The Oakland Raiders are in the process of working with both local authorities and the league to develop an ambitious stadium project in Oakland.
It is no secret that the Oakland Raiders are in dire need of an upgraded stadium. The current stadium at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is among the oldest and smallest of the current NFL facilities and has numerous issues that make it a second-class facility.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came out to Oakland on Sunday at the behest of the Raiders organization to discuss issues related to the stadium situation. He was impressed by the passion that was coming from the fans in the three-quarter-full stadium, “I was down there with fans and there’s no shortage for passion here, that’s for sure.”
Following the game Raiders CEO Amy Trask met with the local media. She said that the discussions are ongoing with local officials on a stadium project that would be an anchor of a development project. The organization sees this project as one that could be a real boon to the city of Oakland.
Trask said, “About a year and a half ago that I started talking about this site and using a new stadium on this site as an opportunity to revitalize the whole area. Why not, rather than look simply look at the stadium project, look at how one can use a stadium as an anchor for, or a catalyst for, an urban redevelopment that provides economic stimulus for the whole region?”
She continued, “Right now, fans come to this facility and there’s nowhere for them to spend their money in the area. There’s one or two spots on Hegenbereger, but how about doing something here like was done on the waterfront?“
Goodell is encouraging the Raiders to continue to look at a joint stadium with the San Francisco 49ers as a way get a new stadium built. He said, “Well I’d encourage them to evaluate it because it has worked in New York. Getting a stadium built is a challenge, particularly in this environment. I encourage them to take a look at that and evaluate it.“
The idea of the two teams sharing a stadium is something that neither Raiders fans nor Niner fans would like. The teams only meet once every four years, so other than a bit of regional pride, this game does not have special significance to the players. In fact, former Raider Charles Woodson once said “What, is the team who wins going to drive across the Bay Bridge screaming, 'We're number one?'”
The fans, on the other hand see each other as an enemy army. The idea of sharing a stadium with the enemy is simply repugnant. However, there is a very real possibility that without that cooperation, there may not be a stadium built in the Bay Area.
The Raiders are not interested in the Santa Clara option. They are not happy with the current facility, but they love their current location with its easy access to Interstate 880 and public transit. The proposal they have been advocating would be a new stadium as part of a redevelopment project that would turn that area into a destination.
Trask explained it. “This site is centrally located. It’s tremendously well-served by public transportation. There’s stadiums and facilities all over the country where they’re trying to figure out, how do we get subways or trains to come to our stadium? We’ve got BART. We’ve got Amtrak, the Capitol Corridor, the ACE train. So, it’s a central location on a freeway, well-served by public transportation. So, about a year and a half ago, we started proposing and extolling the virtues of proposing the possibility of doing a stadium project on this site. Not as a stand-alone facility but as a catalyst for an urban renovation in the manner in which to bring economic stimulus for the whole region.“
This would be in line with Goodell's concerns and goals for all three California teams. “We’re trying to get solutions for those stadiums, those cities and those teams. We’ve got to work hard to find the right kind of solution that will work for the community and for the team.“
This cooperative appoach represents a change in course by the Raiders organization. Between 1997 and 2005 the city and the franchise were in litigation with each other over disputes arising from the contract that brought the Raiders back to Oakland in 1995. The acrimony between the two sides made it seem inevitable that the Raiders return to the Oakland would be short lived. The Raiders went as far as accusing the city of fraud in luring them back from LA. However, in October of 2005 the two sides reached an out of court settlement whose terms were not made public. However, after the settlement the PSL concept that had been controversial since 1995 was scrapped as we the Oakland Football Marketing Association.
This project would be a long-term benefit for both the city of Oakland and the Raiders organization. For the Silver and Black, it would give them the new state-of-the-art stadium they have been seeking for 30 years. The new stadium would give the Raiders the opportunity for the additional revenue streams though top of the line luxury suites and club areas. It would also provide the state of the art amenities that the NFL is pushing as part of their improved game experience to bring fans out to the field.
Oakland would benefit greatly from the increased economic activity. One of the selling points of the Raiders return in 1995 was the increased business that the team would bring. However, for various reasons, that economic impact has not developed. Even the seasons where the Raiders were not having attendance issues, it becomes a matter of having the opportunities for fans to spend money in Oakland. Since the vast majority of the restaurants and hotels are away from the Coliseum, fans visiting from out of the area tend to stay San Francisco where they can have the night life or the tourist experience and come to Oakland for the game. Having the opportunity to stay adjacent to the Coliseum and have dining and entertainment facilities nearby would bring that money into Oakland instead of elsewhere. It would also provide a myriad of jobs to one of the more impoverished areas in Oakland.
This shows that the business side of the Oakland Raiders organization has a vision for the future and a plan to execute it. They are working with Commissioner Roger Goodell and with the city, county, and the Coliseum joint powers authority, which is a change of pace for an organization that has a history of spending as much time in the courtroom as they do in the film room.
SEE ALSO:
- Stadium issues not new to Oakland Raiders
- Tragic flaw of Al Davis
- Generation gap: Oakland and Los Angeles Raider fans
- Free agency era killed Raiders greatness
- What is after Al Davis?
