Review: 2019 Audi Field Experiences

Discussion in 'D.C. United' started by morrissey, Feb 25, 2019.

  1. shawn12011

    shawn12011 Member+

    Jun 15, 2001
    Reisterstown, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    - inadequate roofing: suck it up, your a United fan we sit and sing and cheer in the rain
    - high concession prices: it's not the prices, they are the same as any stadium prices , it is the choices and HOW you have to buy them. Why do I have to have a credit card to get pizza. "this note is legal tender for all debts, public and private" take cash
    - 8:00 start time: sorry I get up before 5:30 to go to work on Monday morning, no way can I do a Sunday 7/8 pm start time
    - Location: it is a pain to get to, I take the train but it is still a pain in the but, facts are facts
     
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  2. fatbastard

    fatbastard Member+

    Aug 1, 2003
    Lincoln (ish), Va
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I attended a going-away dinner for an old friend last night and it dawned on me that I used to see every single person at that dinner weekly or semi-weekly in Lot 8 before games. I have only seen a few of them, and those few very sparsely, since we left RFK. A couple of them didn't even realize United had had a game Sunday night.
    So, yippee for the new stadium :rolleyes:

    I think we have some sort of friendly coming up - in year's past I would be looking forward to it, but I can't specifically even recall when it is and I don't even care against who(m). I'll eat my tickets for it because there can't possibly be any resale value.

    But hey continue to sugar-coat how much the new joint sucks.
     
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  3. PSURoss

    PSURoss Member+

    Sep 30, 2002
    DC Burbs
    The roof thing needs to stop being an excuse. There are plenty of seats under cover. Its shambolic that they built the place with no roof for the north/south ends, but there are usually west side seats under the roof. There were tons of empty/available to move up/back to when it rained on Sunday. They've promised to finish the roof this year. I don't really care about it, I sit in the front row, I had no expectation of effective cover.

    Concessions are high but not necessarily atypical, but I do see signs that the team is getting it with $1 water and pretzels with Apple Pay. I know that's not a universal fix, but its movement in the right direction. The real blocker that I see is that there aren't a lot of "non-gourmet" concessions. In lieu of a hot dog, there's a $10 half smoke. Thats going to get to be a problem or maybe it will not everyone will just cough it up. Apple Pay or a CC shouldn't be that big of a deal. The wife and I are in our 40s, this isn't so bad. Load up a Visa debit card at Target, its not much of a premium to get one.

    I hate the 8PM games, but we manage. Pretty sure this week was a 7PM start. Our 3 year old was a trooper and she was heard for most of the game. The 9 year old is a layup. My gripe is when the game is supposed to start vs when it actually starts. The difference is often 20-30 minutes and you never know what it will actually be so don't go messing around with your arrival time too much.

    Access in hasn't been so bad compared to RFK, but getting out is a train wreck by comparison. I'd guess it cost's us close to 50% more time get home. And the cost is 4x more to park reasonably close. Metro isn't really time effective for us and the cost savings is debatable if you put a price on time, comfort and convenience. By the time I drive to the metro, change from orange to green and vice versa on the way home, its a bit more time than driving and for a family of 4 its only a savings of about $13 round trip. So less hassle, less time, more comfortable, the car wins even at +$13. We get to the stadium in about 40 minutes most nights. Metro is just shy of an hour advertised travel time, assuming you make you connections :rolleyes: plus the drive on one end and the walk on the other. Not that our little wants to walk almost a mile to/from Navy Yard or be carried on most warm summer nights. There actually is a stroller check apparently, over by gate B, so no where near where we'd want to enter and 180* on the opposite side of the stadium from where we sit. I was surprised to find out that existed.

    If you really miss socializing and tailgating, join the Ultras, they've got a spot like 2-3 blocks from the stadium.
     
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  4. pats1237

    pats1237 Member

    Oct 28, 2006
    The District
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I understand not liking certain aspects of the new stadium and experience. I fail to understand how the experience could be so horrible that you don't want to go anymore. Not to mention the main attraction (the actual match) has improved significantly with the move.
     
