NFL American football team the Cleveland Browns has reaffirmed its commitment to FirstEnergy Stadium, with the team’s owners detailing plans to improve the 67,000-seat venue.
The stadium has served as the Browns’ home since 1999. Last year, ESPN reported that team had begun discussions over a development project that could lead to the renovation of the venue or a new facility on a different site.
The Browns now appear set to stay at FirstEnergy Stadium, with co-owner Dee Haslam stating this is the best option for the team. The Browns noted that the waterfront area around the stadium is largely undeveloped and Haslam discussed the team’s plans earlier this week during the NFL’s annual meeting.
“We are working with looking at the downtown development in general,” Haslam said. “So obviously we’re committed to being where we are. And we’ll make improvements to the stadium.
“We ask a lot of people about what they think we should do to the stadium and we’ll just continue to update it and make it the best possible place it can be. It has its limitations, right? But I think the location and kind of who Cleveland is, if we can develop around there and make it easily accessible to the city, I think the No. 1 thing we’ve got to do is make it easier to get to our stadium.”
She added: “We’re committed and we are committed to … we think the best thing for Cleveland is to stay where we are.
“I think we asked the question then if they want us there. If somebody came in with a development program for the waterfront and they said ‘the stadium doesn’t work there,’ would we be willing to talk about moving somewhere else close to town? We feel like it’s the best place for us. It’s there and it’s a community asset that we feel is really important.”
Image: JonRidinger
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