If you plan on attending a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium in 2022 expect some changes to what you’ve seen in the past. Your usual Gameday routine may have to be adjusted due to construction and new upgrades already implemented at the 20 year old facility.
Jim Nolan, Chief Operating Officer at Kraft Sports and Entertainment, sat down with Marc Bertrand and Chris Gasper on Patriots Preview during the preseason to let fans know what to expect when coming to watch the Patriots play in 2022.
“When you come to the stadium you’re going to see the entire north end zone under construction all the way from where where the gate entry was into the Enel Plaza last year, all the way up through the 100 level,” Nolan said.
Gillette Stadium North End Zone Construction
Nolan added: “It is a full scale construction site, two cranes. On game day, we have the space to take care of the patrons the way we can and get them into the building. This whole season is going to be an evolution. So week to week and game to game, you’re going to see more of the construction project complete. So it’s going to be fascinating for our fans to watch”
“The new screening process is much faster, it’s more effective and it’s much faster. And the fans no longer need to take keys and wallets and cell phones out of their pockets. They just walk through. And if something triggers in the same way the old technology would trigger, they go through a secondary process. But what it does, it makes it a frictionless entry through the security process.”
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
“The next thing you’ll see is with the mobile ticketing last year, most of the screening or the scanning of the ticket was done through a handheld scanner. This year, every entry point is fully equipped with these access ticket scanners. You see them in other venues now, but we’ve deployed them across every entrance. It’s going to save people a lot of time from their car to their seat.”
“Any fan who wants to park for free, you can either download a pass and register or even on game day you can just come and follow signs to the to the free parking lot,” Nolan said. “You have to stay 75 minutes post-game.”
“But what it does is for the fans who want to leave immediately, they’re getting on to Route one and they’re getting home quicker. And for those who want to stay a little longer and tailgate and spend a minute with their friends after the game, they get to park for free. So we look at as a win win.”
“People are still going to have to have their ID checked”, Nolan said. “They’re checked for serve safe to make sure that they’re in the right compartment to purchase a beer. But instead of having someone pour the drafts and you’re waiting for the drafts, you know this will be on the east side. We’re going to have four points of sale that once you go through the screening process, which will be really fast, you go up to the kiosk, you put in your credit card, you select your beer, it pours and you walk away.”
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
“It’s going to be 218 feet tall. It’s going to be the largest lighthouse in North America. You’ll be able to see the the Boston skyline and the Providence skyline from the top,” Nolan said.
“At the top, we’re going to have a viewing platform, an outdoor viewing, 360 degrees around. So on non-game days, people will be able to come to Patriot Place, come the Gillette Stadium and go to the top of the lighthouse and look down. You know, it’s going to be suit. It’s going to be super neat. I mean, it’s the it’s the glass walls. You’re over 200 feet above ground. Looking into Gillette Stadium, looking back toward Boston and Providence and all over Patriot Place.”
Listen to Zolak & Bertrand from 10-2 every Monday-Friday on 98.5 The Sports Hub, with hosts Marc “Beetle” Bertrand, Scott Zolak, and Rob “Hardy” Poole. You can listen live in the Sports Hub App and subscribe to their podcasts here. Follow @ZoAndBertrand on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the show!
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Thursday night, the Patriots kick off their first preseason game at home against the New York Giants.
For the Pats, it’ll be the first opportunity to alleviate the many concerns coming out of training camp about their new offense.
For those of you headed to Gillette Stadium, it’ll be your first chance to tailgate and show your fellow Patriots fans that you’re no amateur when it comes to your pre-gaming festivities.
That’s where I come in.
And while my days of going to every home game have long passed, I do still have some tried and true tailgating methods that I would like to share with you; especially if you’re a novice tailgater.
Whether it’s the first preseason game, or it’s deep into January for the playoffs, these five “Tailgating Do’s and Don’ts” are like money plays on 3rd & 8 that will always work to great success, and now they’re yours to steal for your pregaming playbook.
Do you believe you bought enough ice?
Well guess what, you didn’t.
Ideally, you’re going to be tailgating for hours, so with that, your tailgating beers should, no, MUST be the kind of cold where they singe your throat with their coldness and occasional ice chips.
I’m talking beer number 1, through beer number 14.
Each one must have optimal frost, and this is not up for debate. So to achieve that glacial goal, you need way more ice than you think you do.
Here’s a handy equation for you to figure out how much you need.
One 30 Pack = 4 bags of $2.00 ice.
Oh, and I know what you’re thinking.
“Ten bucks in ice just for one stupid 30 rack?”
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.
See, that ice needs to be layered in your cooler. You put in ten beers, you layer one bag of ice over it. Put in ten more, then you layer again with another bag.
Then put in the final ten, and you layer with the final two bags of that nice ice, creating a near arctic shell that will keep those beers at their proper temperature from the time you pull up to Gillette Stadium, until it’s time to head to your seats.
Nothing screams half assed like showing up to the parking lot with just subs.
What the hell is wrong with you?
I don’t care if you “didn’t have time to get anything else” or “just came right from work” you don’t show up to tailgate with a couple of dumb subs.
Tailgating is supposed to be a celebration and sensory overload of assorted fine and processed meats to be properly grilled.
Your steak tips, your burgers, your wings and dogs.
I shouldn’t have to tell any of you this, but every time I’ve ever gone to any football game, like clockwork, there’s always some dummy nearby who’s showed up with a few sad meatball or Italian subs to be shared between 4 to 6 people.
Get a grill, get your meats, and do it right.
As someone who’s extremely hairy in all the wrong places, I have been a strong proponent of using baby wipes for nearly 25 years, and still to this day, I’ve got friends who bust my balls over it.
And do you know what those ballbusting friends all have in common?
Not only are they jerks who are wrong, but their asses are all filthy.
This isn’t a controversial take, people.
Something wet is going to clean an area much better than something dry.
This is true whether you’re talking about a car, or an ass that just let loose in a filthy public port-a-john, which is obviously something that you or someone in your party could be facing during your tailgate.
Do yourself, and them a favor.
Make sure you’ve got a fresh pack of baby wipes at the ready in your vehicle.
Look, I don’t wanna get in the way of someone making a buck, but if there’s one thing I made absolute sure of more than anything else when I headed to Foxboro for a game, it’s that I chose to tailgate in one of the parking lots that had woods within walking distance.
It’s one thing when you have to wait for a port-a-john to poop.
That’s something well beyond your control.
It’s another to wait to have to pee.
That’s why you gotta stumble into the woods and let it fly, and no one’s the wiser.
It’s been an unwritten rule in some of these parking lots (like the one directly behind the liquor store on Rt.1) for decades that nobody really cares, so take advantage of it, and make your tailgating experience that much easier.
In other words, don’t be afraid to introduce yourselves to the group in the next spot over.
Not only will it help the overall vibe, but you (or they) could end up being a lifesaver if someone forgot a lighter, condiments, the aforementioned baby wipes or jumper cables at the end of the day.
Get to know those around you, and look out for each other, all the while being conscious about moochers and a-holes, which nobody wants to deal with.
Enjoy the night, and the upcoming season!
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