Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Athletics Department hopes that educating fans in advance about changes to the landscape surrounding Memorial Stadium will help them navigate the area on Saturday at Kansas’ season opener.
Athletics Director Lew Perkins sent an estimated 100,000 e-mails to football fans Wednesday, describing changes to normal game day routine.
“I think by Saturday fans will already know where to go,” Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director, said. “They know now where they will park, so I don’t think there will be any surprises. I would encourage folks to come early for the first game because it will be different from what they remember in the past.”
Tailgating will continue on Campanile Hill despite construction in the surrounding area. A boundary line to indicate where tailgating is allowed has been established.
Parking previously located on the south side of the stadium has been removed. Parking has been added on the west side of the stadium. The University has increased from 12 to 18 free shuttle buses that will go to the stadium from non-adjacent parking lots. These shuttles start two hours before game time.
The University has added several newly designated “tailgating-allowed” parking lots: 1, 33, 36, 39, 50, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 72, 91, 94, 124 and part of 3. Tailgating is also permitted in the Mississippi Street parking garage, but cooking is not allowed there.
Public toll parking for football games will not be available on Memorial Drive or in the Mississippi Street garage. Free public parking will be available in lots 61, 62, 71, 90, 125 and 127. Of these lots, only 90 will be served by the free shuttle.
The Kids’ Fun Zone will not operate during the 2007 season. It will return in 2008.
The changes come because of the $31 million Anderson Family Football Complex construction to the southwest of Memorial Stadium.
“This football facility will help Kansas football compete on a more even plane with the national powers in the Big 12 Conference,” Perkins wrote in the e-mail to fans.
Marchiony said he expected nearly 50,000 fans to attend the game. Last year, 44,000 attended Kansas’ opener against DI-AA Northwest State. This year’s opener features a more attractive opponent, Central Michigan, who won the MAC last year.
As in past years, each student who bought a season ticket package received a complimentary student ticket for the opening game. That, combined with the stronger opponent, should bring more fans to the construction-riddled area.
Despite this expectation, the department isn’t concerned.
“If our fans didn’t know about the construction, if it was a surprise, I would be concerned,” Marchiony said. “But I think we have done a good job informing our fans about it. No one wants construction going on during the season, but I think next year will show the facility was worth the inconvenience.”
— Edited by Tara Smith
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