Comcast Spectacor is Planning to Overhaul the Wells Fargo Center, Sometime
The Wells Fargo Center is getting a little old. The Flyers have been playing there longer than the Braves have been playing at Turner Field, and the Braves are outta there. The venue itself isn’t remarkable. It’s a bit bland, the concourse is nothing to write home about, and you can sometimes feel like you’ve got the Comcast logo tattooed on the inside of your eyelids. But other than that? Sure, not bad. [Editor’s note: Jim didn’t go far enough– it’s a fucking soulless phone book with some halfway decent foodstuffs.]
Nevertheless, updates are coming. Kind of. As reported by Frank Seravalli in the Daily News over the holidays, at least one of them is coming tomorrow: Wi-Fi. But that’s not all. In talking about the state of the Flyers’ (and Comcast-Spectacor’s) front office since the departure of Peter Luukko, Seravalli gave some brief details of other upgrades on the way:
- January 6 – “the Wells Fargo Center is expected to unveil a speedy, arena-wide WiFi system to enhance communication and in-game interaction for fans.”
- 2016-ish sometime – “a total refresh of the suite and club levels.”
- 2016-ish, sometime later – “a significant update to both the upper and lower concourses.”
It’s not like the WFC (formerly the CSC, FUC, WC, and anything else you want to throw at it) has never been updated or touched. In 2006 — the building’s 10th year — they hung a new scoreboard and those LED lights that encircle the arena and change its color when a Chickie’s and Pete’s ad is displayed on them. HD TVs were added. They probably mopped some floors. But this is going to be a bigger deal. Seravalli describes the plan as a “multimillion-dollar modernization” of the arena, which would likely give a complete facelift to most of the areas your typical fan is likely to be. Add to that plan a Sixers mascot, and you’ve got the complete Flyers/Sixers gameday package. Some wins would be nice too, but that’s secondary.