Kenan Stadium overhaul begins fundraising phase

UNC football fans can now lease their own luxury suite in Kenan Stadium for the price of roughly $50,000 a year.

But actual tickets to sit in the football stadium’s more than $70 million planned expansion cost extra.

Plans for a massive overhaul to the football stadium’s east end zone section, currently the location of the digital scoreboard and student athlete development center, will add 3,230 seats and a new Student-Athlete Center for Excellence.

The public sales phase of the project began Saturday, kicking off a campaign to raise money for the project, which will not be paid for with any state appropriations.

Sales of new seats and individual luxury suites are expected to pay for most of the stadium’s expansion, although their construction will count for less than half of the project’s cost. Private donations and gifts are expected to make up the remainder of the cost.

The final sign off for the project will come from University administrators and the Board of Trustees once the entire $70 million to $85 million cost can be accounted for.

No date has been set for when the old buildings will be torn down or when construction will begin.

“The revenue from club seats and suites will help us over the next 30 years continue to fund our 28-sport program at its current competitive levels,” said Dick Baddour, athletic director, in a statement.

Plans to renovate the more than 80-year-old stadium have been in development for a decade. The goal of the overhaul is to modernize the facilities, provide better support for student-athletes and provide a better experience for fans, Baddour said in a statement.

“We have to accomplish these goals in a way that the project not only pays for itself, but provides a long-term source of additional revenue for Carolina athletics,” Baddour said.

The changes are part of a master plan to keep Kenan up-to-date that began with a west end renovation that ended in August.

New seating sections, called the Blue Zone, will feature 20 individual suites and seating with access to private lounges.

Underneath the new seating, the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence will house a variety of facilities, including the Carolina Athletics Business Office and visitor’s locker rooms.

The new Academic Support Center will occupy more than 29,000 square feet making it one of the building’s largest occupants.

It will be three times the size of the current academic center, which opened 23 years ago.

The Student-Athlete Center for Excellence will also include a new locker room for the lacrosse team and a Strength and Conditioning Center for Olympic sports.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.