Cooke Stadium Questions & Answers

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Q: The Redskins have been sold out for more than 30 years and still have thousands on their season ticket waiting list despite building an 80,000-seat stadium. Will I ever be able to see a game there?
A: Tickets are always available - if you are willing to pay. Your best bet is to call a local ticket broker, listed under "Ticket Sales" in the Yellow Pages, who charges a premium for seats that can be several times the $60 face price of the most expensive general seating Redskins ticket. Failing that, there is always a ticket bazaar on the side of the roads leading to the stadium. But beware. Counterfeiters are very slick these days and several hundred fans last season bought bogus tickets near RFK. Look for the scalpers on Routes 202 and 214 and a few yards down the road near places like Brightseat Road and Route 202 and Arena Drive and Route 202. The Redskins officially discourage scalping, saying ticket re-sales "at any price" are prohibited on stadium grounds, but you can bet it will happen anyway. There is no state or local ordinance against ticket scalping at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, although Prince George’s County Police said they will enforce a ban against roadside vendor sales.

Q: We had season tickets near the front of the stands at RFK Stadium, and we were so close to the bench that we had to stand up to see the game. Will we have to stand at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium?
A: No. One of the many joys of the new stadium is that everybody will have good sightlines. Even those in the very front row will be nine feet above the field, high enough to see over the sidelines.

Q: Will the average fan be closer to the field than at RFK?
A: Yes. Remember that RFK Stadium was designed for baseball, so a lot of people had to look out over baseball foul territory to see the football field. JKC Stadium is designed for football and soccer, so there won’t be as much dead space on the sidelines.

Q: Will my new seats be in the sun all afternoon?
A: A lot will depend on the weather, the time of game, and how late in the season it is. Generally, seats facing south or west will bear the brunt of the afternoon sun. This is something of a guess based on the layout of the new stadium, but we imagine people in sections 105 through 120, 205 through 220, and 405 through 426 will get the most sun on a typical game day. People in suites or club seats will mostly be in the shade. Our advice for everybody: Wear sunscreen and take sunglasses and a hat, at least until you have a better feel for your seats.

Q: What kinds of items will I be able to take into the stadium, and which ones are forbidden?
A: Umbrellas, rain ponchos, handbags, blankets and tasteful signs or banners are all permitted. Bear in mind, though, that many people consider umbrellas a nuisance in a stadium, since they can obstruct others’ view. We suggest a rain hat and poncho instead. You can’t take any food or drink in, nor can you take in hard containers of any kind, such as bottles, jugs, Thermoses or coolers. Whistles, horns and other noise makers are prohibited, as are strollers. Small cameras are OK, but you’ll be breaking the law if you try to sell the pictures or use them for commercial gain. Radios and handheld TVs are OK if you use earphones. However, the fancy Jumbotron screens in each endzone and the 1,100 29-inch SONY televisions throughout the new stadium will show instant replays. So there may be less reason to take a TV than in the past.

Q: No food? I can bring peanuts and pistachios into Orioles games, why can’t I do that at the Redskins?
A: Football teams tend to be more strict about bringing food into the stadium because they only have eight games to earn money from concessions compared to baseball teams that have 81 home games. It’s unlikely the Redskins will dig into your purse looking for those tuna fish sandwiches, potato chips and cookies, but anything obvious like six-packs, coolers, pizzas and picnic baskets will not be allowed.

Q: I have a 3-year-old. Can I take her to the game and have her sit in my lap?
A: You certainly can, but you’ll have to go to the stadium ticket office at Gate A on game day to get a "lap pass." This will work for any child 3 and under, and you must bring the child with you to pick up the pass. Incidentally, family restrooms with diaper-changing stations are located by the elevators at Gates A and E.

Q: How will the stadium staff deal with lost children?
A: For a child with his or her own seat, you’re strongly encouraged to register at Gate A on the 100 level. The child will get a wristband with a seat number. Then instruct your child that if he or she ever gets lost, a stadium staff member can help find the right seat.

