Oakland Raiders

American Football

Oakland Raiders to reduce O.co Coliseum capacity

By Matt Domm, Reporter

Published: February 7 2013 | 09:44

Last updated: February 7 2013 | 10:12

Oakland Raiders plan to reduce the capacity of O.co Coliseum in order to stop their games being ignored by television.

NFL franchise Oakland Raiders are planning to block off an entire section of seating at the O.co Coliseum in order to avoid television blackouts.

Tarpaulin will block sections 335 to 355, a section known as 'Mt Davis', which will reduce the overall capacity from 64,200 to 53,200 and make it the smallest in the NFL.

"It's not a revenue-generated decision," Raiders CEO Amy Trask told Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. It's an ongoing commitment on our part to create a vibrant, vibrant gameday environment with a community of season ticket holders.

"That's the goal - a community of season ticket holders. We'd like to sell the entire stadium on a season-ticket basis, and continue our efforts to create a family-friendly environment.

"Of course, another reason is we want to continue to provide the entire region with our games, live locally on television."

Raiders haven't qualified for the NFL off-season since 2002.