Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping’s first words to the Rotary Club of Jacksonville on Monday were “thanks for the business.”
Lamping said he realizes that many of the club’s members are season ticketholders and others pay for suites at EverBank Field.
“We need to earn your business. It’s not your civic obligation to support the team,” Lamping said.
He said the team is working to enhance the fan’s game-day experience as well as put a winning team on the field.
Planned improvements include making it easier to use a cellphone inside the stadium, enhancing the food and beverage options and improving the sound system to make it easier for fans to hear and understand the stadium announcer and referees.
Asked about the East Club seats, which have traditionally been more difficult to sell because fans face the sun during 1 p.m. games, Lamping said the team looked at several options.
One plan was to install either a sun shade on the west side of the stadium that could be removed in the event of high winds or a permanent structure designed to withstand the worst Florida weather. Lamping said the Jaguars determined those were not affordable options.
He cited a cost of about $600 million. “That’s way more than it cost to renovate the stadium,” he said.
Lamping said the team’s sales staff has worked to make seats on the east side of EverBank Field “a better value.”
On the field, Lamping said the Jaguars are facing what every NFL team faces at the beginning of a new season. They need good play from their quarterback, they need to avoid injuries and they need some breaks.
“We hope to build on the solid foundation that’s been built here,” he said.
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