Signs of growth are all around the East Carolina football program. One of the most exciting and lucrative ways in which that growth has manifested itself is in the proposed expansion of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
A stadium expansion is a pretty the good barometer of how a program is doing, so it would appear to be a pretty good time to be involved with ECU. While still in the planning phases, there’s no denying that the upgrades to Dowdy-Ficklen will be a welcome addition. It’ll be a couple of years before the finished product is unveiled, so in the meantime, let’s take an in-depth look at the plans and examine the impact it will have on the Pirates.
History
Built in 1961 and dedicated as James Skinner Ficklen Memorial Stadium in 1963 with a 20-10 win over Wake Forest, the Pirates have spent the better part of half a century in what is now Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
Despite the ravages of time, Dowdy-Ficklen has held up about as well as could be expected. Dowdy-Ficklen has served as the home base of the greatest teams in Pirate football history, winning almost 67 percent of their home games since the stadium opened. The expansion is set to move the football program into the next phase of that history, so it looks like the stadium will be the setting for the Pirates for years to come.
Upgrades
Obviously, the upgrades to the south side of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium will have an immediate impact on the bottom line of the ECU athletic department, which will make a lot of people in purple and gold happy. The $55 million expansion will turn Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium into one of the premier venues in the AAC. The expansion creates 1,000 new premium seats in form of Club Level Seating, upgrades to the media level and enhancements to Scales Fieldhouse and the Ward Sports Medicine Building. As an added bonus, a hitting facility will be added for both the baseball and softball teams.
Like most new construction/renovation projects, plans don’t stop at just the stadium. The entire area is potentially open for renovations, and while the plans have received rave reviews from fans, those in the surrounding neighborhood are taking the “wait and see” approach.
Still, once the expansion is complete, the entire ECU football experience will be significantly upgraded.
Looking Forward
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The benefits of stadium upgrades can generally be broken down into two groups: short-term and long-term. The Dowdy-Ficklen renovations are no different, and with overwhelming support from customers and administrators already in place, everyone involved at ECU is in line to reap the benefits.
In the short-term, the stadium upgrades will have two extremely important influxes. First and most obvious is the influx of cash. The addition of premium seating in the various club level additions will no doubt be lucrative as patrons and companies rush to snatch up those luxury suites. Another avenue for cash includes new premium parking to go along with those suites, as well as a totally upgraded field level experience with a lounge type atmosphere that will obviously enhance the game day experience. That means more season tickets being sold, which in turn means more money for the athletic department.
Not surprisingly, upgrades to stadiums and facilities are one of the most important factors in recruiting. Thus, the Dowdy-Ficklen improvements are bound to have a positive impact on the ability for head coach Scottie Montgomery to attract recruits to Greenville. In the interim, he can sell other potential prospects on the exciting possibilities of playing in a state-of-the-art, upgraded stadium with all the amenities of big-time football at ECU.
In the long-term, such additions should make ECU a welcoming target for expansion to the Power 5. ECU already enjoys the geographical advantages of playing in the warmest area of North Carolina, and also serves as an important gateway to hotbeds of talent in the south. While it currently doesn’t have the market appeal of a Houston or any of the other recent targets of expansion, a few winning seasons in the gleaming new digs at Dowdy-Ficklen would certainly change that perception.
It remains to be seen just how the Pirates will take advantage of the upgrades to their home. However, after looking at the proposed plans and seeing how overwhelming the support has been, it’s certain that the atmosphere at the upgraded Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium will be second to none in the AAC.
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