Success on the field was rewarded by motion in the boardroom yesterday, when the Board of Visitors approved plans for the expansion of both Klöckner Stadium and Davenport Field.
The Building and Grounds Committee's announcement comes on the heels of attendance-breaking seasons for men's soccer and lacrosse at Klöckner and baseball at Davenport. More recently, a crowd of 7,906 fans were on hand for the men's home soccer game Sept. 30 versus rival Virginia Tech. Recognizing the recent surge of interest in these sports, board member Daniel Abramson said simply of the expansion projects, "It's time."
Klöckner, built in 1992, currently seats 3,600 fans in the permanent grandstand for men's and women's soccer and lacrosse games. While the new addition opposite the existing grandstand will not add any general admission seating, it will add 150 limited access seats. These seats will likely be offered to alumni and parents of student-athletes first, according to University Architect David Neuman.
Additionally, the project will contain gameday locker rooms, a training room and a "hall of fame" similar to the one near the entrance of the John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers will move to the new locker room, and visiting teams will use the existing gameday locker rooms in the larger grandstand. Currently, visiting teams have the inconvenience of dressing at University Hall prior to the start of each game, Abramson said.
The two-level grandstand concept will cost the University $10.53 million dollars, all of which will be funded by private gifts, according to Abramson. An additional third level of private box seats is also being considered for the project, provided that the University is able to raise an extra $2.5 million.
The hill opposite the existing grandstand, popular among students, will not be affected by this new construction, according to Neuman. Similar hillside space overlooking Davenport Field during baseball games will also be preserved despite new construction.
During the 2007 baseball season, temporary rental seating was often used to meet crowd demand. This short-term solution is costly and does not offer proper support facilities for the additional fans, according to the Committee's report. For example, Neuman said portable toilets are also brought in to accommodate large crowds.
Davenport Field currently seats 1,500 fans under a canopied grandstand. The addition will extend the grandstand along the left- and right-field lines with more restrooms and concessions space. Both the Cavaliers' and visiting teams' dugouts will also be expanded. The total project will cost the University $3.3 million, all to be paid for by private gifts.
On days when there are events being hosted at both Klöckner and Davenport, the plans for expansion also call for separate entrances, Neuman said. Currently, fans enter the complex for both stadiums at a single entrance.
"It's a big deal to some of the coaches," Neuman said. "They want to separate the traffic. It's mainly where you put the ticket collection and putting a fence up around the practice soccer field, so people aren't drifting around it. There was some concern people were getting in for free."
Neuman said detailed plans for the both Klöckner and Davenport are still being finalized. Renderings of the projects and further information will be revealed as the Office of the Architect refines the proposals.
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