FedExField

FedExField,[1] originally Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, is an American football stadium located near the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County, Maryland, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Washington, D.C.. The stadium is the home of the Washington Football Team of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 until 2010, it had the largest seating capacity in the NFL at over 91,000. Currently, the capacity is 82,000.[3] FedExField is in the Summerfield census-designated place and has a Landover postal address.[11][12]

Not to be confused with FedEx Ground.
FedExField
Exterior view in 2005
FedExField
Location in Landover Maryland
FedExField
Location in the United States
Former namesJack Kent Cooke Stadium (1997–1999)
Address1600 FedEx Way[1]
LocationLandover, Maryland
Coordinates38°54′28″N 76°51′52″W
Public transit Washington Metro
at Morgan Boulevard Station
OwnerDaniel Snyder
OperatorWashington Football Team
Executive suites243
Capacity82,000[2] (2015–present)[3]
79,000 (2012–2015)[4]
83,000 (2011)[4]
91,704 (2009–2010)[5]
91,665 (2004–2008)[5]
86,484 (2001–2003)[5]
85,407 (2000)[5]
80,116 (1997–1999)[5]
SurfaceLatitude 36 Bermuda Grass
Construction
Broke groundMarch 13, 1996[6]
OpenedSeptember 14, 1997
Renovated2011, 2012
Expanded1998, 2000, 2005
Construction cost$250.5 million
($399 million in 2019 dollars[7])
ArchitectHOK Sport (now Populous)
Structural engineerBliss & Nyitray, Inc
Services engineerM-E Engineers, Inc.[8]
General contractorClark Construction[9]
Main contractorsDriggs Construction Co.[10]
Tenants
Washington Football Team (NFL) (1997–present)

History

FedExField was built as a replacement for Washington's prior venue, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. In 1994, Jack Kent Cooke sought to build a new stadium on the grounds adjacent to Laurel Park Racecourse along Whiskey Bottom and Brock Bridge roads. Lack of parking facilities and support prompted a second site selection.[13]

The stadium opened in 1997 as Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, in honor of the recently deceased owner of the team, and the stadium site was known as Raljon from the first names of Cooke's sons – "Ralph" and "John". Notably, Cooke was able to register Raljon with the United States Postal Service as a legal alternate address for the 20785 zip code of Landover, Maryland, where the stadium is located, and went to some lengths to require media to use Raljon in datelines from the stadium. This ended when Daniel Snyder bought the team from the Cooke estate, and the team now gives the stadium's address as Landover.[14]

Fans at FedExField in October 2003

A special exit, Exit 16 (Arena Drive), was built from Interstate 495, the Capital Beltway.

After Snyder's purchase, the stadium's naming rights were sold to FedEx in November 1999 for an average of $7.6 million per year. The waiting list for season tickets was reportedly over 160,000 names long. However, according to The Washington Post, ticket office employees improperly sold tickets directly to ticket brokers for several years before the practice was discovered in 2009.[15]

Although the team has never sold out the entire stadium , the team has not had a game blacked out on local television since 1972 (when home game broadcasts were banned outright) because it does not count "premium club level seating" when calculating sellouts (their sellout streak dates to 1965, eight years before the new blackout rules were implemented).[16]

From 2004 to 2010, Washington fans set the NFL regular-season home paid attendance records. In 2005 the team drew a record 716,998 fans overall. The December 30, 2007, 27–6 win against the Dallas Cowboys was the most watched game in Washington history, with 90,910 fans in the stands to see Washington clinch a playoff spot.[17] The team led the NFL in attendance in 2000 and every year between 2002 and 2008. [18]

On January 8, 2000, Washington defeated the Detroit Lions 27–13 in the first NFL playoff game at FedExField. On December 29, 2002, Washington defeated the rival Dallas Cowboys, 20–14. This game was Darrell Green's final game. He played 20 seasons with the team. The game also broke a 10-game losing streak to the Cowboys.

Design
Redskins players entering the field for a game, 2006
FedExField during the 2004 BCA Classic

The stadium has five levels – the Lower Level, the Club Level, the Lower and Upper Suite Levels, and the Upper Level. The Lower, Club, and Upper Levels are all named after important figures of the franchise, NFL, and Washington, D.C. area. The Lower Level is officially named "Bobby Mitchell Level",[19][20] The Club is named "Joe Gibbs Club Level", and The Upper Level is called "Pete Rozelle Upper Level." The Suite Levels have 243 suite, lounge, and Owner's Club luxury boxes and 15,044 club seats.[21] After Daniel Snyder purchased the team, five rows of "Dream Seats" were installed in front of what had been the first row of the lower level, extending down almost to the level of the field. Seats in the previous first row of the lower level were not tall enough to see over the players on the sidelines.

