Stadium seat license programs for the Rams and Chargers will help fund the stadium's constructionRAMS
Fans of the Rams and Chargers beginning next Tuesday will "be invited to view details" about the new Inglewood stadium and "purchase premium seats," according to Dan Woike of the L.A. TIMES. The best seat at the stadium will "come with a licensing bill of $100,000 for Rams season-ticket holders and $75,000 for Chargers season-ticket holders." The stadium seat license (SSL) program for both teams "will be an NFL first, essentially functioning as a 50-year deposit to help fund" construction of the $2.6B stadium. After 50 years, the SSL cost "will be repaid to whoever owns it." Season-ticket holders "will be required to pay the one-time license cost in addition to the ticket price, which will be $375 for Rams games and $350 for Chargers games." Those ticket prices, which are the "same for all three tiers of premium seats, will be frozen for the first three years the stadium is in operation." A Rams spokesperson said that every seat "will require a SSL." Woike notes premium seats are "split into three different classifications: All Access, VIP and Club." All Access tickets "come with premium parking, food and drinks, access to the stadium's most exclusive club space and guaranteed opportunities to purchase tickets for events such as the Super Bowl." Licenses for the VIP section will "cost $80,000 for Rams games and $50,000 for Chargers games." The 2,500 VIP tickets also will "include parking, and food and drinks, but no guarantee of Super Bowl tickets." The 10,000 Club licenses will "range between $15,000-$35,000 for Rams games and $10,000-$25,000 for Chargers games." The SSLs come with "club access but won't include parking, food or drinks" (L.A. TIMES, 3/7).
NOT OVER THE TOP: In L.A., Vincent Bonsignore writes the SSL is a "tax" on "hardcore fans." But while L.A. NFL fans have been "bracing for the worst," they "might be in for a pleasant surprise." Of the 13,000 premium seats, the high point is "way up there," but it is "not Cowboys expensive." The Rams and Chargers will "announce season ticket and SSL pricing for non club seating at a later date, but based on their premium seat pricing some season tickets could come with an SSL price as little as $500 to $1,000." Rams Exec VP/Football Operations & COO Kevin Demoff: “We’ve tried to be very thoughtful about how to price this building. ... We’ve done two years worth of focus groups and surveys and talking to fans and we feel this is a very thoughtfully priced map that provides the appropriate value for each seat.” Chargers President of Business Operations A.G. Spanos added, "It was absolutely done with the fan in mind" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/7).
SALES PITCH: The AP's Greg Beacham notes the "sleek L.A. Stadium Premiere Center features detailed scale models, video hype reels and a staff with carefully curated sales pitches for the privately financed project." The three pricing structures are "higher than the most top PSLs for many recent NFL stadiums, but significantly lower" than the reported $150,000 charged by the Cowboys for their top seats at AT&T Stadium. The 49ers charged $80,000 for the PSLs "for the top 1,000 seats at Levis Stadium" (AP, 3/7).
