Tickets for Washington Redskins games will be harder to come by next season, and it won't just be because of the hoopla surrounding the beginning of the Robert Griffin III era, if the team does in fact draft the Baylor quarterback.
While RG3 surely will create plenty of demand, there also will be a reduction in supply of available seats at FedEx Field, as the team will remove 4,000 seats from what was once one of the largest stadiums in the NFL.
The Washington Post reported Monday that the Redskins received approval to remove the seats last month from the Prince George's County Department of Environmental Resources so that the team can complete an upper level "party deck" standing room area and renovate the stadium's suite area on the fifth floor.
The reduction marks the second time in as many seasons that the Redskins have lowered the stadium's capacity. FedEx Field's capacity was listed at more than 91,000 in 2010 but was lowered to around 83,000 last season. The Post reported, citing NFL attendance figures, that the Redskins averaged a little more than 76,000 fans per home game last season.
Now, FedEx Field will seat 79,000.
"They will wind up with 79,000 seats, which is way down from their peak," Samuel Wynkoop, the director of Prince George's County Department of Environmental Resource, told The Post. "This is actually a net reduction, but it should be a better fan experience."
The newspaper reported, however, the stadium's actual capacity could exceed 79,000 when the party deck tickets are taken into account. One person with knowledge of the Redskins' plans told The Post that the team plans to offer between 4,000 and 5,000 standing-room tickets per game.
