Memorial Stadium expansion is on schedule, as upgrades to the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football team should be ready for the season opener this fall.
The $160-million Memorial Stadium expansion will totally close up the south side of the bowl, expanding the stadium’s capacity to around 84,000 and eliminating existing facilities. The project also means some serious upgrades for the athletic facilities: on tap are a new locker room, strength and conditioning room, training room, nutrition center, meeting rooms and the equipment operation. The new facilities won’t be limited to the football team; every athlete will have access to the facility.
The weight room will nearly triple in size to 26,600 square feet and include a 70-yard indoor turfed speed and agility training area. The athletic training room also will grow substantially to nearly 10,000 square feet.
The third floor of the building will house all of the football offices and the team’s video department.
The seating bowl will feature an expanded concourse, more restrooms (from an existing seven to 50), more concessions (from 100 to 170) and other amenities. The new structure will feature 22 suites, 60 open-air loge boxes, two new clubs and 1,976 club seats. Also on tap: a pair of open-air fan plazas, one each in the southwest and southeast corners. They will each measure at slightly more than 3,000 square feet each and feature a view directly to the game field.
Design is from Kansas City-based Populous; construction is by FlintCo.
Images courtesy University of Oklahoma.