Fans-Miss State — Nelson Chenault / USA TODAY Sports

Maybe Out-Date Bud Walton Arena Could Get 'Modernized'

Board of trustees give thumbs-up to proceed with renovations to basketball arena

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Jun 28, 2023 1:10 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek hinted back in March that Bud Walton Arena probably needed a little updating. Built in 1993, it's seriously needing some things, primarily to be brought up to date.

The approval by the Board of Trustees is a clear step in that direction in a fairly comprehensive story at WholeHogSports.com on Tuesday that is bringing the process of actually doing it into reality. We're still several months away from anything being done and the guess here is most of it will be on the inside. Don't expect a lot of changes for this season.

When it was built, primarily with Bud Walton meeting with basketball coach Nolan Richardson and what ended up being a monster-sized 19,000-seat arena that was filled by a team that ended up winning a national championship in 1993-94 and playing in the title game the next year. Now, according to the story, the yield rate on the building is about 70% of revenue.

Seating needs to be upgraded and more premium-type seats is the goal. Those produce more revenue, which drives everything in college athletics these days and it's not going anywhere, whether average fans like it or not.

Smaller seating venues are going up everywhere and Yurachek said earlier in the year that could make what is already a rather rowdy place at times even tougher. That's probably going to happen with every game except the annual distraction in North Little Rock being televised now. Even louder makes for better viewing.

"There’s something to be said for having more demand than supply," Yurachek said in the story, which really is basic business. That was the same theory Frank Broyles used in building the entire athletic department when he took over as athletic director back in 1973. Part of it is to attract concerts and live events. Finding a different way to make a use other than for Barnhill Arena would probably happen because part of this whole renovation is to move gymnastics to Bud Walton Arena. It'll also create a parking issue somebody's going to have to figure out.

Right now, the trustees' action simply clears the way to start talking with architects and contractors to put together something the UA can afford to do. As I said, it's still months away, but the guess is it's coming ... and probably overdue by a few years.