For those just joining us, the Atlanta Falcons and Georgia State football are both scheduled to play football games in the Georgia Dome on the evening of Thursday, Sept. 1. Here’s the Panthers’ schedule, and here’s the Falcons’.

Georgia State football appears to have taken the matter to the Falcons and the NFL. We were told at Thursday night’s Panthers spring game the program has contacted the league and the team about what can be done here, since it would not be prudent to attempt to hold two football games in one stadium at the same time, as Clark Atlanta’s band deserves all the space it needs.

State has had their schedule completed for a longer period of time, as the NFL’s preseason schedule only came out a few days ago. Plus Georgia State has been trying to make Thursday night football a tradition, while the Falcons can play any old game on any old night.

However! The benefit for the Falcons of playing a Thursday game is that it would mean one more day of rest for players and one more day of postgame evaluation for the front office. Though that Friday is also available according to the NFL’s schedule, playing on Thursday would be better for the Falcons.

We have more on Falcons scheduling and general NFL scheduling. Falcons fans should join The Falcoholic, and Georgia State fans should visit SB Nation’s Panthers hub.

By: AP Photo/Dave Martin, File

FILE – In this Aug. 19, 2010, file photo, Atlanta Falcons linebacker Stephen Nicholas (54) looks on during the first quarter of a pre-season NFL football game against the New England Patriots at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Stephen Nicholas and other Atlanta Falcons linebackers are planning to work out together this offseason if the lack of a new collective bargaining agreement means there are no team workouts.

The Falcons normally start their offseason workouts (OTAs) in late March. There were no players at the practice facility on Thursday as labor talks continued in Washington.

Nicholas, a restricted free agent, said in a telephone interview Thursday he is planning to work out with Curtis Lofton, Sean Weatherspoon and Mike Peterson away from the team’s facility. Peterson also is a free agent.

Nicholas says the goal is “to keep the linebacker camaraderie going” even though all may not re-sign with the team.

By Michael E. Kanell and Leon Stafford
lstafford@ajc.com

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A new open-air stadium downtown for the Atlanta Falcons would be of enormous benefit — to the Atlanta Falcons. Neither local taxpayers nor the region’s economy is likely to accrue much advantage from a new arena built on public land, in part with public money, experts told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution last week.

“Economists have studied the economic impact of stadiums to death, and the clear consensus is that there is no positive impact,” said author and sports economist J.C. Bradbury of Kennesaw State University. “Economists don’t agree on a lot, but right wing, left wing, they all agree on that.”

And this wouldn’t even be a new team, just a shift of Falcons games from the 19-year-old Georgia Dome to a stadium that would be built on nearby Ivan Allen Boulevard.

“It’s just adding zero to zero,” Bradbury said.

Many options are still on the table — perhaps including renovation or expansion of the Georgia Dome, where the Falcons now play.

But Tuesday, the Georgia World Congress Center Authority said it had drafted a “memorandum of understanding” on plans for a $700 million stadium. If they reach a formal agreement, officials said, the state or the authority would issue bonds to raise $350 million to $400 million, while the team would cover the rest of the cost.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank bought the team for $545 million in 2002 and is now said to be seeking a better revenue-sharing agreement with the authority.

A new stadium would provide the Falcons a more lucrative arrangement of luxury boxes, club seats and preferred seating, such as placement on the 50-yard line.

There’s also the possibility of landing a Super Bowl. Despite suggestions that Atlanta has been passed over because of the ice storm during the 2000 game here, the real reason, most industry experts agree, is the league’s preference for new stadiums.

Unlike money from television contracts, much of the revenue from a stadium does not have to be shared with other National Football League clubs.

“The team gets to keep the lion’s share of local revenue. That’s why they want a new stadium,” said Dennis Howard, professor of business at the University of Oregon and an expert on sports financing. “My question would be, ‘What’s in it for the state of Georgia? What’s in it for the city of Atlanta?’”

Kansas-based architecture firm Populous released its findings Tuesday on the possibility of a new stadium, bringing to an end two years of studies on ways to keep the Falcons downtown.

