The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Judith Benjamin
Jaguars president Mark Lamping has confirmed the team would consider Daytona International Speedway as a temporary home during renovations to TIAA Bank Field.
The team introduced designs last week for multibillion dollar renovations on and around their 28-year-old stadium which are intended to transform TIAA Bank Field into a team-titled ‘Stadium of the Future.’
However, those transformations could force the Jaguars, who won the AFC South with a 9-8 record last year, to play elsewhere for two years while construction is completed.
And Jacksonville could soon be playing football in an unorthodox setting.
‘It would be an interesting solution but would also require significant investment in terms of infrastructure,’ Lamping told trade publication VenuesNow of Daytona.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking to have a ‘stadium of the future’ with their new home
And they could move to Daytona during construction work to their current home
‘It can accommodate a big crowd. It would be a little wonky, but it’s worth considering.’
Daytona president Frank Kelleher also released a statement to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, saying that he and team representatives will meet soon to discuss potentially playing at the facility, which currently holds 101,500 fans.
‘Daytona International Speedway is a world-renowned sports and entertainment venue and hosts a full schedule of events each year,’ Kelleher said.
‘As good neighbors in the Florida sports community, DIS will be speaking with the Jacksonville Jaguars to see if we can assist them with their potential upcoming facility needs around our scheduled events.’
However, Daytona seems like a longshot for the Jaguars.
Speaking to The News-Journal, Lamping listed the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or Orlando’s Camping World Stadium as the likeliest hosts.
The Jaguars’ lease with the city expires after the 2029 season.
If the renovation plans are approved, the Jaguars would break ground after the 2025 season and are already working on varying plans to play elsewhere for two seasons.
The team wants to convert the area to a venue that attracts festivals, concerts and more
They also could spread the build across four seasons and continue to play at TIAA, but Lamping said that route would cost an additional $190 million.
The Jaguars want to, in part, expand seating from the current 62,000 to 71,500, include a shaded canopy to reduce the heat factor by 70 percent, and widen their main concourse to four times the size of the current one.
The team also wants to develop land around the stadium to convert the area into a year-round draw to downtown, a venue that attracts festivals, concerts and other sports, including international soccer matches and college basketball.
Jacksonville is the only NFL franchise that hasn´t built a new stadium or undergone substantial renovations since the team entered the league in 1995. Most recently, Tennessee and Buffalo approved deals to build new stadiums.
