PSL Plans For Falcons’ New Stadium Revealed
By Ben Sullivan
Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
PSLs, or Personal Seat Licenses, are a controversial way for NFL teams to make money when they move from one stadium to a new one. Controversal among fans that is, not among the teams. Most teams use them, and apparently the Atlanta Falcons plan to charge them for fans planning to purchase season tickets when they move into their new stadium.
Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that documents obtained under the state’s Open Records Act reveal a plan for the Falcons to charge the PSLs. The documents do not, however detail how much those PSLs will be.
The practice of charging PSLs has become a common way for NFL teams to cover the cost of their new stadiums. The new stadium for the Falcons will be one of the most technically advanced in the league when it opens, including a state of the art retractable roof.
While there was no mention of how much the PSLs would be, the documents did include several options that are being considered for payments. The options under consideration are a lump sum payment, short-term payments with no finance charges and long-term payments with finance charges.
The PSLs will be offered to Falcons’ existing club-seat and season ticket holders first. A waiting list, with a refundable deposit, is also planned. Owners of the PSLs will have control over their seats for at least 30 years, the length of the Falcons’ minimum lease term on the new stadium.
PSLs have become a fact of life in the NFL. New stadiums are a good thing for a fan base, but the PSLs make securing season tickets tough for some fans.
With the news that the Falcons plan to use them, prepare for a big price tag if you plan on being a season ticket holder when they start playing in the new stadium.