Paycor Stadium owners weigh up rejig options

Article posted by Coliseum, April 19^th, 2023

Image: Cincinnati Bengals

The Paycor Stadium’s (Cincinnati, Ohio, US) owners are considering all options as they prepare to renegotiate their lease with the National Football League (NFL) team Cincinnati Bengals in 2026.

‘YARDBARKER’ stated that the commissioners of Ohio’s Hamilton County – which owns the venue formerly known as the Paul Brown Stadium and leases it to the NFL team – are debating whether to greenlight renovation plans for the stadium that has been home to the Bengals since 2000.

The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati, US. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league’s American Football Conference North division. The club’s home games are held in downtown Cincinnati at the Paycor Stadium.

Apply for membership

The 65,515-capacity Paycor Stadium, previously known as the Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio (US). It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) and opened on August 19^th, 2000.

‘YARDBARKER’ further stated that the county and the team hired Gensler Sports to do a capital assessment for the potential renovations but also asked the firm to include the possible costs for building an entirely new stadium.

Gensler Sports help clients deliver the best experience for guests and teams, activate communities and create a return on investment by designing sports and entertainment venues with enhanced technology, service and amenities.

In May 2022, the firm found that basic repairs for upgrades to steel ramps and rails, seats and electric and plumbing systems would cost upwards of $493 million. Other upgrades such as those to add new luxury lounges, high-end food and drink, signs, and scoreboards, would cost an additional $200 million.

The County isn’t ruling out building a new stadium depending on the results of Gensler’s report, which it has asked to have by December.

The Commissioners have expressed their desire for the current or potential new stadium to play host to other events besides NFL games, such as concerts. It also hopes to better integrate the stadium with downtown Cincinnati.

Said Alicia Reece, Hamilton County Commissioner President, “We have an asset that costs us 365 days. We’ve got to have events happening as many days as possible.”

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

Watch 250 member-exclusive videos with valuable tips for your venue