Looking to the future
October 10, 2019 | Football, General News, Andy Baggot
Excitement builds as Camp Randall renovation looms
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BY ANDY BAGGOT
UWBadgers.com Insider
MADISON, Wis. — For decades it's been arguably the most underappreciated vantage point for football fans seated inside Camp Randall Stadium.
Since 1940, the humble south end zone has leaned against the faded brick back wall of the iconic UW Field House. It's where the last letters of the alphabet, sections Y and Z, await patrons.
Things are about to change because significant upgrades to the south end zone are on the horizon in the form of the CR Future project.
Fueled by feedback from a survey of Badgers ticket-holders and customer service trends nationally, Wisconsin Athletic Department officials are moving closer to modernizing the area with premium seating opportunities. The primary goal is to enhance the game-day experience for fans entering the historic 102-year-old facility and provide an unrivaled experience for student-athletes.
Important approval is still needed before specifics — cost, timeline, scope and payment plan — can be made public. Director of Athletics Barry Alvarez acknowledged that reality with a tone of excitement in his voice.
"We have a lot of ground to cover and a lot of people to see (regarding the final OK), but this is very appealing," he said. "It's what people told us they want."
The survey was conducted in 2016 with an eye toward gauging fan interest in upscale seating options in the south end zone, an area largely untouched during the massive $109.5 million renovation from 2001 to '05 that brought to life suites, club seats, administrative and operations complexes as well as a ticket office.
CR Future calls for loge boxes and club seats; access to indoor hospitality and outdoor terraces; climate-controlled amenities; and expanded premium food and beverage offerings.
"The feedback was very strong," Alvarez said.
"We knew that we were short on premium (seating) space," said Jason King, the Wisconsin senior associate athletic director who oversees capital projects. "We basically didn't have anything to offer. When we did the survey, we had something special like this in mind."
To maximize interest and hopefully generate more, a website has been created at CampRandallStadium.com to provide Badgers fans the most up-to-date news on the renovation. Interested parties can sign up and be a project insider.
Wisconsin followers can also follow @UWBadgers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, searching the hashtag #CRFuture for updates.
Another option is the SupporttheBadgers.org website, which allows patrons to pledge financial support for the renovation.
"When it comes to the game-day experience, you have to stay up with fans' needs and wants," Alvarez said. "This is something really exciting for me."
In 2015, Wisconsin Athletics contracted with Legends, based in New York City, to conduct a survey and engage focus groups made up of ticket-holders, alumni and Badgers fans on the future of Camp Randall.
In March, UW Athletics announced a multi-year partnership with Legends whereby the company would streamline initiatives across general ticketing, premium seating, annual fundraising, marketing and business intelligence capabilities into one platform.
Alvarez said it's a comfort having Legends help oversee the renovation as well as be responsible for all sales and marketing, planning and premium seating strategy.
"They can spend maximum time on it," he said. "They can totally immerse themselves in selling something that I think will be a great addition and service.
Dan Jankoski is the on-site general manager for Legends, which has arrangements with NFL teams like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams; Major League Baseball clubs like the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees; colleges like Notre Dame, Oklahoma and USC; and entities like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, LA Coliseum, UFC and Wimbledon.
"Wisconsin is the type of partner you want to have," he said. "It's a tremendous opportunity for everybody involved."
Jankoski, who set up shop in Madison in January, echoed the notion that the survey results were "really strong" while citing the fact that there is a waiting list for premium seating at Camp Randall. He said the goal is to create a source of long-term sustainable revenue to hedge against the rising costs associated with supporting 23 sports and an estimated 800 student-athletes.
"We've put a lot of thought into what this can be," he said.
King visited Power Five schools like Arkansas, Iowa, Oklahoma, Mississippi State and Missouri to gauge the impact of similar end-zone seating projects.
"Our goal is to create a unique fan experience," he said. "That's what's driving us."
CR Future will be funded with a combination of state-bonded dollars, private donations and revenue associated with new premium seating options. The school is in the process of selecting an architect and expects to have one in place by the end of the year. Once that is done, a production schedule can be finalized.
Careful consideration was made to create a new design that blends with the existing structure of the Field House, which opened in 1930 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
It's expected there will be a slight reduction to the seating capacity of Camp Randall, which is currently at 80,321. Jankoski estimated that between 2,000 and 4,000 new seating opportunities will be created.
Alvarez spoke recently with a member of the Fan Advisory Committee, who lamented the narrow concourses on the west side of the stadium. Alvarez said research is being done on installing more handrails, but there's only so much that can be done in the way of dramatic upgrades to the upper deck and press box.
"It's a 100-year-old stadium, so we're stuck with a few things," he said.
But there are also changes afoot for Badgers fans, changes to be excited about.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Wisconsin," Jankoski said. "We're really studying what's being done across the collegiate landscape to ensure that the best project is here."
