By Jerry Kutz, Sr. Vice President Seminole Boosters, Inc.
With kickoff to the 2016 football season just four months away, the clock is ticking on nearly $100 million of improvements to Doak Campbell Stadium. The improvements are designed to benefit Seminole fans on game day and the Big Bend residents throughout the year.
Numerous innovative and fan-friendly projects are being addressed simultaneously. The good news is, the 15-month construction timeline will be completed in the nine months between football seasons. But it’s not the timeline that’s drawing the attention of fans and stadium design-build teams; it’s the functionality.
While pro and college stadiums focus on game day needs, Florida State University’s (FSU) design-build team was challenged to serve two masters: to create a gameday man cave for football fans and a dynamic space to be enjoyed year-round for concerts, meetings, weddings, civic functions, parties, luncheons and dinners.
The Champions Club features:
- A large, welcoming VIP courtyard with two elevator towers and six high-speed, large-capacity elevators with scissor stairs;
- 30,000 square feet of covered rooftop terrace with cabanas;
- 10,000 square feet of air-conditioned space featuring Osceola Grill on the terrace level with a glass wall overlooking the field;
- 40,000 square feet of air-conditioned space on the club level with an energetic sports bar;
- A multi-purpose ballroom on the club level to serve as a man cave on game day or wedding the next day;
- More than 600 linear feet of glass wall overlooking the action on Bobby Bowden Field and some of Tallahassee’s best views of both the FSU and FAMU campuses, downtown Tallahassee, and the Capital City;
- On football weekends, Champions Club season ticket holders will have Friday to Sunday access to the club amenities;
- On game days, Champions Club seatholders will enjoy food and soft drinks throughout the game at no additional charge.
While the typical stadium club is used only a few hours on game day, FSU’s unique design of the Champions Club will allow seatholders to create a Friday to Sunday football weekend experience. Operationally, the key to this year-round activation is the 18-year partnership Seminole Boosters has enjoyed with Club Corporation of America, who has run the University Center Club (UCC) since the late 1990s. In addition to providing lunch and dinner for its membership, the UCC management team hosted 1,200 events in 2015 and is increasing staff to host many more within the greatly expanded facility.
The two projects drawing the most attention include:
- A new audio visual system which will feature two high-definition video boards, additional ribbon boards and a robust sound system to bring a booming voice to Doak Campbell Stadium;
- The Champions Club seating section in the South Endzone, which is drawing attention from stadium design-build teams worldwide. FSU’s innovative design will address the game day needs of 5,800 Seminole Club seatholders and provides much-needed, year-round space for business meetings, weddings, civic functions and parties.
In addition to these high-profile projects, there are a myriad of other tasks being completed, including:
- Reinforcement of the steel support structure, rust abatement and painting of more than 400,000 square feet of seating deck;
- Accessibility improvements from ADA parking areas to seats to make it easier to navigate sidewalks, restrooms and concession stands;
- The addition of family restrooms and improvements to as many of FSU’s 42 restrooms as possible;
- Replacement of fixed glass in skyboxes with operable windows.
Florida State University and Seminole Boosters are thankful to have a local design-build team on the ambitious project who have access to the local labor pool. Architect Brad Innes of Elliott, Marshall, Innes (EMI) designed the massive elevator and stair towers which will transport guests to the Champions Club and University Center functions. Innes partnered with Rosser, an international stadium design firm, to design the stadium club space. Childers Construction has managed the daunting construction project.
With the initial seat selection process for the Champions Club complete, Seminole fans can now select seats on a season basis ($1,500 per year) and starting June 1st as a 3-game package ($750).
A diversity of seats remain, including these special areas:
- under the cover of the terrace roof;
- under the cover the terrace seating;
- on an aisle;
- on a short row;
- along the front row;
- adjacent to the west side club;
- outside the energized east side sports bar.
Champions Club seatholders will enjoy many other benefits of membership. These include priority to purchase tickets to concerts and events including an “Opening Football Weekend Celebration” on Friday, September 9, when seat holders will be the first to see the fruit of all the labor on Doak Campbell Stadium.
