New Meadowlands Stadium
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Capacity
The new stadium will have seating for 82,500 fans, including 10,000 club seats and approximately 200 luxury suites. It will thus be the second or third-largest stadium in the NFL, after FedExField outside Washington D.C., currently the largest stadium in the league with a capacity of 91,704, and the New Cowboys Stadium outside Dallas, Texas, which plans to have a capacity of 80,000 expandable to 100,000 with additional end zone seating.
Design
The new stadium the Jets and the Giants are scheduled to occupy in 2010 will be distinguished by an outer skin of aluminum louvers and by interior lighting that will switch colors depending on which team is playing at home – comparable to the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. There will be numerous tailgating zones, and myriad options to buy food and merchandise in the plaza that will ring the stadium. The changing colors — green for the Jets, blue for the Giants — reflect each team’s desire to individualize the look of the 82,500-seat stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The teams’ current home, Giants Stadium, opened in 1976, but the Jets have long been treated like a second-class tenant there since arriving in 1984. The louvers in the new stadium, which are arranged in various densities, may also reflect the teams’ colors. According to renderings of the Jets-Giants stadium obtained by The New York Times, giant red pylons at the north and east entrances will display videos of each team, depending on which one is playing. A signature feature of the stadium — which will be built in the shape of a rounded rectangle — will be the massive Great Wall that will be partly visible through the louvers at the main entrance. The wall will be 400 feet long and 40 feet high, showing panels of images that will rotate between photographic murals of the Jets and Giants on game days and different pictures for concerts and other events. Inside, four 40-by-130-foot scoreboards will hang from each corner of the upper deck. The sight lines will be similar to those at Giants Stadium, which seats a little over 80,000, but in some cases seats will be farther away because the new facility will have more than double the square footage. The stadium complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it will have four restaurants, nearly double the current 117 luxury suites, and 9,200 club seats, two club lounges, wider concourses and at least one hall of fame. Unlike a number of other new NFL venues such as the new Cowboys Stadium, University of Phoenix Stadium and Reliant Stadium, the new Meadowlands stadium will not have a roof. Proposals to include a roof failed due to a dispute over funding. Therefore, it is unlikely the Super Bowl could be held in this venue due to northern New Jersey's winter climate and indoor events such as the Final Four will not be held at the facility, which runs counter to the original aspirations for a new stadium in northern New Jersey.
On January 25, 2007, Swedish construction company Skanska AB had announced that it received a $998 million order to design and build a new football stadium for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. The open-air stadium will seat 82,000 spectators and include 217 luxury suite boxes. The luxury suites will include several additional amenities, such as more ample space between rows which will help people arrive to their seat much easier and watch the game more comfortably. The overall atmosphere will be enhanced with comfortable couches, armchairs and several flat panel televisions. In addition, there will be several food stations that will differ considerably in comparison to other stadia around the league. Fresh carving stations, sushi, and several bars are just a few options. Entering and leaving the stadium will be accessible through a private lobby, where club patrons will have access to reserved parking. Once the New Meadowlands Stadium is completed, Giants Stadium will be demolished to make way for parking and possible expansion of the Meadowlands Xanadu complex. The next step for the Giants and Jets is to collaborate on getting their new stadium built while still playing games in Giants Stadium alongside the construction site. The Washington Post reported that Giants co-owner John Mara has said that the two clubs will have to address some problems arising from the loss of parking spaces. The Giants' other co-owner, Steve Tisch, has said: "It is a relief. But it sort of takes this off the table and the bigger issue is building the stadium." One issue with the new Giants Stadium is the rising costs. Ticket prices will continue to rise in order to offset this tremendous cost. In addition, season ticket holders may have to pay a fee just in order to reclaim their seats, through the sale of Personal Seat Licenses. One of the biggest questions towards offsetting the cost is acquiring a corporate sponsor to help pay for the Stadium via naming rights. The Giants and Jets broke ground on the new $1.3 billion dollar stadium on September 5, 2007.
Lease terms
The lease for the new stadium is for 25 years, with options to extend it that could eventually reach 97 years. After the 15th year of the lease, every five years, one of the two teams can opt out of the lease, giving the state 12 months notice. However, if one team leaves for a new stadium, the other team would have to remain for the remainder of the lease. Based on the teams' histories, this clause presumably allows the Jets to eventually decide that they want to play in their own stadium and can find a way to finance it, although the relocation of team facilities to New Jersey makes this less likely to happen. It is unknown if the lease starts upon construction or upon the stadium's opening. The teams also get parking revenue from the Meadowlands' western parking lots year round, even when there are no events at the stadium (this would occur when other parts of the Meadowlands host events)
Transportation
A rail spur will be constructed by New Jersey Transit from the Pascack Valley Line to provide rail service to Hoboken Terminal and to Pennsylvania Station via the Secaucus Junction.
