Other than in The Fort section of Gillette Stadium, it has been difficult to get an atmosphere at an MLS game like you get in Seattle or Toronto. One reason for this was that one half of the stadium was totally closed to fans, making it difficult to generate noise in the large stadium.
But the Revolution are moving to change that as they have decided to expand the seating area to both sides of the stadium. This move has helped to increase season ticket and multi-game sales for 2011, according to Revolution chief operating officer Brian Bilello.
“Off the field, there have been a number of things that have happened that we are excited about,” Bilello said during the club’s media day Wednesday. “It was a very strong offseason for us off the field. Our season tickets are already at higher numbers than they were last season before we have even kicked off. That is due to both growth in our renewal numbers and in our season ticket sales.”
The new configuration will shorten the size of sections by 10-15 rows on all sides of the field to create a more intimate atmosphere for fans, according to Bilello.
“What it does is that it brings everybody closer to the field,” Bilello said. “From a fan perspective, it brings you closer to the field. From our perspective, it will give us more atmosphere on both sides of the stadium.”
By offering new seating options at midfield on the west side and supplying an opportunity to generate more atmosphere within the stadium, the Revs have stoked interest among potential season ticket holders, according to Bilello.
“Part of our new season ticket numbers and our renewals is about people being excited about our new seating configuration,” Bilello said. “You can grab a new season ticket and be in row two, row three or row one on the west side of the stadium because those seats have never been sold before. From that perspective, I think it has been well received.”
Besides improving the atmosphere at “The Razor”, the Revs are also able to double the number of tickets they can sell between the penalty boxes. A decision that helps the team on and off the field.