Before the 2011 NFL Lockout started, there were talks of a planned expansion to Lambeau Field. Those talks were put on hold when the lockout began. Today, all of the talk has been about player movement and training camp since we've been deprived of actual football news for so long, so news about the potential renovations to Lambeau Field was lost in the shuffle.
However, Mark Murphy talked about those renovations in an article at JSOnline this morning. The new CBA includes an NFL stadium fund in which revenue is skimmed off the top and put into a fund for all of the teams to tap into. The fund will be used to match owners' contributions towards stadium improvements.
Details after the jump.
From the above-linked article:
An aspect of the deal that is particularly appealing to Murphy is a stadium fund that will invest in renovations and new construction. Each year, 1.5% of the league revenues will be shaved off the top and put into the fund.
For every private dollar a team puts into construction, the league will match 50% of it. The new fund will allow the Packers to move forward on completing the upper seating bowl in the south end of Lambeau Field and expanding the amenities around the stadium.
Murphy said projects considered before the lockout will now be back in play.
"With the projects we're looking at doing, with the variety of different things we're looking at doing in the stadium, that will be beneficial to us," Murphy said. "The incentive to put money into the stadium; I'm encouraged by that.
"Everything was sort of on hold until we got the labor deal done. Now we'll start planning on going ahead."
Rumor has it that the improvements to the stadium are set to happen ASAP. Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal is talking like this is a done deal. A Packers.com article I discussed earlier, which stated the Packers' profits were up, also mentioned that the team was looking into the possibility of stadium expansion.
I think we can all agree that stadium expansion, especially if the league is kicking in for it, is a good thing. Most don't believe that the most recent renovations took anything away from the charm of Lambeau, and those who think they did aren't going to be convinced by the team never renovating the stadium again. All hail the new CBA, I guess.