AP exclusive: Bills propose new 60k seat stadium by (update - 2025)

[Rochesterfan]

24 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

That is funny, lol

 

But seriously, by all accounts people absolutely LOVE going to Bills games. Possibly the best experience in the NFL, even by other teams' fans. Why TF would we want to change that?

 

If they built a big domed stadium downtown, the same people would be complaining that it just doesn't have the same feel as the good ol' Ralph.

 

15 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

Bills fans are known for having some of the best tailgating in the NFL. People want to be out in parking lot drinking beers and grilling their food. Who wants to sit in a stadium restaurant paying for overpriced food and drinks?

 

Yes people absolutely love going to Bills games and we are known for having some of the best tailgating in the NFL.

 

Of course people love being in the lot drinking THEIR BEER and eating THEIR FOOD.  
 

And this is the crux of the issue.  The fans love that, but if you eat a ton before going into the game with food you brought and you drink your alcohol before entering - how much money does the team make?

 

The teams are running the league to make money and if tickets, parking, and concessions are all ways to make money and in Orchard Park you have private lots and huge tailgating parties - you are eliminating 2 out of the 3 ways to make a profit.

 

So whatever happens with the stadium - current 60,000 open air in OP - the team has to he looking at ways to shift that money you spend outside to into the stadium concessions and parking to claw money back.

 

My guess would be to see parking passes as part of the tickets/PSLs - therefore they are getting paid for parking whether you want to park in their lots or not.  
 

I would also expect them to adjust parking hours - keeping people out of the lots a bit longer to limit the amount of time people have to cook or drink and closing the lots earlier for the same reason.  I would also expect better control on parking spaces to again limit the tailgating ability.

 

I would then increase the concession area intake by having a “party zone” on the way in with local private vendors paying a fee and you have food and drink set-up along the walk in, with merchandise, and fun “kids” things to do.  
 

Those become the areas to grab the extra dollars that are right now going to private lots and people eating and drinking their own food.  This will tick some people off - along with new price points and PSLs - so you reduce the number of tickets to keep demand high.

 

 

[LabattBlue]

32 minutes ago, Greg S said:

Who wants to sit in a stadium restaurant paying for overpriced food and drinks?

The Pegula’s would love it, if that is the case. 

[DrDawkinstein]

2 minutes ago, Rochesterfan said:

 

 

My guess would be to see parking passes as part of the tickets/PSLs - therefore they are getting paid for parking whether you want to park in their lots or not.  
 

 

 

Not sure how they can do that, logistically. If they sell 20,000 parking passes and only have 10,000 spaces what do they do with the parking pass holders after the lot fills up? Turn them away when theyve already paid for parking? 

[Rochesterfan]

4 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Not sure how they can do that, logistically. If they sell 20,000 parking passes and only have 10,000 spaces what do they do with the parking pass holders after the lot fills up? Turn them away when theyve already paid for parking? 

 

Depends, but based upon much of what has been proposed - ECC south gets demolished and suddenly you have 4-5 extra lots - more than enough to support the fan base.

 

They already have more spaces available if needed as they allow doubling up in lots as people leave space to tailgate.

 

In a 60,000 seat stadium you are looking at 15,000 fewer patrons already - so I think they could easily get more than enough spots if they want.  There are other ways they could go about eliminating private lots if they want, but the most effective is to bake it into the cost of the ticket/PSL and then they get the money even if you decide to park elsewhere.

[mikemac2001]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I'm hoping for the opposite and that they go for the Atlanta/Mecedes Benz Stadium method. Cheap concessions means more folks willing to buy in the stadium means more revenue.

 

Ya I bought the 2 dollar refill and was able to sneak in 10 mini bottles of jack 

 

cheapest game day experience ever 🤣

 

 we had seats that let us get field level and won…. Great day 

[SoCal Deek]

The really groundbreaking concept would be to mix/share the football stadium with the hockey arena. I don't think it has ever been done, but in my opinion it's the only thing that would make the downtown price tag viable as a venue.

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

You can easily ball park the price increases needed for a $900M stadium price difference.  Having a bigger stadium is immaterial really, fans mostly don't want a roof and downtown has loads of headaches involved and you're not missing out on anything there you can't recreate after the game.

 

I'm not disagreeing with that.  Downtown would be an even more egregious waste of taxpayer dollars.  Another Buffalo Billion straight to the toilet.

[JoPoy88]

39 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

The really groundbreaking concept would be to mix/share the football stadium with the hockey arena. I don't think it has ever been done, but in my opinion it's the only thing that would make the downtown price tag viable as a venue.

how would that work though? The seating capacity and demand differences alone are pretty substantial.

[SoCal Deek]

24 minutes ago, JoPoy88 said:

how would that work though? The seating capacity and demand differences alone are pretty substantial.

It works much better than basketball. A hockey rink is much larger than a basketball court so the sight lines aren’t as challenging and they now have the technology to put the field on rollers. 

[JoPoy88]

4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

It works much better than basketball. A hockey rink is much larger than a basketball court so the sight lines aren’t as challenging and they now have the technology to put the field on rollers. 

But do you tarp over 2/3 of the seats for the hockey games? 

