The XFL has managed to recoup a large portion of its rent costs for St. Louis Battlehawks games at The Dome at America’s Center, thanks to large crowds and a clause in its lease. As reported by the St. Louis Business Journal
“the XFL, the spring football league that owns the St. Louis Battlehawks, paid $100,000 per game this season for its St. Louis franchise to play five regular season home games at The Dome.”
An incentive clause in the contract with Explore St. Louis, the tourism agency that operates The Dome, allowed the XFL to earn rebates if it met specific attendance thresholds. The contract specified that a rebate would be paid on a per-game basis, with
“$1 per ticket scanned if more than 10,000 tickets were scanned at a single game and $2 per ticket if more than 20,000 tickets were scanned.”
The Battlehawks exceeded the 20,000 rebate threshold in each of their five home games, with attendances ranging from 33,034 to 38,310. Explore St. Louis declined to provide specific rebate figures, but based on the Battlehawks’ attendance numbers, the St. Louis Business Journal estimates that
“the XFL possibly could have earned rebates that amounted to about 70% of its rent fees, based on the $2 per ticket rebate.”
A spokesman for Explore St. Louis mentioned that attendance during the XFL season helped generate revenue for the organization, stating that
“any rebate due to greater attendance is a portion of funds we wouldn’t earn otherwise.”
Explore St. Louis’ contract with the XFL included several other revenue-generating components, such as ticket sales, with the agency set to receive a $3 facility fee added to the price of each ticket sold, as well as other fees and commissions provided through its agreement with Ticketmaster.
The contract also allowed Explore St. Louis to receive a portion of proceeds from merchandise and concession sales.
The Battlehawks led the XFL in attendance during the 2023 regular season, with a total of 175,521 attendees for their five home games at The Dome. This accounted for 30% of the XFL’s league-wide attendance of 577,332 for the 2023 regular season.
