The new stadium in Jacksonville will benefit more than just the Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s new football stadium has been approved by the NFL and the blades will be in the ground early next year.

The stadium deal, which was unanimously approved by NFL owners on Tuesday afternoon, is expected to benefit more than just the Jaguars. Construction on the $1.4 billion stadium is expected to begin after the Jaguars’ 2024 season is complete. Mayor Donna Deegan, Jaguars owner Shad Khan and team president Mark Lamping have all said they expect the stadium of the future to have far-reaching impacts on more than just NFL football.

One of the biggest attractions that should be preserved here – the Florida-Georgia game. The current contract with the city runs through the 2025 season. The schools exercised their two-year option last year.

Lamping said those involved in the stadium process made it clear to both schools that a new stadium would benefit the Gators and Bulldogs in the long term. The schools benefit financially more from the neutral location game than from a home-and-home constellation. According to numerous published media reports, each school brings home between $4 and $5 million annually from the game.

“One of the things we did up front was we talked to key stakeholders very early in the design process,” he said. “We have had several meetings with the athletic directors of both the University of Georgia and the University of Florida to ensure that this stadium meets their needs and to ensure that this great annual tradition of the Florida Georgia game remains in Jacksonville.

“And I think this development gives us a lot more confidence that these universities will choose to stay in Jacksonville because economically it is much better for them in the new stadium than in the old stadium.”

The Florida-Georgia rivalry has been played in Jacksonville every October since 1933, except for the 1994 and 1995 seasons when then-TIAA Bank Field was under construction. The game will take place on November 2nd this year.

“I think that’s really one of the main purposes of the stadium, the way the venue is designed,” Khan said. “I think it will be among the best in the world and that is what we expect from it, to be able to hold world-class events, to contribute to the city through prestige and, more importantly, from revenue, and really help the community grow. It is a public venue and the main purpose is to serve the community. I mean, we have high expectations, the design, the function, all of it is to make it one of the best in the world.”