[Buffalo716]

3 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

The stadium alone and itself wouldnt. But, if they tied in bars, restaurants, other commerical facilities around there. Maybe another hotel. And built the long needed rail from the airport to downtown with a stop at the stadium... now we're on the right track.

 

Absolutely agreed the city and state should pay for more on a downtown stadium, and would need to. Expand 190, add ramps, update surface roads nearby.

 

But like I said, even if it's $3B, they could make it happen if they wanted to. It's the only team that would play in NYS. NYC makes/loses $3B everyday by 10am. The city is good for it. Make them pay for something for us for once.

There is very slim chance of that happening tho 

 

And there's already an abundance of restaurants and bars downtown.. putting a stadium there isn't going to increase their sales

 

Because most people aren't going to go out and spend $10 a drink and an expensive lunch before a game... You can get a 10 pack of beer and cook steak with your friends at a tailgate 

 

If they decide with the stadium downtown, then it's because they figure it's the best long-term spot.. but there's been tons of studies that show it's not going to help the economy

 

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Buffalo716

[SoCal Deek]

1 hour ago, JoPoy88 said:

But do you tarp over 2/3 of the seats for the hockey games? 

No, the lower bowl can be designed to reconfigure for hockey games. Think about it. Most hockey arenas are designed to reconfigure for concerts, and other indoor events. It’s an engineering challenge for sure but far from impossible. 
 

Remember, I’m not pushing for this concept but in a small City like Buffalo that probably can’t afford multiple indoor arenas .. and where the same guy owns BOTH teams, it would be worth studying. (I’m guessing they already have.)

[Doc]

58 minutes ago, Buffalo716 said:

There is very slim chance of that happening tho 

 

And there's already an abundance of restaurants and bars downtown.. putting a stadium there isn't going to increase their sales

 

Because most people aren't going to go out and spend $10 a drink and an expensive lunch before a game... You can get a 10 pack of beer and cook steak with your friends at a tailgate 

 

If they decide with the stadium downtown, then it's because they figure it's the best long-term spot.. but there's been tons of studies that show it's not going to help the economy

 

I would think after (afternoon) games.  But there's nothing stopping people from going from the game to downtown now.

[SDS]

6 minutes ago, BUFFALOBART said:

During the Superbowl years, 80,240 fans filled that stadium for almost every game

 

And then 70" TVs were $800 with HiDef signals.

[LeGOATski]

4 minutes ago, SDS said:

 

And then 70" TVs were $800 with HiDef signals.

Seriously, the local broadcast I get for free with an antenna is the best looking picture outside of my blu-ray movies... Hi-def, next-gen signals.

[ThurmanThomasEnglishMuffin]

On 8/31/2021 at 1:52 PM, elijah said:

60,000 seems a bit short no? 

 

Weren’t season tickets themselves 60k+ over the past 2 years? 

 

and now you understand supply and demand

[JoPoy88]

1 hour ago, SoCal Deek said:

No, the lower bowl can be designed to reconfigure for hockey games. Think about it. Most hockey arenas are designed to reconfigure for concerts, and other indoor events. It’s an engineering challenge for sure but far from impossible. 
 

Remember, I’m not pushing for this concept but in a small City like Buffalo that probably can’t afford multiple indoor arenas .. and where the same guy owns BOTH teams, it would be worth studying. (I’m guessing they already have.)

That’s cool i wasn’t challenging you i was genuinely curious i think it’s a neat idea

[Beast]

2 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

No, the lower bowl can be designed to reconfigure for hockey games. Think about it. Most hockey arenas are designed to reconfigure for concerts, and other indoor events. It’s an engineering challenge for sure but far from impossible. 
 

Remember, I’m not pushing for this concept but in a small City like Buffalo that probably can’t afford multiple indoor arenas .. and where the same guy owns BOTH teams, it would be worth studying. (I’m guessing they already have.)

 

That would be an awful hockey experience 41 times a year.

[HalftimeAdjustment]

25 minutes ago, Beast said:

 

That would be an awful hockey experience 41 times a year.

 

Isn't that pretty much what the Sabres deliver most of the time anyhow?

[Mr. WEO]

29 minutes ago, BUFFALOBART said:

Yes. That is true. Even though I am retired, I am still attending games.( I stayed until the final kneel down, on Saturday) I'm in my 33rd season, as a season ticket holder. I have an 80" 4k screen in the living room, but I still want to be @ the stadium, on game day for every home game, even though I live nearly 300 miles from Orchard Park. The larger question, is how vicariously do we want to live life? I still want to be where the action is actually happening. If the NFL wants a hermetically sealed studio game, so be it. Would the current team, fill the old stadium configuration to its former capacity? That is debatable, but the optimist in me, thinks so. At the end of the day, Greed will be the engine that ultimately drives Stadium Architecture, and fan attendance. We will soon know, how far that envelope will be pushed in Orchard Park....

 

I'm old school.  I am watching on a Pioneer Elite 60 inch PLASMA!

 

The blackest blacks.  In it's day, the ultimate flat screen.   Still superior to my top o' the line LG 65 4k I have in the city.