ASU and Sun Devil Athletics held a press conference on Tuesday morning to show off the newly reinvented south end zone of Sun Devil Stadium.
“The vision here is that this reinvented venue will be much more than just a football venue,” Ray Anderson, vice president for university athletics and ASU's athletics director, said. “It really has multipurpose usage — academic usage, student usage, community usage.”
The first phase of the renovation process features the “Double Inferno,” a two-part student section in the lower bowl at each end zone.
“I think that’ll help, actually, immensely because I think it’ll be amazing where the teams that we’re opposing are going to have to face us no matter what side," Corina Tapscott, Undergraduate Student Government Downtown President, said. "I think its going to help us when it comes to winning our games.”
The first stage of the stadium’s reinvention not only includes the completion of the lower bowl, but increases the seating, makes seating permanent and increases accessibility to different amenities. Restrooms, concessions and student areas have been renovated and brought up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards. Seating will be increased to about 12,000 seats, distributed on each end zone.
4 days until we're back at Sun Devil Stadium! View from the new student section. #Momentum pic.twitter.com/CPg0uNILBp
— Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) September 8, 2015
Bruce Jensen, the executive director of Capital Programs Management Group, said the infrastructure of the stadium is being updated in the renovation process to allow for an overall improved game day experience. Jensen heads up the logistics of the renovation.
“We felt it was important to do that for the students upfront. They'll get the chance to experience it,” Jensen said. “Now that they’re double loading it… it gives them a chance to mix it up and at least experience the improvements.”
Sun Devil Stadium’s renovation has a $256 million price tag that will be completed in three stages. All three parts are expected to be completed by the fall of 2017, according to ASU news. The collective private fundraising efforts put towards the stadium’s reinvention ensures that tuition and taxpayer money will not be used to pay for the renovation.
The Arizona State Sun Devils will play against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Sept. 12 at Sun Devil Stadium in the first home game of the season.
Reach the reporter at smmaki@asu.edu or follow @Syd_neym on Twitter.
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