Facility Notes

Wembley Stadium Could Be Forced To Ask For Bailout If Big Losses Continue

In London, Alistair Grant reports Wembley Stadium officials have admitted that they "could be forced to ask for a multi-million pound Football Association bail-out if VIP season ticket sales slump, leaving the stadium critically short of cash." Wembley last year was "hit by massive pre-tax losses" of $50.9M (all figures US), following an $87.2M pre-tax loss in '07. The stadium is "not expected to break even until 2014," and it "could default on agreements with banks over its [$533.2M] loans if season ticket renewals fall for Club Wembley seats" (London TELEGRAPH, 11/2). 

DOWN BUT NOT OUT: In Orlando, Mark Schlueb reports while the economic downturn "has halted the $175[M] renovation of the Florida Citrus Bowl for at least several years," it is "not stopping Orlando officials from spending as much as $10[M] on a mini-renovation." The stadium's upgrades include an estimated $1M worth of "artificial turf to replace the playing field's natural grass" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/2).

WINDY REVIVAL: Illinois Sports Facilities Authority (ISFA) officials, whose agency owns U.S. Cellular Field, Friday said that the authority is "in the early stages of planning restaurants, stores and other attractions across from the ballpark on 35th street." The development "could replace the parking lots on the site where the old Comiskey Park used to be." ISFA officials said that the project "could expand on recent renovations to the ballpark's Gate 5 entrance, with its atrium that leads to a walkway over 35th street" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/31).

IMPERFECT PERFORMANCE: In St. Petersburg, Joe Smith noted the UFL "made its Tampa Bay area debut Friday night at Tropicana Field" with Locomotives-Tuskers, and the game "had its share of glitches, from half the pregame pyrotechnics fizzling out during the starting lineups to the more than three-quarters empty stands." The announced crowd of 11,354 was "more like 5,000," though the "fans who showed said they had fun" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 10/31).