We end 2019 with a countdown of the five biggest stories of the year on Football Stadium Digest, as chosen by editors and partially based on page views. Today, #5: Construction work on Allegiant Stadium, new home of the relocating Raiders, hits the stretch run.
The year 2019 saw considerable progress on Allegiant Stadium, as the future Raiders home took shape ahead of its scheduled 2020 opening.
Planning has been underway for the last several years on the new stadium, which is being built at a site west of Mandalay Bay. It will be the new home of the relocating Oakland Raiders and host UNLV football, while serving as a draw for annual pro and college football games, concerts, and other events.
At this rate, construction is continuing at a pace that should allow the stadium to be ready for the 2020 NFL and college football seasons. While that is an achievement in and of itself, this year also saw some announcements that yield a better sense of how the finished product will take shape.
Perhaps the biggest of those announcements was a naming-rights deal, as the Raiders and Allegiant revealed the Allegiant Stadium partnership in August. With this partnership, the Raiders connect with a locally based company–Allegiant is an airline that specializes in low-cost flights–while Allegiant expands its sports marketing efforts, which already included partnerships with the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights and Minor League Baseball.
Additionally, a few other key aspects of Allegiant Stadium took shape in 2019. AEG Facilities, now known as ASM Global, was tapped this summer to operate the venue, while Levy landed the stadium’s concessions deal. The Raiders also formed several corporate partnership beyond their agreement with Allegiant, which strengthened their ties locally while, in some cases, having implications on amenities planned for the stadium.
Notably, the Raiders also upped their financial contribution to Allegiant Stadium, pushing the project cost closer to $2 billion. An additional $90 million in private funds will go toward several areas of the facility, including technology and food service, additional fixtures, and other amenities.
All of this adds up to a clearer sense of what Allegiant Stadium will be when it opens. With a modern design and a wide slate of notable premium areas and technology features, the venue should more than serve the needs of an NFL franchise and college football program, while also helping Las Vegas land major events. Construction also remains on schedule. Technically, the Raiders could return to Oakland next year through an option they obtained in drawn-out lease negotiations to return to the Oakland Coliseum in 2019, but all indications have been that Allegiant Stadium will be ready on time. Allegiant Stadium’s opening next year will be a major story line, but the progress that planning for the facility made this year made for one of the most notable developments among NFL and college football venues in 2019.
Renderings courtesy MANICA Architecture.