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  5. John L

    John L Member+

    Sep 20, 2003
    Alexandria, VA
    If you're a whiner, you're a millennial.
     
  6. griffin1108

    griffin1108 BigSoccer Supporter

    Dec 5, 2003
    Virginia
    Anecdotes are not facts. My millenial kids are both living on their own and hold down full time well paying jobs, I'm sure a few others aren't still living at home. Still grieving about the Supporters' groups cock-up from last season is simply manufacturing an excuse for present day actions. It's over, from the noise and attendance in the supporters' stands it appears most of them got over it as well. What people do on Mothers' Day is their own business, but scheduling a game on that date, at night wasn't a bright idea. Note that MLS had only two games scheduled on Sunday to satisfy their broadcast partners and this one was the only night game. It was DCU's turn in the barrel on this one, but if it was such a great idea, other teams would have scheduled games on that day as well. Throw in the weather, and you had a recipe for poor attendance.

    This FO isn't perfect, in most areas it's mediocre (but improving), but constant shit-posting about all the things they do wrong really is old. Using Atlanta as a reference point might be fool's gold. How many professional franchises have crashed and burned in Atlanta? Right now folks are filling the stadium, but wait. When Atlanta sucks, let's see how many show up. I remember the NASL, I remember sell-out crowds at Giants Stadium for Cosmos games -- and then it all went south very quickly.
     
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  7. DC Braveheart

    DC Braveheart Member

    D.C. United
    Scotland
    Jan 2, 2001
    Oak Hill, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    I know plenty of whiners who are not millennials ... now "If you're a millennial, you're a whiner" is absolutely 100% true :)
     
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  8. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    Eventually people will realize millennials are not the age group they thought and move on to the next generation. Millennials are getting old and are likely established in life.
     
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  9. pats1237

    pats1237 Member

    Oct 28, 2006
    The District
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The traditional stereotypes are definitely interesting given the endless whining that goes on here about credit cards, e-tickets, and a .7 mile walk from the the Metro.
     
  10. Potowmack

    Potowmack Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I honestly can't think of any aspect of watching games at RFK that was better than the experience at Audi Field. Okay, maybe the restroom lines were shorter, but that's to be expected at a stadium designed for twice as many fans.
     
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  11. asitis

    asitis Member+

    Mar 30, 2005
    Charlottesville
    Multiple people complaining about other people whining sure sounds a lot like whining to me. :confused:;)

    asitis
     
  12. song219

    song219 BigSoccer Supporter

    Apr 5, 2004
    La Norte
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Vanuatu
    The one thing I miss about RFK was the ease of moving to visit from section to section either before the game or during halftime. It is a fairly minor thing and such ease of movement isn't normally a thing of small stadiums such as Audi Field.
    As for attendence I really don't care especially since DCU is winning.
     
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  13. Potowmack

    Potowmack Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I do miss the tailgating experience. But that was more of a function of the people I went with, rather than the stadium.

    The ownership seems to be slowly but surely resolving the complaints I've had about the stadium last year. It's not a well-oiled machine, but security seems to be getting sorted out, the beer lines are moving faster and so on. I think we'll see the game-day experience continue to get better.
     
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  14. Section 107

    Section 107 Member+

    DCU
    United States
    Jul 18, 2018
    Sunday games have traditionally been the most poorly, or, er, not as well-attended games save for Weds and Thurs USOC games at the plex (or even RFK b4 then).

    Yes, sales mgmt/team continues to suck. But a reality is that DC is a notoriously fickle and "bandwagon" sports market: folks here tend to only follow winners and most people are from somewhere else (even though they tend to stay for 20+ years).

    More importantly, soccer, much less MLS, has not been ingrained as a worthwhile endeavor to follow. Add to that the team is not just awful but atrocious at getting any earned media which it supplements with the one of the smallest advertising/marketing budgets in the league. I almost never see any advertising out in the suburbs. Really, with one of the world's most recognized players!?

