Venue Detail
DC United
RSV Pro Facilities Report
March, 2015
DC United
2400 East Capitol St SE Washington, DC 20003 Phone: 202-587-5000 Fax: 202-587-5400 URL: www.dcunited.com Owner: Erick Thohir, Will Chang and others League: Major League Soccer, Eastern Conference
Venue
RFK Stadium, 2400 E Capitol St SE, Washington, DC 20003 Owner: District of Columbia Managed by: Washington Convention and Sports Authority Built: 1961 Capacity: 19,647 Permanent concession stands: 28 Concessionaire: Sodexo Soft drink:
Ticket prices
Season tickets range from $360 to $2,394 Single tickets range from $20.00 to $200.00
Attendance
2012 average attendance: 13,490 2013 average attendance: 13,646 2014 average attendance: 17,030
Club seats
Quantity: 2,500 Term: 1 to 1 years Price: $1,530 to $15,030
Financing
The $19 million venue was funded with Congressionally-authorized bonds.
Under the terms of a two-year lease extension to continue playing at RFK Stadium, D.C. United will limit seating to the lower bowl and mezzanine level and attempt to sell sponsorships on tarps covering the upper-deck seating areas.
United and Events DC, which operates the stadium, are also seeking to sell naming rights to the playing surface.
The new capacity for MLS matches is 19,647 in a facility that is able to accommodate about 45,000,
United is one of the few MLS teams that still plays in a large stadium. The others are the Seattle Sounders, who play at CenturyLink Field, home to the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks; and the New England Revolution, who share Gillette Stadium with the New England Patriots.
By limiting seating capacity at RFK, United hopes to create demand and encourage fans to secure seats in advance. It also seems to be an effort to prepare fans for the club eventually playing in a new stadium with seating for about 20,000. United is eyeing a project at Buzzard Point in Southwest D.C., four blocks from Nationals Park.
In announcing the new lease in 2012, Events DC said it would improve lighting on the concourse and renovate restrooms in a facility that opened in 1961. The improvements are part of a “multi-million dollar” plan to upgrade RFK and the adjacent D.C. Armory.
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 who left a few years later for a new ballpark.
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 expired after the 2010 season, but is now operating year-to-year. 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.
Another possibility is Maryland where studies have been done in Baltimore to see if there is a market for 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, MLS, Professional Sports, Soccer, Venue)