Football is finally back in Los Angeles, with the Rams and Chargers set to ensure that their upcoming $2.6 billion stadium has all the Hollywood glamour and VIP amenities that you’d expect for A-list clientele along, with the football necessities for die-hard NFL fans. TheWrap recently got a sneak peek at the L.A. Stadium and Entertainment District — check out the coolest aspects.
The 70,000-seat open air stadium is expandable up to 100,000 seats — and aside to hosting regular season NFL games — it’s also destined to be home to the 2028 Olympics, future Super Bowls, college football national championship games, the NCAA Final Four, X Games and a multitude of other sporting events. It is set to open in 2020, with the Rams playing at the L.A. Coliseum and the Chargers at StubHub Center in the meantime.
Fully funded by the real-estate fortune of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, the two L.A. teams (one of which is NFC and the other AFC) will split their time at the new stadium with 10 home games for each team per regular season (not accounting for playoffs or potential Super Bowls). Currently, all aspects of the entertainment district’s model center in Playa Vista pays equal homage to both teams.
While its Compton neighbor is more famous, Inglewood is steeped also in history — all of which will be celebrated at its latest addition. Renowned for the former Hollywood Park Racetrack, it is also home to the Forum, where both the L.A. Lakers and Kings played from 1967-99.
Reminiscent of the waves pounding the nearby beaches, the stadium roof curves in a perfect wave of transparent ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) covering the playing field, seating bowl, Champions Plaza and performance venue.
While it doesn’t rain often in L.A., when that mysterious wet stuff falls from the sky it often does so with a vengeance. That’s why the sail-shaped roof will be strong but clear to allow in natural light but ward off bad weather. The design is also open on the sides to allow breezes to flow through the building.
The two 160 by 72 feet video screens at Cowboys’ AT&T stadium have been vowing fans since 2009, but they ain’t seen nothing yet. The L.A. stadium will boast an oval shaped, dual-sided Oculus video board with over 60,000 linear feet of digital display — so there literally won’t be a bad seat in the house.
With a site that’s 3½ times the size of Disneyland, there’s plenty of room for retail space, restaurants, a 6,000-seat performance venue attached to the stadium aiming to attract the music industry’s biggest talents, a five-star hotel, residential apartments — and even a lake.
Whether it’s fantasy football fanatics wanting to follow every game stat, or corporations showcasing their company message, the 52-screens throughout the stadium mean that not a single play or deal will be missed.
While they’ll be plenty of personalized options for the suite experiences, guests can expect gourmet food, high-end drinks (including wines from Kroenke’s vineyard, but probably not the 1992 Screaming Eagle, which goes for $7,000 … a bottle) and a bird’s eye view of the field. Most suites will also have private bathrooms, to maintain the privacy of A-list guests, plus VIP parking options.
The entry to the club area will have a more open plan layout, so fans can mingle, meet up, and freak out if a game is coming down to the wire.
The entire stadium is built indented into the ground so that it doesn’t interfere with the flight path at LAX (which is three miles away) or interrupt the horizon. A secondary radar system will also be installed at LAX to eliminate the risk of any impact on air traffic. That proximity to the airport will make it easy to pop in for games — whether flying coach or on a corporate jet.
You can’t be in L.A. and not have a patio, so there’ll be plenty of outdoor areas aside from on the field to enjoy the California sun all-year round (this is anti-thesis of “football weather” experienced by most cities).
While the opening of the stadium is still three years away, the L.A. Stadium Premiere Center in nearby Playa Vista shows potential season ticket or suite buyers exactly what to expect through an Emmy-worthy introduction video, a 30 by 40 foot model replica, and digital displays. You sign a deal right there — and then celebrate at the in-house bar.
Visitors at the Premiere Center can test-drive the luxury suites, pick their must-have amenities — and even try out the leather seats for size.
The sleek design of the Premiere Center mirrors that of the eventual stadium, while the integrated technology allows the space to evolve as new elements are developed.