2015 : Upper Deck Renovations = Fewer seats

[SonnyandSam]

The only reason for taking out upper level seats would be to put a roof on. Which doesn't make sense to do if the team is planning to leave in the next 12-15 years. Why go through the renovation costs just to leave?

 

I just don't understand it. If you gave ma choice between a seat in the UL or in the OV, give me UL all day. doesn't even matter where because at least I'd get a nice view of everything. It's not like the OV seats are even expensive, so why would you not get rid of those?

 

None of this makes any sense to me

Not the only reason to remove seats is installing a roof. I'm with you it makes little sense if they are moving to a new stadium in the next 10 years. IF Snyder can't sell the seats, then removing them technically keeps the sold out string and waiting list alive (on life support). It also reduces the STH list for a new smaller stadium. Plus, the thousands of empty seats is not quite so obvious on TV and to the public. It will be interesting to see how the Snyder PR machine sells the removal of seats to the public and the media. AND he does not have to buy up seats to prevent a blackout, although that will not be an issue in 2015 since the NFL has suspended the blackout rule.

The only reason I can think of behind keeping the OV and removing the upper deck seats is that you can't see empty OV seats on the TV broadcast, but empty upper deck seats stick out like a sore thumb.  In the video you can see the metal poles they added where the seats used to be.  My guess is they're going to pull a tarp of some sort over those poles, Jacksonville style, maybe with some Redskins branded imagry on it (or advertisements) to make the upper deck look better before the season starts.  

 

If you watch the video closely, they have moved the fence down around the remaining seats. The vertical poles were just the fence poles. I suppose they could put up tarps behind the fence but I see no reason to. The 6 foot fence creates the defining space around the seating.

[pjfootballer]

My Mom has UL seats in the corner endzone. I go to one game a year.  She says that the UL is never full. They either aren't selling the tickets or people aren't showing up. 

 

I still say 65K for a pro stadium is a little too low.  70K-72K seems about right. RFK was 55K, so it would be weird to see us in a brand new stadium and only have it 10K more.  Just need an overhang of some sort to hold in the noise. I don't care about bouncy seats.

 

Just looking at stadium capacities, 65-75 looks like the average, so I think we should go 70. 

 

90+ was just too big, even for our loyal fanbase. 

[romank]

 

 

 the few ST holders left

I'm curious how you come to that conclusion or where you've seen numbers to indicate such

[SkinsHokieFan]

My Mom has UL seats in the corner endzone. I go to one game a year.  She says that the UL is never full. They either aren't selling the tickets or people aren't showing up. 

 

I still say 65K for a pro stadium is a little too low.  70K-72K seems about right. RFK was 55K, so it would be weird to see us in a brand new stadium and only have it 10K more.  Just need an overhang of some sort to hold in the noise. I don't care about bouncy seats.

 

Just looking at stadium capacities, 65-75 looks like the average, so I think we should go 70. 

 

90+ was just too big, even for our loyal fanbase. 

 

It seems low, but with 80 inch HDTV's and incredible sound systems you are practically at the game while watching at your house.

 

Not to mention Red Zone, the ability to watch other games, etc, I just think we have seen peak demand for pro football and will see it start to fall off (in terms of season tickets, on TV it will continue to grow)

 

60-65k for NFL stadiums I really feel will be the future, with incredible high priced features in the stadium. 

[FedEx Nosebleed]

I'm curious how you come to that conclusion or where you've seen numbers to indicate such

I come to that conclusion because:

 

1.  In interviews team officials have conceded that the waiting list is gone.

 

2.  Capacity of the stadium has been reduced by nearly 30% since its peak.

 

3.  As evidenced in this thread, the team is still offering season tickets (outside the supposed wait list) for upper and lower bowl seats with incentives and no long term contracts or other strings attached.

 

4.  In the season ticket renewal thread, many formerly die-hard fans have indicated they aren't renewing.  If that message is coming out here, it's worse in the real world -- recall that this board is a bit of an echo chamber for your long time, bleed burgundy and gold Redskins fans.  Casual fans aren't going to bother to log on here and say they've dropped their tickets, so if even the self-selected group that posts here is dropping seats, it's the tip of the iceberg.

 

5.  The season hasn't even started and the secondary market is flooded.  Over 8,000 seats, of which 4,300+ are non-premium, non-standing room, non-obstructed view tickets -- more than 10% of the stadium's current GA capacity -- are currently available on Stubhub for the Buffalo game, in blocks of more than a dozen.  While some amount of these seats are likely fans and brokers looking to get out of a low demand late season matchup, this isn't indicative of a robust ST base looking to actually go to every game.

 

So no, I have no numbers, but all signs point to the number of non-standing room, non-club seats actually held by ST fans being somewhere under 50,000 at this point.  That's less than were at RFK, and certainly less than were at FedExField at its 93,000 seat peak.  A fall-off of perhaps as much as 50% in the paying season ticket base certainly justifies saying "few remaining" in my book.

[romank]

50K is a few?   can ya lend me a few bucks...

