Bills new home name ‘Highmark Stadium’!

Image: Buffalo Bills

The new stadium of the National Football League (NFL) team Buffalo Bills (US) will have a familiar official name to it when the gates open in 2026.

‘BUFFALO BILLS’ stated that during the groundbreaking ceremony held at the construction site of the New Bills Stadium on June 5^th, the Buffalo Bills Owner/head honcho Terry Pegula announced that the franchise has finalized a new naming rights deal with the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York to continue their partnership at the new stadium.

The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference East division. The team plays its home games at the Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, US.

Founded in 1959, the Buffalo Bills are one of the most storied franchises in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills have won two American Football League (AFL) Championships (1964 -1965) and won an NFL record four straight AFC Championships (1990 – 1993) that included four trips to the Super Bowl. Owned by Terry and Kim Pegula, the Bills are a member of the Western New York community for more than 55 years.

The 71,608-capacity Highmark Stadium is a stadium in Orchard Park, New York (US), in the Southtowns of the Buffalo metropolitan area. The stadium opened in 1973 as the Rich Stadium and is the home venue of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL).

The Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York is a trade name of Highmark Western and Northeastern New York Inc., an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. Since 1936, the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York has helped millions of people lead healthier lives. The Blue Cross Blue Shield offers a full range of insured, self-insured and Government programs and services covering businesses, families and individuals, as well as dental and vision plans and stop-loss coverage.

The Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield employs more than 1,400 people and serves as a key economic driver in the region. As a community-based, not-for-profit health plan, the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield contributes significantly to organizations that strengthen and enrich the health of the community.

The 62,000-capacity planned venue of the Bills will be built adjacent to the Erie Community College’s South campus across the street from the Highmark Stadium, which would be demolished. The stadium will be designed by the celebrated design studio Populous, who has previously designed 12 other active NFL stadiums, with which the new Orchard Park stadium will share numerous design elements and features.

‘BUFFALO BILLS’ further stated that for now, the new stadium will be referred to as the ‘New Highmark Stadium’ until the completion of the construction in 2026 before switching over to ‘Highmark Stadium’ – the same name of the current Bills home across the road.

For the Bills organization, it was important to keep the continuity of the stadium name as the franchise moves venues for the first time since the 1973 season. The New Highmark Stadium will continue to represent the history and meaning behind the Buffalo Bills.

Remarked Ron Raccuia, Bills Executive Vice-President (EVP)/Chief Operating Officer (COO), “We felt like that was important to the authenticity of the franchise in the community. Organizations and teams lose some of that value of the importance of a naming right partner when it changes a lot. So, it was really important for us to have that continuity.”

The Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York is the region’s largest and longest-standing health plan. The organizations share 150 years of combined history in Western New York and a strong commitment to the community.

Maintained Dr. Michael Edbauer, President, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York, “Like the Bills, we have deep roots in Western New York, and share a vision that the ‘New Highmark Stadium’ will serve as a center of engagement and improvement for our entire region. Highmark is excited to enter a new phase of our longstanding partnership with the Buffalo Bills and Pegula Sports and Entertainment, while reinforcing our commitment to the community.”

Buffalo (US)-based Pegula Sports and Entertainment is an American sports and entertainment company based in Buffalo, New York, US. The company was established after multibillionaire Terry Pegula and his family combined their sports, property and entertainment assets into one parent company.

Since the naming rights agreement began in March of 2021, the current Highmark Stadium has hosted over 850+ events outside of gamedays. Together, Highmark and the Buffalo Bills have welcomed thousands of Western New Yorkers to the stadium for free fitness, mental health and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training events.

On gamedays, the organizations have partnered to recognize and support over 30 community partners. Since 2021, the Bills and Highmark have distributed more than 380 tickets and $37,500 to the nonprofit and healthcare organizations through the Highmark Community Hero program.

The joint efforts to support Western New York have also come at times when it’s been needed most. The organizations donated over $700k in direct financial relief and thousands of dollars in essential items.

Buffalo’s new state-of-the-art canopy covered stadium will be the largest project ever built in Western New York, holding approximately 63,000 people.

Starting June 5^th, fans can sign up for the opportunity to purchase New Highmark Stadium season tickets at billsstadiumexperience.com. By placing a deposit, fans can join the priority list, which will allow them to visit the Stadium Experience and purchase seats when they become available, following current Bills Season Ticket Members.

The existing Bills Season Ticket Members do not need to complete the additional deposit as their priority place on the list to purchase seats in the New Bills Stadium is already established. A dedicated stadium experience representative will reach out to the current Bills Season Ticket Members when it is their time to purchase their seats.

The Bills collaborated with the global premium experiences company Legends to secure the New Bills Stadium naming rights agreement with Highmark. Legends leads project development, global partnerships, premium sales, ticket sales, retail and hospitality for the New Bills Stadium.

Raccuia shared that talks between the Bills and the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York “picked up steam” during a meeting during the Super Bowl (annual final playoff game of the NFL to determine the league champion), and with the help of Legends, both sides were able to finalize the agreement on the new naming rights deal recently.

Despite being located in a smaller market, the Buffalo Bills have proved they are one of the most well-known and watched brands in all of the NFL. The 2023 Bills schedule features the NFL maximum six primetime games, four additional national games with 4:25 kickoffs and hosting a game on the global stage in London (UK).

The Bills had record national viewership during the 2022-2023 seasons, drawing 125 million combined TV viewers for six prime time games.

Added Raccuia, “We are a national team who just happens to be in a smaller market. It’s a great partnership that we’ve shared with Highmark already. The future is really bright and what we can do together not just here at the stadium but throughout the entire community.”

As the groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 5^th, the announcement of the naming right deal marked another chapter toward opening the new home of the Buffalo Bills.

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