With college football season quickly approaching, one team is gearing up with a newly improved stadium.
The Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium at the University of Arkansas has seen a range of renovations since it opened in 1938, Saturday Down South reported, and this latest round of updates, which began in 2016, are almost finished.
In a tweet on Aug. 16, the Razorbacks showed side-by-side photos of the state of the stadium on that date in 2017, compared to one year later. The 2018 photo shows an almost-complete facility, ready for the team to use.
Project Specifics
In a 2016 press release, the Arkansas Razorbacks announced that it planned to make changes to the stadium to "better meet the needs of Razorback fans." The $160 million project included:
North end zone addition: The addition includes: new suites; boxes; club seats; other club areas; east and west concourses; new concessions and restrooms; a new game day locker room; a training room; and other pre- and post-game rooms.
Stadium updates: Among improvements are new elevators; club areas; and upper level seating, along with other renovations and better safety and security systems.
Frank Boyles Athletic Center rebuild: The center, which sat near where the north end zone addition was going, needed to be rebuilt.
"We are pleased to be moving forward with this important project that will improve the game day experience for all Razorback fans visiting Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium," said Jeff Long, vice chancellor and director of Athletics. "…Every fan that attends a game will benefit from the enhancements throughout the stadium, including renovations to existing areas, the addition of public elevators and a north concourse to allow fans to move more freely within the stadium and a south video board.
"The project has never been intended to dramatically increase the capacity of the stadium by simply adding more seats. It is designed to enhance the game day experience for every fan as well as meet the demonstrated demand for suite and club areas that currently are at more than 98 percent occupancy."
The Razorbacks are scheduled to play their first game in the updated stadium on Sept. 1 at 4 p.m.
