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Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is almost ready to fully reopen.
Memphis football's home stadium has been undergoing renovations for the past two years, but the project is scheduled to be completed before the Tigers' 2026 home opener against Arkansas State on Sept. 5.
Athletic director Ed Scott met with the media on June 16 to unveil new details about the stadium renovation.
Here are the details on what to expect inside the stadium when the Tigers kick off their season.
The scoreboards have been enlarged, and the sound system has been replaced, Scott said. There are now speakers located around the stadium instead of just in the scoreboard, so the sound will be more evenly distributed around the whole stadium.
"If you were on the south side of the stadium, you needed ear muffs," Scott said. "But if you were on the north side of the stadium, you could barely hear anything. It was one of the complaints that we received over my two years here in Memphis."
There's also a new ribbon board that Scott has previously talked about.
Scott has said throughout his time as athletic director that he wants to bring other events to the stadium in addition to football games. He said the new sound system will help with concerts, though he said there's no timetable for when those events could start to happen. The stadium has not hosted a concert since the 20th century.
Part of the reason for that was the narrow north tunnel, but that's being enlarged as part of the renovations. That will be the last part of the stadium to be completed, and Scott said it's currently expected to be done on Sept. 1.
The new capacity for the stadium will be 45,632.
The new plaza on the west side of the stadium will be known as the Landers Plaza, Scott said. It will be open to anyone sitting in the new west tower and for anyone sitting in the seats below the plaza on that side. People sitting elsewhere in the stadium will be able to buy wristbands to get access to that area, Scott said.
The capacity for the plaza area is 3,000.
The east side of the stadium has not undergone major renovations over the past two years, but it's being repainted and the suites will have new windows, Scott said.
The outside of the stadium will have new lighting, and Memphis is working on bringing food trucks and other vendors into the area inside the stadium halo for game days.
In an effort to make the gameday experience more affordable, Scott said he's working with the food vendors to create a $7 meal option.
"This is something that's really, really important to me," Scott said.
The project is still on track to come in at $226.5 million, which is very close to the $220 million that university and city officials initially agreed on in 2023. The renovations are being funded by $120 million in state money, $50 million from the family of FedEx founder Fred Smith and $50 million that the university had to raise in the form of a challenge grant tied to the Smith family donation.
The university still has to raise about $6 million, Scott said. Cash flow has not been an issue during the renovations, but Scott said the university has taken out a line of credit to use over the next few months if necessary. He said he hopes to raise the rest of the money in the next five or six years.
"Our goal is five to six years from the time this thing is complete," he said. "We have no bond debt, we have no other debt besides this line of credit."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Here's what will be new at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium for Memphis football
Continue reading...
Memphis football's home stadium has been undergoing renovations for the past two years, but the project is scheduled to be completed before the Tigers' 2026 home opener against Arkansas State on Sept. 5.
Athletic director Ed Scott met with the media on June 16 to unveil new details about the stadium renovation.
Here are the details on what to expect inside the stadium when the Tigers kick off their season.
New scoreboard and sound system
The scoreboards have been enlarged, and the sound system has been replaced, Scott said. There are now speakers located around the stadium instead of just in the scoreboard, so the sound will be more evenly distributed around the whole stadium.
"If you were on the south side of the stadium, you needed ear muffs," Scott said. "But if you were on the north side of the stadium, you could barely hear anything. It was one of the complaints that we received over my two years here in Memphis."
There's also a new ribbon board that Scott has previously talked about.
Scott has said throughout his time as athletic director that he wants to bring other events to the stadium in addition to football games. He said the new sound system will help with concerts, though he said there's no timetable for when those events could start to happen. The stadium has not hosted a concert since the 20th century.
Part of the reason for that was the narrow north tunnel, but that's being enlarged as part of the renovations. That will be the last part of the stadium to be completed, and Scott said it's currently expected to be done on Sept. 1.
The new capacity for the stadium will be 45,632.
Plaza gets a new name
The new plaza on the west side of the stadium will be known as the Landers Plaza, Scott said. It will be open to anyone sitting in the new west tower and for anyone sitting in the seats below the plaza on that side. People sitting elsewhere in the stadium will be able to buy wristbands to get access to that area, Scott said.
The capacity for the plaza area is 3,000.
Deferred maintenance and exterior improvements
The east side of the stadium has not undergone major renovations over the past two years, but it's being repainted and the suites will have new windows, Scott said.
The outside of the stadium will have new lighting, and Memphis is working on bringing food trucks and other vendors into the area inside the stadium halo for game days.
In an effort to make the gameday experience more affordable, Scott said he's working with the food vendors to create a $7 meal option.
"This is something that's really, really important to me," Scott said.
Project is on budget, but fundraising continues
The project is still on track to come in at $226.5 million, which is very close to the $220 million that university and city officials initially agreed on in 2023. The renovations are being funded by $120 million in state money, $50 million from the family of FedEx founder Fred Smith and $50 million that the university had to raise in the form of a challenge grant tied to the Smith family donation.
The university still has to raise about $6 million, Scott said. Cash flow has not been an issue during the renovations, but Scott said the university has taken out a line of credit to use over the next few months if necessary. He said he hopes to raise the rest of the money in the next five or six years.
"Our goal is five to six years from the time this thing is complete," he said. "We have no bond debt, we have no other debt besides this line of credit."
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Here's what will be new at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium for Memphis football
Continue reading...
