New comfy Rogers Centre seats will see Blue Jays capacity drop again

Fans attending the Toronto Blue Jays’ home opener on Monday, April 8, will notice changes to Rogers Centre.

There were several renovations done to the Blue Jays’ home stadium this offseason in hopes of making it a more pleasurable experience for fans. This includes the changing of seats, which are now wider and more comfortable. The positions of the seats have also changed in an attempt for fans to view the field a different way and have the stadium feel more like a ball park.

The changes to the seats have helped create more aisle room for fans to maneuver around, and they have also ensured that all seats will now have cupholders. These changes, however, will result in fewer fans attending games.

A sneak peak at the Rogers Centre new 100 level seats! pic.twitter.com/7NwPO0ooIe

— blogTO (@blogTO) April 4, 2024

With the changes to the seats, the capacity at Rogers Centre will be reduced from a season ago. This comes after some renovations last year that had already cut the capacity by 7%. These new updates are expected to see capacity drop by roughly 5% for the 2024 season, with the expectation being that the stadium will seat between 38,000-40,000 people.

There will also be changes to the premium clubs, though those are still being worked on and aren’t expected to be completed until later in the season.

“We’re unveiling a much-improved viewing experience, from the seats you’re sitting in today to the seats throughout the entire lower bowl,” said Blue Jays general manager Mark Shapiro. “[We’re] providing angles and viewing experiences, better access, and obviously what we think will be a best-in-class premium experience when it’s done.

“The works going to continue. It’s not going to be until close to the middle of the season when we’re able to show you and unveil the premium spaces, which will be among the best in all of baseball.”

Things have also changed on the field. Both dugouts have been redesigned, and a new AstroTurf surface has been installed. Similar to the turf in each of the past two seasons, it is a permanent design, but has been modified to fit the new dimensions of the ball park.

“This turf field is actually an AstroTurf product. It was installed this year,” said Blue Jays director of field operations Tom Farrell. “The reason we had to do that was because the renovations were so extensive. We couldn’t salvage our previous field, which was only three years old.”

A first look at the new dugouts and astroturf at the Rogers Centre! pic.twitter.com/wlfG4H73pZ

— blogTO (@blogTO) April 4, 2024

Rogers Centre will also feature plenty of new food and drink options for fans throughout the 2024 season.

While the experience at games is expected to be better for fans, whether the quality on the field can deliver remains to be seen. FanGraphs gave the Blue Jays just a 49.2% chance to make the playoffs before the season began, and that number has decreased slightly given their mediocre 3-4 start.

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