Mitch Barnhart updates facility upgrades, football season ticket sales

There are several major construction projects underway for UK Athletics and today, Mitch Barnhart was happy to report that as of now, they are all on track to be completed as scheduled. During a press conference this afternoon, Barnhart updated the progress on the turf installation at Kroger Field, the Nutter Field House and Memorial Coliseum renovations, and the new indoor track-and-field facility. Let’s start with the one you’ve already seen lots of pictures of, the new playing surface at Kroger Field.

“If you haven’t been out there, it has been redone,” Barnhart said of the new turf. “It’s replaced. It’s beautiful. I like it. It’s obviously getting some use during our summer camps with our football guys so we’re working our way through that, getting all the kinks out. We will have all of it ready to go for the fall but it’s in a good spot.”

Just outside of the stadium, work is ongoing at the Nutter Field House to transform it from a dual-use facility for football and track and field into a dedicated space for the football team. Barnhart said the track around the perimeter has been removed and wall-to-wall turf is going in, giving Mark Stoops the 120-yard indoor football field the team has sorely needed. Garage doors, ventilation, windows near the ceiling, and new lighting and netting are also being installed.

“The renovation to the Nutter Field House is expected to be done by the time football begins practice in August,” Barnhart said. “We’re in a good space on that. Most of the turf is down and we’re working our way through that wall to wall. so the track is up and gone.

“It gives us wall-to-wall carpet in there which is what we desperately needed to be able to run practices the way we wanted to get that done.”

Here are renovations of what the facility will look like when complete:

Meanwhile, track and field’s new indoor home, located where the old baseball stadium used to be, is actually ahead of schedule thanks to good weather. Barnhart said it’s expected to be completed by the end of the year (“November-ish”) in time for the track and field team to get ready for the indoor season.

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Women’s Basketball games to take place at Rupp Arena and Transylvania this season

The other major project on campus is the $82 million renovation of Memorial Coliseum. Barnhart said work is already underway to modernize the building, which was originally completed in 1950. The renovation will encompass all of the building’s interior and bring climate-control improvements; modern seating for campus, community, and athletic events; systems-related upgrades such as life safety, security, lighting, and sound; and improve the facility’s overall experience. 

Barnhart said Memorial Coliseum will be “substantially completed for competition” by the fall of 2024 and totally finished by spring 2025. Until then, women’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and STUNT will hold their home events at Rupp Arena, save for a few women’s basketball games that will take place at Transylvania University.

“There will be a few women’s basketball games we will not be able to play at Rupp Arena and we’ve partnered with Transylvania University. They’re going to help us with a few of those dates. They’ve been very gracious to us and we appreciate the help of those folks trying to give us an opportunity to try and fill our schedule in those spots.”

Here’s a look at Memorial Coliseum from this afternoon:

What about a men’s basketball practice facility?

John Calipari made it clear that he wants a new practice facility for the men’s basketball team. When asked about it today, Barnhart said the focus is on the university’s master plan, specifically the construction projects already underway.

“The things that are right in front of us are the things that I mentioned earlier, construction-wise. That’s what we’ve got to finish, we’ve got to work on those projects and we’ve got to make sure we’re completely secure on those as we continue to move forward but [Executive Associate Athletics Director Marc Hill] works daily on our master plan of the university, making sure that we’re thoughtful about where we’re trying to go in the future and we’ll continue to talk to Cal about that, making sure that he’s a part of those conversations.”

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Football season ticket sales are strong

With 78 days until the season opener vs. Ball State, football season ticket sales are strong. Barnhart said that Kentucky is nearing 37,500 season tickets sold, which is outpacing this time last year. Kentucky sold 38,262 season tickets total last season, the second-most since the 2015 Kroger Field renovation.

“The sales are going incredibly well,” Barnhart said. “Thirty-seven thousand-plus, closing in on 37,500. We only had 38,000-and-some last year. We usually sell more as we get closer to kickoff so I’m thankful for the support. Looking forward to a full Kroger Field. I think it’ll be really exciting, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Here are the annual season ticket sales since the stadium’s capacity changed to 61,000, excluding the limited attendance from the COVID-19 season:

• 2015 – 38,658
• 2016 – 33,658
• 2017 – 34,060
• 2018 – 30,531
• 2019 – 33,451
• 2021 – 32,718
• 2022 – 38,262

This year, the Cats host Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, and Alabama. If you’re ready to commit to a fun fall at Kroger Field (with beer!), you can purchase season tickets right now by calling 800-928-2287, requesting via email ([email protected]), or submitting your information to UKAthletics.com/request-a-call. Season tickets range from $225-$600 per ticket, not including K Fund donation. Single-game tickets and mini-packs typically go on sale in July.