Over the past few days, several thousand seats in the upper decks at Fedex Field were mysteriously being removed, and nobody knew why. Now, we know. As it turns out, the seats are being removed so the Washington Redskins can construct two standing-room only party decks in their place, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
The party decks are not expected to be completed until the 2012 season, so the capacity of FedEx Field will drop from 91,704 to approximately 85,000 in the meantime. Sources tell the Washington Post that season-ticket holders in those sections will be provided new seats closer to midfield at no additional charge. The seats are located in the 400 level on each end of the stadium, including, but not limited to, sections 409-419.
As to why the Redskins are building party decks, a source told Jones that they want to keep pace with Jerry Jones, whose new Cowboys Stadium features six party decks.
"It's keeping up with the Joneses," one source said. "The modifications, and the party decks, are keeping with a trend of what Jerry Jones did in Dallas, and what Tampa Bay has. [The decks] are affordable, fun areas where people like to hang out before, during and after games."
The Cowboys charge $29 a person to be in the standing-room only party decks. The Redskins' price is expected to be similar once it is finalized.