FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The experience at Gillette Stadium will be completely different in 2023. Next year, the Patriots are set to complete a $225 million stadium renovation that will include says the team it’s “the largest high-definition outdoor stadium video board in the country.” Behind the video board will be a 75,000 square foot enclosed glass space connecting the upper space for full 360° accessibility.
While this is certainly an exciting facelift for Gillette Stadium, it will have an impact on the game as it will close the outdoor portion of the stadium where the lighthouse once stood (a new lighthouse is also being installed).
Over the years, this section of Gillette Stadium has provided an interesting wrinkle to the game, as the wind passes through the opening area and sometimes affects the trajectory of the football, whether on the kicking or passing game. Bill Belichick even once noted that this section of the stadium has one “a bit of a whirlwind effect.”
That added quirk gave the Patriots a slight home-field advantage, but that would soon disappear. While the renovations won’t be complete until 2023, construction is well underway, and Patriots coaches have taken note that things could change in 2022.
“Yeah, we’ve definitely talked about it,” Belichick said Tuesday before New England’s sixth practice of training camp when asked about the renovations and closing that void. “Absolutely, I think that’s definitely going to affect the game, it’s definitely going to affect kicking everywhere, but especially in the open — whatever the end, the end, the beacon end. Absolutely, definitely, that’s going to be a factor. ”
The Patriots will hold their first on-field practice on Friday, which will present one of the first opportunities to see how the construction and potential renovation could affect their overall strategy going forward.
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