Bills address fan complaints over sight lines at new Highmark Stadium
Bills officials said only a small fraction of season-ticket holders have raised concerns about obstructed views at the newly opened Highmark Stadium and pledged to handle issues case by case.
Buffalo Bills officials responded on Monday to social-media criticism that some seats at the newly unveiled Highmark Stadium have obstructed sight lines. The team said it has heard from less than one percent of personal seat license (PSL) holders about the issue and expressed confidence that the virtual venue used during sales accurately reflected what most fans will see.
"So far, we’ve heard from less than 1 percent of our PSL holders about anything sight line related," Bills president of business operations Pete Guelli told reporters on a conference call.
Guelli noted that any large venue will include some seats with limited views, but said those seats were clearly identified in the virtual tour and would not be sold for NFL games. Vice president of stadium development John Polka added that photos circulating online often showed seats that are not intended for football and would be blocked or reserved for other events such as concerts.
"Seats with truly obstructed views have not been sold as a PSL or for any football games," Polka said.
Senior vice president of venue operations Andy Major said the practice session on Saturday featured vendors and staff moving in the stands, which will be restricted during games by a "wait-for-the-whistle" policy.
The stadium, built at a cost of $2.2 billion with $850 million of public funding, opened to the public for a Red & Blue scrimmage on Saturday. Attendees also complained about the size of the video boards, audio quality and rain that soaked sections of the crowd despite the canopy, which the team markets as covering about 65 percent of seats.
Polka said the organization is evaluating scoreboard usage and audio setup, noting that speakers placed on the field for the practice will be removed for games. He also acknowledged a large “punch list” of roughly 27,000 items that will be addressed over the season.
"It’s 1.6 million square feet, and we’ve been saying from the beginning we’ll be open on time to be functional and ready for football and our fans. But we’ll be working through a number of items for the rest of the season," Guelli said.
Despite the criticisms, Guelli described the overall fan reaction as overwhelmingly positive and highlighted the stadium’s modern amenities compared with the former venue.