Venue Detail
DC United
Revenues From Sports Venues Pro Facilities Report
January, 2010
DC United
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2400 East Capitol St SE Washington, DC 20003 Phone: 202-587-5000 Fax: 202-587-5400 URL: www.dcunited.com Owner: Will Chang League: Major League Soccer Eastern Conference
Venue
RFK Stadium, 2400 E Capitol St SE, Washington, DC 20003-1716 Owner: District of Columbia Managed by: Washington Convention and Sports Authority Built: 1961 Capacity: 23,865 Permanent concession stands: 28 Concessionaire: Sodexho
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $270 to $630 Single tickets range from $18.00 to $45.00 2007 average attendance: 20,967 2008 average attendance: 19,835 2009 average attendance: 15,585
Club seats
Quantity: 2,500 Term: 1 to 1 years Price: $1,000 to $1,000
Financing
The $19 million Venue was funded with Congressionally-authorized bonds. Pct. public: 100
With the departure of the NFL Redskins, the DC United soccer club became the stadium's primary tenant. The building got new life in 2005 with the arrival of the Nationals, formerly the Montreal Expos.
The United has revived talks with Washington D.C. officials about a new soccer stadium at Poplar Point. The team abandoned talks earlier for sites outside the district when it could not reach a financing deal with the city.
The team has been talking with city council members in the district where the stadium might be located in hopes of winning their support.
The aim is still to build a 20,000-seat stadium costing at least $175 million so the team can leave the aging RFK Stadium, where it has won more than 100 games in 13 seasons. Its $1.2 million lease expires after the 2010 season. The commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber, raised the specter of the team relocating to another region if it cannot find a viable option in this area.
With falling revenue and a new legal limit on bond issuance, the District's ability to finance major projects is arguably worse that it was when United was initially in talks with Mayor Adrian Fenty to build a stadium at Poplar Point in 2007.
One possibility for a stadium, reportedly would be for the city to provide land at Poplar Point and back partial financing for the stadium using revenue from five sources: taxes on ticket sales, concessions and parking, as well as rent for use of the stadium and the sale of naming rights. Any remaining gap in cost would be made up by the team.
Although the team's fan base is mainly in Virginia, the commonwealth does not have a public stadium authority that could work with the team. Other D.C. suburbs are also cash-strapped and are not considered strong possibilities for hosting the team.
There are no luxury suites at the current facility. Club seats offer a wait staff, television monitors and a private entrance and lease for $1,000 annually.
The United offers a pre-game party package for $45 per person with a 50 person minimum. The event is held in a tent with fans getting field level access and premium lower level seating. Food is included.
Field level seats, sold only in pairs, are available for $1,800 each. Club seating costs $1,000 per seat and includes in-seat wait service and other amenities, but no physical club. (Facilities, Financial, Professional Sports, Venue)