U.S. Bank Stadium is one of the top stadiums in the NFL, but it’s not going to be cheap to keep it that way.
According to a report from the Star Tribune’s Rochelle Olson, the home of the Minnesota Vikings will need $280 million in maintenance over the next decade, including $48 million within the next year — though the stadium is in “very good shape” overall.
But do the Vikings, aided by taxpayer dollars, have enough money to cover the upgrades?
“The answer to that is no,” Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority Chair Michael Vekich told Olson, remarking that securing funding would take a collective effort by the Vikings, stadium operator ASM, and state lawmakers.
U.S. Bank Stadium opened in the summer of 2016 and was partially funded by taxpayers and ownership at the cost of $1.1 billion. Since its opening, it has hosted the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four, Super Bowl LII and numerous concerts, but has also required millions of dollars in maintenance.
In 2021, the siding on the exterior of the stadium was replaced after the black zinc panels were more susceptible to wind and water damage than originally thought – a project that cost $21 million.
Along with TCO Performance Center in Eagan, which was built at a cost of $90 million and opened in 2018, U.S. Bank Stadium is a key reason why the Vikings were the top team in the NFL Players Association’s report cards last month.
If the Vikings want to stay toward the top of that list, they’ll have to find a way to come up with the money to keep U.S. Bank Stadium up to date.
