Published on July 9, 2023 at 9:31 pm
Jacksonville Today seeks to include a diverse set of perspectives that add context or unique insight to the news of the day. Regular opinion columnists are independent contractors who are not involved in news decisions. Want to submit your own column on a matter of public interest? Email pitches to jessica@jaxtoday.org.
Less than a month from the start of the Jaguars’ 2023 training camp and the biggest question isn’t about the roster or how the rookies will adapt to life in the NFL. Instead, the question most Jaguars fans seem to be asking is where the team will play while stadium renovations are completed.
The stadium renovation is yet to be approved by the city, although it would be a shock if the deal wasn’t agreed to, even with some further negotiations. The Jaguars say they plan to spend the 2026 and 2027 seasons playing in another venue.
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What will happen? Here’s my best guess.
First, expect there to be at least two “home” games played in London. The Jaguars will play one “home” and one road game in the UK this season. It will serve as a test run for how to handle a similar trip in the future.
Second, the Jaguars’ brass will have to decide if they wish to play the rest of their home games in the same stadium. There are reasons beyond football to keep the alternate stadium constant for an entire season. Sponsorship activation and signage, broadcasting infrastructure, parking logistics, and a host of other categories would benefit from playing home games in just one domestic venue for the entire season.
However, the lure of trying to add some interest in several markets on the outskirts of the Jaguars’ geographic zone might swing the pendulum in a different direction. The Jaguars have expressed a desire in the past to claim Orlando as a market for ticket and merchandise sales by growing the fan base.
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This month, the list of potential temporary stadium homes produced some news.
For starters, The Swamp in Gainesville was thought of as a contender to host the Jaguars. Then, the University of Florida announced plans for a renovation project costing at least $400 million. No formal date has been set for when the renovations would begin, but it’s not a stretch to think that it could coincide with the Jaguars’ need for an alternate location.
Last month, the Orlando Sentinel reported that Citrus Sports wants to upgrade Camping World Stadium with an $800 million renovation, a project that would include putting a roof on the stadium. As with The Swamp, no timetable has been formalized, but it would be unlikely for Orlando to delay a major project while the Jaguars played a few games in their city.
This brings us to the two options that don’t formally exist yet. Playing in a makeshift temporary stadium at Daytona International Speedway or in the planned soccer stadium proposed by JAX USL, the group bringing professional men’s and women’s soccer to town.
Daytona would have the parking infrastructure to handle a gameday crowd and, depending on the design, would be able to accommodate more fans than the current capacity of EverBank Stadium. The downside would be the travel for most Jaguars fans. For those who live north of I-10, it would be a much longer trek on a Sunday morning. Although, there are some Jaguars fans further south for whom the drive down I-95 might actually be shorter than the current trip to the sports complex.
The soccer stadium would only be able to seat something around 30,000 fans, the same number the Chargers had room for when they played at the soccer stadium of the L.A. Galaxy. The benefit of playing in the soccer stadium would be a shorter commute for most of the Jaguars season ticket holders. It’s expected to be built in the Jacksonville metro area. The stadium is planned for 15,000-20,000 right now, but temporary seating could be added to get to the 30,000-seat range.
Where will the Jaguars wind up? The answer seems to change weekly. And it’s likely that we won’t know for certain until well after those roster questions are answered.
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Editor’s note: Cole Pepper works as a consultant for JAX USL, in addition to writing for Jacksonville Today.
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.
