 |
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMMISSIONER PAUL TAGLIABUE PRESS CONFERENCE
(November 7, 1999)
On update of stadium situation: "Bob Harlan and the executive committee are giving very high priority and efforts to retain Lambeau Field. I think they recognize how important it is to the community and to the state, to Packers fans all over America. It is something that we have done in other areas. Working with teams who are renovating existing facilities. The most recent good example that the league was involved with was in Buffalo where a major renovation of Rich Stadium was concluded, was opened this year and has been very successful."
On what the Packers are facing: "The realities that the Packers are facing are clear. I think the executive committee and the management understand them. In the NFL, we are in the process of having two-thirds of the teams go into new stadiums or stadiums that involve major renovations. It is something that has been going on in sports in the 90's, with many teams moving into new facilities. We've seen many teams move into single-purpose facilities rather than the dual purpose facilities, such as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati and a number of others. The Packers have been competitive to put it mildly, going back to Curly Lambeau, through the Lombardi years, and certainly in the 90's. What we want to assure at the league level, is as we continue to share our television revenue equally, as we continue to try to extend our salary cap, as we continue to try to do all of the things we do to help our smaller market teams to stay competitive, that the Packer stadium situation advances in the same way."
On his personal preference: "In some ways I have a preference that comes from the heart, and comes from the importance of tradition which is to give priority to a renovation. I think Lambeau Field in many ways, is a symbol of what football in America is all about. It is open air, it is tradition, as I said earlier includes not just Vince Lombardi, it includes Curly Lambeau, it includes the entire eight decades of the history of the National Football League. So, from that standpoint, as Bob Harlan has already said, a renovation that could integrate and maintain that history, as Camden Yards did for the Orioles in Baltimore, would be a great statement. Beyond that, there are some good examples of renovations that have been accomplished, at the college level, Notre Dame is one. I was out there a couple of years ago when that renovation was underway and it proved to be very successful. In Buffalo, obviously we're dealing with a much newer facility than Lambeau Field, but some of the challenges were similar in terms of having the space to build the club seats, having the space to give the fans the kind of amenities that fans like to have, and having the space to create the facilities that can be used not just for football games, but can be used for other events. I think the challenges are similar, and I'd say that I am mildly optimistic about the prospects of a renovation here, based on what I've seen."
On the league's contribution: "We would definitely be involved. The way I look at it, and the way I discussed with the executive committee and with Bob Harlan going back two years to the time that the Packers did the stock offering, is that it has to be a partnership between the team and the league on the one hand, the private sector here in Wisconsin that includes individuals as well as businesses, and the public sector. In terms of the league contributions, of the cost of financing or renovation of a new stadium, I can't put a dollar amount on it until we know what the private sector or the team contribution is, because that is what we gear our contribution to at the league level. It would be quite substantial. Typically, we would put up roughly 35 percent of the private contribution. The league would make its contribution in the form of a loan which is very important to have the money up front when you're trying to finance a capital improvement project, rather than the way we did it in the past where we would contribute dollars over a fifteen-year period and that is less satisfactory from a banking perspective in terms of financing a capital improvement project."
On the Packers paying back the loan: "The payback would be focused on club seats which are becoming a critical part of stadium construction and stadium renovation because club seats have become a way for individuals and businesses to really support a team, and in turn that makes stadium renovation or stadium construction possible. It also enables general admission tickets to be accessible to a wide range of fans which is also an important goal here of the Packers. Most of the models being looked at, there would be an additional 8,000 seats roughly, taking the capacity from the low 60,000 to the 70,000 seat range. There would be an effort to see that the tickets were accessible to fans generally."
On why the renovation is important: "I think it is an opportunity to get additional fans in here. To deal with the season ticket waiting list. To deal with it on a basis of broad accessibility tickets and not just on a season-ticket basis. Bob Harlan has talked to me for some time that one of the goals of an expanded capacity would be some type of a program or plan for accessibility to Packers games. That has been done in Carolina."
On time frame: "The general time frame is to have the engineering analysis and have the cost analysis completed as soon as possible after the season is over. Bob was talking about the three months, January, February and March, when we have our league meeting in late March and hoping to be able to get back to me at our league meeting to talk more concretely about what the league's piece of any financing might be."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
