Vikings Detail New Minn. Stadium Seating Fees
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- The Minnesota Vikings announced Friday a personal seat license (PSL) program to help fund the new $1 billion Vikings "People's Stadium".
The team expects to raise $100 million through one-time licenses to help pay part of their $500 million share of the new stadium. And for some fans, it could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Some 49,000 seats in the 65,000 seat stadium will require seat licenses, which the team is calling stadium builder's licenses. The costs range from $9,500 per seat on the 50-yard line, to $500 per seat in the upper deck nosebleed sections.
And there's a financing plan for those who want one:
-- 10 percent down, interest-free payments through 2016.
-- And 8 percent on the remaining balance through 2021.
Critics of the project have complained that steep upfront costs for football fans are unfair given that state and city taxes will pay roughly half of construction costs. But the officials overseeing construction and operation of the new facility insist it is still a people's stadium.
"If people want to be part of the Vikings season and a part of the Vikings games, then they buy a seat license," said Michele Kelm-Helgen, the chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.
"But they'll be able to come to the stadium for other events -- hundreds of events. It'll be the 'People's Stadium' for all of Minnesota throughout the year," she added.
The highest priced PSL is $9,500 at the 50-yard line. It gets you membership to an exclusive field level club on the Vikings sideline attached to the team locker-room, where players will access the playing field through the club.
Team officials say the PSLs will also help pay for fan-in-the-stand amenities, including video boards 20 times larger than those at the Metrodome, and the most interactive experience in the NFL.
"We want to make sure that fans who come to games don't miss out on what they get at home, coming to games," said Steve LaCroix, the vice president of the Vikings.
"Whether that is fantasy football, whether that's exclusive content that we generate in the stadium that those fans only can get that you can't get at home," he said.
The Vikings are the 18th of 32 teams to use seat licenses to help pay for a stadium. And even though they're expensive, the Vikings rank in the middle of the NFL.
In Dallas, PSLs are as high as $150,000. In San Fransisco, they read up to $80,000.
In addition to PSL prices, the Vikings also announced Friday ticket prices in the new stadium: They will range from a low of $50 to a high of $400.
The seat license owners only get guaranteed access to 10 NFL games per season, though they'll have priority to purchase playoff tickets. If the NFL awards Minneapolis a Super Bowl, the license holders won't get special preference when it comes to tickets, however.
Buyers can also sell the seat license to other fans if they no longer want to buy a season ticket.
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