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University of New Hampshire Athletics
The video board adds a new element to watching games in Wildcat Stadium.
Photo by: Allen Lessels
Good Afternoon, And Welcome to Wildcat Stadium
9/7/2016 3:14:00 PM | Football, UNH Insider
Here we go!
The University of New Hampshire football team raises the curtain on its new home - Wildcat Stadium – on Saturday night with a 7 p.m. game against a longtime New England rival, Holy Cross.
After nearly 80 years in Cowell Stadium, Wildcat fans will be treated to an enhanced game-day experience unlike anything that has been available to them in the past.
The following is a guide to many of the improvements and features offered in the new stadium.
The Bridge to a Stadium
The bulk of the fans coming to Wildcat Stadium will walk under the new video board through Gate A to enter the stadium and will proceed up the pedestrian walkway and over the bridge onto the concourse of the stadium.
"It's great to have a 'formal' entrance to the stadium, which we've never had," said deputy athletics director Steve Metcalf. "A stadium like this deserves a proper main entrance. I think it's an interesting component to have people walk in under the video board. It's a nice feature developed by our design team."
There are four stadium gates: Gate B is behind the home stands for fans in premier parking and headed to the Service Credit Union Victory Club, Gate C is at the south end of the stadium and will be used primarily by students and Gate D is through the front lobby of the Field House, near Lundholm Gymnasium.
The Service Credit Union Victory Club
The Service Credit Union Victory Club offers fans a game-day experience unlike any before offered at UNH and rivaling any available in New England. The Club starts with ownership of the best seats in the house – 22-inch wide seats with backs, arm rests and beverage holders – and extends to not only a pregame, all-you-can-eat buffet, but numerous grilled options including hamburgers and hot dogs offered on the Club's exclusive patio deck areas at halftime.
Victory Club membership also includes one-of-a-kind experiences with the football team, premium parking just outside the stadium and discounted use of the Club for non-game days meetings and other events.
Great Seats Are Still Available
Individual game tickets and group tickets starting at $9 for all UNH home games, along with season tickets starting at $99, are for sale now. Tickets may be purchased by CLICKING HERE, by calling 603-862-4000 or visiting the Whittemore Center Box Office during business hours (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
On Game Day, Gate A under the video board is the primary entrance to the stadium.
Five home games are on the regular season schedule starting with Holy Cross on Saturday at 7 p.m. Other home games are against William & Mary for Homecoming on Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m.; against James Madison on Oct. 15 at noon; against Stony Brook on Oct. 29 at noon; and against Albany on Nov. 12 at noon.
Can You See Us Now?
The Whittemore Center, the home of UNH's men's and women's hockey teams, received a major boost last season when a center-hung video board was installed in the building. Double the video fun now.
The massive Mitsubishi 30-foot by 50-foot video board stands watch over the stadium.
"It really is an incredible amenity for the fans," Scarano said. "At sporting events, things happen so quickly, you can miss critical plays. As we learned last year at the Whittemore Center, this gives us an ability to show highlight plays, scoring plays, big defensive stops. We'll be able to do fun things for the fans, recognize corporate sponsors and do so many other things. It's got to be the nicest video board in our conference. It's the newest. I'm confident saying it's the best in our league."
Can You Hear Us Now?
Gone is the old scoreboard and with one speaker perched above it that provided all of the sound for Cowell Stadium.
Fourteen speakers – aimed at various segments of the stadium - will now deliver music and the sounds of the public address system, letting an announcer set the scene of the game and keep fans apprised of pertinent details.
"The audio quality will be vastly superior to what it was," Metcalf said. "It will be quite a bit different."
A newly constructed room in the upper reaches of the Field House will house the amplifiers for the sound system.
Sweet Suites
There are four fully equipped suites in Wildcat Stadium where there were none in the old facility. Two of the suites – an athletic director's suite and a suite designated for the visiting team's athletic director – are located on the press box level.
A pair of 20-person suites – the president's and one available for rent on an individual game basis - are on the Service Credit Union Victory Club level.
For information on renting the suite, contact Ciaran Cullen, associate athletic director for business development, at Ciaran.Cullen@unh.edu or by phone at 603-862-0287.
Would You Like Wildcat Fries With Your Order?
UNH embarks on a new era in several aspects with Wildcat Stadium and one of the instantly recognized pieces will be the concessions program being administered by UNH Conference and Catering, the people responsible for running the school's award-winning dining halls.
