FedExField Senior VP/Operations Lon Rosenberg said that the Redskins "had been unable to sell season tickets for the thousands of seats" they removed from their stadium this summer, a "rare admission by the franchise that demand for its in-stadium product has declined," according to Steinberg & Jones of the WASHINGTON POST. Rosenberg said that the "approximately 10,000 removed upper deck seats had been offered to fans on the team’s season ticket waiting list, and that 'these are seats that they were not wanting to buy.'" Rosenberg described the removed seats as “the least desirable seats in the stadium,” but added the decision to remove them “has nothing to do with ticket sales.” Rosenberg: “It’s about making a more fan-friendly experience on game days. There will be less traffic, shorter lines and again, enable us to better serve our fans.” Rosenberg estimated that the capacity of FedExField for the '11 season "will be around 82,000 -- down from 91,704, which had made it the second-largest capacity in the NFL." When the team began removing seats this spring, the Redskins "published a story on their official Web site saying they would be replaced by standing-room only party decks." But Rosenberg said that the team "hasn't decided what, if anything, will replace" the seats. Redskins Senior VP Tony Wyllie Thursday said that the team "still wanted to install the decks but had not made a final decision and needed to apply for permits for that phase of the renovation project" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/15).
