ABSTRACT
Game or match day revenue sources and facility design have evolved dramatically in recent decades. Seatless terraces, wooden grandstands, bleachers and seating mainly differentiated by the view of the action, have given way to stadiums and arenas offering a wide array of seating options and spectator amenities. Such features can include club lounge areas for food and drink service, specialized luxury suites, tables for couples and various other options that allow sport properties to customize the spectator experience and serve a wide variety of fans.
In addition to match day revenue, modern facilities are designed and constructed with non-match day revenue generation in mind as well. Daily uses of facility space can be as simple as being merchandise outlets for fans, club museums and for stadium tours, but many new facilities are also designed as commercial anchors with retail shops, office space and restaurants integrated as part of the facilities. The evolution of sports facilities finds sport properties becoming more engaged in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition (MICE) industries (Leask & Digance, 2002). Connections with sport clubs and memorable events gives sport facilities attractive unique selling propositions compared to competitors (Lee, Parrish & Kim, 2015).
