The Eagles are surveying fans about a potential new stadium. Here’s what we know — and what they’re asking.
The team also included a survey about possible renovations to Lincoln Financial Field, and asked about everything from a roof to seat prices.
If you’re an Eagles season-ticket holder, you may have gotten an email with links to two lengthy surveys from the team asking for opinions on a potential stadium renovation or even a new stadium.
The Birds and owner Jeffery Lurie have hinted at potential renovations to Lincoln Financial Field, which opened in 2003, over the last year, and now it seems like the process is picking up speed.
“As we look to the future, we’re committed to delivering a best-in-class gameday experience for Philadelphia Eagles fans,” the email accompanying the survey read in part. “To help guide this vision, we’re exploring potential updates to Lincoln Financial Field — including both renovation options and the possibility of a brand new stadium in the region."
The email added that “your feedback will be used collectively to help shape the future of Eagles gamedays.”
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If you’re not a season-ticket holder or haven’t looked at the survey yet, here are some of the biggest takeaways.
Are the Eagles building a new stadium?
Maybe. The Eagles sent out two surveys to season ticket holders, one asking for feedback on a renovation, and one on a potential new stadium. As of right now, it doesn’t appear that they’ve ruled anything out.
“I think we’ve got a wonderful stadium, [but] we’ll have to make some decisions down the road,” owner Jeffery Lurie said before the Super Bowl. “No stadium is optimal forever, you know. We’ll have decisions over renovating it or needing a new stadium.”
Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Lurie expressed interest in Philadelphia one day hosting major events, including a Super Bowl. The only cold-weather, open-air stadium to host a Super Bowl is MetLife Stadium, which hosted in 2014.
“I want what’s best for the Eagles and our fans and you know, someday, if we can deliver a Super Bowl to Philadelphia — or two — that would be incredible.”
After answering relevant personal questions, including household income, ZIP code, and how often you attend games — and what type of tickets you have, if any — one of the first questions fans were asked in the new stadium survey was how they would characterize their attitude toward the construction of a new stadium.
From there, they got much more specific.
Would that new stadium be at the sports complex?
The answer also appears to be maybe. After the Sixers’ lengthy quest to build an arena in Center City ended with the team staying in a new, shared arena in the sports complex, the Eagles’ survey suggests the team is at least considering other options.
The survey asks responders to “please specify the maximum amount of time you would be willing to travel (one-way) to attend Eagles home games at a new stadium.” It also asks fans how they currently travel to Lincoln Financial Field for games, something that could change dramatically this season with proposed cuts to SEPTA.
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Would a new stadium have a roof?
The Eagles certainly aren’t ruling that out, especially given Lurie’s desire to host major sporting events and more. The survey presents multiple examples of newly constructed stadiums, including SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, both of which have glass roofs.
It also asks fans to rank these five roof options in order of preference: open air, open air (but covered), canopy, fixed (natural light/glass), fixed (fully closed).
What is a personal seat license?
Personal seat licenses are a growing trend for new stadium and arena builds, and the Eagles asked extensive questions about fans’ opinions about a potential PSL program, something currently in place at the Linc but not required.
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“Under such a program, purchasing a PSL would involve a one-time fee, which grants the buyer both the right and the responsibility to purchase season tickets for that seat for the lifetime of the new stadium,” the survey reads.
The survey, before asking fans to express a preference between several seating options, to “assume that the purchase of a PSL would be required” for general admission, premium general admission, and club seating, taking up most of the lower and upper bowls.
How expensive would season tickets be?
The PSL program would require an up-front deposit of a certain amount. The options provided by the Eagles in the examples ranged from $1,500 to $237,125 for one ticket, with most choices between $5,000 and $12,000. PSLs would also be transferable and sellable between families or friends. Other potential benefits mentioned include access to tickets for other stadium events or recognition at the new stadium.
The Eagles also surveyed fans’ preference for a payment plan either through three interest-free annual installments up-front, five annual payments with interest after the stadium opened with a 20% down payment, or 10 annual payments with interest after the stadium opens with a 20% down payment.
The Rams, Chargers, and Golden State Warriors treat the PSL payment as a deposit, and will pay back the fans the full amount of the PSL with no interest after 50 years. The Eagles surveyed also fans on their interest in that program.
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What else was in the survey?
The Eagles asked a lot of questions about premium seating on both the new stadium and the renovated stadium surveys, including the potential for field level suites. Currently the Linc has 3,040 luxury suite seats and 10,848 club level seats. Trends in stadium construction include lowering overall capacity to increase premium seating capacity, which generates significantly more revenue. Those 13,888 luxury seats make up about 20% of the current capacity of the stadium.
The surveys also gave room for fans to request and rank potential new updates and amenities, including faster entry into the stadium, more bathrooms, improved Wi-Fi, a cover over the seating area, larger video boards, and more.