solution

Welcome to Our Solution

We at www.ChargersStadium.com are 100% Lighting Bolt Chargers fans. We are totally independent of the Chargers and any of their organizations. However, as we want to work with both the team and the city, we invite the Chargers, owners, coaches and players alike, and all other San Diego citizens, to join with us in working out a solution together which will work to the benefit of all the people (local fans who are the taxpayers) of San Diego, large and small businesses impacted directly and indirectly by the Chargers, the Mayor, the City Council, and the fans of the Chargers worldwide.

The Chargers and Padres (as well as the other San Diego university, college, and high school sports teams) have always been part of the "common community ground" that we have all shared together in San Diego. Most of us, when we get together, begin with our common enjoyment of our teams, "breaking the ice" with our takes on the Chargers, Padres, Aztecs, and other favorite teams, and then we get on with the rest of our stories about other things we have to do (work, family, projects, neighborhood, etc., whatever it may be).

Photo Courtesy of the Jack Murphy Sports Complex

The Padres will soon open their own new stadium.  What about the Chargers? We at www.chargersstadium.com believe an answer satisfactory to all is possible.  There are two approaches:  (1) build a new stadium or (2) renovate further Qualcomm Stadium at Jack Murphy Sports Complex, formerly the San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

We at www.ChargersStadium.com are answering the Mayor's call for creative solutions to the Chargers issue:  keeping them in San Diego and doing so with a stadium solution that satisfies both the team and the City without requiring new tax dollars.

QUITE SIMPLY: WE DON'T WANT TO LOSE THE CHARGERS. But as Bob Dylan sang, "The times, they are a changin'."   Even so, we don't have to lose them if we all work together to make it work.

The Chargers have NOT changed. Football has NOT changed. The enjoyment and community camaraderie we get has NOT changed. The many common community and business and personal benefits we get have NOT changed. BUT! THE FINANCIAL ENVIRONMENT and related to that, the THE PHYSICAL PLAYING FIELDS (now called "venues"), HAVE changed. For a crisp analysis of the situation that best explains why cities like San Diego are at risk of losing our team see the cover story on the financial environment of the NFL and the crucial role played by the stadiums, in the September 20, 1999 Forbes Magazine.

If we want to keep the Chargers, we have to adjust to the new reality that professional sports is now both big business and big entertainment.

BUT! It can still be a happy public-private partnership, just as the one which developed Qualcomm Stadium at Jack Murphy Sports Complex, formerly the San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. We can develop a workable model for the Chargers, either for a new stadium or to renovate Qualcomm Stadium, without having to raise any new taxes.

We want to have a great season every year. Both national magazines and our own local newspapers have underscored the fact that our current stadium situation limits the Chargers' ability to do two critical things, FIRST, run the business franchise profitably, and SECOND, field a competitive team -- the kind of team our fans demand and Dean Spanos is committed to putting on the field. And in San Diego, we have the quality of life many players would like to enjoy for themselves and their families.

But the fact remains that the business of professional football is changing, and, as stated by the NFL and every team in the NFL, teams need stadiums configured to enable them to keep pace with the rest of the league.  Without either a new stadium or additional renovations to the current stadium in order to facilitate additional revenue sources other teams enjoy, that gap will get wider every year. Soon, the Chargers will not be able to generate the revenues needed to operate the team in San Diego.  We don't want Los Angeles to get our team.

The Chargers are fortunate to play in a financially healthy league with no labor problems, a league that works to ensure smaller-market teams like the Chargers have a chance to compete. And although the bulk of shared revenues come from national broadcasting rights, and each NFL team gets the same amount each year, additional revenues are needed to keep pace with the escalating operating costs, which can only be achieved with a stadium that enable than new revenue, either by renovating existing stadiums or building new ones. The shared revenue scheme has not leveled the playing field. The larger markets have built stadiums which can generate home town revenues for the team. San Diego does not have that. To field any team let alone the Chargers, teams have to have stadiums configured to enable that to happen.  To return to the glory days of Air Coryell and Dan Fouts, we need to replace or renovate the stadium so the Chargers can stay in San Diego and compete.

We at www.chargersstadium.com believe that by working together, we can develop a new financial model which will satisfy the owners who need to make a profit, the taxpayers who don't want to subsidize millionaires with new tax dollars, the small businesses and others who profit from the games, and, of course the fans for whom the Chargers have long been a cherished part of their lives. We are inviting all the key players in the debate both for and against a new stadium to join with us in working to put our heads together to create a new financial paradigm that works for San Diego and in turn works for the Chargers.  When it does all of that, it will also work for the fans.

