Note: this Notre Dame Stadium piece originally ran on December 19th, 2013, AHEAD of the outlets claiming they had it first on January 29th. We built all of them by a month. As the new turf is being installed today, we now bring it back to the forefront.
Armed Forces Radio Network has informed The Sports Bank that Notre Dame Stadium will undergo major renovations in the next several years. School officials hope to have many of the changes completed by 2015, sources say. It’s an evolving stadium plan, so nothing is official or finalized as yet, but this information comes to you through AFRN, via a Notre Dame media relations director and member of the Sports Information Department.
Notre Dame’s field turf has been laid down. Check out the Irish’s new look. (via @NDFootball) pic.twitter.com/S6sRh9QSdC
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 24, 2014
Here are the major changes we could see to Notre Dame Stadium, and rather soon.
-Artificial turf; which could be put in place by next season. When conducting interviews for this piece I pressed my sources to see if it will be AstroPlay, AstroTurf, prescription athletic turf, but specifics were not given. We know it will be artificial, and similar to the playing surface at Ohio State.
-Two new jumbotrons, on the North East and South West corners of Notre Dame Stadium. Strategically placed as to not block the “Touchdown Jesus” mural on the exterior of the nearby library.
-The visiting locker room will be moved from the north end to the south end of the stadium, with the addition of a south tunnel; similar to the tunnel currently at the north end of Notre Dame Stadium. They potentially also want to add another press box to the east side of the stadium; complementing the current press box on the west side of the stadium.
The decision to add turf is somehow vaguely connected to the likely apparel switch from Adidas to Under Armour, and the University of Michigan. ND is potentially looking at a total re-phasing, an overhaul to their brand. Moving away from Adidas is part of moving towards new traditions at Notre Dame Stadium. The playing surface change could get done first. This could be in place by 2014 or 2015. The other changes would take three or four years.
-We’re not sure if the renovations will add seating capacity or not. Adding the tunnel on the south side of Notre Dame Stadium will obviously result in decreased seating capacity. That would be returned and more by maybe adding a third deck. Instead they could just add to the second deck. Again, parts of this plan are still in early, developmental stages.
And here’s the piece de resistance! The big finish of what could be added to Notre Dame Stadium
There will prospectively be a physical connection between the Joyce Center and Notre Dame Stadium; quite possibly an atrium interlinking the two biggest athletic complexes on the Notre Dame campus. The plans for this building are also in the early developmental stages.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! He’s been a gueston news talk shows all across the world. He’s also a special contributor to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, CBS, the History Channel and more. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)