The GWCCA, which oversees operations of the Georgia Dome, hired Populous in 2009 at a cost of $145,000 to propose a master plan for the Dome. When the Falcons made it clear they preferred an outdoor stadium, the firm’s directive was broadened to consider a retractable roof for the Dome and new stadiums, one with a retractable roof and the other open-air.

The effort got a boost when the state Legislature agreed in 2010 to extend the hotel and motel taxes used to pay off the bonds for the Dome to 2050. The bonds were to expire in 2020.

The Falcons need to play catch-up, according to Forbes magazine. An August 2010 Forbes analysis on the value of NFL teams ranked the Falcons 26th out of the league’s 32 teams. The Falcons were worth $831 million in 2009, according to the magazine. That compares to the top two teams, the Dallas Cowboys ($1.8 billion) and the Washington Redskins ($1.6 billion), the magazine said.

“The Falcons’ quest for a new stadium is problematic because the state is not about to tear down the Georgia Dome, which is located in downtown Atlanta and is the only money-making venue in the Georgia World Congress Center,” the magazine said. The congress center authority also operates the nation’s fourth-largest convention facility and Centennial Olympic Park.

When government officials have argued that the incentives and enticements are the right thing, they have often cited commissioned reports that agree.

And it’s true, wrote economists Dennis Coates and Brad Humphreys in a 2008 paper: “The clear consensus among consultants who produce ‘economic impact studies’ is that professional sports franchises and facilities generate sizable job creation, incremental income increases and additional tax revenues for estate and local governments.”

Proponents talk about the fans coming from near and far to spend millions of dollars on the team, money that not only supports the area, but ripples through the community.

Well, not exactly, economists say. In fact, say Coates and Humphreys, most of the spending goes to owners and players who may live elsewhere. So the ripple effect is probably higher for events like bowling, plays and restaurants, they write.

“Professional sports can reduce local income rather than increase it,” write Coates and Humphreys.

Even if the money stays in the community, the overall economy gets no stimulus if spending on sports is simply being shifted from other local spending.

And, if most fans already live in the area, then even a glitzy new stadium provides only slight help to the region’s hospitality sector, Howard said. “These are portal-to-portal fans. They are driving from home to the stadium. Their spending on food and beverages will be in the stadium itself.”

Boosters are quick to point out that state funding of the project will come through hotel taxes, not from fees or taxes imposed on residents.

But economists say spending on sports can’t be judged unless you consider how it shifts money from other programs, investment and tax cuts.

Hotel tax collections could be going to everything from schools to public safety officers to road repairs, said Victor Matheson, economics professor at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass.

“It is basic human nature that people tend to be cavalier with ‘free money,’ ” he said. “You win $1,000 in Vegas and you spend a bunch of money on things you never otherwise would. Hotel taxes seem like free money to municipalities because no voters are paying for them. Thus, this money is more likely to be wasted than taxes that you had to ‘work’ for. Doesn’t mean that this is smart economic policy, however.”

Read More: Atlanta Falcons

As the Atlanta Falcons look over the latest open-air stadium proposal in their quest to find a new home, the SEC and Georgia Dome have agreed to keep the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta through 2017. That date is significant because a Falcons stadium built according to the latest proposal would be open for business in 2017.

While I haven’t seen anything in which the SEC has said they’d prefer to know more about Atlanta’s football stadium situation beyond 2017 before committing further, the dates do line up in a way that suggests it’s a consideration. It would certainly make sense anyway, at least.

The SEC Championship Game is a keeper. The conference loves the facility, and programs across the Southeast make it an annual goal to reach the Dome. Having the biggest non-national title game in college athletics call Atlanta its annual home is something nobody wants to see ended, and something those rushing to build a new stadium should be mindful of.

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority agreed Tuesday to a “memo of understanding” with the Falcons, the next step in negotiations to build a 65,000-seat facility just north of the team’s current home, the Georgia Dome.

Both sides said the agreement does not mean a deal has been reached, but allows them to begin discussions about the business relationship that would be involved in whatever plan is developed.

