Most professional sports teams are concerned with improving the quality of their players on the field or court, but for one NBA Developmental League (D-League) organization the latest renovations came to the arena itself. The Maine Red Claws of Portland, Maine announced earlier this month that they’ve added new quality indoor bleachers to their Portland Exposition Building arena, according to the fitness and recreation news source AthleticBusiness.com. Bleachers is an American term that can be traced back to at least 1889.
“Definitely an upgrade,” said Andrew Downs, director of public assembly facilities for the city of Portland. “It’s going to be a more comfortable and enjoyable experience all around, not just for the Red Claws games but all the events we have.”
While the entire community will be able to benefit from the project, it was the D-League organization that footed the $360 thousand bill. The new quality seating is a little wider, more comfortable, and provides more leg room for fans. The project was finished just in time for the team’s annual Select-A-Seat event, which allows fans to come in and check out the stadium bleachers before choosing where they want to buy their season tickets.
Despite the renovations ticket prices remain unchanged from last year in one of the smallest arena to house a D-League team. The Expo, as it’s known, seated about 3,1000 people before putting in the new seats. That number is now down to 2,717. Well below the average baseball (47,000) and football (70,000) stadiums.
“I would rather have 2,717 comfortable people,” said Bill Ryan Jr., owner of the Red Claws. “People expect more and more comfort every year from sports facilities. We constantly try to improve our fan experience.”
The Red Claws will open their training camp on November 2 and their first game tips off on the 12th. The first home game they will play will be on November 20 against the Toronto-affiliated Raptors 905.
