CLEVELAND — To Bart Flanagan, the tailgating playbook for a Browns game is pretty simple. Meet up with your friends in a parking lot. And start drinking.
So the possibility of luxury tailgating parties – at a cost of $20,000 or more – never crossed his mind. But that’s exactly what the Cleveland Browns are offering at Huntington Bank Field, where an expanding fleet of trailers sits near the stadium’s southwestern gate.
“Absolutely not. No chance,” said Flanagan, who works Downtown and walks by the stadium almost every day on his way between the office and the lot where he parks.
“You don’t need to spend $20,000 to have a good time,” he said.
But a growing number of pro sports fans are willing to spend quite a bit, according to professional services firm PwC. Seeing dollar signs, teams are responding by adding lavish experiences, from VIP lounges and field-side seats to skyboxes and unique tailgating areas.
“High-income sports fans are changing the game,” members of PwC’s sports group wrote in a report last year. “They crave access, status and personalization – and they’re willing to pay for it. … Premium fans expect more, spend more and present a significant opportunity for franchises that can deliver differentiated, tailored experiences.”
That’s true across the country and evident here in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers, the Guardians and the Browns have bulked up their premium offerings over the last few years. And it’s one reason the Browns are planning a new, $2.4 billion enclosed stadium in Brook Park, where they’ll be able to provide more elevated experiences – and charge accordingly.
The Browns say the new stadium could feature up to 30 different products, at a wide range of prices. That’s everything from VIP packages to 2,500 standing-room-only tickets – a new option aimed at more budget-conscious fans.
A team spokesman says they’re not ready to talk about pricing yet.
“I think we’ve always done our pricing in a way where we want to accommodate as many fans as possible,” said Peter John-Baptiste, the chief communications officer for the Browns and Haslam Sports Group. “And that … will continue into the new building.”
The Browns are racing to pull together the rest of the financing and public approvals they need for the Brook Park project, a 176-acre mixed-use district where they aim to hold a groundbreaking early next year.
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The team’s lease at Huntington Bank Field, which the city of Cleveland owns, is scheduled to end in early 2029.
Despite that looming lease expiration, the Browns have been investing in premium upgrades.
The SERVPRO Club Lounge opened a few years ago in a former storage space inside the stadium. With a capacity of about 400 people, the lounge experience includes food and drinks, and access to nearby field seats, along with VIP parking underneath the stadium.
Outside, the Browns rolled out the first four tailgating trailers in 2022. Now they have seven, with an eighth on the way, as Huntington Bank Field prepares to host country star Morgan Wallen on Aug. 15-16 and the team's only preseason home game on Aug. 23.
“It’s all about how can we create unique experiences for our fans,” Austin Pavilack, the team’s director of premium sales and service, said during a preview tour this week.
The team describes the largest trailers as VIP chalets. Catering to well-heeled fans and businesses, they can hold 20 guests, with indoor seating, outdoor patios and rooftop decks. The premium tailgating package includes food, drinks and VIP parking.
The units open 4 hours before kickoff and remain accessible throughout the game.
“In theory, at halftime, you could come out from the stadium to get some climate-control, warm up a little bit and have a drink or two before the second half,” Pavilack said, adding that some groups have booked the trailers multiple years in a row.
Pricing varies, depending on the day and the game. The team's ticketing portal says the cost ranges from $20,000 to $35,000, including a $2,500 deposit.
To football fans Kedrick Innocent and Laya Jones, that’s an eye-popping figure.
“That’s like some people’s income,” Jones said.
Or the price of a car, Innocent added.
The couple strolled by the stadium Friday afternoon, during a short trip to Cleveland from Columbus. And like other passersby, they wondered what the line of trailers was all about.
“I hope that the revenues they get from this would make it easier just to watch the games and go to the game casually,” said Innocent, who roots for the Browns.
Flanagan, who lives in Cleveland, is a Browns fan too. But he’s not thrilled about the team’s plan to move to the suburbs. “It just sucks,” he said. “That’s the simplest way I can put it. I love the Browns. I will still love the Browns.”
But, he added, “I’m not gonna watch them anymore when they move.”
Innocent’s more focused on what happens on the field than what’s happening around it, whether that’s in the Dawg Pound, the field seats or the tailgating trailers outside.
“Hopefully this season, things turn around,” he said. “Will they? Probably not.”
His girlfriend laughed. “Probably not,” she echoed.
