Home Sweet Home: New Commanders Stadium Will Certainly Stand Out
After purchasing 200 acres of land in Prince William County, Virginia, the Washington Commanders have options to play with when it comes down to their newest home location.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Commanders brass has created an economic impact analysis on a potential new stadium when their contract with FedEx Field expires in 2026.
The Times-Dispatch reports that the plan for the new stadium will seat 55,000, becoming the smallest stadium in the entire NFL in terms of seats. As of right now, the Chicago Bears house 61,500 in Soldier Field, the current-day smallest capacity in the league. Commanders president Jason Wright is aware of the small dimensions of the stadium and referenced it in an interview with the Virginia Mercury.
“We are much more likely to build the smallest venue in the NFL than the largest,” Wright said.
The current stadium projection also projects that 2,246 new jobs will be created during the process of the new stadium, which is estimating to cost around $3 billion to manufacture.
Washington is used to playing in smaller capacity stadiums, as RFK Stadium held around 55,000 seats back in its 59 years of operations. They are also not afraid of trying to break norms when it comes to professional stadiums, as they had plans for a stadium-wide moat back in 2016. While the medieval-like plan did not come to fruition, it showcased the creativity that is surrounding the decision to design a new playing field.
More importantly, the team needs to figure out what state they will play their games in. Either relocating to D.C. or staying put in Maryland needs to be decided before any stadium updates begin. However, once ground breaks on a new stadium, expect some big renovations. Or not.
