of $800.


The next stadium needs to be able to host a Super Bowl. That means you need to fit at least 80K into it. I would not make that general capacity though. 70K with the ability to expand it to 80K would work. And you probably need a retractable roof at the very least. There is no need for a true dome these days.

Reliant Stadium in Houston is a pretty good template to begin with. Maybe a smidge smaller.

Now, where we go crazy is the technology.

Every seat is going to have a small touch screen HD tv built into the back of it along with a cell phone jack. Now, I don't want people watching tv during the game so they will black out as soon as the teams approach the LOS. But, everyone will have their own tv for replays, scores, etc. In the club sections, these will allow you to order food. Throughout the stadium, you will be able to pull up cameras that give views of the concourse to know where the lines are bad for restrooms and concessions and where there is no line. At Halftime, timeouts, and between quarters, we will show Red Zone.

I know people are going to complain about me, but watching games at home beats watching games live by such a wide margin at this point, I don't know why anyone goes to a game. You need to mirror some of the advantages of home.

I also think you need to make the thing a tourist attraction. One of the ends of the stadium should house a DC sports hall of fame.



I'm not sure how earth this would be possible but you should somehow

[KrnZippo]

Not in favor of building a new stadium in DC. It's a nightmare getting there, and some parts of the DC are just rough.

Would love to see a new stadium either in Columbia or Laurel. Or, upgrading the current stadium.

Columbia is closer to Baltimore than it is DC.

[DC9]

You would either:

A. Go bankrupt or
B. Have an average ticket price of $800.

I think it's inevitable that prices will go up. I think the way the league is headed, you will either have pay per view games or tickets will be so expensive that they'll be a comodity and a "once a year or so" type thing for families.