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Minnesota Vikings: U.S. Bank Stadium opening drawing nearer

By Adam Carlson

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It doesn’t feel like that long ago when Minnesota Vikings fans were tuned into the state legislature, watching to find out if a new stadium for the football team would be approved.  Features of the stadium were debated back and forth on the floor, trying to determine which ones were not worth including in the price of the new facility.

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings free safety Harrison Smith (22) hands a ball to a fan after intercepting and running it back for 81-yard touchdown during the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Vikings defeated the Rams 34-6. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Right there on the floor and championing the cause of the new building was executive vice president of public affairs and stadium development, Lester Bagley.  He’s spent 11 years with the Minnesota Vikings and found himself being the center of attention when it came to the push for the new stadium.

The now named U.S. Bank Stadium is a little over a year away from its grand opening.  The Minnesota Vikings will still be playing outdoors at “The Gopher Hole” at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium for the 2015 season, but should find themselves moving indoors to the new building for the 2016 season.

In a recent article on the Duluth News-Tribune website, Lester Bagley talked about watching the construction of U.S. Bank Stadium in real-time and being astounded by the work going into the multi-purpose facility.

"“Every time I come here, there is something new and exciting here,” Bagley said, gesturing towards half-built concession stands in the main concourse. “It’s just amazing to see the progress.”"

And while watching the construction happen on the Vikings.com website as well as seeing regular updates as to the progress is fantastic, it also means that the Vikings playing outdoors is over as is the long time that the team spent playing in stadiums that were outdated and deteriorating.

"“It’ll be the end of a chapter,” Bagley said of the construction process. “But we’ll have a whole year to settle in and figure out how everything operates, and then we’ll have other events to worry about.”"

Personally, I can’t wait to see a Minnesota Vikings game at U.S. Bank Stadium.  The amount of features that the facility has is amazing and this young team will finally have a stable place to call their home.  Plus, Minnesota has already locked up the rights to host the biggest event in football, the Super Bowl, in 2018.

Big things are coming for Minnesota.  And it is a great time to be a Vikings fan!

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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