NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars ‘could play games at Daytona Speedway while renovating current home’ – with work beginning on ‘stadium of the future’ with $1 billion in tax dollars
Jaguars president Mark Lamping has confirmed that the team would consider Daytona International Speedway as a temporary home during renovations to TIAA Bank Field.
The team last week introduced designs for multibillion-dollar renovations to and around their 28-year-old stadium, which are intended to transform TIAA Bank Field into a team titled “Stadium of the Future.”
However, those transformations could force the Jaguars, who won the AFC South last year with a 9-8 record, to play elsewhere for two years while construction is completed.
And Jacksonville could soon be playing football in an unorthodox setting.
“It would be an interesting solution, but it would also require significant investment in infrastructure,” Lamping told Daytona’s VenuesNow trade journal.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are looking for a ‘stadium of the future’ with their new home
And they could move to their current homes during construction in Daytona
“It caters to a large crowd. It would be a little weird, but it’s worth considering.’
Daytona President Frank Kelleher also issued a statement The Daytona Beach News-Journalsaying he and team representatives will meet soon to discuss playing at the facility, which currently houses 101,500 fans.
“Daytona International Speedway is a world-renowned sports and entertainment venue and hosts a full schedule of events each year,” said Kelleher.
“As good neighbors in the Florida sports community, DIS will speak with the Jacksonville Jaguars to see if we can help them with their possible future facility needs around our planned events.”
However, Daytona appears to be an opportunity for the Jaguars.
Speaking to The News-Journal, Lamping named the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium or Orlando’s Camping World Stadium as the most likely hosts.
The Jaguars’ lease with the city expires after the 2029 season.
If the renovation plans are approved, the Jaguars would break ground after the 2025 season and are already working on varying plans to play two seasons elsewhere.
The team wants to turn the area into a venue that will attract festivals, concerts and more
They could also spread the build over four seasons and continue playing at TIAA, but Lamping said that route would cost an additional $190 million.
In part, the Jaguars want to increase the number of seats from the current 62,000 to 71,500, add a shaded canopy to reduce the heat factor by 70 percent, and widen their main concourse to four times the size of the current one.
The team also wants to develop land around the stadium to turn the area into a year-round draw for downtown, a venue that will attract festivals, concerts and other sports, including international football matches and college basketball.
Jacksonville is the only NFL franchise that has not built a new stadium or undergone substantial renovations since the team entered the league in 1995. Recently, Tennessee and Buffalo approved deals to build new stadiums.