Located in the heart of San Diego in Mission Valley, Qualcomm Stadium is centrally located and easily accessible. The Stadium can be reached by any one of four freeways: the 805, 163, 15 and 8.  And the San Diego Trolley runs between the Stadium and Old Town.  The stadium is for the ages:  it received the First Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.  There are over 19,000 parking spaces, as well as bus service to and from the Stadium, a Trolley that runs between the Stadium and Old Town.  It has seven different entrances into the Stadium, that ensure that convenience is added to every visit. 

REVENUE

Unfortunately, shared revenue is only one part of the equation. 21st century profitability will be based on Non-shared revenues which will come primarily from stadium sources such as concessions, parking, suites, club seats, advertising and any other activities which a team can develop and use to generate revenue. In 2002, these revenues will vary greatly from team to team.  The Chargers will rank near the bottom of the league.  Another team that is near the bottom in revenues, and thus is now in the process of seeking another city where it can obtain a stadium, is the Minnesota Vikings. 

The San Diego Chargers are a privately owned team and so specific information is not available.  However, we can provide approximate numbers for the Chargers:

rankings

RANKINGS

The salary cap helps teams like the Chargers compete for star players by putting a ceiling on the total amount teams can pay players. But the salary cap is tied to the average NFL team revenue and it will rise as the average team revenue rises. Without new or renovated stadium configured for new revenue sources, the Chargers will fall further below average and will be faced with a tough choice: pay up to the salary cap and lose money, or pay below the cap and lose favorite, star players.  The following is information for another near the bottom, the Vikings.  The Chargers are in a similar position.

A rank position like this seriously limits the Chargers revenue opportunities. The Chargers rank near the bottom among all NFL teams when it comes to important stadium revenue sources like concessions, parking, suites, club seats and advertising.

Because of shortfalls in every stadium revenue category, The Chargers are projected to continue to rank low in the NFL in total revenue for 2002. This is unlikely to improve without a new or renovated stadium.

We also want a facility that better serves fans. More people than ever are looking for a way to attend a Chargers game.  The Chargers also need to offer better accommodations -- more restrooms, more concession areas, wider concourses -- so fans no longer have to choose at half-time between the restroom and a snack.

The following chart clearly shows the direction of the NFL with regard to the importance of new stadium construction. We believe, if the Chargers are to remain in San Diego, a new or renovated stadium is a necessary component of being in business with the NFL.

conclusion

CONCLUSION

We believe that there are enough examples out there to provide San Diego with a model which will work for all concerned, from the taxpayers, that is all citizens, to the legislators trying to develop a public-private partnership that will satisfy all, to the owners who will need to show a profit, to the coaches who need to develop a competitive team, to the players on the field, and to the fans in the stands and watching on TV and listening to the radio.

As fans, we're thinking football. We have also geared up for an exciting 2002 season. At the same time, we would like to begin a conversation about resolving the football stadium issue for San Diego. We believe there is a stadium solution that will benefit not only the team, but also fans and the City of San Diego. We are committed, cooperatively to "Creating a solution to continue a tradition."

We invite you to submit your suggestions. We will turn over every suggestion we get to the Chargers and to the Mayor's Task Force.  We will also continue to develop our own research, with the goal to come up with a means and mechanism to achieve a win-win "conflict resolution" for all sides concerned.

ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT QUALCOMM STADIUM

The Facility

Date Built: 1968
Ownership (Management): City of San Diego
Surface:Grass
Cost of Construction: $27 million; $78 million renovation completed in 1997.
Stadium Financing:1997 renovation; $18 million from naming rights; $60 million from sale of bonds.
Naming Rights: Qualcomm Corp. paid $18 million cash for 20-year naming rights in 1997.

Other Facts

Tenants

San Diego Chargers: (NFL) 1967-Present;
San Diego State Aztecs: (NCAA)
San Diego Padres: (MLB) 1969-Present
Former Tenant: San Diego Sockers: (NASL)

Population Base: 2,000,000
On Site Parking: 19,500
Nearest Airport: 20 Miles
Retired Numbers: #14 Dan Fouts
Seating for Football: 71,294
Prices(Mean): $58, $45, $40, $25, $20 ($42.72) - 1998
Luxury Suites: 113 Suites
Club Seats: 7,882

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