    The gNats are continuing their regression to being almost as bad as the Birds again and yet they get more print inches per day than DCU gets all year. So there is simply no support from the local sports editors. DCU sometimes gets more than 5 seconds of game results from the one local TV station sports director that actually likes them and once, once in a great while, two (TWO!) different news broadcasts will mention a result in the evening/morning broadcast after a win. The one sometimes deigns to give enough time to show an actual highlight but somehow it is always the lesser quality of the goals....).

    eh, there's a whole lot packed into those several paragraphs - we wont get true full attendance for quite some time yet. The team suffers from its own ineptitude AND significantly from the "vast right- and left-wing conspiracy" that keeps the perception of soccer as lame curiosity.

    On tailgating - it is a very under-rated reason people are not attending. Tgating was a major part of the social environment that resulted in both width and depth of support. Many of the more casual fans came as much for the atmosphere generated in the tailgates that continued inside as they did for the once (and becoming again) respected product on the field.

    But it disappeared. Overnight. And it was absolutely done intentionally with malice, er, greed, aforethought.

    There is little sense of community or camaraderie anymore. I haven't been to the barra pre-game so I dont know what their attendance is like. But we used to have 30 regulars at Chef Dave's tgate with an email list around 70. Now, in the one patch of grass existing near the stadium (and someone recently and (un?)surprisingly stole the very valuable mature cherry trees providing shade for us!!) we are trying to build back up around a core of 8. The Ultra's have a nice thing going on behind/around the corner from us but the SE's a block further down at the pretty cool Henson is gotta be less than half of what it once was, and down even from last year. But these spots are tucked away in a little corner that none but the wisest and most hearty are really going to make an effort to walk the extra distance to find. But people are going to these specifically for the camaraderie (and, yes, okay, the cheap drinks).

    Even if one didn't tgate at RFK you couldn't help but get caught up in the environment, the fun, energy and spirit on the walk in: the spectacle of the barra march, the drums in the tunnel, the sometimes good bands playing in Lot 8, the Brazilian girl drummers, the vendor displays, Darth Hooligan, the cornhole zone, the sponsored/purchased/alumni tgate tents, and don't forget the "scalpers."

    Not an ounce of that exists on the walk (trudge) down the "mean streets of SW" from the metro and parking lots to the stadium. Now that walk and stadium entry is a soulless and insular thing.

    Maybe I am being overly nostalgic or "romantic" about the whole thing. When I asked our email list there was the whole raft of reasons why they are not attending games. But the most common reason was that it's just not "fun" anymore because of the lack of tailgating.

    Yes, sure, over time us longtime fans will get used to going to DCU being nothing different than going to the house that Abe built for the Wiz and Caps. And the new fans wont know any different and will just roll their eyes at our "in my day..." stories of lot 8. And none of that will ever amount to a hill of beans to the current or any future owners.

    But, heck, even Snyder knows enough to continue to let folks tailgate.....
     
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  15. shawn12011

    shawn12011 Member+

    Jun 15, 2001
    Reisterstown, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'll say it it just plain not fun any more. Regardless of tailgating. Going to matches feels like going to work. I should not feel that when paying $60 (ticket and travel costs). It's almost has a corporate feel to it. That is not what RFK felt like. Even as a run down old building there was a sense, hey!! I'm gonna enjoy this today. I don't get that at AF. It is a wonder we don't all wear photo ID badges to get in. Run them through a card reader. Then trudge off to our very own personal cubicle/seat.
     
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  16. fairfax4dc

    fairfax4dc Member+

    Dec 5, 2008
    Fairfax, Va
    There are obviously a lot of angles to the stadium issue. Some things just needlessly suck - lack of roof, paperless tickets required, some vendors not taking cash, and "dynamic" ticket pricing. Then there are things that are worse than RFK - tough to tailgate, farther from the metro, much less parking. But that would have been the case with any other location in or near downtown. Obviously remaining at RFK was not an option.

