New Commanders Stadium

New Commanders Stadium is a proposed domed multi-purpose stadium to be constructed in Washington, D.C. It is planned to have a capacity of 65,000 and will serve as the home venue of the National Football League (NFL)'s Washington Commanders. New Commanders Stadium is planned to be located on the former site of RFK Stadium on East Capitol Street near the Anacostia River, which served as the team's home venue from 1961 to 1996. The project is set to cost billion, consisting of billion for the stadium and billion for the development of shops, restaurants, and residences on the campus. If approved, groundbreaking is planned to begin in 2026 with the expected completion by 2030.

History

Since 2012, the National Football League (NFL) team Washington Commanders, then known as the Washington Redskins, had been looking to build a new stadium on the site of the former RFK Stadium to replace their current home venue of Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The team played its home games at RFK Stadium from its opening in 1961 to 1996, with it sitting vacant since the soccer team D.C. United left for Audi Field in 2018. Partial demolition of the stadium began in 2023. Other locations for a new stadium considered by the Commanders included Oxon Cove Park in Maryland and Sterling, Dumfries, and Woodbridge in Virginia.

On January 6, 2025, U.S. president Joe Biden signed the D.C. Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act
H.R. 4984
into law, transferring control of 180 acres of land surrounding the stadium, located about east of the U.S. Capitol building on East Capitol Street near Whitney Young Memorial Bridge and the Anacostia River, from the federal government to the city government through a 99-year lease. On April 15, 2025, a group of D.C. voters submitted a ballot to the Board of Elections seeking to pass an initiative that would prevent a new stadium from being built on the campus. The initiative would amend zoning laws to designate the site as a special purpose zone and explicitly forbid any part from being used for a stadium or arena. On April 28, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris held a press conference annoucing plans to build a 65,000-seat covered-roof stadium on the former RFK Stadium site. The deal is pending approval by the D.C. Council, with a public hearing scheduled for July 2, 2025.

Design and construction

The project is set to cost a total of billion, with billion being contributed by the Commanders for the stadium, the largest private investment in D.C.'s history. The District is to invest an additional billion in infrastructure and campus development such as new roads and parking garages, hotels, shops and restaurants, parks, an additional Kingman Park residential district, and an indoor track and gymnastics sportsplex. New Commanders Stadium is planned to have a covered roof, with the goal of hosting future Super Bowls and FIFA World Cup matches. The stadium is set to break ground following the completion of RFK Stadium's demolition in 2026 and is expected to open in 2030. Architects and construction firms are to be determined at a future date.

New Commanders Stadium will be owned by the government of the District of Columbia through their sports and entertainment authority Events DC and operated by the Commanders. In addition to its main use for Commanders games and other sports, the stadium will attempt to host a minimum of 200 other events annually such as music concerts and graduations. The Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) as an additional tenant was also suggested as a possibility. The Commanders will retain their corporate headquarters in College Park, Maryland, and training facility in Ashburn, Virginia. It is unknown if the stadium will be named after Northwest Federal Credit Union, who sponsors their current home venue.

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American football venues in Washington, D.C.
Covered stadiums in the United States
East Capitol Street
Hill East

Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States
Music venues in Washington, D.C.
NFL venues
Proposed stadiums in the United States

Washington Commanders stadiums