A varied and interesting range of culinary options – including a $2.50 hot dog for kids – are on the menu. Hungry fans can also choose from a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw to a baked potato and a chicken waffle sandwich to an Italian sub along with all the normal stadium offerings.
Ready for a snack? How about caramel corn, a bottomless popcorn or nachos?
The concessions will be sold from the numerous concessions windows on the wide concourse.
The concourse is another benefit in the stadium. Debate ensued over whether there should be televisions near the concessions stands tuned to the football game for the benefit of those who were up and ordering food or drink. The decision was that TVs were not needed because fans could just turn around while in line to catch the game.
Rest Rooms
It's all about the basics. Correct?
None of the rest rooms in Cowell Stadium were particularly convenientl. How many fans even knew there were 24 toilets and urinals in the stadium itself (under the stands, near where the visiting team entered the field)?
Most people trudged back through a narrow hallway to the rest rooms at the front of the Field House.
There are 88 toilets and urinals on the home side of Wildcat Stadium alone. Enough said.
The Press Box Level
Flanked on the North end of the stadium by the press box – it comes complete with the latest technology and all the bells and whistles - and on the south end by a room that will include the public address announcer and operators of the video board and sound system is the press box level. There are 10 separate working areas on the press box level of the stadium, along with suites for the athletic director and visiting athletic director.
The sections on the press box level, from left to right when looking at the stadium from the field: PA/video board/sound operators, visiting AD, student radio, visiting coaches, visiting radio, replay, camera positions, home coaches, television talent, home radio booth, home AD, press box.
'Cat Pack Plaza
The student section – thanks to, and much to the delight of, head coach Sean McDonnell – remains in the end zone, retaining the name, "The Dungeon."
Original plans called for rolling the students into the new stadium. But at the same time those plans were being discussed, late in the 2014 football season, the Wildcats were making a second straight run to the FCS tournament semifinals.
So impressed were they by the way the students flocked to The Dungeon, created a great atmosphere and gave a boost to the team, McDonnell and school administrators made the decision to keep "The Dungeon" intact and where it is – as up close and tight to the action as possible.
The 'Cat Pack Plaza located between "The Dungeon" and the stadium is designed to tie together the student section with the end of the stands. The idea is recent alums, in particular, will join the students for music, pregame entertainment and social get-togethers. A wide set of stairs runs from the 'Cat Pack Plaza up to the concourse.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
The University of New Hampshire football team raises the curtain on its new home - Wildcat Stadium – on Saturday night with a 7 p.m. game against a longtime New England rival, Holy Cross.
After nearly 80 years in Cowell Stadium, Wildcat fans will be treated to an enhanced game-day experience unlike anything that has been available to them in the past.
The following is a guide to many of the improvements and features offered in the new stadium.
The Bridge to a Stadium
The bulk of the fans coming to Wildcat Stadium will walk under the new video board through Gate A to enter the stadium and will proceed up the pedestrian walkway and over the bridge onto the concourse of the stadium.
"It's great to have a 'formal' entrance to the stadium, which we've never had," said deputy athletics director Steve Metcalf. "A stadium like this deserves a proper main entrance. I think it's an interesting component to have people walk in under the video board. It's a nice feature developed by our design team."
There are four stadium gates: Gate B is behind the home stands for fans in premier parking and headed to the Service Credit Union Victory Club, Gate C is at the south end of the stadium and will be used primarily by students and Gate D is through the front lobby of the Field House, near Lundholm Gymnasium.
The Service Credit Union Victory Club
The Service Credit Union Victory Club offers fans a game-day experience unlike any before offered at UNH and rivaling any available in New England. The Club starts with ownership of the best seats in the house – 22-inch wide seats with backs, arm rests and beverage holders – and extends to not only a pregame, all-you-can-eat buffet, but numerous grilled options including hamburgers and hot dogs offered on the Club's exclusive patio deck areas at halftime.
Victory Club membership also includes one-of-a-kind experiences with the football team, premium parking just outside the stadium and discounted use of the Club for non-game days meetings and other events.
Great Seats Are Still Available
Individual game tickets and group tickets starting at $9 for all UNH home games, along with season tickets starting at $99, are for sale now. Tickets may be purchased by CLICKING HERE, by calling 603-862-4000 or visiting the Whittemore Center Box Office during business hours (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
On Game Day, Gate A under the video board is the primary entrance to the stadium.