Notable events

College football

FedExField hosts the annual Prince George's Classic college football game, which is a game usually between two historically black universities. It has hosted several other college football games as well, including the 1998 game between the University of Notre Dame and the United States Naval Academy. the 2004 Black Coaches Association Classic between the University of Southern California Trojans and the Virginia Tech Hokies, and the 112th Army–Navy Game.

Soccer

FedExField is not well known as a soccer venue, as D.C. United of Major League Soccer elected to remain at RFK Stadium after the new stadium's opening. They began playing at Audi Field within the city in 2018.

FedExField has been used for some international soccer matches — both for the United States and also for El Salvador. On March 28, 2015, Argentina defeated El Salvador at FedExField before a crowd of 53,978.[22] On June 7, 2014, the stadium hosted a doubleheader. Spain, the 2010 World Cup winner, defeated El Salvador 2–0 in a warm-up match in front of a crowd of 53,267 before the 2014 World Cup; in the other game of the doubleheader, D.C. United played Columbus Crew to a scoreless draw in D.C. United's first time hosting an MLS regular season game at FedExField.

It hosted four preliminary matches and one quarterfinal doubleheader in the 1999 Women's World Cup. On July 1, 1999, the United States women's national soccer team defeated the German women's national team 3–2 in the FIFA Women's World Cup 1999 quarterfinals.

FedExField has also hosted a number of club soccer exhibition matches. During the July 2005 World Series of Football, D.C. United hosted Chelsea F.C. there; the 31,473 spectators represented D.C. United's third-highest ever home attendance. On August 9, 2009, D.C. United hosted another international friendly against Real Madrid at FedExField. On July 30, 2011, Manchester United ended its 2011 summer tour with a 2–1 win over F.C. Barcelona at FedExField in front of 81,807 fans. This represented the largest soccer crowd in D.C.-area history. FedExField was used on July 29, 2014, in the International Champions Cup as Manchester United played Inter Milan; the game ended in a 0-0 draw and the shootout was won by Manchester United 5-3.[23] On July 26, 2017, Manchester United played F.C. Barcelona again at the FedExField as part of International Champions Cup. This time the Catalan club secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United in front of 80,162 fans, with Neymar's last goal for F.C. Barcelona being the difference.[24] On August 4, 2018, FedExField hosted a 2018 International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Juventus. Real Madrid won 3-1. On July 23, 2019, FedExField also hosted a match between Real Madrid and Arsenal. The match ended 2-2, and Real Madrid won the penalty shootout.

FedExField is currently being considered as a 2026 FIFA World Cup venue. It is currently up against 16 other venues around the United States, including M&T Bank Stadium in nearby Baltimore; the final list of 10 stadiums will be decided in 2020 or 2021.[25]

Criticisms
During an NFL game, 2014

Many fans feel FedExField does not compare favorably with RFK Stadium. Sports Illustrated's rankings of "NFL Fan Value Experience" rated FedExField 28th out of 31 NFL stadiums.[26] In January 2007, The Washington Post reported that team owner Daniel Snyder was meeting with Washington, D.C., officials about building a new stadium in order to return the team to the District. There were also reportedly meetings with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.[27][28]

Upper level seats, 2017

Problems were created when the design of the stadium was modified in an effort to maximize revenue. Over the years, "party zones" requiring paid membership (such as the Touchdown Club and Tailgate Club) have sprouted on the concourse outside the stadium.[29] Entrances adjacent to the "party zones" are no longer accessible to fans who do not purchase a "party zone" membership. Installation of "Dream Seats" are another modification of the stadium that has increased revenue. The original architect calculated the lowest possible height at which the first row could be set in order to still see the field over the players standing on the sideline. In 2005, eight years after the stadium opened, 1,488 premium "dream seats" in three rows were added in front of what was the first row when the stadium was built.[30] Because some of these seats are too low to see over the players on the sideline, occupants of these seats stand in order to see the game.[31] In the 2011 off-season, nearly 10,000 seats were removed from the upper deck to reduce capacity to around 83,000, making FedExField the second-largest venue in the NFL during the 2011 season.[4] A Redskins team official admitted that the seats were removed due to lack of demand.[32] During the 2012 offseason, 4,000 additional seats were removed to make way for new suites and party decks and the stadium's capacity dropped to 79,000.[4] The seats that were removed permit the team to continue to sell out and avoid the NFL television black-out rule. In December 2013, the Redskins set a record for the lowest announced attendance ever at FedExField with 56,247, most likely because of the team's poor record at the time and inclement weather.[33] Attendance in the 2014 season averaged less than 78,000 per game, and never rose above 81,000. On June 1, 2015, The Washington Post reported that another 4,000 to 6,000 seats, primarily in the top eight rows of the upper decks, were tarped off using chain link fencing and tarps during the 2015 off-season. Team officials said the removals were made due to "season ticket holder feedback", and declined to say how exactly many seats had been removed.[34]