Falcons officials have made it clear they want a new open-air stadium, saying that is the only way to stay competitive financially. They have rejected plans for a renovated Georgia Dome or adding a retractable roof to it, pointing out that 22 teams have moved into new or completely rebuilt stadiums since the dome opened in 1992.

Preliminary plans for a new stadium include 7,500 club seats and 110 suites, plus the ability to add up to 10,000 temporary seats. The cost is estimated at $700 million.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, during a visit last season, made it clear a new stadium would be needed if Atlanta wants to land another Super Bowl. The Georgia Dome hosted the game in 1994 and 2000, but two bids to bring the game back to the city have been rejected.

Officials with the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, which runs the current stadium as well as the massive convention center and nearby Centennial Olympic Park, have said any deal must include enough funding to maintain the Georgia Dome.

The 70,000 indoor stadium would remain open for events such as the Southeastern Conference football championship game and college basketball’s Final Four, as well as concerts and conventions.

If a new stadium is built, the city would have four downtown stadiums seating at least 50,000 within about 2 miles of each other. The Atlanta Braves play at Turner Field, while Georgia Tech’s football team uses Bobby Dodd Stadium.

You can read the complete 134-page plan for the proposed new Atlanta Falcons stadium to be built north of the Georgia Dome, or you can allow me to provide you with the highlights. You already know the building would need to be built just north of the Georgia World Congress Center, that it would cost $700 million, and that it would not affect the Georgia Dome’s standing, other than adapting the Dome to becoming primarily a trade show center rather than a football facility.

There are tons of notes on everything that could possibly go into the design of a football field, from locker room dimensions to the number of broadcast camera stations, but not much concept art or anything fun to look at, other than very basic designs like these:

Here are a few other items from the proposal:

Size: 25 acres for the entire facility, and 1.9 million square feet for the building itself. 

Capacity: The stadium would start out at 65,000, with room to expand to 75,000 for special events. That would include 54,000 regular-folk seats, 7,500 club seats, and 111 suites. Suites would range in size from 16 to 100 seats, and there would be room for another 1,250 seats worth of suites down the road. Say it five times fast!

Also, the press box would be able to house 165 writers, five radio broadcast teams, and a TV announcing setup.

Field: Natural grass. No more rubber pellet grass. Should also be up to FIFA standards, meaning Atlanta could host World Cup games.

Amenities: All the standards, plus a NFL Play 60 center for kids and a 23,000-square-foot Hall of Fame of some sort.

Parking: There are many, many pages on parking and traffic. I did not read any of them. One part does mention using the Georgia Dome’s parking.

There’s also a long section on altering the Georgia Dome for its new phase, including images like this:

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons and Georgia World Congress Center Authority will enter into a “memo of understanding” — the next step toward a new, open-air stadium for the NFL team.

Both sides say the agreement does not constitute a done deal, but allows them to begin discussions about the business relationship that would be involved in whatever plan is developed.

Falcons officials have said they want a new open-air stadium rather than an expanded Georgia Dome or adding a retractable roof to that facility.

Preliminary plans for a new stadium call for 65,000 permanent seats, 10,000 temporary seats, 7,500 club seats and 110 suites. The cost is estimated at $700 million.

–The Associated Press

Read More: Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons could play their home games in a new, $700 million, open-air stadium built just north of the Georgia World Congress Center while the Georgia Dome remains intact, proposes Kansas City architecture firm Populous. That’s the same outfit that designed the Dome, Philips Arena, and like every other building that has anything to do with pro sports.

The proposal would require 25 acres worth of land, meaning it would take up what’s currently the Dome’s yellow parking lot and the GWCC’s truck marshaling yard. There are still a couple of other minor construction considerations, but there’s the proposal.

That price tag is $150 million more than it would cost to renovate the Dome, which would include adding a retractable roof.

Either solution, while insanely expensive, would allow the Dome’s many non-football tenants to keep using the facility. The Falcons would get to play outdoors, while the SEC Championship Game and Chick-Fil-A Bowl would likely remain indoors.

