Washington State University

WASHINGTON STATE

Martin Stadium
Built: 1936
Project cost: $65 million
Renovation designer: AECOM
Last major renovation: 2007

What’s new: One of the country’s smallest BCS stadiums has opened a new addition on the south side with 21 suites, 1,183 outdoor club seats, 83 indoor club seats and 42 loge boxes. The entire project, which pushes total seating to about 33,500, was designed and built in 17 months. Construction started in December, a few weeks after Washington State hired Mike Leach as its football coach, and finished in early August, three weeks ahead of schedule, said John Johnson, the school’s senior associate athletic director. The excitement surrounding the Leach hire, coupled with a premium experience new to many fans in Pullman — the stadium had six small suites before the renovation — helped market the inventory, Johnson said. “The interest and feedback has been really positive,” he said. In total, premium seat revenue should generate $3.1 million a year for scholarships.

Premium seat details: Suites $50,000 annually for 24 seats, $40,000 for 18 seats, $30,000 for 12 seats, covering cost of tickets and scholarship donations; sold out. All club seats $300 plus annual donations of $1,400 to $2,200 to athletic fund; indoor club seats are sold out, and outdoor club seats were 85 percent sold two weeks into season. Loge boxes $15,000 annually for six seats, $10,000 for four seats. Terms for all premium seats are three, five and seven years.

Financing: The school sold $80 million in bonds to finance construction, which will be paid off through TV revenue, among other sources. The school also raised more than $20 million to build a future football operations facility.