BLOOMINGTON – Scott Dolson cautioned Monday’s step in the effort to, in his words, modernize Memorial Stadium was just a first one. The endpoint of that process — whatever it requires — is yet to be determined.
But it was an important step nonetheless, beginning a capital project Dolson hopes will conclude by bringing Indiana’s 63-year-old football stadium up to the much more contemporary standards of its recently constructed North and South End Zone facilities. Monday’s announcement that the IU athletic department has engaged Nations Group, a sports planning and advisory firm, to survey fans and season-ticket holders about what they’d like to see from such a project served as the kickoff.
“We’re in the exploratory stages,” Dolson, IU’s third-year athletic director, told IndyStar. “We don’t have a project yet. But at the same time, we know we need to modernize Memorial Stadium, just like we did Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. What I want to do is put together a plan for that modernization, from a fan experience standpoint.”
The announcement marks the beginning of Dolson’s first major capital project as athletics director, though he’s hardly unfamiliar with the process or the facilities involved. Dolson served as deputy AD throughout Fred Glass’ tenure, a period which saw the department substantially renovate or replace its basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling, field hockey and soccer facilities, enclose both ends of Memorial Stadium and make a variety of improvements to areas like locker and weight rooms.
The harsh financial realities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic forced Indiana to shelve major capital planning for a handful of years. But renovation of Memorial Stadium has always been at or near the top of Dolson’s wish list, and now, it’s going forward.
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It will mark Memorial Stadium’s third major facelift just in the past two decades, after the aforementioned north- and south-end enclosures. While those were focused largely on housing more modern facilities for athletes in areas like nutrition, health and wellness, academic support and others, this project will primarily touch forward-facing areas of the stadium.
“I’d say our North and South End Zone projects, which both went really well, were targeted more toward our student-athlete experience, with our fan experience sprinkled,” Dolson said. “These are more targeted toward the fan experience.”
Partnering with Nations Group, IU will distribute surveys to fans beginning Wednesday and across several days. The department will also coordinate with its Student Athletic Board to solicit feedback from Indiana’s student body, that constituency often accounting for a sizable portion of annual season-ticket sales.
The survey will touch on a wide range of fan-engagement areas. A news release announcing the beginning of the process outlined the potential for “a reimagined concourse, new social gathering spaces, upgraded concessions and restrooms, and a series of enhanced premium seating options and locations.”
Dolson downplayed the possibility of major structural change to the stadium, comparing the project to something more closely resembling the infrastructural makeover of Assembly Hall six years ago. He was also quick to add he’d like to keep the general arrangement of the stadium — with its one-bowl design and relatively unobstructed sightlines — the same, though he deferred most specifics to further down the line in the project.
“I think the overall existing structure is strong, but I think at the same time, as we get feedback and the project comes together, I think modernizing it will be up to how large the project ends up being,” he said. “We want to keep the same feel of the stadium, but at the same time, we’ll modernize it. Other than the north and south ends, what will that entail, I don’t know yet.”
Potential renovation of Memorial Stadium has been raised as a long-term hypothetical in board-of-trustees meetings within the past two years. Monday’s news formalizes the start of that process.
After the department collates data collected from its survey process and the student feedback it can gather, it will build specifics to give the project physical and financial scope. Once fundraising can be planned and secured, Dolson will take that plan to IU President Pam Whitten, then the board of trustees, for final approval.
Dolson said a completion timeline will be contingent upon that plan. Whether it requires one or multiple phases, Dolson said any renovation would be designed to ensure Indiana did not have to move home football games to another location at any point.
He expects the survey portion of the process to move relatively quickly, particularly with Nations Group’s help. The actual scope and timeline of the project will develop from that.
“This,” Dolson said, “is a really important first step.”
Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.
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