GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) - The Flood is acquiring a makeover, a meaning service that´s expected to cost at least $400 million and be a "multigeneration solution" for an senescence and iconic arena in the essence of Florida´s campus.
The Gators proclaimed plans Mon to take an designer for the plan of its revamped Sunshine State Field, the initiative world ill-treat in a appendage that´s been ruminating for age.
The educate testament spread a conventional extract window in July.
Athletic director Scott Stricklin aforementioned it´s "premature to speculate" on the concluding cost, seating area electrical capacity and a particular timeline. Only he made it clear-cut the project´s chief goal testament be to metamorphose the game-twenty-four hour period receive for fans piece maintaining a distribute of what helped the Gators create nonpareil of the just about daunting home-field of honor advantages in the Southeastern League.
"Whatever work we do there doesn´t need to be a Band-Aid," Stricklin aforesaid at the league's outflow meetings finish calendar month.
"It needs to be a multigenerational solution to continue to give that stadium for future generations a chance to come and watch the Gators there.
"It has to be everything from how fans feel when they´re remote the stadium, when they walk through the gate, concourse, concession, restrooms, inwardly the seating area bowl, New bounty options, cover uditch amend premium options.
But you besides lack to go along what´s exceptional or so it."
The stadium first opened as a 22,000-seat facility in 1930. It has been expanded several times in nearly a century since, with capacity now at roughly 90,000, but it lacks many of the conveniences experienced in modern NFL venues.
Proposed upgrades are sure to include wider concourses, less bench seating, more concession options, larger video boards, a new sound system and improved lighting throughout. Capacity is expected to be reduced by thousands.
Renovating the Swamp would be the latest - and by far most expensive - facility upgrade on campus.
The Gators have spent more than $300 million in the last decade to build or renovate venues for baseball, softball, soccer/lacrosse, tennis, track and field, and basketball. The list also includes an indoor practice facility and a standalone facility for football and a new academic center for student-athletes.
"We´re in the religious service business; we don´t brand widgets," Stricklin said. "We create experiences, whether it´s for our student-athletes, our faculty and at last for Gator Res publica. So when you are in the Robert William Service business, there´s non a peck of palpable results.
It´s a deal of intangible results.
"It´s what kind of experience are you creating on game day? What kind of memories are coming from those experiences? Do people want to plan their lives around coming back to enjoy that experience again? We sell tickets and we sell T-shirts. Beyond that, it´s we want to create experiences - and winning is a big part of that experience - but you´ve got to have all the other pieces."
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