    I think some experimentation can help improve the stadium experience. If you can do it, parking farther away is cheaper and results in a quicker exit. The walk from the waterfront metro area is much more pleasant than from South Capital, and there's easy access to 395 and NOVA just up fourth street from there. From these posts it sounds like there's pre-game partying going on but you need to search it out. And of course there are bars and restaurants to gather in.
     
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  17. shawn12011

    shawn12011 Member+

    Jun 15, 2001
    Reisterstown, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #392 shawn12011, May 15, 2019
    Last edited: May 15, 2019

    While if you use a pedometer it might be farther from the Metro station it does not feel that much farther. That is of course perception.

    Now walking from where you park is farther in all cases.

    Road access is better for those coming from NOVA an points south. For those of us coming from points north it is worse.

    As many of you from here can tell being social is not my strong suit. But I am glad that many have found a suitable sub for the Lot 8 tailgate.
     
  18. UnitedBorn

    UnitedBorn Member+

    Dec 7, 2015
    301
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    DCU games at RFK were big parties disguised as soccer games. The teams were terrible but the atmosphere was insane. You saw friends, drank frozen drinks from pops in the parking lot and had a great time bouncing in the stands.

    AF has great views but doesn’t have the character yet. RFK didn’t have character at day one either, it’s acquired with time.

    The team is enjoyable to watch and the view is fantastic.
     
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  19. ImNumberTen

    ImNumberTen Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Give me a break. The whining here is getting absurd.

    We have our own stadium (with good views from every seat) and a winning team with some young talent. Yeah, this sucks. Let's go back to 2013.
     
  20. shawn12011

    shawn12011 Member+

    Jun 15, 2001
    Reisterstown, MD
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I don't give a damn about "having our own stadium" when it basically sucks. I am not advocating going back to 2013 but this thing was planned by real estate devolpers not sport franchise owners. It is not fun, that is a fact. The "our own stadium" thing does 0 for my enjoyment. Oh and as I have said my view is no better at AF that it was at RFK. I sit on the end line at field level. Same view.
     
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  21. fatbastard

    fatbastard Member+

    Aug 1, 2003
    Lincoln (ish), Va
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Unless you are the one guy from DCU who wrote the check to Events DC, we had our own stadium at RFK :)
     
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  22. ImNumberTen

    ImNumberTen Member+

    Oct 4, 2007
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No, it actually isn't. Making declarations about your endlessly negative views does make them facts. Subjective ≠ objective.

    Audi Field is not perfect but I've had a blast at almost every game I've been to (at least half the games that have been there so far).

    I get that you hate pretty much everything about DCU. The only thing I can't figure out is why you go through the motions of being a supporter any more.
     
  23. Q*bert Jones III

    Q*bert Jones III The People's Poet

    Feb 12, 2005
    Woodstock, NY
    Club:
    DC United
    If it weren't for Big Soccer, he'd be standing on top of a milk crate on the Mall blistering the evils of High Def television and the climate change hoax.
     
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  24. PSURoss

    PSURoss Member+

    Sep 30, 2002
    DC Burbs
    #399 PSURoss, May 15, 2019
    Last edited: May 15, 2019
    What I will say on this is that at face value its trivial, but it does erode the sense of community when you also don't have much opportunity for a global pregame tailgate where you can circulate from group to group. There are people who used to sit by us or who we knew and would go visit with that unless we see them on the concourse, we never talk to them and thats a shame. Socially, the experience is diminished. We always ate in the Champions Club and chatted with new people about the team and occasionally ran into long lost friends. Its not a deal breaker by a country mile, but its another straw piled on the camel. For some people this is bigger than others.

    What ever happened to the open space with bands and food trucks? I can't remember seeing that past the first couple of games last year.

    Who ever said the place has no character, hit the nail on the head. Nats Park has no character either. The experience in our seats is A+, but it does diminish rapidly as you get further from it.
     
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  25. DC Braveheart

    DC Braveheart Member

    D.C. United
    Scotland
    Jan 2, 2001
    Oak Hill, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    From my seat at RFK (sect 306) the beer stand was a lot closer than at AF (sect 127). But that's the only thing I can think of.
     

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