Coming Soon.....

Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.

Word on the street is that the Presser for this will be announced today and take place tomorrow. This sponsorship is being done to help finance the future upgrades to Byrd stadium which will include increased seating capacity, the of lowering the field (so that fans in the first rows of the stadium can actually see the field over the players, coaches, and press), the installation of field turf, along with other upgrades to the facility.

The details aren't out yet, but the stadium in its current configuration holds over 51,000 fans. The renovations could push that number as high as 70,000+. Among the new seats added will be the timeless classics of luxury boxes and club seats.

A few thoughts here, people complained out the wazoo about the "renaming" of Cole Field House back in the 1990's. I'm sure that there will be a good deal of hand wringing over the "renaming" of Byrd too. However, unlike the "renaming" of Cole, the $$$$$ generated by this will be put back into the facility and upgrade the facility. (Though I only hope that they paint the roofs red, so the sun can fade them into either pink or a hideous orange, so people will stop complaining about the blue roofs.) Also I think some will say an opportunity was missed here by Under Armour. The company's founder, Kevin Plank, is a UMD (along with SJC) alum and is very involved with the football program. UMD was the first school to wear Under Armour football uniforms and now Auburn has joined the UA ranks. I have to believe that UA would have jumped at this chance if they could have.

Finally, game day traffic (and parking) in College Park is bad enough with 52,000 fans coming to a football game. Add in an additional 10,000+ and I have serious concerns about the ability of the campus and surrounding neighborhoods to handle the traffic. I hope that's handled in the details and I will post the details as they become available.