THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 14, 1996 TAG: 9606140738
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 93 lines
Everything about the Washington Redskins' new stadium under construction in Raljon, Md., near Landover, will be lavish. The seats, 78,600 of them. Parking, with nearly 23,000 spaces.
And ticket prices.
``From what I've seen (in brochures) I think the stadium is going to be very, very nice, but also very, very pricey, outrageously so,'' said Betsy Callas of Virginia Beach, a season-ticket holder for more than 30 years.
The cost of Callas' five 1996 mezzanine seats at 53,000-seat RFK Stadium, which the Redskins promise to abandon in time for the 1997 season, totals $1,800 for eight regular-season games - $360 per seat.
After receiving a book describing the new stadium, Callas ordered five ``club'' seats at $1,695 each - $8,475 total, not including parking. And club-seat holders must commit for five, seven or 10 years.
``It's a lot of money for the average person,'' Callas said. ``I just hope the seating will be commensurate with the amount of money the fans are paying.''
It will be, promises Cooke, who is spending about $170 million to build the stadium, with the state of Maryland contributing about $58 million in infrastructure improvements.
``From San Francisco to Miami, New York to L.A., there isn't a stadium in the NFL that can compare to the new home of the Washington Redskins,'' Cooke wrote to season-ticket holders and the 49,000 people on the waiting list. ``This modern, state-of-the-art outdoor stadium is in a class by itself.''
The Redskins say they set their seat prices and policies by first analyzing their 29 competitors. Club seats at Cooke's new stadium cost between $995 and $1,995. In Miami, those same seats cost $1,000-$3,000.
Only nine teams that lease club seating and luxury boxes offer fans the chance to renew on an annual basis. The Cardinals and Falcons lease on a 10-year basis only.
Suite holders at Giants Stadium can renew annually. But tickets to the games aren't included in the lease price of $106,000. The suite holder must purchase 16 tickets to 20 events, generally 10 Giants and 10 Jets games.
``I think it's very good that Cooke isn't going with a PSL,'' said Charles Malbon of Virginia Beach, a 20-year season-ticket holder, referring to the recent practice in which season-ticket purchasers must buy a personal-seat license (often in the low thousands) before they can buy tickets. ``I think some of his tickets are a bit pricey, but it could have been worse.''
Malbon, who had four season tickets at RFK Stadium, opted for four club seats in the end-zone area. Price for each: $995.
The new stadium will sport 15,044 club seats. Patrons will have a separate parking lot, a private concourse, waiters who will come to the seats to take food and drink orders and four members-only dining rooms.
Unlike Callas and Malbon, Steven Whitaker of Williamsburg declined the upgrade. The Redskins promised all season-ticket holders that they could buy seats in a section of the new stadium close to their seat location at RFK Stadium. The price of those seats would range from $40 to $60 per game - slightly higher than the $40 to $50 at RFK.
On the surface, it seems a curious decision. Whitaker's seats are in the first row, lower deck, behind the visitors' bench. One squadron of Redskinettes is directly in front of him. In order to watch football, Whitaker had to stand so he could see over the players and around the cheerleaders.
But in the new stadium, the lowest-level seats will be nine feet above the playing field. Finally, Whitaker can sit and relax.
``I also had a couple of seats in those end-zone (field-level) bleachers at RFK, and those can't be duplicated,'' Whitaker said. ``I'm going to miss those lousy seats, and I'm going to miss RFK.''
It's not likely many will share that sentiment. There were no luxury boxes at spartan RFK Stadium, where the Redskins have played since 1961. It was by far the NFL's smallest and least-appointed facility.
The new stadium's 280 executive suites - priced from $59,950 to $159,950 - will be second in number only to the 360 luxury suites available at Texas Stadium.
Executive-suite owners, who also must commit to five-, seven- or 10-year leases, will be allowed to decorate their space. Each suite has at least 10 theatre-style seats, closed-circuit TV, a private bath, concierge service, fully equipped bar with refrigerator and sink, catered food and private parking.
That leaves 60,124 general seats. Ticket holders will have concession cuisine from around the world, access to a Redskins Hall of Fame and souvenir store, and Cooke promises, ``a clear and unobstructive view.''
Two giant video screens will offer something new for Redskins fans: instant replay. And there will be four scoreboards visible to all. At RFK Stadium, fans seated under cover can't see the main scoreboard. Neither can Cooke, unless he leans way out of his owner's box.
``Too many years have passed since first I dreamed of building a super stadium for the Redskins football team,'' Cooke wrote. ``At last, the dream has come true.'' ILLUSTRATION: The new home of the Washington Redskins, scheduled to
open in 1997, was designed with state-of-the-art opulence in mind.
Map by CNB