The Eagles are searching for ways to get back into the win column on Sunday when they take on the Los Angeles Rams, but there will be big things happening outside of Lincoln Financial Field as well.
New guidelines for oversized vehicles from the Sports Complex Parking Venture are being implemented starting Sunday, changing the way Philly fans have tailgated for years.
On Friday, after more than a week of fan pushback on the changes, the organization held a joint news conference with Comcast Spectacor and the newly formed Philadelphia Association of Tailgaters detailing the changes — including a few concessions granted after a meeting with the tailgaters.
“We’re trying to take everything we can to make the environment better for the Eagles and tailgaters,” Eagles chief operating officer Frank Gumienny said on Friday. “Our goal is to get everybody — 70,000 people — down here safe, park, have a great time, keep the culture, and fill up the Linc for kickoff on Sunday.”
Here’s what to know about modifications coming to the South Philadelphia Sports Complex parking areas for Eagles home games.
What are the new guidelines?
One of the biggest changes are regulations on oversized vehicles that typically accompany large tailgates. The new rules place them in a designated location in Lot D (inside the Xfinity Mobile Arena parking lots), the upper section of Lot N (facing 7th & Pattison Avenues), and lot P (inside the Citizens Bank Park parking lots). Lot P being added to the list of oversized lots was one of the concessions granted to tailgaters by the Eagles and Comcast Spectacor.
Oversized vehicle pass holders assigned to Lots E or H are allowed to park in those areas and assigned the standard four spots given to oversized vehicles.
Additionally, there will be “hand parking,” or being assigned parking locations by attendants so spots cannot be selected by tailgaters or saved by guests, meaning tailgaters with an allegiance to a certain lots or spots will have to change their plans under the new guidelines.
One of the big updates to the original changes involves drop-offs by companion cars — additional vehicles that carry people and supplies. Drop-offs are now allowed, and companion cars can remain parked in the oversized lots for one hour after the lots open before moving to a different area. The allowance of drop-offs was announced during Friday’s news conference. The previous guidelines from the Sports Complex Parking Venture banned them.
“We got leeway letting companion vehicles come in for an hour to help set up,” South Jersey native and tailgater Carmen “Big Carm” Conti said. “That’s a big, big help, especially with larger tailgates. … Instead of leaving the companion vehicles, some of them can park here in a single spots which is a big help because they don’t have to fight the traffic out to get into another lot.”
Other new rules require guests to remain within their respective parking area, with their vehicles, equipment, and activities also remaining in those areas.
What is the pricing for oversized vehicles?
Guests without a prepaid parking pass will pay the oversized vehicle parking rate of $200 for the standard four spots in the designated oversized lots.
Both tailgaters with and without a prepaid pass have the option to buy an additional two spots for $100 for a maximum of six spots per vehicle.
Why are these changes being made?
The guidelines were described as “an effort to provide a smoother, more convenient parking experience for guests,” in an email from the Sports Complex Parking Venture, which will help “ease traffic flow, keep lanes clear, and preserve parking availability for all guests.”
The changes, the email said, were based on feedback and collaboration with the City of Philadelphia and community stakeholders. Following pushback from tailgating groups, the final decision, announced Friday, also took their feedback into account.
“The whole crux of the matter is making sure that we have room for everybody that’s coming down to the games,” Comcast Spectacor chief operating officer Phil Laws said. “Whether they’re coming to [the game] for sure or they’re just coming to tailgate, we have room down here.”
Fans speculated online that the construction of a new arena in South Philadelphia prompted the changes. The arena, co-owned by Comcast Spectacor and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, is set to open in 2030 at the former site of the Spectrum, next to where Xfinity Mobile Arena sits. However, Laws told The Inquirer “that wasn’t a factor” in the timing of these changes.
“The Eagles and [Sports Complex Parking Venture] have been working on this for about a year, honestly, we’ve been talking about how we can make this work better,” Laws said. “I think as we got through the summer, we saw FIFA and some of the things that worked well [during the World Cup]. As we got into Week 1, we saw some of the things that really weren’t working well for the Eagles game.
Added Laws: “In terms of the [new] arena, we’ll have more the arena plan as we get into the fall. But listen, we built two stadiums here and we had the Vet standing at one point. There’s a lot of parking down here in the, in the complex. We just need to manage it and work together to make sure that we have the best venues in the world for our fans in Philadelphia.”
