Could an entertainment district come soon to the Kentucky campus? The University will at least explore the idea because it seeks means to generate income in the new era of university athletics.
During the meeting of the British board of directors yesterday, UK Athletics submitted an information request (RFI) to develop an entertainment district on the campus, which could include concepts such as restaurants, hotels and other entertainment options. The request was part of A larger proposal for $ 110 million in investments In the coming years, which has been approved today by the Board of Directors. Although a location was not mentioned in the presentation, the district would probably be on the south side of the campus, next to Kroger Field, Kentucky Proud Park, Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex and the John Cropp stadium.
Mitch Barnhart Athletics Director told Maggie Davis de Bbn tonight The fact that the entertainment district, or “fans”, as it called it, would be similar to those of professional sports cities. He specifically mentioned the deer district outside the Fiserv forum, which he and the Kentucky fans who made the trip to Milwaukee watched first -hand during the first and second cycles of the NCAA tournament in March. The Deer district is a sports, retail and interior-exterior entertainment center built on 30 acres, at the center of which is a large place, where, in 2021, 65,000 fans gathered to watch the NBA championship race of the Bucks. The neighborhood includes several bars, restaurants, shops and even an outdoor coffee. As a person who went there more than once during this weekend, it’s quite great.
Other schools have already announced entertainment districts near their football stadiums, including Tennessee. The 175,000 square feet Neyland Entrenation District Will include a 240 -room hotel with 60 additional condos, retail, restaurants (including one with a roof), a conference center and a swimming pool with terrace. The region will be linked together at the Neyland stadium and downtown Food. Kansas also builds the Gateway district, a new entertainment and accommodation district surrounding the Memorial Stadium.
Where would the Kentucky entertainment district exactly? There are intriguing options around Kroger Field. This could still be cut in the tiering areas; However, now that schools can distribute up to $ 20.5 million to their athletes up to $ 20.5 million this year to come (and more and more in the years that have followed), Kentucky needs all the money it can get. This is the main reason why UK Athletics will go to Champions Blue LLC, a non-profit portfolio company designed to give the department more flexibility to unlock new sources of income thanks to public-private partnerships, and potentially other transactions, such as real estate. Perhaps this real estate includes more goods around the stadium for the entertainment district?
Now that the request for information has been submitted, the United Kingdom can start exploring certain options. As much as we all like the heeling, the United Kingdom only makes money on parking passes and configurations of Tailgate VIP Revelxp (which I cannot imagine having sold as hotcakes). Creating a new area near Kroger Field where fans can eat, drink and even stay, with the athletics department obtaining a piece of pie through partnerships, is simply intelligent.
Imagine having a hotel room right next to the stadium on a large gameday, or even during the basketball season, the district being used for watch celebrations for outside matches and dry and NCAA tournaments. It would be great.
Renovations to come to Kroger Field
Another part of the investment of $ 110 million is $ 36 million for Kroger Field. Thirteen million of these will go to the maintenance, $ 18 million for renovations with corner suites and 8 million dollars for the initial design of a West End Zone Club space and Wi-Fi improvements.
“Obviously, you must continue to maintain and repair the stadium,” Barnhart told Maggie Davis. “For security reasons, by ensuring that all the components, the stairwells, the ramps, this kind of thing, that there is nothing that will put our customers in danger, so it is important.
“The other piece is only the amenities of the fans that allow us to bring new sources of income, to be able to do certain things differently in our consequences, really, really important. These are priorities. What things, what decisions do we do that allow us to create sources of income or to be more effective, or to make sure that we deprive our experiences of fans in the right way? ”
UK Athletics also requested $ 5 million for renovations to football and softball facilities. Kentucky will host the dry softball tournament in 2026.