Inside the Broncos' fan survey about a potential new stadium

The Broncos sent at least two different surveys to season-ticket holders and other fans this week, asking them their opinions about a potential new stadium for the team. The survey took about 25 minutes to complete and included sections on location, whether there should be a roof and types of seating.

DNVR acquired most of the questions the Broncos asked. All of the screenshots below are from the survey the Broncos sent to fans.

The first survey, which was about potentially building a brand-new stadium, started with big-picture questions.

The Location

Maybe the most hotly-debated question among fans regarding a new stadium is where it should be located.

Denver is short on large swaths of land, but the farther from downtown the team moves, the more land is available. More land, means more room to build a “Broncoland” type development around the stadium. The downside, of course, is that the team would be further away from the heart of the city.

The Roof

The other hot topic surrounding a new stadium is whether it should include a roof. By playing indoors, the Broncos could host major events like the Final Four or the Super Bowl. Both events would almost assuredly make an appearance in Denver if the stadium includes a roof, though they may not make repeat appearances.

Playing inside would also mean no more snowy playoff games, which could be a positive or negative feature. Pre-game traditions like skydivers and flyovers would no longer exist.

Personal Seat Licenses

The Broncos didn’t implement personal seat licenses when they built Empower Field in 2001, but almost all of the stadiums built since then have.

A personal seat license (PSL) is a one-time fee that the team charges in exchange for the rights to a seat in the stadium. It’s like buying the right to buy season tickets. Seat licenses for the Los Angeles Rams ranged from $1,000 per seat to $80,000 per seat. The Raiders and Falcons both set their lowest prices at $500.

While season-ticket holders won’t be happy if they are required to buy a PSL, there are some perks. The biggest perk is that the license can be sold. The Steelers and Ravens built new stadiums around the turn of the century and within 10 years, the licenses were selling for nearly 10 times the amount they initially cost. Another potential perk could be the first opportunity to buy tickets to other events in the stadium—for major events like a Taylor Swift concert—this could be valuable. Not all PSLs are set up the same though.

Recently, some teams have included a repayment policy in their PSL agreements. The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers will repay the money raised by PSLs after 50 years or when the team moves out of the stadium, whichever comes first. Inflation will mean that a dollar will lose about 90% of its value in 50 years. Essentially the program turns into an interest-free loan for the team. The Golden State Warriors were the first to implement the repayment plan when they built their new arena.

The repayment at the end helps the license retain its value, though. The Bears are likely to move out of their current home in the near future and seat license holders are struggling to sell their seats.

The Broncos brought up the potential for repayment in the survey.

The Premium Seats

In the NFL, the majority of ticket revenue comes from luxury seating, like suites.

Over the past decade, teams have been more creative in how they use premium seats. Suites and club level aren’t the only options. Instead, general admission clubs at field level, for example, have started to pop up.

The Broncos showed off some of the options they might include in a new stadium.

The Premium Packages

To gauge fan interest in specific types of premium packages, the Broncos put together different packages and asked which one survey-takers would prefer. Some had more expensive PSL pricetags or ticket prices, some were in domes, some included all-inclusive food and drinks. The idea is to figure out what fans care about and use that information if the Broncos build a stadium.

The Standard Seats and General Admission

The Broncos ran the same experiment with the standard seats, but they combined potential general admission options in this section.

The Broncos don’t have a dedicated general admission section, but they are becoming more common in the NFL. Think of The Rooftop at Coors Field.

The Rocky Mountain Lounge

The Broncos also asked fans about a “Rocky Mountain Lounge,” which would be a reserved, luxury experience for groups of people.

The Development

Part of the appeal in building a modern, world-class football stadium is the opportunity to build an entertainment complex around it. Owners can acquire a massive swath of land to build restaurants, bars, movie theaters, hotels and apartments and then profit off of their tiny, luxury city.

The Broncos asked fans how they’d feel about a development in that vain.

Renovations

In a separate survey that was sent to a different set of fans, the Broncos asked about renovations instead of an entirely new stadium. Some of the questions were very similar.