Wanna see the Skins LIVE!!! Help needed!

Not sure this is in the right forum but here goes.

I've been a Skins fan since Superbowl XVIII, way back in 1984.
Here in the UK we don't have a geographical reason for support so it comes down to other factors. This was the first NFL game I ever watched as there wasn't much coverage in the UK back then. I was 13 years old and loved the colour RED and so I gravitated to the team from Washington.

They were whupped by the Raiders (as you all know!)

But I stuck with them through the Glory Years and now through the dark days.

I've been through relationship ups and downs over the years but finally 4 years ago met my partner and she has embraced Football too. Alas her fave colour is Green so she's a Packers fan, but I can't hold that against her. We got married in August this year.

Now I turn 44 this year and I have to admit that despite being a fan for 31 years I have NEVER had the chance to see the Redskins in person. I intend to change that over the next couple of years.

Now getting a trip sorted to Washington is relatively easy. I can wait for the season schedule and then we can book flights hotels etc.

What I don't really know how to do is the game itself.

So here is my questions to you the BGO massive...

Any advice on attending the game itself would be REALLY helpful. Best place to get tickets? Best place to sit? what gives the best view/ value for money? Is the stadium easy to get to? If we're booking hotels where should we book if we need to be close? Is it expensive to buy concessions at the game? How much money would you expect we'd need for the game (tickets etc) Etc Etc. There's probably loads I haven't thought of.

I figure at least some of you lot must have gone to the games (some of you probably ALOT of games!) and could offer advice to us Brits looking to come see a game
Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated.

It's been about 3 years since I last attended a game. My buddy and I sat in Club Level. We liked the view and perspective. Everyone has a different opinion on where to sit. I would say don't get the restricted view seats if they still have them.

Concessions can be expensive, but you don't go every week so take in the experience. There are enough here to where you can probably find someone to tailgate with before the game. This is would be a great experience and a way to get meet others.

I never stayed overnight. I have to defer to others on hotels and best places to stay.

Have fun....

Passports are a good start

If you're lookin at next season, schedule it for the weekend of the annual tailgate. That will be the easiest, and most enjoyable way to do it IMO. You'll have other fans from out of town staying at local hotels, so you can have people to hang out with the night before the game, and likely be able to catch a ride with somebody. Though I normally don't speak for others, I know the quality of this group, and somebody always steps up to help out.

My biggest piece of advice (like Miles said) would be to get yourself to the BGO tailgate game. A group of us gets together the night before at the hotel, then early tailgating in the morning. We usually make a decision on which game we will be making the tailgate within a couple of week of when the schedule drops in late April, so hopefully that's enough time to find you travel arrangements / tickets. The hotel we plan on staying at next season is about 2 miles away from the stadium parking lot, so getting you there should not be a problem.

Knightingale said:

Any advice on attending the game itself would be REALLY helpful. Best place to get tickets? Best place to sit? what gives the best view/ value for money? Is the stadium easy to get to? If we're booking hotels where should we book if we need to be close? Is it expensive to buy concessions at the game? How much money would you expect we'd need for the game (tickets etc) Etc Etc. There's probably loads I haven't thought of.

I figure at least some of you lot must have gone to the games (some of you probably ALOT of games!) and could offer advice to us Brits looking to come see a game
Any words of wisdom greatly appreciated.

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How many people would you be bringing?


Beers cost about $9 each, so if you were to be drinking, the expenses in that department can sneak up on you. As far as food goes, if you do the BGO tailgate, there will be as much food as you could imagine available before you go inside.. in the stadium, food prices are not inexpensive either. It's easy for me to spend $100 on myself and my wife inside the stadium, between me drinking, and her wanting food.... most of that is my beer.

$100 per ticket can score you some great seats... if you aren't afraid of heights, you can easily find good upper-level seats for half that. I would suggest, since you're making the trip, to drop the cash and get some good, quality seats. Lower level, close to the 50 will put you around $150 ea depending on how many you need together, how well the team is playing, and some other less important factors.

