Why is an understanding of financial management important? Consider the example of the construction of a new stadium or arena. This area of sport finance is often in the news because a new stadium or arena directly impacts local residents, businesses, and government. Here are a few examples:
ā¢Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, opened in 2020 at a cost of $1.9 billion. The domed venue seats 65,000 and offers 70 premium suites and 6,000 club seats. The stadiumās capacity can be expanded to 72,500 for special events like the Super Bowl.
ā¢The City of Columbia, South Carolina, paid approximately $29 million to build Segra Park to bring minor league baseball back to the stateās capital. The $35 million ballpark opened in 2016 and seats 8,000 for baseball games and 14,000 for concerts. The city used revenues from its hospitality tax to pay off bonds used to finance the new stadiumās construction. The Savannah Sand Gnats announced in 2015 that they would relocate to Columbia for the 2016 season. Hardball Capital, the teamās owner and manager of the stadium, contributed approximately $6 million toward construction costs.
ā¢In 2020, the Texas Rangers replaced Globe Life Park, built for $191 million in 2004, with Globe Life Field. The $1.1 billion stadium features a retractable roof, with seating for 40,300 fans. It has 12 suites located behind home plate and an additional 71 long-term suites and 16 party suites.
ā¢Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which opened in London in 2019, seats 62,303. Home to Tottenham Hotspur Football Club of the English Premier League (EPL), its retractable pitch made it the first purpose-built stadium for the National Football League (NFL) in Europe. The Ā£1 billion ($1.31 billion) venue was privately financed by the club, primarily via a Ā£637 million senior loan from a group of banks that included Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, and HSBC. The loan had a maturity date of April 2022. In 2019, the club converted Ā£525 million of the loan into bonds in the US with maturities ranging from 15 to 30 years.
ā¢For the Minnesota Twins, a new stadium meant access to previously unavailable revenue. The Twins shared the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome with the Minnesota Vikings. The facility was poorly designed, not only for watching a baseball game but also for generating baseball revenue. The Twins received almost nothing from luxury suite rentals; rather, the money from luxury suite sales went to the Vikings. The City of Minneapolis kept a portion of revenue generated from parking, concessions, and in-stadium advertising. In their new ballpark, Target Field, the Twins have kept almost all revenue, including revenue from naming rights, premium seats, and luxury suites. The average ticket price for a premium seat when the stadium opened was approximately $52 per game. A membership fee of $1,000 to $2,000 was also charged to premium seat ticket holders for access to the exclusive club areas within the stadium (Roberts & Murr, 2008).
ā¢Texas A&M University expanded and renovated Kyle Field, its football stadium, in a $450 million project. More than 20,000 seats were added, bringing the stadiumās capacity to more than 102,000 and making Kyle Field the largest stadium in the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
ā¢SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL, opened in 2020. The new stadium became the permanent home for the two recently relocated teams. The $5 billion stadium is part of Hollywood Park, a 298-acre sports and entertainment complex built in Inglewood, California. In addition to being the home of two NFL teams, the venue will host the Super Bowl in 2022, the College Football Championship Game in 2023, and the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in 2028.
These examples represent the revenue side of constructing new venuesāthe large price tags of which put them in the news. But what about other financial management issues related to a facilityās construction, for example, how the revenue is shared and how ongoing operating expenses will be met? To consider these issues and how they can impact a community, letās look at the Indianapolis Colts. Lucas Oil Stadium, the replacement to the RCA Dome, immediately generated new revenue for the Colts after the team moved into its new home; however, none of the new stadium-g...