Q: Will there be emergency medical services in the stadium?
A: Certainly. First-aid stations will be located by the elevators at sections 104, 125, 303, 324, 403 and 430. For any serious emergency, flag down the closest stadium staff member.

Q: How early can we get into the stadium itself?
A: Two hours before kickoff. The restaurants will open at that time, too.

Q: I’m in a wheelchair. What kind of accommodations have the Redskins made for people like me?
A: The Redskins say the stadium will comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and disabled seating will be available on all levels. Disabled parking will be available at Lots E1 and H1. Contact the stadium ticket office at 301-276-6000.

Q: As a woman, I missed lots of action at RFK waiting in those endless restroom lines. Will I have to wait at Cooke Stadium?
A: Since women tend to need more time in restrooms than do men, the Redskins have given women about 52 percent of the 800 toilets in the new stadium, even though they make up less than half of the average Redskins crowd.

Q: How does the sewer system handle nearly 80,000 people going to the bathroom during the breaks?
A: Each half time, the stadium’s 800 toilets will flush nonstop for 20 minutes, creating 52,000 gallons of sewage. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, which treats local sewage, did not want the sewage all at once. So the Greenbelt engineering firm of Greenhorne & O’Mara found a solution: store the sewage in a 400-foot long, 54-inch wide pipe just outside the stadium, which is angled to dribble the waste gradually into the WSSC system. No pumps. No electricity. Just gravity.

Q: What other amenities will the new stadium offer to make life easier?
A: You’ll find automated teller machines near sections 102, 123 and 408. Credit cards will be accepted throughout the stadium. "Guest service centers" with all sorts of useful information will be located by the elevators at Gates A and E on all levels. Pay telephones will be located by sections 111, 132, 303, 324, 409, 419, 435 and 447. A lost-and-found desk will be located by the elevators at Gate A on the 100 level, and be reached during business hours at 301-276-6000. If you get locked out of your car while parked at the stadium, if the battery dies or if a tire goes flat, free help will be available.

Q: What are the best and worst seats at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium?
A: The club seats in the front row at midfield are probably the best, sections 320 to 323 on one side of the field and and sections 341, 342, 301 and 302 on the other side. The best in general seating is generally considered to be the lower-level general seats between the 20 yard lines: sections 120 to 123 and 141, 142, 101 and 102.

The high corner general seats in the 400s on the upper level, more than 100 feet above the field, may be the worst. The corner club seats are less desirable and had not sold out as of press time, which isn’t surprising considering they cost about $140 per game.

Q: Is smoking permitted?
A: Not in the seating area. It is permitted in all the concourses. Suiteholders make their own policy.

Q: I would like to take my children to the game, but there are fans nearby who drink too much beer and use foul language. Do I have any options other than just ignoring them?
A: The Redskins have strict rules on guest behavior such as use of foul language or intoxication. If someone is swearing or cursing, tell the ushers at the head of each aisle and they will ask the fan to stop or call a security person to eject them. The Redskins have a private security force inside the facility, backed up by the Prince George’s County Police Department. They both man a control area underneath the stadium that includes two "holding cells" for troublemakers and surveillance cameras that keep an eye on the fans and the concourses.

Q: My friends and I love to make a Redskins game an all-day event. What’s the earliest time we can get our tailgate parties started in the parking lot, and how long can we stay after the game?
A: The parking lots open four hours before kickoff and stay open the rest of the day. For a 1 p.m. Sunday game, the lots will be open from 9 a.m. Barbecue grills are permitted in the parking lot, but the Redskins ask that you stick close to your car. For safety’s sake, extinguish any fires before you head into the game. The stadium gates and the restaurants are open two hours before and at least three hours after the game, so fans can go there to watch pregame shows or the second half of a Sunday doubleheader.

