Construction crews are putting the finishing touches on the $68 million North End Zone renovation project at Boise State's Albertsons Stadium. The change actually shrinks the number of seats in the area, from about 3,000 in the old bleachers, to about 1,600 in club seats, Loge boxes and field-level suites off the north end of the stadium.
The change is quality over quantity for Nathan Burk, Chief Operating Officer for Sports and Entertainment at Boise State.
"I'm most proud of the fact that we were able to create premium [field level "patio" suites] in the lower bowl for people that need that," Burk said, standing outside the new building. "That's a segment of our market that we weren't serving appropriately. I'm proud of the fact that it's not just that premium selection; here, it is that concourse."
The new concourse connects the east and west sides of the stadium for all ticket holders. It includes new bathrooms and new food and beverage sale locations, plus a railing area in each corner where fans can watch the action outside of their seats. For games that are sold out, BSU could release a small number of standing-room only tickets, but that won't be available until mid-season at the earliest.
"We invested a lot," Burk said. "This is a very expensive piece here; the steel and the concrete to make the concourse as big as it was a massive investment for us, that required us to not scale that club, maybe to the level that we would have otherwise."
Including the premium sections, there are around 100 new sales locations for food and beverage purchases, which are expected to relieve long waits at other stadium locations. Burk said the wide concourse design should also provide some general relief to overcrowding under the main grandstands.
The school closely followed its original design and construction plans, a byproduct of having a strict budget. But being locked into those plans early also allowed the purchase of critical materials like steel in bulk, before import tariffs were implemented by the Trump Administration last year. Avoiding tariffs, and being able to order big ticket items early, likely saved the project seven figures, Burk said.
Instead of having to use contingency funds for cost overruns, the university got to add a couple of items from the project wish list. For example: elevators for improved ADA access on the east side's Entry 1, and upgraded massive multimedia screens in both public and team spaces.
The Simplot Club fan lounge below the North End Zone stands will double as food service and eating space for athletes, and as a new event rental opportunity for outside groups. It's also where the team exits its locker room en route to the field, parading through fans on gameday.
"We were able to sort of test out and feel what [the entrance] would look like," Burk told media during the tour. "We had the smoke going back there, and we were standing right up there as the team came out. What a cool experience. I mean, they were excited, we were excited, and it's just a preview of things to come on game day," he said.
On the walls in many locations inside the new building, abstract designs nod to the Boise foothills and mountain features of the state. Some custom furniture in the suites and lounge were built by inmates at the Idaho Correctional Institute. Boise State visited the Institute to design the pieces.
"[We] couldn't speak more highly of the program that they have going on out there," Burk said, who called the Institute's success of job training and rehabilitation an inspiration. "It was interesting. I mean, they're different than a lot of the furniture manufacturers and distributors that we ordered from because they don't have a book of business to look at, and all the pretty pictures. And so we took a bit of a leap of faith on that, and couldn't be more pleased with how some of that turned out."
He said the quality of the custom work was probably better than what they might have been able to get on the open market for about the same cost.
Some artwork and amenities won't debut until the Boise State football home opener on Saturday, Sept. 12, and many logistics are still being fine-tuned. A new statue of former BSU quarterback Kellen Moore is still not in place, destined for a grass field near entry 1, right next to the new visiting team locker room entrance. "I can't wait for Washington State to have to walk past that statue," Burk joked.
The Cougars' head football coach is Kirby Moore, Kellen's younger brother and a former Boise State wide receiver.
Tickets in the new section are nearly sold-out through season ticket purchases. There are still a few club seats available, which may be released as single-game tickets in the coming weeks.
