JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Jaguars fans who spoke with First Coast News Tuesday night said they are excited about the plans for the 'Stadium of the Future' after the deal between the team and city was announced at city hall. Even though construction hasn't started and completion could be several years away, they still believe it'll be worth the wait.
"I’ve been a Jags fan my entire life," said Samuel Vesely.
Samuel Vesely and his dad, Trent Vesely are die-hard Jaguars fans, having attended games at EverBank Stadium for years.
"I’ve been to the stadium a bunch of times," Samuel Vesely said.
So, when the duo heard about the details of the stadium renovation plans, they said now is the time to get it done.
"I think it’s been time the Jaguars deserve a little bit of an upgrade," Samuel Vesely told First Coast News. "We as a community, we deserve an upgrade, I mean I think we’ve shown our support through the years, paid our money for the tickets. I think it’s about time we get an upgrade."
Debrah Coury is an employee at 'That Bar at the Arena,' located just blocks away from EverBank Stadium in Downtown Jacksonville. And she's a Jags fan, with a tattoo to prove it.
With business booming on game days, Coury believes a renovated stadium will only add to the already popular game day experiences.
"I’m pretty excited about it once it’s completed," Coury said. "It’ll bring a lot of people down in here that are curious, plus it’s gonna be beautiful. You’ve got to spend money to make money and the city needs it, we need it. Maybe it’ll make our team do better, but I think it’s a plus for the city definitely."
While the renovations, if approved, won't be completed until the fall of 2028, these fans said they will wait patiently because better things are on the horizon.
"Anytime there’s a public project, there’s two or three years of pain to get 20 years of success," Trent Vesely said. "Whether it’s putting a new road in or bridge, you just got to show some patience for that, it’s always a worthwhile project I think when that gets done."
The City of Jacksonville and the Jaguars will host five Stadium of the Future community huddles for citizens to learn more about this deal, click here for dates and times of them.