For years, the Vikings have used the south sideline at the Metrodome. The University of Minnesota also uses the south sideline at TCF Bank Stadium. That prompted some fans buying tickets for Vikings games at TCF Bank Stadium to choose the south side over the north side of the structure.
So with the Vikings recently choosing the north sideline, some fans who bought tickets behind the south sideline aren’t happy. The suspicion is that the Vikings flipped from south to north after plenty of tickets had been sold on the south side, giving fans who had yet to purchase tickets on the north side extra incentive to do so. The Vikings tell PFT that the decision had nothing to do with ticket sales.
“This was strictly a decision the football personnel felt was right for our team,” Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said via email. “We understand some fans may be concerned with the change, and we have been encouraging those fans to contact our ticket office with any questions they might have. We are willing to work with them and to be as accommodating as we can.”
The team generally cited “a variety of reasons” when announcing the move, pointing primarily to weather-related concerns.
“We are always sensitive to any changes that impact our fans, but we support our football personnel in making this decision that they believe is best for the football team,” Vikings Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer Steve LaCroix said at the time. “Fans can be assured that the team will return to the south sideline when the new stadium opens in 2016.”
The Vikings will spend the next two seasons playing at TCF Bank Stadium, an open-air structure that the Vikings borrowed in late 2010, after the Metrodome roof collapsed under the weight of a snowstorm.