With a year to go before the Detroit Lions take the field of their new $300million Ford Field, the NFL claims that no other team in the league, nor any other professional baseball, basketball or hockey team, will treat fans to a stadium that is integrated with a massive, six-story warehouse offering 111 luxury suites, bars, restaurants, stores and fan activity zones.
The NFL is hoping the stadium will create a template for future stadiums.
The 32-team league has told its franchises that new stadiums should be located in urban areas where nearby land owners and commercial tenants can benefit from the new facility.
That differs from most stadiums built over the past three decades.
The NFL has found that a traditional stadium set in the middle of a parking lot next to a freeway interchange does little to promote a memorable experience or spur spin-off economic development, such as restaurants, bars and retail outlets.
Other NFL stadiums that have opened in the past two years all follow the standard design – a standalone oval facility surrounded by parking lots.
Roger Goodell, executive vice-president of the NFL in New York, says the NFL is looking for more innovative designs like Ford Field.
"We are getting away from the cookie-cutter approach to new stadiums where you have a bowl of seats and not much else," Goodell told the Detroit News.
"We want new stadiums to embrace the surrounding neighbourhoods, especially in urban areas where you can have a positive impact in terms of new businesses coming in. There is no better example of this than Ford Field."
By creating a memorable experience for fans, the NFL believes patrons will be more apt to return to a stadium with their friends and neighbours.
The NFL is claiming a yet-to-be-built stadium in downtown Detroit will be the most unique and innovative sports complex in the country.