The location of the stadium has made traveling to it through public transportation difficult, inconvenient and time-consuming as residents and visitors in the region rely heavily on public transportation. The stadium is about a mile away from the Morgan Boulevard station, the nearest Metro station to the stadium. Furthermore, federal regulations prohibit publicly paid shuttle service from public transit agencies as long as a private service is available. Since this method is not cost effective, fans taking public transportation must walk to and from the stadium.[35]

Notes and references
  1. "FedExField Stadium Guide". Washington Redskins. November 5, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  2. http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/07/31/redskins-list-fedexfield-at-82000-capacity/
  3. "FedExField" (PDF). 2015 Washington Redskins Media Guide. Washington Redskins. August 28, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  4. Jones, Mike (April 2, 2012). "Redskins to Remove Another 4,000 Seats From FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
  5. Steinberg, Dan; Jones, Mike (July 14, 2011). "Redskins Say They Were Unable to Sell Season Tickets for Seats Removed from FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  6. March 13, 1996: Construction Begins on JKC Stadium
  7. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  8. Illuminating Engineering Society (1998). Lighting design & application: LD & A. 28. Illuminating Engineering Society. p. 39. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  9. "FedEx Field". Featured Projects. Clark Construction Co. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12.
  10. "Where a Stadium Soon Will Grow". The Washington Times. March 23, 1996. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  11. "2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Summerfield CDP, MD" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  12. "FedExField." State of Maryland Office of Tourism Development. Retrieved on September 7, 2018. "1600 FedEx Way, Landover, MD 20785" - See also parking map from Washington Redskins website
  13. Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke is seeking a special exception that would allow a $160 million National Football League stadium in an industrial zone east of Laurel in Anne Arundel County. The Redskins also hope for variances from county codes on matters such as parking and landscaping for the 78,600-seat stadium, Baltimore Sun, Aug 11, 1994
  14. "Goodbye to Raljon, and good riddance". Baltimore Sun. August 20, 1999.
  15. Grimaldi, James V. Washington Redskins Sold Brokers Tickets Despite Wait List. The Washington Post, 2009-09-01.
  16. McKenna, Dave (July 6, 2007). "Scarce Tactics: Just How Much Demand is There for Skins Tickets These Days?". Washington City Paper. Archived from the original on 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  17. FedExField: New Single-Game Attendance Mark
  18. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2008/attendance.htm
  19. https://www.redskins.com/news/washington-redskins-to-retire-bobby-mitchell-jersey-number
  20. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/06/24/redskins-remove-george-preston-marshalls-name-all-team-material/
  21. FedExField is the premier stadium in the National Football League Archived 2014-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  22. "No Messi, but Argentina is still too much for El Salvador".
  23. Man United defeats Inter in Shootout Archived 2014-08-06 at Archive.today ICC.com July 30, 2014 Retrieved July 30, 2014
  24. Barcelona 1 - 0 Manchester United Archived 2017-07-28 at the Wayback Machine, 26 July 2017
  25. https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/world-cup/news/world-cup-2026-what-are-the-host-cities-in-usa-mexico-and-canada-going-to-be/
  26. "NFL Fan Value Experience: Washington Redskins". SI.com. November 7, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  27. http://blogs.nbc12.com/decisionvirginia/2014/08/mcauliffe-and-snyder-have-met-to-discuss-redskins-stadium.html
  28. Fisher, Marc (January 11, 2008). "Next 2 D.C. Stadium Deals Might Smell a Bit Sweeter". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 23, 2008.
  29. Fisher, Robert (January 6, 2013). "Next 2 D.C. Stadium Deals Might Smell a Bit McCartney". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  30. Heath, Thomas (August 20, 2005). "Redskins' Revenue Reaches $300 Million". The Washington Post.
  31. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2013-01-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  32. FedExField Official: Redskins Removed Seats They Couldn't Sell Archived 2013-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
  33. "Redskins set lowest FedEx Field attendance mark". The Washington Post.
  34. Steinberg, Dan; Allen, Scott (June 1, 2015). "For Third Time in Six Years, Redskins Remove Seats From FedEx Field". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  35. Weiss, Eric M. (August 6, 2008). "Metro Shuttle To FedEx Field Is Scuttled". The Washington Post.
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gollark: Yes, exactly.
gollark: (also, global prosperity is generally going up, illiteracy & extreme poverty going down, etc.)
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