INDIANAPOLIS — For the seventh time in the last eight years, Lucas Oil Stadium has been named the National Football League's best host.
Marc Viquez of Stadium Journey recently published a ranking of the top stadiums in the NFL, ranked 1-32, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts was once again on top.
"The reviews are based on several categories including," according to Viquez. "Food & beverage in the arena, the overall atmosphere, the neighborhood in which the arena resides, the fans, the access (including traffic, parking, restrooms, and ability to move around in the arena), overall return on investment, and a catchall category for any extras."
Lucas Oil Stadium reclaimed the top spot in 2017 after M&T Bank Stadium — the home of the Baltimore Ravens — earned the crown in 2016. M&T came in at No. 2 on this year's list, with the 2019 Super Bowl host — the Atlanta Falcons' Mercedes-Benz Stadium — coming in third.
Here is what Viquez had to say about Lucas Oil Stadium:
"The home of the Indianapolis Colts once again tops our list of NFL venues and is among the sites top overall sports facilities. The stadium offers one of the better settings in the league with its downtown location in close proximity to interstate access. The organization has taken advantage of the setting by creating Touchdown Town outside the venue that house tailgating, concerts, games for kids, and plenty of socializing. The retractable roof opens up to provide a cool breeze of air and an open view of the nearby skyline."
While the ranking is graded on an overall experience, the Colts as a team can't say enough about the support they receive from the fans who make their way to the stadium on Sundays.
"(I) just want to begin by thanking Colts Nation for an incredible season (and) for great support," Colts head coach Frank Reich said at his final press conference of the 2018 season. "We felt the juice, the love down in Lucas Oil. It was fun to see it grow during the year."
"Obviously, we started off really poorly, but just felt an unwavering support and then as we got things going it was really tangible and palpable to us as a team – the excitement build from the fan base and so we are very thankful for that to our fans," Reich continued. "It was a long journey up this '1-0 mountain' and it was a fun journey and we appreciated the support going up through it."
Including the preseason, the Colts had a record of 7-3 at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2018.
For more on everything Lucas Oil Stadium has to offer on gamedays, click here, and to request information about Colts tickets for the 2019 season, click here.
