Developing NFL Stadiums

NFL teams need cutting-edge, well-designed stadiums.

As NFL revenues soar, the profitability each team increasingly depends on the quality and state of its stadium. Delivering new NFL stadiums is complicated. Each venue is a high-stakes, high-profile, and large-scale project requiring knowledge of the sport of football, the business of the NFL, the stadium as a specialized building typology, and the real estate development process.

In this book, Judith Grant Long unpacks the process for developing NFL stadiums, providing a 10-step framework that combines the latest research and industry practices with detailed stadium data. Chapters provide a playbook guiding projects from the initial idea to opening day.

The book begins with an overview of the sport and business of pro football. Next, it reviews each step in the development process, including the stadium concept, feasibility, planning, finance, design, construction, operations, and disposition. Written for sport researchers, industry professionals, and students, Developing NFL Stadiums also offers insights for civic leaders, policy makers, the media, and community groups seeking to understand the growing influence of venues in the global sports industry.

Judith Grant Long is an associate professor of sport management and urban planning at the University of Michigan. Long is an internationally recognized expert on sports venues and urban development. She is dedicated to improving outcomes for cities around the world that host—or aspire to host—professional sports teams and major sporting events. Long is the author of Public-private Partnerships for Major League Sports   Facilities , as well as other publications examining the impacts of venues used for the major league sports, Olympic Games, Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup, the Tour de France, and more. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. Her work has been featured in the New York Times , Wall Street Journal , Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly , NPR, and BBC Radio. Long holds a PhD in urban planning, minor in economics, from Harvard University, and an MDes in real estate development from Harvard Graduate School of Design.