In exclusive documents obtained by Silver and Black Today, potential Super Bowl configurations for the new Allegiant Stadium take shape, including the quantity and placements of seats to make the facility capable of handling the NFL’s biggest game. The documents include a few new stadium renderings and some new looks at the structure, including configurations for everything from soccer to concerts.
Since its earliest days as a conceptual project, the Oakland Raiders new stadium in Las Vegas has been billed as a candidate to host a Super Bowl. Until now, details on how the Allegiant Stadium capacity will expand to the 70,000 capacity required by the NFL have been unknown.
In documents obtained by Silver and Black Today, expansion of the yet-to-be completed Allegiant Stadium to reach the requisite 70,000 seats is a bit clearer. With the addition of several standing-room-only (SRO) spectator areas, expanded suites, additional removable seats and other configurations, the stadium appears to be easily expandable to reach the magic number. Images of the seating expansion, along with other details, can be seen in the photo gallery at the bottom of this story.
The plans show additional seating options based on seating level – including areas in the club level, field level, upper level and more. The plans add 6,835 seats, bringing the Super Bowl capacity for the to 71,835.
Adding seats in the lower bowl and field club patio will add a net approximate increase of 2,493 seats (Photo A). This includes SRO areas, temporary seating and rail-mounted seats to increase capacity.
Photo A: Additional seating in the lower bowl for Super Bowl configuration at the new Allegiant Stadium.
On the mezzanine level, another 2,905 seats can be added. This includes a massive temporary 2,100-seat grandstand in the north end of the stadium. Also included in the plan is the future expansion of luxury suites on this level (Photo B). The plan shows how every inch space usually available during a Raiders home game would need to be utilized to get the stadium to the 70,000 number.
Photo B: A massive temporary seating area for over 2100 fans would be installed in the north end of the stadium.
In the upper bowl of the Raiders’ new home, 1,437 seats will be added (Photo C). That includes nearly 1,200 rail-mounted seats, 180 temporary seats and 76 SRO spots. Because of the elevation, and the number of permanent seats in the area, this is the area with the least amount of expansion for the big game.
Photo C: Just a handful of seats can be added on existing lower luxury suites levels at the new stadium.
In a non-football example, the stadium renderings show the configuration the stadium will use to host large soccer matches (Photo D). For those events, the facility will seat more than 61,000 fans. Just this month, Las Vegas said it had abandoned plans to pursue World Cup games at the stadium due to requirements for more than one open-air facility in the area. That does not mean it won’t host international soccer events that require that sort of capacity, according to the Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board.
Photo D: The Raiders’ new stadium in Las Vegas can host world-class soccer as well, seating more than 61,000 spectators.
The documents also included new cross-section views of the facility, along with elevations, NFL camera angle planning, football sightlines and more.
The $1.8 billion project is under construction off Russell Road and Interstate 15, just west of the Las Vegas Strip. Completion date of the project is slated for July 2020.
Still under wraps are the Raiders’ plans for parking. With a sparse 2,500 parking spaces on the 65-acre site, the team continues discussions to acquire the Bali Hai Golf Club and has negotiated with MGM to lease or acquire land just east of Mandalay Bay for parking areas within walking distance of the stadium.
Silver and Black Today staff writer Matt Gutierrez contributed to this report.
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