ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — Wednesday marks one year since the Bills broke ground on their new stadium. Back in March, season ticket holders were informed that they would need to pay tens of thousands of dollars for personal seat licenses (PSL) before even purchasing a season ticket for the new stadium.
The Bills have undergone significant changes in the past year, from roster adjustments to the Pegulas considering the sale of a 25% stake in the team.
Meanwhile, longtime season ticket holders are contemplating whether the steep PSL prices justify the investment.
“I’d like to have the Bills be flexible enough to go, ‘I hear you,'” said season ticket holder in section 100, Chuck Holowka.
Funding for the construction of the project, exceeding $1 billion, is being provided by the state, Erie County and the Bills. To assist with the costs, the Bills are requiring season ticket holders to purchase personal seat licenses.
“They sent out letters, they sent out emails — might the price be different than what they said?” claimed season ticket holder Frank Taberski said. “Yes, but I don’t think there’s going to be somebody that’s priced out of being in the stadium.”
In March, high-end season ticket holders were invited to learn about the stadium’s new amenities and had the opportunity to purchase a PSL.
Although not confirmed by the team, attendees reported that the three most expensive clubs cost between $15,000 to $50,000 per seat, excluding the ticket cost.
Jeff Hagger and Deborah Hill, who currently have seats in the Pepsi Club, took the tour in March. The PSL price for two comparable seats was $100,000.
“The main, I guess, goal is to get you to put down a deposit and then you pay the rest of that license fee before the stadium opens in 2026,” Hill said. “There was an option you could finance, I think, over ten years, but the amount of money that you — with the interest that you would pay, it was too much,” Hill said.
“It’s like just like taking out a mortgage for the season ticket,” Hagger said.
Nearly four months after declining the initial offer, Hill and Hagger received a text from their ticket representative stating that a $20,000 PSL was available.
Frank Taberski, who sits in Section 207, attended the Bills Experience on Tuesday. The cost for his PSL was $20,000 for two tickets, requiring a 20% down payment, and now he pays over $200 a month for the next two and a half years.
“I ended up signing up for tickets,” Taberski said. “I said everything was exactly how I thought it would be. Aas far as I’m concerned, the amenities that you’re getting in that new stadium, especially in the club level, far surpass what’s in this stadium now.”
Ticket holder Chuck Holowka in section 100 reports that he has not yet received an invitation to the Bills Experience, and the combination of waiting and price shock has left him skeptical.
“I do not want to pay a premium PSL in the new stadium to sit in the rain,” Holowka said.
Taberski mentioned that his ticket representative informed him that for those opting to delay their season ticket PSL purchases, there are approximately 30,000 non-season ticket holders with deposits ready to buy PSLs.
With that in mind, it appears that the new stadium will not be empty by 2026.
Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.