SOCIAL MEDIA:
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- Facebook: By P A Patterson
Comments
I can't see the Raiders sharing a stadium, just doesn't fit their style. It's dumb enough that the two NY teams share a stadium, and even dumber that the stadium is in NJ! It would make more sense to share a stadium with a local college team.
Good story Patrick. -- WRITE ON!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=we+lost+to+oakland&aq=f CHARGERS CRYBABY!
Great info Patrick, I appreciate it. The stadium issue is very interesting to me and you have a lot of good information on it. I see the Raiders building their own stadium in Oakland on the current site, especially because the NFL would prefer them to share the Santa Clara stadium and we all have seen that if the NFL says to do something, the Raiders do the opposite. However, I do think that Goodell would be all for the Raiders doing their own stadium, he is just pessimistic it can pass in liberal California.
Amy Trask quoted, “right now, fans come to this facility and there’s nowhere for them to spend their money in the area.
2 tickets in section 149 plus surcharge 199 dollars.
Gas from Sacramento 30 dollars
Stadium parking fees 33 dollars
Tailgate food, BBQ supplies & beer 75 Dollars
4 beers inside the Coliseum 38 dollars
That's 375 dollars for 2 people in OK seats and the full Raider Nation experience. I spend plenty of money going to Raider games and if I bring the whole family of 4, tack on another 250 dollars for 2 more seats and a bit more food. That's pushing 625 bucks and believe me, they all want to go and sometimes I take them all.
I'll never sit in noise bleeder seats so I can't save money there. I guess I could cut out the tailgating, but most of the time the tailgating is better than attending the game if you know what I mean with the raiders playing so poorly of late.
Building a new stadium would raise prices of tickets and parking without a doubt. I'm a avid Raiders fan and I will continue to go to the games when possible, but with the already high prices and getting higher each year even without a new stadium, my family maybe out of the loop. I'll just go with my friends, but that's just dropping the attendance.
The NFL is no longer a family sporting event, it's a rich mans game. I couldn't imagine taking my family out to dinner after the game and dumping more money into the region like Trask is saying.
Thank you for the insight into just how expensive attending a game is.
The NFL seems to be out of touch with how expensive games are to their fans, and they seem to not care. Your prices don't reflect the purchase of a personal seat license for the Santa Clara stadium. 49ers fans will have to pay to have the right to purchase tickets for their seats.
Even with the Jets/Giants stadium, it has gotten so expensive that people balked when asked to pony up for PSLs. At a certain point people say, I'd rather have everyone over to watch it on my big flat screen...
It makes all the sense in the world for the 49ers and Oakland to share a stadium in Oakland. That's a better locale than Santa Clara in terms of transportation..
Most of Santa Clara's parking will be offsite in office parking lots so no tailgating there. The EIR estimates gridlock getting to/from the Santa Clara site, despite what the team public relations people say. In order to have Monday night football, businesses would have to close early and send their employees home so that their parking lots would be available for fans - do you really think that will happen?
And if the stadium isn't sold out, the NFL will black out Santa Clara - the little city that will have paid for much of the stadium, just as Raiders home games are blacked out while taxpayers are still picking up the tab for the Coliseum remodel in the mid-90's.
It seems this story will not die. A few months back I told you guys that die-hard Jets and N.Y. Giants fans do not like their new joint stadium. The reason the fans do not like there billlion - dollar stadium is because , team identity, less die-hards in the audience, and the pricing out of the mom and pop fan-base. For decades, N.Y. Giants fans, were known to pass down there season tickets to their children like heirlooms. Now with the pricing of PSL's , that gift is not possible. Here in New York, I've witnessed constant complaints about fans who could not afford season tickets for $40,000 a year. I feel this joint stadium ploy is only for those corporate type execs who are fair weather fans. History will tell you that the N.Y. Giants have been in the league since 1925. When Mr. Wellington Mara - original owner of the Giants died, Mr. Mara's son John Mara took over and signed the deal for a joint stadium in New Jersey with there hated rivals the N.Y. Jets. If Mr. Wellington Mara was alive today he would not allow this to happen. He was truly a owner for the fans. I only hope our great Raider organization applies the greater good theory and not go for a joint stadium. Remember Raidernation, Mr. Davis is from N.Y., and alot of New Yorkers love his passion and thirst for victory. I feel we are so lucky to have him as owner. I only wish the Knicks and Rangers had him. Thanks Patrick for the article.
There is no need. People go to the games to see the team, not admire the stadium. No team has lost more games over the past 6 or 7 years and there is no hope or belief the team will improve any time soon. Just 15 years ago the colisieum was renovated. Since that time, there hasn't been a team that has been blacked out more than the Raiders. Get real! The costs would be even further out of the range to the customer than current. The Raiders should really focus their attention to the on the fields needs of the team. This isn't the cowboys, the chiefs, the broncos, the jets, giants etc - allof those teams sell out. So why build a new stadium? There is no need.
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