The Buffalo Bills want a new football stadium in upstate New York. The New York Yankees will help make that happen.
The Associated Press reports the Bills are pursuing plans to build a new stadium to replace their aging facility, and have selected a company controlled by Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and the New York Yankees to represent them in negotiations, per VenuesNow.com.
The publication cited “industry sources” in reporting the Jones-Yankees controlled Legends Global Planning firm being selected to represent Bills owner Terry and Kim Pegula in discussions. The publication also reported, a company division, Legends Global Sales, was selected to sell sponsorships and seat licensing for the prospective new stadium.
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The Bills currently call Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. home. It was erected in 1973, so the Bills opened talks last month with New York state and county officials last month to determine their long-term future home. The discussions were based on a feasibility study the Pegulas launched to assess whether to renovate Highmark Stadium or build a new stadium either near their existing suburban site or downtown.
According to the Associated Press, a spokesman for Pegula Sports and Entertainment declined comment on the report. New York State officials did not respond to messages from The Associated Press, while an Erie County spokesman said the selection of Legends was strictly a Bills decision and made without county input. A message left with Legends was not returned.
Per the AP, the partnership with Legends makes sense as Terry Pegula has developed a close friendship with Jones. The Yankees connection is also considered important, because the Major League baseball team is considered to have clout at the state level.
Teammarketing.com reports Legends was founded in 2008 “as a joint hospitality venture between Jerry Jones (owner, NFL Dallas Cowboys) and George Steinbrenner (owner, MLB New York Yankees) and his Yankees Global Enterprises. The Legends Global Partnerships group was built out to provide sales planning, strategy and implementation around sponsorships, partnerships, tickets, premium seating, personal seat licenses and venue naming rights.”
The price tag for the Bills’ new stadium is projected to be $1.5 billion.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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