The Denver Broncos are building a new mini-stadium for tailgaters
The Broncos are building a new stadium in the parking lot of their current stadium.
By
John Breech
•
2 min read
When the Denver Broncos moved out of Mile High Stadium after the 2000 season, it was mostly because the building was old and outdated, which mostly had to do with the fact that Mile High was built in 1948.
Although the building was old, it supplied Broncos fans with plenty of memories over the four decades it was open. During the Broncos' 40 years at Mile High (1960-2000), the team hosted four AFC Championship games and won all four.
The Broncos want to honor the stadium, so they've decided to what Derek Zoolander would do and build a mini-version of it. According to the Broncos' head of business development, Mac Freeman, Mini Mile High will be one-eighth the size of the original.
What is that? A stadium for ants? #milehigh #Broncos https://t.co/u8EQevYFkh @jasonblevins pic.twitter.com/7ephtYCDGk
— Dana Coffield (@denpostdana) March 16, 2016
Yes. A stadium for ants.
"Something to celebrate where the Mile High magic was born," Freeman told the Denver Post.
The Broncos are hoping that Mini Mile High will be ready for the start of the 2016 season so that fans can utilize it for tailgating and other functions.
The Mile High replica, which is expected to stand 11 feet high, will hold 176 original seats from Mile High and is expected to be able to accommodate up to 300 fans.
The new miniature stadium, which will be built in the parking lot of Sports Authority Field, is also expected to have an AstroTurf field and a working scoreboard.
The general manager of stadium management in Denver, Jay Roberts, is pretty excited about the project.
"People will actually be able to go and sit in a seat as though they were in old Mile High," Roberts told the ABC affiliate in Denver. "Instead of just having a monument that says, 'Hey, Mile High Stadium stood here,' it's going to be something that people can walk in, take their kids and show them that this is where I used to go to games."
Mini Mile High won't just be for home games either.
"We see on an away game, people being able to host 300 people in there," Freeman sad. "They'll have food and beverage, the scoreboard, they can watch our game while we're on the road."
The new stadium will be a total of about 3,000 square feet.
Let's hope this starts an NFL arms race and every team builds their own mini-stadium -- except the Raiders, that is. No one needs a miniature O.co that may or may not leak sewage.
