It’s a Colorado Springs icon. And it just got better.
Much better.
Hundreds more premium seats. Myriad new food choices. High-tech LED lighting. Lots of banquet space. Loads more restrooms and entrances and concession windows.
After a $90 million facelift, Falcon Stadium is greeting the 2024 football season with a massive addition and countless other renovations. In recent weeks, about 200 contractors worked 10 hours per day, six days per week to put the final touches on the facility before the Falcons’ opening game against Merrimack College.
“I think it’s an incredible upgrade for Falcon Stadium,” says Athletic Director Nathan Pine.
The “Front Porch”
Perhaps the most immediately visible change is that the main entrance has moved to the east side of the stadium. This area is spacious and open, with wide and accessible walkways, 12 new ticket windows and a permanent Fanatics team shop tucked into the covered heritage plaza concourse. A gigantic sign reminds visitors that oxygen is scarcer at 6,621 feet above sea level.
Various historical elements made their way into the new design, too, including a monument wall and the repositioning of flag poles and the falcon statue from the existing stadium. The entrance also features the “Falcon Stadium” letters that adorned the stadium when it first opened in 1962.
“The design has come together. … We’ve brought a lot of old into the new,” says Rob Clough, project superintendent for GE Johnson, the construction company leading the project.
Inside the Stadium
The new east-side building is named the Kucera Legacy Center in honor of lead donors Jack Kucera (class of 1978) and his spouse, Vianne.
Upstairs is the new East Club presented by L3 Harris, a state-of-the art space with 1,200 new premium seats, including 850 new indoor premium club seats with four seating options: living room loge, standard loge, premium club and standard club. These offer stunning views of the field from climate-controlled comfort. The living room loge and premium club are already sold out. Below are 350 covered outdoor chairback seats in an area called The Overlook.
Behind the seats in the East Club is an 11,000-square-foot banquet space with sweeping views of Colorado Springs on one side and the field on the other. Graphics and mementoes line the walls throughout–a collection of Falcon football helmets behind glass and artsy renditions of the Cadet Chapel and Polaris Hall. Adjacent north and south open-air decks will be available for alumnae gatherings, recruiting, corporate events and more.
The east-side addition will have a noticeable impact on the entire stadium, multiplying by four the concessions capacity, as well as the number of entrances and bathrooms.
Lighting also got an overhaul—to LEDs, which will allow for light shows, quick on-and-off capabilities and an increased “fun fan experience,” says Matt McGahey, Air Force senior athletics director for external operations.
Food + Beverages
Earlier this year, Air Force Athletics partnered with hospitality guru Levy to handle food and drinks for the stadium and other USAFA venues. First step? Building a commercial kitchen on site.
“You’re going to see a lot of really elevated food options,” McGahey says.
A recent media tour of the stadium included tastings of some of the new offerings. Among the highlights? B-21 Bomber Nachos: chips shaped like Stealth bombers and manufactured just for USAFA by Denver-based Raquelitas, topped with a secret sauce and other bits of deliciousness. And the bonus... The nachos come in a Stealth-shaped box, with “Go Falcons” imprinted on the bottom. Once fans finish their snack, they have ready-made signs to wave.
Other options include Blue Steely Mac-n-Cheese (white mac-n-cheese topped with spicy blue chips), Fighting Falcon Dog (spicy sausage topped with coleslaw and spicy mayo) and a Green Chili Chicken Wrap. They are also debuting more “grab-and-go” options and a Kids MRE, which comes in its own souvenir lunch box.
Wondering about the beer? There is a new, local sponsor: Bristol Brewing Company.
A substantial increase in the number of food and beverage points of sale is expected to cut the register-to-patron ratio in half, meaning less time in line.
Other Events
Falcon Stadium is, of course, best known for Air Force football games and USAFA graduation.
With the upgrades, however, the stadium is positioned to become a much bigger player in hosting other local events on non-football days. Weddings. Reunions. Receptions. Corporate events.
And a major expansion of the tunnel coming into the stadium on the north end to accommodate big-rig trucks opens the door to concerts and other high-profile events.
In other words, Pine says, stay tuned. Falcon Stadium is ready to soar.
Websites: https://goairforcefalcons.com/ and https://falconstadium.org/
Facebook: @AF.Falcons
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