Renaming and Expansion Plans
On August 24, 2006, the University of Maryland announced that it had agreed to a $20 million naming-rights deal with Chevy Chase Bank. The revenue from the deal was used to pay for renovations and upgrades to the Stadium.
On April 25, 2007, the Athletic Department unveiled plans for a $50.8 million expansion to Byrd Stadium, a project that will increase overall capacity, add skyboxes complete with catered food and flat panel televisions, and lower the field to give spectators a better view.
The first phase of the expansion plans has been completed and included renovating the old press tower and building 63 luxury suites that stretch from end zone to end zone. New mezzanine seating was added as well, bringing the capacity from 51,500 to 54,000. A second LED video board was installed on the west side of the stadium just before the 2008 season.
The second phase is to add an 8,000 seat upper deck to the stadium's west end zone bringing total seating capacity to over 60,000. This is dependent on the sale of all existing luxury suites from phase one. To date, no schedule for construction has been established.
On June 20, 2012, the Athletic Department announced plans for a new field at Byrd Stadium. FieldTurf Revolution will be installed and the turf will include a new technology known as "CoolPlay" that will keep the field cooler (up to 15 degrees Fahrenheit cooler) than traditional turf fields with rubber infill. It will be the first installation of its kind in the United States, and will be ready for the 2012 football season in September.
Read more about this topic: Byrd Stadium
Famous quotes containing the words renaming, expansion and/or plans:
“I keep renaming my motives, but continue doing the same things.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Every expansion of government in business means that government in order to protect itself from the political consequences of its errors and wrongs is driven irresistibly without peace to greater and greater control of the nation’s press and platform. Free speech does not live many hours after free industry and free commerce die.”
—Herbert Hoover (1874–1964)
“The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps.”
—Bible: Hebrew, Proverbs 16:9.