The Reason The Bills Are Building A Smaller Stadium
Now that the Buffalo Bills, New York State, and Erie County announced that they have come to an agreement to build a new stadium in Orchard Park, the biggest complaint Bills mafia members have is that the stadium will have less capacity than the current one.
Right now the capacity of Highmark Stadium is 71,608 and the new proposed stadium is expected to have a 62,000 person capacity.
So why the drop in the amount of space for fans? Simple, the Bills have had a tough time selling out Highmark stadium over the past 20 years.
According to data from ESPN.com, The Buffalo Bills have had an average of around 67,000 attendance per year. That is around 5000 less than a true sell-out.
Here is a look at the average attendance every year for the Buffalo Bills from 2001 until 2022.
2001 - 63,092
2002 - 68,462
2003 - 73,015
2004 - 71,799
2005 - 71,906
2006 - 67,646
2007 - 71,054
2008 - 71,405
2009 - 70,128
2010 - 63,195
2011 - 62,694
2012 - 64,950
2013 - 66,627
2014 - 67,522
2015 - 69,880
2016 - 68,509
2017 - 66,775
2018 - 64,961
2019 - 68,839
2020 - 0
2021 - 67,816
With the new proposed 62,000 seating capacity and an additional 5000 standing-only areas, the 67,000 capacity would be more in line with the average amount of attendance that the Bills have seen over the past 20 years.
Also with less seating in the stadium, there will be more room for luxury boxes which is a way for the team to make more money.
For people worried that tickets prices will rise because there will be less capacity, the chances of that happening are slim. Sure, prices will go up just like they do every year but a huge secondary market increase shouldn't be expected since the new capacity is right around the average attendance for the team.
Fans worried about not being able to get tickets shouldn't have to worry.
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