Five home games are on the regular season schedule starting with Holy Cross on Saturday at 7 p.m. Other home games are against William & Mary for Homecoming on Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m.; against James Madison on Oct. 15 at noon; against Stony Brook on Oct. 29 at noon; and against Albany on Nov. 12 at noon.
Can You See Us Now?
The Whittemore Center, the home of UNH's men's and women's hockey teams, received a major boost last season when a center-hung video board was installed in the building. Double the video fun now.
The massive Mitsubishi 30-foot by 50-foot video board stands watch over the stadium.
"It really is an incredible amenity for the fans," Scarano said. "At sporting events, things happen so quickly, you can miss critical plays. As we learned last year at the Whittemore Center, this gives us an ability to show highlight plays, scoring plays, big defensive stops. We'll be able to do fun things for the fans, recognize corporate sponsors and do so many other things. It's got to be the nicest video board in our conference. It's the newest. I'm confident saying it's the best in our league."
Can You Hear Us Now?
Gone is the old scoreboard and with one speaker perched above it that provided all of the sound for Cowell Stadium.
Fourteen speakers – aimed at various segments of the stadium - will now deliver music and the sounds of the public address system, letting an announcer set the scene of the game and keep fans apprised of pertinent details.
"The audio quality will be vastly superior to what it was," Metcalf said. "It will be quite a bit different."
A newly constructed room in the upper reaches of the Field House will house the amplifiers for the sound system.
Sweet Suites
There are four fully equipped suites in Wildcat Stadium where there were none in the old facility. Two of the suites – an athletic director's suite and a suite designated for the visiting team's athletic director – are located on the press box level.
A pair of 20-person suites – the president's and one available for rent on an individual game basis - are on the Service Credit Union Victory Club level.
For information on renting the suite, contact Ciaran Cullen, associate athletic director for business development, at Ciaran.Cullen@unh.edu or by phone at 603-862-0287.
Would You Like Wildcat Fries With Your Order?
UNH embarks on a new era in several aspects with Wildcat Stadium and one of the instantly recognized pieces will be the concessions program being administered by UNH Conference and Catering, the people responsible for running the school's award-winning dining halls.
A varied and interesting range of culinary options – including a $2.50 hot dog for kids – are on the menu. Hungry fans can also choose from a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw to a baked potato and a chicken waffle sandwich to an Italian sub along with all the normal stadium offerings.
Ready for a snack? How about caramel corn, a bottomless popcorn or nachos?
The concessions will be sold from the numerous concessions windows on the wide concourse.
The concourse is another benefit in the stadium. Debate ensued over whether there should be televisions near the concessions stands tuned to the football game for the benefit of those who were up and ordering food or drink. The decision was that TVs were not needed because fans could just turn around while in line to catch the game.
Rest Rooms
It's all about the basics. Correct?
None of the rest rooms in Cowell Stadium were particularly convenientl. How many fans even knew there were 24 toilets and urinals in the stadium itself (under the stands, near where the visiting team entered the field)?
Most people trudged back through a narrow hallway to the rest rooms at the front of the Field House.
There are 88 toilets and urinals on the home side of Wildcat Stadium alone. Enough said.
The Press Box Level
Flanked on the North end of the stadium by the press box – it comes complete with the latest technology and all the bells and whistles - and on the south end by a room that will include the public address announcer and operators of the video board and sound system is the press box level. There are 10 separate working areas on the press box level of the stadium, along with suites for the athletic director and visiting athletic director.
The sections on the press box level, from left to right when looking at the stadium from the field: PA/video board/sound operators, visiting AD, student radio, visiting coaches, visiting radio, replay, camera positions, home coaches, television talent, home radio booth, home AD, press box.
'Cat Pack Plaza
The student section – thanks to, and much to the delight of, head coach Sean McDonnell – remains in the end zone, retaining the name, "The Dungeon."
Original plans called for rolling the students into the new stadium. But at the same time those plans were being discussed, late in the 2014 football season, the Wildcats were making a second straight run to the FCS tournament semifinals.
So impressed were they by the way the students flocked to The Dungeon, created a great atmosphere and gave a boost to the team, McDonnell and school administrators made the decision to keep "The Dungeon" intact and where it is – as up close and tight to the action as possible.
The 'Cat Pack Plaza located between "The Dungeon" and the stadium is designed to tie together the student section with the end of the stands. The idea is recent alums, in particular, will join the students for music, pregame entertainment and social get-togethers. A wide set of stairs runs from the 'Cat Pack Plaza up to the concourse.
Allen Lessels
@UNHInsider
Allen.Lessels@unh.edu
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