The Washington Commanders have spent months winning approvals, unveiling renderings and advancing plans for a new stadium at the RFK campus. Now, team executives are offering their clearest picture yet of what they hope will stand at the Ward 7 site by 2030.
The goal, Commanders President Mark Clouse said, is not simply to build a new home for the franchise. He wants a stadium that visiting teams dread, fans embrace, and the District can market as a destination for some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
“Our goal is to make the most terrifying stadium in the world to come play in,” Clouse said in an interview with Bloomberg Sports. “I want visiting teams to look at their schedule and circle the date they’re coming to D.C. and be terrified by that.”
Clouse said the team wants a venue that captures the energy once associated with RFK Stadium while giving Washington a facility capable of hosting the Super Bowl, WrestleMania and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. He also said the architecture should belong unmistakably to the nation’s capital rather than resemble a stadium that could be built anywhere else.
With the public vision established, work on the project continues to move through multiple stages.
Last month, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts approved preliminary stadium renderings, while urging the design team to strengthen portions of the east and west entrances before returning with revised plans. During the review, Commission Vice Chair James McCrery reminded designers that the building will stand near some of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
“Your neighbors are the United States Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial,” McCrery said. “You need to be as powerful.”
Transportation planning also advanced last week after the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board approved agreements allowing work to begin on improvements to the Stadium-Armory Metrorail station and planning for the proposed Gold Line bus rapid transit route serving the RFK campus. District officials have committed $300 million for station improvements and another $5 million for transit planning.
Metro General Manager Randy Clarke has said the transportation upgrades are essential if Washington expects to host events that extend well beyond the NFL season.
“Without Metro being ready, the games are not going to work well,” Clarke said. “We’re not going to try to host a Super Bowl. We’re not going to try to host [the] Women’s World Cup. We’re not trying to get Taylor Swift and Beyoncé back here. At the end of the day, Metro is going to be the key to the success.”
The franchise has also begun assembling the people it wants associated with the project.
The Commanders announced this week that Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green will work with Clouse on the stadium project, while Hall of Fame running back John Riggins will return as part of the team’s broadcast and community efforts. Green’s role includes working on plans for the stadium, which is expected to open in 2030.
Behind the scenes, Andy VanHorn, the club’s head of real estate, is overseeing the design, construction and broader development surrounding the stadium. The former real estate executive said his responsibilities include coordinating with government agencies and managing the real estate elements tied to what the team has described as one of the franchise’s largest undertakings.
While the Commanders continue to outline their plans, many residents near the RFK campus say they remain focused on issues that extend beyond football. During recent public hearings on the District’s draft master plan, neighbors questioned the size of proposed parking garages, whether enough green space would remain and whether transit improvements would keep pace with redevelopment. District planners have said public feedback has already influenced portions of the draft and additional revisions remain under consideration.
“I know that our residents are going to just keep pushing until the very end,” Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Ebony Payne said.