A new Atlanta Falcons stadium on Georgia World Congress Center property will be deemed feasible in a consultant’s report to be released Feb. 22, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Consulting agency Populous looked into the truck marshaling yard on GWCC land along Northside Drive, or this area right here.

The Falcons want an outdoor facility to replace the aging Georgia Dome, which really isn’t all that aged by anything but NFL standards. Among the efforts they’ve put forth in securing funds has been courting Jon Bon Jovi to invest in the team as a minority owner.

Other locations that have been reportedly in the running include that Doraville GM plant and the Georgia Dome’s current yellow parking lot.

At issue — besides the very, very big money thing and the location thing — is whether to renovate the Georgia Dome, build a new stadium in addition to the Dome, or build a new stadium to replace the Dome.

The latter is the least likely, as it would mean the town would lose chances at events like the SEC and NCAA basketball tournaments, be less likely to host a Super Bowl, and take away the city’s biggest all-season concert venue. Most football events could simply move across the street if need be. The SEC Championship Game and Chick-Fil-A Bowl aren’t going anywhere.

An outdoor stadium would add to the list of events the city could host, including international soccer. A new football facility of any kind will boost the chances of an eventual Super Bowl according to the NFL’s new effort at rewarding debt-ladened construction, but the league will prefer an indoor building after Atlanta’s last Super Bowl was marred by snow.

Reportedly, a report will be issued Tuesday that says it is feasible to build an open-air stadium on land near the Georgia Dome. Although the Falcons have looked at possibilities in the suburbs, they have said their preference would be to stay in downtown Atlanta.

That makes plenty of sense because the current location is close to Phillips Arena and several other downtown attractions. Although the Falcons have been playing indoors since the opening of the Georgia Dome, owner Arthur Blank seems intent on getting an outdoor stadium.

Although the indoor venue has brought major college basketball and football games to the Georgia Dome, an outdoor facility makes sense for the Falcons. Atlanta’s weather is generally pretty mild throughout the NFL season.

ATLANTA (AP) – Bart Starr. Lambeau Field. Ray Nitschke. Heck, they even named the Super Bowl trophy after Green Bay’s most famous coach.

Yep, the Packers are just oozing with tradition. The Atlanta Falcons? Not so much.

But the Falcons (13-3) are the top seed in the NFC playoffs heading into Saturday night’s divisional game against Green Bay (11-6). Atlanta merely needs to win two more games to reach the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history. Both would be at the Georgia Dome, where the team is 20-4 over the last three seasons.

Up first, Atlanta will have to get by a franchise with a much more impressive resume over the long haul. The Packers have won a record 12 NFL titles, compared to zero for the Falcons. Green Bay has 21 Hall of Famers. The Falcons have none.

ATLANTA (AP) — A winter storm is not standing in the way of the Atlanta Falcons’ preparation for the Green Bay Packers.

The storm dropped several inches of snow and ice on the Atlanta area Sunday and Monday. The Falcons used teamwork by carpooling, and at least one player was rescued by a teammate as all but two unidentified players made it to Monday’s practice.

Defensive end Kroy Biermann used his truck to pull John Abraham’s car out of a ditch on the way to the team’s indoor facility in Flowery Branch, north of Atlanta.

Coach Mike Smith is not identifying the two players who could not be reached on closed roads.

Matt Ryan led the Falcons to a 20-17 win over the Packers at the Georgia Dome on Nov. 28. The rematch is Saturday night’s divisional-round playoff game.

ATLANTA – While the Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for their next big game, some die hard falcons fans are already packing their bags for a trip to the Super Bowl.

What’s the perfect gift for an Atlanta Falcons fan? A trip to this year’s Super Bowl in Dallas of course.

Phil Bennett surprised his wife, Jill with the trip on Christmas Day. Jill Bennett has cheered on the Falcons since the team landed in Atlanta in 1966.

Bennett said she sensed early on this season, this team was something special.

The Bennetts are season ticket holders. They said they will be in the stands at the Georgia Dome for next week’s playoffs.While the Atlanta Falcons are gearing up for their next big game, some die hard falcons fans are already packing their bags for a trip to the Super Bowl.