Raiders Dig Cleats Into New Domed Stadium’s Grass For First Time During Practice Friday
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
In 2016, it began with a governor signing a bill into law — a bill that placed Southern Nevada on the hook to contribute $750 million to the construction of an NFL stadium in Las Vegas.
And on Friday four years later, Las Vegas Raiders players dressed in their silver and black uniforms threw passes, caught footballs and dug their cleats into an emerald green natural playing surface under a stadium dome for the first time. The Raiders practiced in new Allegiant Stadium after conducting drills and practices at their training center/headquarters in Henderson about 10 miles to the south and east of the massive new stadium off the Strip.
Raiders owner Mark Davis went on the public address system and told the players, “This is our field of dreams. This is our house.” Davis called the building the “Death Star.”
Here’s his complete statement:
Officially speaking, it was a mid-August training camp. But there was a sense of a dress rehearsal, too, as the mammoth video boards were fired up and players were introduced over the PA system as they half-ran through two lines of teammates on the retractable playing surface that slides in and out of the domed, 65,000-seat venue.
By any standard, it’s a palatial, spacious building with a loud sound system. The press box sits very high on the west side of the stadium, offering a perch that allows sports reporters to see through a massive wall of glass to see car traffic flowing on Interstate 15 on the building’s north side. The tall Al Davis memorial flame sits in front of the glass.
Said Gruden “I just want to say it was very exciting being it that stadium. We are really appreciative of what [Owner] Mark Davis, [President] Marc Badain and these guys went through to put us in a place like this. I just can’t wait to share it with the city of Vegas, sports fans, entertainment fans from around the world. This place is a one-of-a-kind joint. We just got to keep pounding this virus into the turf and open these doors so people can enjoy it like we did today. It’s a spectacular, out-of-sight place.”
There are no fans at Raiders home games this inaugural season at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas because of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 170,000 Americans.
“He’s crushed,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said of owner Davis, who announced no fans at home games in 2020 because of the coronavirus.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden: First of all, it’s crushing. I know how bad it hurts our owner, Mark Davis. Like I said earlier, he set this thing up, I don’t know how he did it, but he’s crushed. I know he’s crushed for not being able to let his fans in here and our sponsors and people that made this thing happen. All I can say is, let’s beat the virus as soon as possible. The sooner the better and when we do, we are going to have some great fun in this facility and Las Vegas will come back stronger than ever. But we got to be positive right now. We got to keep our eye on the bullseye, and that is beating this virus and hopefully we can bring some smiles to people’s faces on the football field. But we miss them, and we certainly can’t wait to share this Raider organization with them.
Media assumes all risks related to the novel coronavirus when they enter the building and video screens show social distancing tips, elevator etiquette and mask requirement messages. Media members get their temperature checked via an automatic machine, sign a form sa
The stadium announcer is a familiar voice. The affable Bruce Cusick, the popular arena voice of Vegas Golden Knights games at T-Mobile Arena, was the PA stadium announcer. Cusick posted this photo on his Facebook page.
The practice was more like an actual game for this one reason — no fans. (And no fan parking issues for Raiders games in 2020 either.) The Raiders stadium sits on 62 acres on the west side of I-15 across from Mandalay Bay hotel-casino and has parking for about 2,000 cars or so.
Levy Restaurants is the stadium food and beverage contractor, completing a grand slam of food-bev domination in the Las Vegas sports venue market with contracts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, T-Mobile Arena and the Las Vegas Aviators’ ballpark in Downtown Summerlin.
But there are other brands in the building that will sit idle in the massive stadium without fans.
And no fans in the branded sponsor lounges either in 2020. The main concourse is wide, but will not host any football fans in 2020 as the UNLV fall football season is also cancelled because of the novel coronavirus.
Raiders center Rodney Hudson said of the stadium, “It’s a nice place, it’s pretty impressive. It’s a good deal. It’s a nice stadium. I’m sure when fans are allowed some day, they’ll enjoy it. We’re going to enjoy playing in it.”
The field-level premium sitting area behind the end zone on the building’s north side will also be unused.
Working security at Allegiant Stadium was S.A.F.E. Management, which has six offices around the country and also does security for the NFL stadiums for teams like the Cardinals and Ravens.
The overall Raiders stadium project cost $1.976 billion, including $1.4 billion for just the construction of the venue. A hotel room tax increase is generating revenue to allow Southern Nevada to raise more than $1 billion over a 30-year debt repayment period to contribute $750 million to the stadium’s construction.
The Raiders run the stadium after building it, and work with the local public tourism agency — the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) — to try and recruit events to the stadium.
One major event — the Pac-12 football title game in December — is already scrubbed and a Garth Brooks concert was moved from August to February.
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