The massive $485 million makeover of Kyle Field stands out as the most costly project in college sports. It’s driven by the Texas-sized appetite for college football and Texas A&M’s intent to hold a competitive edge over rival schools, both in-state and in the Southeastern Conference.
As mind-boggling as that number appears, the cost to build a new stadium with 102,512 seats, the same number of seats as the renovated facility will have this fall after the two-year project is completed, would have run $650 million to $710 million, said Earl Santee, Populous’ principal-in-charge of the job.
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When finished, Kyle Field will have a more uniform look.
Photo by: Populous |
School officials initially studied building a new stadium elsewhere on campus. But the infrastructure required to support a new facility made it cost-prohibitive compared with upgrading the existing 88-year-old stadium, where roads, parking and utilities were already in place, Santee said.
“Some people would say you could build a new stadium for $450 million, but one that big with the amenities it would have, I would say, ‘No way,’” he said. “Size does drive [cost], but it was everything else they wanted to have in the building that was important to them … and had an impact.”
Like other schools, there were also long-standing traditions to uphold at Kyle Field, including football’s original 12th Man, which predates the stadium. It’s a nod to the student body and the home-field advantage it provides to the team in College Station.
In addition, Kyle Field sits next to the school’s football practice and support facilities, and an indoor track, so it
made more sense to rebuild most of the existing facility as opposed to building a new stadium elsewhere, said Texas A&M Athletic Director Eric Hyman.
“A lot of that was vetted and analyzed and evaluated,” Hyman said. “It’s like Wayne Gretzky said, ‘It’s not where the puck is, it’s where the puck is going.’”
At Texas A&M, the “net” gain is to meet the needs of all constituents in a market crazy for college football with no signs of slowing down post-Johnny Manziel and three years after the school’s move to the SEC. Over the years, there have been scattered renovations to Kyle Field that in some instances look mismatched, according to Santee.
Now the stadium will take on a uniform look with matching brick throughout the building, and new connections between concourses.
Taking a cue from the major leagues, four activation towers anchoring the venue serve as sponsorship zones as well as the stadium’s gate entrances.
“We believe that’s a great place for their corporate partners to communicate to the 100,000-plus people that come and attend football games at Kyle Field,” Santee said.
As of early January, the school had not sold deals for any of the towers, said Senior Associate Athletic Director Jason Cook.
The addition of new roof canopies along the east and west sidelines will provide protection from the Texas sun and most likely will make the stadium even louder. It’s all part of unifying the experience for all Aggies fans, Santee said.
There’s plenty to unify. This past season, the Aggies drew 110,633 fans, including more than 4,000 standing-room tickets sold, for a home game against Ole Miss, marking the highest attendance ever for a football game in Texas.
Student attendance alone spiked at close to 40,000 for two games, bucking the national trend for fewer students going to games.
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This recent construction photo shows how little is being left untouched at Kyle Field.
Photo by: Populous |
“That’s almost unheard of across the country,” Hyman said. “On the flip side, they get 50-yard-line seats, too, on the east side … but that’s part of Texas A&M. Hopefully, they’ll support the football program [after graduation] and this is the way to get them really connected with what goes on in Aggieland.”
It may be a while before Texas A&M sets another attendance record. After the retrofit is completed, the building’s capacity will shrink a bit to 102,512. But it will remain atop the SEC as the conference’s biggest stadium.
The final piece of the two-year project is underway, a complete redevelopment of the stadium’s west side tied to an intense offseason construction schedule. On its own, the $100 million project brings a multitude of new premium seat products to the stadium, distributed across three levels.
The new inventory is anchored by a dozen ultra-luxurious Founders Suites tied to capital gifts of $5 million to $15 million with 20-year terms. All told, 114 new suites are under construction as well as 7,800 club seats and 72 loge boxes.
Every piece of new premium inventory is sold out, and Texas A&M blew past its original goal of $125 million in fundraising to help pay for construction, Hyman said. The sale of seat licenses, student fees and a relatively small portion of public money are also financing the renovations.
When the west side reopens this fall, the broad mix of premium seats at Kyle Field will be unmatched in college sports. The stadium follows the major league model for hitting every aspect of the high-end market for pricing, location and perks, Santee said.
“The beauty of this is you’re finding alumni stepping up,” he said. “They love their universities. And whether it’s a legacy gift or a gift they will continue to give to not only their football program but other programs on campus, that’s an important piece.”
All told, Kyle Field will last “long after I’m dead and buried,” said Hyman, 64. “The goal here is to be a top-10 program across the board. Part of it is Kyle Field and addressing all the initiatives to help compete at the highest level in the SEC, which in the West division is brutal.”
