Venue News: HKS To Design New Minnesota Vikings Stadium; AEG’s Leiweke Discusses Farmers Field Vision

Compiled by Karen Hogan, Associate Editor, Sports Video Group

The architectural firm that designed stadiums for the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts beat out four competitors Friday to draw up plans for the $975 million Minnesota Vikings’ stadium that will be built in downtown Minneapolis. The selection of Dallas-based HKS Inc. for a $34 million design contract drew predictions of greatness during a meeting of the public authority overseeing the stadium project. HKS submitted the second-lowest of five bids, at nearly $42 million, but the final price was negotiated down. Vikings VP Lester Bagley said the Vikings still hope to include a retractable roof, wall, or window if such a feature can fit within the current budget — a decision that he said would have to be made early in the design process. Also on the drawing board: Interactive technology that would allow fans to see replays, statistics, and other game information on their smartphones…

…With the Los Angeles City Council clearing the way for AEG’s Farmers Field, an NFL stadium next to Staples Center, the nation’s No. 2 market and No. 1 sports league inched closer to a reunion. But with Philip Anschutz putting AEG up for sale, how does that impact the likelihood of an NFL return? And how does L.A. billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong factor into the equation? After Friday’s unanimous council votes, AEG President Tim Leiweke spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the Farmers Field vision, and how (and when) he sees the NFL returning…

…Some with excitement, some with dread, Brooklyn residents had long awaited this weekend for the first signs of how the Barclays Center would shape its surrounding neighborhood. Now, after three Jay-Z performances with sellout crowds at the 18,000-seat arena completed, the answer to whether Barclays Center would be a local boon or an unwelcome change depended on whom was asked. Barclays Center officials declared the opening a success, contending most took mass transit to the concerts — an assertion supported by Metropolitan Transportation Authority figures showing 7,500 more exits than usual at Atlantic Avenue during rush hour Friday, not including emergency-exit walk-throughs. And predictions of a traffic nightmare in Park Slope proved unfounded. Traffic flowed freely on the side streets surrounding the area. A small army of police and traffic agents directed vehicles around the arena’s main roads, Atlantic and Flatbush avenues…

…Orlando has opened a new NBA arena, is in the middle of building a new performing-arts center, and will begin renovating the Florida Citrus Bowl in a few months. Now, there is growing consensus among local leaders that the Orlando City Soccer Club needs its own stadium, and that Orlando and Orange County could help pay for it. MLS Commissioner Don Garber met with Orange Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer earlier this year to talk about the Lions moving up from minor-league status to become the first MLS franchise in the Southeast. Among other things, having a soccer stadium — or at least a plan to get one — is a condition of becoming an expansion team. The Orlando City Lions have been playing at the city-owned Citrus Bowl since 2011, when Orlando City President Phil Rawlins moved the team from Austin, TX. The team won the United Soccer League Pro Division championship last year. Rawlins said he would like Orlando City to begin playing as an MLS franchise in March 2015. But the Citrus Bowl, which seats 70,000, is much larger than the ideal soccer-specific stadium. The Lions drew an average of 5,500 fans per regular-season game last year…

…For nearly two years, Arizona State University officials have discussed plans to renovate aging Sun Devil Stadium. In April, the university unveiled design renderings of a unique, modern stadium, complete with a futuristic-looking canopy to shield fans from the desert sun. To make this happen, ASU’s football team might have to play off campus for a future season, perhaps at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix or University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. ASU still is in the renovation planning stages. Among the school’s options for 54-year-old Sun Devil Stadium: Rebuild from the lower bowl; rebuild from the ground; or repair the stadium in its current state. The school has not set a projected construction date.

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