Big news for Cincinnati athletics came out this morning as the board of trustees approved the renovation and expansion of Nippert Stadium. Nippert will hold approximately 40,000 when the project is complete. Construction will start after the current season and is slated to end in August of 2015. There is a very high chance that the Bearcats will be out of Nippert for the 2014 season, but that has not been announced formally.
The project is expected to cost $80-85 million dollars via private funding and premium seating revenue. Expansion on the west side of the stadium includes a new press box, suites, scholarship club seats and patio suites. The east side will feature more concessions and restrooms and skywalks for the upper deck to the gameday brick plaza.
In a UC press release, Whit Babcock said:
"Today is a tremendous day for Cincinnati athletics," Babcock said. "Our Board of Trustees and Dr. Ono have allowed us to move forward with our unprecedented project to Nippert Stadium and I am sincerely grateful for their leadership and vision. This transformational campaign will allow us to create critical new revenue streams to benefit all 19 sports programs through the sale of premium seating opportunities while also improving a variety of fan amenities such as concessions, restrooms, and concourse traffic flow.
"Every fan, donor, alumnus and student who attends a game beginning in 2015 will benefit from the scope of this project. This project exemplifies our desire to develop a top-notch college football gameday experience and compete with the nation's elite. We are going to enhance an already-strong home-field advantage by wrapping in the west side of the stadium. Nippert Stadium is an integral part of our brand at UC and this project should make a strong statement as to our overall direction as a department and University. Our future is bright and it's a dynamic time to be a Bearcat."
He would also add:
"We have 26 months to get this done and we want to get it right. We look forward to beginning this exciting chapter in our history and communicating with our fan and donor base regularly along the way."
Renovating and expanding Nippert Stadium was necessary for the future of Cincinnati football. This athletic department has a vision for the future of Cincinnati sports. So far that vision is pretty damn awesome.
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