Work is expected to begin this summer on a $10 million upgrade to Eastern Kentucky University’s Roy Kidd Football Stadium. In addition to 3,000 new bleacher seats, the facility will also feature a new locker room, equipment room and game day training area. EKU Deputy Athletics Director Matt Roan says total capacity will be about 15,000. “It’s one thing to have a stadium that holds 40,000 people, but it’s a quarter of the way full," Roan said. "But we really believe that where we want to build our facilities to, that we can fill them up and add exciting game day atmosphere to our student-athletes,” said Roan.
Roan says Ohio State announced this week plans to reduce fan capacity at their stadium by about 2,000, something the Roan called a trend.
Eastern has been courting invitations to move up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level. Roan says these upgrades are not solely focused on that opportunity. “While this certainly does have elements of making ourselves as attractive to anyone that might be interested in having EKU as a member, this is also about being the best that we can possibly be in the Ohio Valley Conference and nationally,” explained Roan.
Roan says the new football stadium facilities will likely help with recruiting. He says consideration for football offices and academic classes did not prove economically feasible. “You know from an equity standpoint, from trying to be an across the board successful athletic department, it was important for us to use our funds as efficiently as possible and make the biggest impact not just for football but for other programs as well,” Roan said.
Roan says $15 million in agency bonds were sold for the project a year ago. He says the remaining $5 million will go to help with planned improvements at the baseball and softball complexes. The football stadium project is expected to be finished in time for the 2017 season.?
