The Washington Redskins' lease at FedEx Field won't expire for another 12 years, but executives have confirmed that they'll probably leave the stadium before 2027. Because of this, Virginia is making an early move to get dibs on the football team's new location with multiple locations already pitched to Redskins owner Daniel Snyder. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe is leaning towards a location in Loudoun County along the unbuilt second leg of Metro's Silver Line. The Washington Post reported that some of the advantages that Virginia has over Maryland and Washington, D.C. are that the team is headquartered in Ashburn, the training camp is in Richmond, and most of the players live in Northern Virginia. Regardless, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has made efforts of his own to try to keep the football team in the state. Washington, D.C. on the other hand hasn't made any strides at all on pitching locations to Snyder. The new stadium could cost up to $1 billion or more to build and will require a parcel of land as big as the District's Tidal Basin.
According to The Washington Post, the site of the RFK Stadium is the ideal location due to its access to the highway, Metro, and 80 acres of land between Capitol Hill and the Anacostia River. Officials in the District have shown their apprehension over building the new stadium, though. Council member Charles Allen described the project as "a poor use of such an amazing space," while neighborhood commissioner near RFK Denise Krepp said, "At this point, I don't think we'll be inclined to support it." As a backer for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, Mayor Muriel Bowser showed support over building a stadium for the Washington Redskins or Ted Leonsis' Monumental Sports and Entertainment. She described Washington, D.C. as the nation's sports capital and wished for a future Super Bowl Sunday to be hosted in the District. Even so, when asked if she would require the football team to change their name before a new stadium is built, Bowser said, "I think so." Meanwhile, both McAuliffe and Hogan have shown support over the team's moniker.
· Tug of war for new Redskins stadium is complicated by name debate [The Washington Post]
· 21 Vintage Photos of RFK Stadium in The Good 'Ol Days [Curbed DC]
Loading comments...