At what point does an athletic facility become obsolete? Some stadiums and arenas have stood for over a century; others, like some of the facilities built for the 2014 World Cup, had little to do shortly after they were completed. Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field hosted its first game in 2003 and has been the home field for the Philadelphia Eagles ever since, along with hosting other high-profile events like the Army-Navy game and Club World Cup matches.
Given that the facility was also renovated just over a decade after it opened, you might not expect to hear that replacing the stadium entirely is in the cards. As PhillyVoice’s Jimmy Kempski reports, however, the Eagles seem to be keeping their options open — and those options might include an entirely new stadium.
Kempski reported on a recent focus group that included Eagles season ticket holders. The email they were sent noted that Lincoln Financial Field’s 25th anniversary was approaching and that the organization was “beginning to think about the future.” According to one participant, that future might involve a new stadium entirely.
“I was sitting there at the front where the guy was doing his presentation. Emphatically, he said, ‘2032, our lease runs out. Our intent is to build a new stadium,’” one attendee told PhillyVoice. “There wasn’t a God dang word about renovation. We spent zero time discussing what they could do better at the Linc.”
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Not everyone in the city is thrilled with the multi-billion-dollar Soldier Field replacementThat event took place in May. More recently, Kempski reports, a larger group of season ticket holders were sent links to two surveys, one of which focused on renovating the existing stadium and one of which emphasized a new facility. According to what an Eagles spokesperson told PhillyVoice, the focus group described was one of two held in May, one of which discussed a new stadium and one of which was geared towards renovations.
If the Eagles are looking to build a new facility — and Kempski speculates that pushing for an indoor facility might be one of the reasons this is on the table — this would make the second Philadelphia sports team to explore these questions. Earlier this year, the 76ers had arena drama of their own, including a rumored move to Camden.
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