TomE said:

Passports are a good start

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UGH! Don't get me started on this. We're having a worrying day today.

Supposed to be off on our honeymoon (Doing Route 66) next Tuesday, but the US Embassy in London still has my partners passport as they sort out the Visa. It's looking highly unlikely that we'll get it back in time.

Thanks EVERYONE so far for your feedback.

The BGO Tailgate sounds like the perfect way to experience it. Sounds like alot of fun.

It would just be me and the wife. Neither of us are drinkers so we'd save the money spent on alcohol LOL

I'd want my experience at the game to be a great one. Not sure if we'd ever be able to do it again later, so would want it to be awesome first time out. Can't guarantee a win of course, but would love great seats.
Typically are seats best around midfield? OR one of the ends?

Knightingale said:

Thanks EVERYONE so far for your feedback.

The BGO Tailgate sounds like the perfect way to experience it. Sounds like alot of fun.

It would just be me and the wife. Neither of us are drinkers so we'd save the money spent on alcohol LOL

I'd want my experience at the game to be a great one. Not sure if we'd ever be able to do it again later, so would want it to be awesome first time out. Can't guarantee a win of course, but would love great seats.
Typically are seats best around midfield? OR one of the ends?

Click to expand...

Midfield is the best overall view of the action. If you get seats in one of the endzones, the action is limited to when they are on your side of the field. Now this can be an AWESOME experience if the Redskins are scoring in the endzone in front of you, but it's a 50/50 shot.

Just say no to endzone seats IMO. I hate the angle of spectating from there, ya can't see much and it's from a head on or behind view so no ability to watch a play progress. Go on Stub hub or Ticket Liquidator and find your seats there, tons of options. I would also echo the alcohol and food sentiments along with another recommendation to hit the BGO tailgate. Getting in the stadium isn't bad (unless you arrive close to gametime) but getting out can be brutal if you dislike waiting in traffic lines. I usually run to my car to avoid this but if it's your first and maybe only time, taking your time to soak it ALL in might be wise. You can always tailgate a little after the game while traffic filters out.

Where you sit truly matters. Impacts the entire experience. Flights, hotels, vehicle--all worth shopping around for best price. Seats? Get good ones.

There are other sites that do this, so not endorsing this one, just showing an example.

https://seatgeek.com/venues/fedex-field/seating-chart/views

Recommend spending some time looking at the views to find something that grabs ya. I agree on the end zones. Not good. Up high in the upper bowl makes for an interesting view of the entire field of play--you can really see things develop during a play. But for me the best experience has always been somewhere between say the 30 yard lines, and in either the 100 or 200 level. Getting TOO low in the 100 sections is fun for watching the sidelines, and getting a sense of the speed and violence of the game (you can hear and I swear sometimes feel the impacts on the field), but it limits your ability to see the near side of the field since it will be blocked by all the really large humans standing on the sideline.

We sat in row 12 of section 123 last Sunday, and we were thinking that was probably about as low as we'd want to sit.

Hope you are able to make next year's tailgate ... I promise you will never forget it.

And nuptual Mazel Tov!

Yep..when we went to the first bgo tailgate we sat 6 rows off the skins bench. It was the best seats I've ever had and made all the difference in the game experience

Not sure what you would want to spend, but I always look for Dream Seat tix when I attend games. In the stadium, the Dream Seats are the 1st 3 rows around the perimeter of the field. That comes with drinks (soda and water) hot dogs and peanuts...oh and delicious chocolate chip cookies. Not that the food would matter if you come during the BGO Tailgate because the food, oh the glorious food at the tailgate!

Anyway, the prices are reasonable to me. While it can be nice watching the game from above, the fans in the upper decks tend to be a little more...shall we say, ornery. I suggest lower level.

I have made friends with the regular season tix holders in sections 110, 111, 10 and 11. So I am usually there. It's the End Zone where the team comes out of the tunnel. The only problem with those seats is if the action is at the other end of the stadium.

I would definitely make every effort to attend the BGO Tailgate, great group of people!