There are signs of the NCAA football season in Fort Collins, where the new Colorado State stadium is on track to open this summer.
Colorado State has been working to finish its new on-campus stadium in time for the upcoming season, and already has plans in place for its first game. The university recently announced that the facility’s opening has been moved up, as a scheduling change will allow the Rams to play their first game in the venue on August 26 rather than September 9.
From what was presented during a tour with the media on Monday, the stadium is on pace to be ready for its opening. According to Colorado State athletic director Joe Parker, construction of the stadium is both on time and on budget, and many finishing touches should be installed over the new few months. More from the Reporter-Herald:
“There’s always something different to see,” Parker said during a tour of the facility with media Monday. “You can visualize it, but when it’s right in front of you, it’s pretty special.”
The project is still on time and on budget, according to Parker, with the football team planning on moving into the west side of the stadium in mid June. In the beginning of August, the academic and alumni aspects will be settling in on the east.
In the coming months, the field surface will be put in place, donor bricks will be laid outside the stadium and the LED scoreboard will be panelled.
The design has purpose and flow. The football team’s new weight room (coming in at 11,000 square feet) is linked to a nutrition center, with the medical facilities a room over. Up above, windows overlook the weight room in the hallway that will link the coaches’ offices and meeting rooms, with a player’s lounge on the same level.
The first regular season game at the stadium will pit Colorado State against Oregon State. Colorado State’s new on-campus stadium will replace Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium, which was the football program’s home from 1968-2016 and hosted its final game last November.
Rendering courtesy Colorado State University.