Team president Mark Murphy confirmed the Green Bay Packers aren’t currently planning to replace the bench seating inside Lambeau Field.
In his monthly question and answer session with fans at the team’s official site, Murphy shot down one fan’s suggestion that the Packers should make a big change inside Lambeau Field.
He said replacing the bench seating would cost the Packers roughly 10,000-12,000 in total seating capacity inside the stadium, and expanding the north end zone seating wouldn’t come close to making up for the lost seats.
Lambeau Field currently has 60 rows around the bowl of aluminum benches without backing, the same setup as when the facility was constructed in 1957.
The stadium holds just over 81,000 fans, with around 66,000 of the total capacity made up of bench seating.
Modern NFL stadiums have actual seats instead of benches, generally providing more space and a more comfortable seating experience. The bench seating hasn’t had any effect on fan interest in attending games at Lambeau Field, so there’s no real incentive for the Packers to make a change.
Replacing the benches would create a major financial hurdle for the Packers. Not only would the job itself cost money, but the Packers would have to make up for the lost revenue and likely expand elsewhere, creating another monetary burden.
Fewer seats equal fewer tickets sold, and NFL teams aren’t usually in the business of making less money.
And who wants to explain to 10,000 or more fans that their season tickets are being removed from inside the bowl?
Murphy said there’s a nostalgic value to the current setup.
“Moreover, the seating bowl is the signature part of Lambeau Field (and so unique in the NFL) and I think people like the fact that, when they are seated in the stadium bowl, they are having the same experience as our fans did when they were watching Lombardi coach,” Murphy wrote.
The Packers added over 7,000 seats in an expansion to the south end zone in 2013. Season tickets holders had an opportunity to move from inside the bowl to the modern seats within the expansion, but interest was low.