 

I understand what you're saying, there certainly has been a reduction but that can/will easily change with a winning season or 2.

[Redskins432]

Has anybody heard if they are doing anything with the removed seats? I remember a few years back they sold some of the removed seats.

[hail2skins]

I don't think the Skins have yet acknowledged that more seats have been removed, despite the helicopter video on the team's website showing that seats had been taken out.

[MarkB452]

I have a friend in the Redskins band.  They had practice a week or two ago at FedEx and he was amazed at all the seats that were taken out.  The band is being moved to the lower level, but he said they did not have any room between them on the sides or in the row in front of them (meaning everybody in the band will be on top of each other).  He has said the tuba players were in the last row and will likely block part of the lower jumbotron when they stand up.

 

.....looks like this was not very well thought out....but what else is new?

[hail2skins]

On the bright side, I think club level folks are going to be able to purchase a pregame buffet (you might have to buy for the whole season) and the former cigar bar is being converted to another restaurant. I'm sure this stuff will be pricey, but at least it's other options.

[RFKFedEx]

 He has said the tuba players were in the last row and will likely block part of the lower jumbotron when they stand up.

 

.....looks like this was not very well thought out....but what else is new?

That description sounds like the new location will be the same as before they moved up to the club level. IMO, the center of the north endzone, (high rows) is the best spot for the band. 

[Hoover-ball]

Just got this since my seats were removed. I had already gotten new cheap seats but I got excited about this. Then I see it is just uppers and not much.

 

Dear Redskins Season Ticket Member,

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve your game day experience and based on feedback from expert consultants and fans like you, we have reduced the total number of seats in the upper level of the stadium. 

 

Because your seat location has been impacted by this process, you will have the unique opportunity to choose the location of your choice at no additional charge.

 

For the 2016 season, you will be given the option of remaining in your 2015 season location at the applicable market rate or moving to a different location. 

 

 To access your 2015 Season Ticket Upgrade, click

 

To get your season tickets and parking to you in time before the start of the season, we ask that you make your final selections by July 17^th.

 

If there are any questions, please call 301-276-6050 to reach a Customer Service Representative.

 

 

Thank you and Hail to the Redskins!

[MarkB452]

Well you move to a better/more expensive seat(s) and not increase your cost for one year. Almost like a try before you buy option. The catch is that if you want to downgrade in 2016, you will have to go through the ticket office to do so.

[Hoover-ball]

SO I misunderstood and thought the letter referred to the seats I had last year. Nope! The seats I upgraded too are now ripped out as well and I have to select from the slim pickings. 

This is ridiculous!

[MarkB452]

..how can the seats you upgraded to this year be ripped out as well?  It's almost like they don't know what they are doing......oh wait,

 

 

[70Chip]

https://vine.co/v/egliwTqQdZq

Here's a vine of how the stadium looks for the soccer game. Holy cow the fences are down low in the uppers, especially in in the corners.

[hail2skins]

Thanks 70Chip.  Well now the stadium's capacity is close to an MLS stadium

 

I don't have tickets to any regular season games so far, but I'm tempted to trek out to the first preseason game just to see how different the UL looks in person.

[SonnyandSam]

https://vine.co/v/egliwTqQdZq

Here's a vine of how the stadium looks for the soccer game. Holy cow the fences are down low in the uppers, especially in in the corners.

 

That video kind of reminds me of Redskins games last season in the fourth quarter.

[tshile]

That basically looks like the equivalent of putting a tarp over the seats.

 

A la Jacksonville.

[romank]

Whatever they do to limit the number of seats available to opposing teams fans is fine by me, tarps, flags, fences, or rip them out, I don't care. it all works.

 

I don't care what it looks like, i'm not there to evauate the stadium's appearance, I'm there for a few hours evey few weeks during the season, I don't live there, if it has a field, seats, and restrooms, and a few less opposing teams fans, I'm a happy camper.

[hail2skins]

Steinberg had a blog post tonight which had several pictures from the soccer game tonight.  Looks like the removed areas are no longer just separated by a fence, but are now sort of tarped/canvased over.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2015/07/28/how-the-redskins-are-covering-up-the-removed-seats-at-fedex-field/

[SonnyandSam]

I think the 3 dimensional cover over the removed seats is a creative way to cover the seats as opposed to the flat tarps that many stadiums have resorted to. Wish they were Redskins colors and not FedEX colors though. But money speaks to Dan Snyder.

[RedBeast]

Money speaks to everyone, just some listen more than others.

[Dan T.]

I think the 3 dimensional cover over the removed seats is a creative way to cover the seats as opposed to the flat tarps that many stadiums have resorted to. Wish they were Redskins colors and not FedEX colors though. But money speaks to Dan Snyder.

 

 

If they add doors, fans can use them as crying rooms when it gets too tough to watch in the 4th quarter.

[SonnyandSam]

Looking at those new covers, I wonder if people with the walls to their left are going to have their sightlines blocked. Sure looks like some of the aisle seat folks may miss seeing part of the field or the nearer video boards. Hmmmmm.....