CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER CHAD JOHNSON
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 7, 2025
(On what the fans can expect will be different about their gameday experience) “Let me
start by setting the table because here we are at the front doorstep of another NFL season,
and we’ve got to remember what we’re trying to accomplish. It’s building a Stadium of the
Future that everybody in Jacksonville can be proud of but doing so by playing the most
games possible here at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. With that comes some
construction and some differences that’ll happen. The main thing to remember is that the
experience in the seating bowl is going to be exactly the same. The seats are all the same.
The manifest is the same. You’ll be able to watch the game the same. What will change a
little bit is the entry and exit experience around the stadium, and how awesome is it when
you look over there and see all this construction. You guys have seen it through training
camp and other things, but a lot of our fans haven’t been downtown for a number of
months, so they will be shocked at the amount of work that’s happening. The work that’s
being done right now is, one, to support the canopy roof structure. So, you’ll see a lot of the
support structures going in. Two, it’s relocating a lot of the subsurface utilities, water,
power, etc. Three, it’s the widening of the concourses, which will be a great experience-
changer for our fans. Lastly, the vertical movement, some of the escalators and things that
have come down to be able to support that is what’s happening right now with the
construction. So, when fans enter, the main differences right now will be the East and West
Club gates typically have been something that any fan could enter and then you would
navigate throughout the ground level and around the building. The East and West Club
gates now will be solely for East and West Club members because as you’ll see when you
come to the building, you’re automatically forced to go into the club. You’re not able to walk
around the actual ground level. Gates 1, 2, 3 will all still be open and operate as normal
then Gate 4, which is in the Southeast Corner, is now a big super gate. We’ve increased the
size of that gate. It’ll be the best access to get in and have access to vertical transportation
via escalators in the South End zone, be able to get you into the Fan Entertainment Zone
where we do all the games and partners for our kids and things there, so that’ll be a big
change. With the escalators coming down at Gates 2 and 3, vertical transportation will be
different for fans. On your ticket, it might tell you a recommended gate to enter based on
where your seating location is, but what we want fans to do is make sure that they do their
homework in advance and know where their transportation is, where their parking or ride
share is, and make sure you enter and exit the gate that’s most efficient to that,
independent of what your ticket may say. The 360-degree transportation around the
building will be different. So, if I were to give advice, it would be plan your trip in advance,
know where your transportation is, understand the gate to enter, which is most convenient
to that. Then when you get into the stadium, the main 360-degree transportation will be on
the main concourse. So, get into the building and get to the main concourse, and that will
allow you to navigate around the entire building. But to see the progress and see how
awesome it is that we’re making this progress for this Stadium of the Future and still be
able to have the Jaguars playing here and the fan experience in the bowl stay the same is
what we’re really excited about. And then we brought in a bunch of extra help. A bunch of
extra people to help with wayfinding. A bunch of extra people to help with vertical
movement throughout the stadium, and to be able to assist our fans. Then if there’s an
individual case or need you have, we all know we’ve got one of the best teams in sports to
be there to assist, you can just call us and we’ll help figure it out. So, with that, I’d like to
open it up to questions.”
(On what gates will be open for entry into the stadium) “All gates in the stadium will be
open. One, two, three, four, including the East and West Club. The difference is the East
and West Club are now only for East and West Club ticket holders and suite holders, but
the other gates will be open. Then we’ve opened one additional entry point in the South End
Zone, which is where the old Flex Field is, the indoor practice facility. We’re opening one
additional route of entrance. To give an example, if you were entering Gate 1 now, you will
enter Gate 1 and immediately go up the ramps and get on to the main concourse level. You
wouldn’t be able to go south to get in the Fan Entertainment Zone without going up to the
main concourse and around and back down. So, you’ll still be able to enter through all
those gates but because you can’t move around the Ground Level 360 the way you used to,
that’s why we want you to really focus on where your transportation is.”
(On the absence of the escalators and the ramps in place) “The ramps will be the main
mode of vertical transportation. We have brought in additional people to assist with
wheelchair escorts and things like that for people that may have some mobility challenges.
There are some staircases around those. Speaking of staircases, when you come into Gate
1 or 4, you’ll see the main grand staircase being built, which you’ve heard us talk about in
our in our Stadium of the Future updates. You’ll enter the stadium at concourse level. You’ll
see those big grand staircases being built down in the South End Zone over by Gates 1 and
4.”
(On if the experience will shift throughout the season) “In bowl, the experience will stay the
same. There could be and most likely will be changes throughout the year because
construction will be happening during the week when the team is not playing here, etc. So,
you can plan on Thursday of [home] game weeks, we’ll give updates as to what may be
different from week-to-week. So, there could be changes, but what we’re trying to do is
make sure that that we’re consistent in the entry/exit experience, which will be the one
that’s most impacted by the construction.”
(On if it will take longer for fans to enter the stadium with the construction) “We have the
same number of entry gates, but with the change in the experience that sometimes creates
confusion, so people kind of pause and may not know. So, we do recommend that you do
come early and plan to arrive early. But as far as the ability to get in the building, that will
remain the same as it has as far as number of entry points. It just is a little different as to
how I get to where I want go, and that’s where we’re asking for people’s patience. And
remember, the opportunity we’re seeing here to build the Stadium of the Future is going to
come with some differences, but it’s all for the greater good of the Stadium of the Future
that we’re going to be so proud of.”
(On if parking lots have been lost) “We have lost parking spaces, not necessarily parking
lots. So, if you’re coming here now, you’ll see that there’s a lot of construction laid down.
There’s heavy machinery and equipment that are in the lots, so people have had to relocate
their parking. They have had to move. We haven’t lost any full lots, but some folks that
parked in certain locations are now parking somewhere different, yourselves included. So
that will change your entry experience a little bit, and that’s why we want you to do your
homework in advance to know. Jaguars.com/stadium will have all of that. They’ll have the
parking maps, how and where, which gates will associate with that for our fans to be able to
make those decisions.”
(On if the traffic pattern on the way to the stadium has changed) “You still get to the
stadium the way you got here last year. We have worked with JSO [Jacksonville Sheriff’s
Office]. We have worked with JFRD [Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department] to make sure
we have a safe experience. Some of the pedestrian traffic patterns may change based on
the volume of gates that are open and where people are going. So, depending if you’re on
the East side or West side, they may direct pedestrian traffic a little bit differently. But for
the driving in and out, you still will be able to arrive the stadium the same way.”
(On if there are still operatable escalators and elevators in the stadium) “There are still
escalators that are operable. The escalators in the South End Zone, that go up to the main
concourse, are operable. You can get from the main concourse to the Upper East. You are
not able to do so to the Upper West due to the sky bridge that has come down. Again, that’s
part of the widening of the concourse component of it. You will see a lot of extra people in
maroon shirts that we brought in, and they are going to be helping with the wheelchair
escorts. If you do need to get to an elevator, they will be able to escort you and get you to
where you need to go. Then there will be some extra people out there for wayfinding if
you’re not quite sure how to get to [your seat]. So, we’re addressing that in advance of
making sure we can get people to do so. From a season ticket member standpoint, we’ve
done some outreach to inform them in advance. But we know that a lot of people that are
coming to the games may not have season tickets, and it may be one time or two times a
year, and we’ll be able to help them as well.”
(On if the spas in the stadium are open) “They are. The North End Zone, which has the spas
and the cabanas and all that, will be open. The sky patio, which is above the terrace suite in
the South End Zone will be open. So, all of the hospitality spaces will be open as usual for
this season. So again, that in bowl experience isn’t changing.”