Q: My little nephew Tommy would kill for Gus Frerotte’s or Darrell Green’s autograph. Where’s the best place to get autographs?
A: It’s going to be difficult. The players arrive several hours before the start of a game at a specially designated parking lot, most likely near the tunnels on the stadium's northwest side. Unless you are in the parking lot when it opens for fans four hours before game time, and catch the players as they walk into the stadium, you’re out of luck. You can try after the game too, but players sometimes don’t leave for hours. The vehicle of choice for football players is sports utility, so look for a cluster of Toyota Landcruisers or Jeep Cherokees.

Q: I loved hearing the Redskins band at RFK. Where will the band be located in the new stadium?
A: The band will be seated on the field in the west endzone, which is the same side as the Redskins sideline but on the opposite end from the tunnel through which the players enter and exit the field.

Q: I’ve never even been close to a luxury suite. What are they like inside, who owns them and how much do they cost?
A: Jack Kent Cooke Stadium started out with 284 luxury suites, which would have been the highest number in the NFL except that the Redskins lowered that number to 208 so they could make room for new loge seating. The loge seats are a covered area that rings the end zone in the upper suite level. The three rows of loge seats hold about 1,400 fans. The luxury suites come in two sizes: 10 seats and 12 seats, although up to 16 people can be squeezed in on the couches, chairs and stools in the back of the suite. The most expensive suite is a 12-seater at midfield, which costs $159,950 per season. The suites drop in price the farther they are from midfield, with the least expensive boxes costing $59,950 in the end zones. The suites are mostly owned by corporations such as Bell Atlantic and Washington Gas. Each suite contains two rows of cushioned chairs with cupholders, two television sets, carpeting, a bathroom with marble floor, a mahogany veneer bar, a refrigerator, telephone and its own waiter. During the event, the suiteholder can press a button to call the concierge to assist them with any questions. Food arrangements are made between the suiteholder and Volume Services, but owners can get virtually anything they want - from sushi to steak to the finest wines in Volume’s stadium wine cellar. The suites are reached two ways: entering any gate and walking up the stadium ramps to the suite level, or heading directly to one of two elevator towers at each end of the stadium and riding up to the suite.

Q: The Squire, Jack Kent Cooke, was known for entertaining the high and mighty, from governors to sports starts to authors and journalists, in his owner’s box that overlooked the field at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Where is the owner’s box at Jack Kent Cooke Stadium and will it also be a magnet for local elite?
A: Team president John Kent Cooke, who is Jack’s son, watches the games from his luxury suite around the 50-yard-line, next to the press box on the Sammy Baugh level. Cooke and his family and guests are provided with a special parking area on the service level beneath the stadium and take an elevator to their suite. Don’t look for the same big-name Beltway crowd that filled Jack’s RFK suite. John’s friends are a different bunch.

Q: I’m one of the 62,000 general seat ticket holders and I would like to get a look at the stadium. Where can I go and what’s off limits?
A: If you hold a general seating ticket, you can roam the upper- and lower-level concourses and the plaza that surrounds the stadium. You have to climb the ramps to get upstairs. You can’t get on the two escalators that service the club level, nor can you get on the elevator to the two suite levels. If you try to walk down the aisle of a section that is not yours, you will likely be stopped by an usher.

Q: I’ve attended games at the Miami Dolphins' stadium in Florida, and on a sunny day you really had to strain to see the scoreboard. Will Cooke Stadium be like that?
A: No. In designing the stadium, the Redkins have gone to a lot of trouble to keep the scoreboard and video screens down low. Most people will look straight ahead or down a bit to see the boards, instead of up, and reflected sun should be less of a problem.

Q: What policies will the Redskins have on alcohol sales?
A: You’ll have to be 21 or older to buy alcohol, and you are likely to be asked to prove it. Each fan will be limited to four drinks per visit, even if you’re buying for a group of friends. In the main stands, alcohol sales will end when the third quarter ends. Near the elevators at gates A and E on all levels, you’ll be able to sign up as a "designated driver" for your group. You’ll get a wristband tagging you as such; you’ll then be prohibited from buying alcohol, but given a coupon for a free soda.

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