Penn State Is 'Very Close' on Beaver Stadium Renovation Plan
Penn State Athletic Director Patrick said he's "very close" to recommending a Beaver Stadium renovation plan to President Neeli Bendapudi and the Board of Trustees, likely meaning that the university will not build a new stadium.
Speaking at a bowl media event Friday from Beaver Stadium, Kraft said the athletic department has conducted 19 studies over the past decade regarding the stadium's future. Those studies have assessed whether Penn State should renovate Beaver Stadium or build a new venue.
Kraft mentioned renovations several times Friday, citing that as the most likely direction toward modernizing the nation's second-largest stadium. He also called it a "huge project."
"I make no bones about it: I love this building," Kraft said. "I love coming in this building, I love the history of this building. When I walk the parking lots and I talk to people about having generations of memories in the building, I want to make this building better, and we have to do that.
"We’re very close. All the data is there. Now it’s figuring out the financial models, how it would work, what’s the recommendation. So we’re close."
Beaver Stadium's future has been a prominent Penn State discussion since 2017, when the athletic department unveiled its 20-year facilities master plan. Earlier this year, Penn State surveyed season-ticket holders and other groups for their views on Beaver Stadium's future. The survey included questions about club suites and other high-end amenities and took the fan temperature regarding renovation or new construction.
The original master plan included a Beaver Stadium renovation proposal designed to modernize the facility while maintaining capacity of at least 100,000. Beaver Stadium has been in its current location since 1960 and has been expanded seven times, most recently in 2001, to its current capacity of 106,572.
Kraft called that 100,000 number important, since venues of that size are rare. Penn State was successful filling Beaver Stadium this season, recording its highest average attendance since 2008. Kraft said the program sold nearly 92,000 season tickets for the season.
Kraft added that "no one is building a 100,000-seat stadium" because of costs. Northwestern recently announced plans to build a 35,000-seat stadium to replace Ryan Field for an estimated $800 million. Northwestern said the stadium will be privately funded, in part through a $480 million gift from the Ryan family.
"To build new anywhere it’s expensive, let me put it that way," Kraft said. "No one is building a 100,000-seat stadium. That's important to us. I think that's an important piece of who we are. So yes, there is a financial threshold that building new just would be unfeasible."
What will be feasible, Kraft assured, is Beaver Stadium's ability to host a future College Football Playoff game. The venue undergoes annual winterization after the regular season, which makes December events difficult to hold. However, Kraft said that would not deter the program from hosting a home playoff game in the first round.
"Make no bones about it: If we were to play a playoff game in three weeks, we would play a playoff game in here," Kraft said. "I don't care what it would take. We would go flush the toilets and keep the water running for a month before. We're going to play a football game in here.
"... I also think the work that would be done on Beaver Stadium allows us to use it more throughout the year as well. I think it's not just solely football, but we've got to also find ways to help enhance the building and keep the life of the building. Our team is really working on how we can maximize Beaver Stadium more than seven days. So all of those things would play into any sort of renovation."
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