The Washington Commanders are having a tough time getting support for a new stadium.
Virginia legislation decided to push the vote for stadium funding to a later date. Maryland has offered $400 million towards the development surrounding a new stadium, but no money for the actual stadium. Meanwhile a return to Washington, D.C. at the old RFK Stadium site appears a pipe dream due to numerous congressional hurdles.
However, the Commanders still have their site set on a new stadium in Virginia. And to give hopes a fighting chance, the Commanders appear set to propose a new stadium that would have a capacity of 55,000 seats.
Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch provided details:
That’s a far cry from its current home stadium, FedEx Field, capacity of 91,000 seats in Landover, Maryland. The proposed 55,000 seat stadium would be the smallest in the NFL, about 6,500 seats fewer than the league’s current smallest stadium, Soldier Field of the Chicago Bears.
The Buffalo Bills’ new proposed stadium will hold about 60,000-62,000 seats.
“We are much more likely to build the smallest venue in the NFL than the largest,” Commanders team president Jason Wright told the Virginia Mercury.
Washington averaged 52,751 fans per home game during the 2021 season. In recent years, the view of FedEx Field during game days shows a lot of empty seats. RFK Stadium had a capacity of just over 56,000.
The idea of a stadium for pro and college teams is to maximize the venue’s capacity. If Washington cannot draw over 55,000 it’s no need to have a large stadium. But there may be a hiccup for such a small venue. Washington may be ruled out for hosting a future Super Bowl with the latest proposal.
Building a new NFL stadium usually aligns with hosting a Super Bowl. However, the league prefers a capacity of 71,000 to host the Super Bowl. The league has recently lowered that requirement to around 64,000 — i.e. Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.
The goal of the Commanders’ latest proposal would be to “create a strong environment for the team every Sunday at home games.” Not necessarily to draw events, according to a source for Phillips.
Virginia’s decision to not have a vote occurred in the aftermath of three notable state senators pulling their support from the project. Washington hopes to build a $3 billion project that includes a business and residential development surrounding the domed stadium.
