In Norfolk, Ed Miller noted Old Dominion football fans will "need to pay annual seat memberships ranging from $50 to $300 per ticket" to get premium seats at the reconstructed Foreman Field. ODU is undertaking a $65M "renovation and expansion of its 82-year old stadium." It will begin after the season finale against VMI on Nov. 17 and is "scheduled to be completed in time for the Aug. 30, 2019, season opener against Norfolk State." Basically, fans can "claim seats for life, as long as they pay the annual seat payment, even if they do not make additional donations." The renovated stadium will have "about 15,000 sideline seats in all" (Norfolk VIRGINIAN-PILOT, 10/31).
HAVE ONE ON ME: Saint Mary's men's basketball will play this season in the newly renovated McKeon Pavilion, which will now feature the sale of beer and wine at three concession stands inside and outside the pavilion. In a new partnership with Michelob Ultra and Markstein Sales Company, Saint Mary's concessionaire Soxedo will sell beer and wine before and during all men's basketball games. The Saint Mary's athletics department also created an outside patio behind McKeon Pavilion to provide fans with increased points of sale for beer, wine, food and merchandise (Saint Mary's).
LITTLE BIG DEAL: In Hartford, Shawn McFarland notes the UConn BOT "approved the financial plan and details" of its on-campus hockey arena. The 2,500-seat, $45M arena is "expected to built and ready" for fall '21. UConn "averaged 4,291 at the XL Center last season and the university has received criticism from fans for building a much smaller facility on campus." UConn AD David Benedict said of the lower capacity, "It’s based on us being able to get something done. This is a big step. I think ultimately, we’ll get to the place where the arena is 3,500 seats." He added, "We expected that it was going to be easier to get a facility of that size started than a larger one, because a larger one is going to cost more" (HARTFORD COURANT, 11/1).
