With the Metrodome walls coming down, the Vikings are officially without a home to call their own.
It’s a good thing the University of Minnesota built a new football stadium five years ago, as TCF Bank Stadium will play temporary host to the Vikings for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
But that can’t happen until “The Bank” has undergone some minor upgrades to make the field playable further into the dead of Minnesota winter.
That’s where the Purple come in, as they have agreed to pay $6.6 million in field and stadium upgrades in order to fulfill the needs of the state’s NFL franchise.
The main renovation needed for the 50,000-seat stadium is a heated playing surface, previously not a concern (don’t tell that to fans and players that were at Minnesota’s final home game) since the Gophers don’t play any home games past November.
Other renovations include adding camera platforms for the NFL to give a better television broadcast of games, as well as temporary bleachers for nearly 2,000 fans.
The Vikings will not have to come up with $6.6 million on top of the $975 million already being spent on the new stadium, as $16 million in TCF renovation funds was built into the original nine-figure budget for the new stadium.
