Rapids Fan Focus Groups Might Lead to DICK’s Sporting Goods Park Renovation

COMMERCE CITY – As you already know, DICK’s Sporting Goods Park isn’t the best stadium in MLS. There’s maintenance to be done. The scoreboard has glitchy pixels. There’s signs and other things showing their age. The food is relatively poor and overpriced.

The club did upgrade the north and south ends of DSG earlier this year. They’re looking to further renovate The Richard to catch up in MLS 4.0 and improve the spectator experience. The club quietly had several fan focus group meetings last month. These may be the first steps to overhauling DSGP and ending the Moldy DICK’s jokes.

Burgundy Wave has found out what some of those meetings were like. Here’s what you should know.

The club is consulting with CSL International. They are an advisory and planning firm that specializes in sports, venue and entertainment. Their main office is in Frisco, Texas. They’ve worked with numerous MLS teams, including most of the recent expansion clubs with new stadiums. They have done work with at least one renovated older stadium as well. The Denver Broncos and Ball Arena have employed them, so they’re familiar with the market and KSE.

The purpose of these Season Ticket Member focus groups was to get input on potential enhancements to the matchday and seat experience at DSGP. As you can image, many fans showed up to complain about the team losing, KSE not spending money, and calling for Pádraig Smith et al. to be fired.

If you’re a regular at Rapids games, you can guess what the feedback on the matchday experience was. Getting in and out could be easier. The bathrooms, seats, handrails, lighting, and signs need replacing. So does the scoreboard. It’s a “low value, bare bones stadium,” as one attendee described. The food quality isn’t great. The near-Vail prices don’t help. STM in-stadium benefits could be improved. Many prefer the tailgate. The Wi-Fi stinks. To say nothing of the team losing and the walkout in September.

CSL got plenty of feedback on brand association and what the Rapids could do, stadium renovation or otherwise, to improve attendance. Fans feel they could market the team more and target different demographics, Latinx communities for example. Juanners, if you’re reading this, I’m sure you’ll think of how they market to the boujee yuppy transplants too much. Hard to compete with all those breweries in RiNo and The Rooftop vibes at Coors Field.

These meetings had a presentation with photos and renderings of amenities at other MLS stadia. Think the long bar in San Jose, the Brew Hall in Minnesota, the plaza and Crew House in Columbus.

Based on what fans said they liked, what all could be proposed?

There’s the possibility of expanding Dale’s Bar and using it more for pre and post match events. Imagine an end-to-end beer and food hall on the south side with the mountain-like roofing like what’s on the east and west side of DSG. With way better food as well with local venders, like Avanti in the Highlands. Maybe some tickets include a food/drink voucher for this as well. STM’s get some perks maybe.

The corners of the stadium and the centerline could be renovated as premium seats. Think that corner of Nashville’s stadium that’s different.

There was another popular idea: Have a lounge that’s more communal than the Summit Club. Make it available to STMs. Allow any fan entrance with an additional fee regardless of where their seat is. It’s better than having to upgrade your ticket to the Summit Club and give up your usual stadium seat. There’s also the idea of making sectioned off areas for groups of 4-8 like the North End Terrace at LAFC above the 3252.

Burgundy Wave has heard they might take space from the press box (top floor above the Summit Club outdoor seats) in order to implement these ideas. There’s always plenty of empty seats on Press Row, so don’t worry about us.

A tunnel club is less feasible. If it were to be implemented, it likely would be at ground level in the northwest corner of the stadium. This could be with enhanced field side seats in that area, an upgraded NoBo, or something that replaces the west side of NoBo.

Will these focus groups lead to actual change?

Who knows? Multiple attendees told Burgundy Wave there was something similar in 2015 with no end product. I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ll do everything I can to report on the cost of whatever is done.

It’s good that the club did this. It’s good they’re using a firm that has MLS experience. That said, this will cost money. Replacing Dale’s Bar with a full beer hall on the south side and a full west tower renovation should reach seven figures. Where would that money come from? Would this work come at the expense of more funding for the first team, the academy, etc.?

If they’re only in the survey and concept phase right now, they’re likely not releasing any plans or renderings until the middle of 2024. At best, a beer hall, STM lounge, and tunnel club would come in 2025. Or is this the new Victory Crossing?

If nothing else, fans left these focus group meetings feeling heard and understood. That’s a step in the right direction for this club.

Burgundy Wave reached out to the club prior to publishing this article. At time of publishing, the club had not responded with a comment.

Photo Credit: Mark Shaiken.

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