Then there’s the field itself.
The Washington Huskies fired the first salvo back in the late 1980s with a 13,000-seat stadium renovation. Conference schools like Oregon are hot on Washington’s heels. With a 12,000-seat expansion and renovation by acclaimed sports designer Ellerbe Becket debuting this fall, the Ducks are raising the standard for excellence even higher.
Adding new seats closer to the field, designers created an environment that maintains Autzen Stadium’s legendary home field advantage and keeps fans on top of the action. The combination of a visual “front door” and a new cantilevered roof made entirely of Oregon wood products provides an inviting external appearance. Additional amenities such as suites, club seating and enlarged concourses with new concession and retail offerings will pay dividends for the Oregon athletic department and improve the overall fan experience. The Ducks sold more than 35,000 reserved season tickets during the summer, 32% more than the previous year, forcing them to suspend sales until the football season opened.
Big stadium improvements can put pressure on the pocketbooks and recruiting abilities of other PAC-10 institutions. Schools with older stadiums such as Washington State, Oregon State, USC and UCLA are evaluating their facilities to determine the feasibility of renovations or new facilities.
And the phenomenon isn’t limited to football stadiums. Basketball, the conference’s other dominant revenue sport, is initiating the same full court press. Cal-Berkley’s new Haas Pavilion, also designed by Ellerbe Becket, and the Huskies’ renovated Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, demonstrate the benefits of additional seating with unobstructed views as well as updated training and locker room facilities.
Happy fans and first-class facilities can mean the difference when wooing athletes and coaches. And to come full circle, schools see positive effects to the bottom line from additional ticket sales. Oregon officials are so pleased with the ongoing results of their football renovations, they are considering improvements to their basketball venue, McArthur Court.
As the newer facilities allow teams to take center stage, schools may be forced to take stock not only of their programs, but of ailing venues as well.
An innovator since its founding in 1909, Ellerbe Becket is a leader in architecture, engineering and the construction industry with office locations worldwide.
