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Five things we learned from Trev Alberts on Memorial Stadium renovation

On3 imageby:Grant Hansen•09/28/23•

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Trev Alberts Nebraska
(Photo credit: Casey Fritton)

In January of 2022, Nebraska’s athletic department surveyed its fans regarding their experience in Memorial Stadium. Athletic director Trev Alberts said there were roughly 22,000 responses.

The information taken from that survey became the planned stadium renovation project Nebraska announced on Thursday morning.

“What started out for me as a very simple modernization plan based on amenities relative to fans’ expectations has very quickly changed into a business strategy for the next 25-50 years,” Alberts said.

Here are five things we learned from Alberts’ comments regarding changes coming to Memorial Stadium.

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1. There will be significant disruptions for fans in South Stadium

Obviously, making one directional portion of Memorial Stadium unavailable to fans for at least one football season will cause considerable turmoil. Alberts said fans may need to prepare for disruptions beyond the 2025 season.

“We have the best and the brightest that are working on this, and the goal is that by the summer of 2026, we are ready to go,” Alberts said. “At least in the seating. Maybe there is some back-of-house stuff in South not done. But I just don’t want to create an expectation for fans that we can’t deliver on. I am personally, in my mind, preparing for two seasons, and we’re going to ask our staff to think that way, but that’s not our goal.”

Alberts said it eventually became more economically viable to demolish South Stadium instead of renovating. Nebraska’s goal of connecting the East and West Stadiums to create a 270-degree concourse on the main level and a 360-degree concourse on the field level were notable factors in the decision.

The athletic director added that South Stadium would not be the only area impacted by the changes if the plan is approved. Chairback additions in East and West Stadiums will cause disruption. Alberts added that it didn’t seem like chairbacks in North Stadium were viable due to tread depth and code.

“I want to be very clear that I understand, completely, the angst and frustration that some or many of our fans are going to have,” Alberts said. “I can only apologize and ask them to be patient with us. We’ve got a 100-year-old stadium that we need to ensure is viable for the next 100 years.”

2. Alberts believes the growing pains will be worth it

Alberts is well aware of the difficulties Nebraska fans have experienced in South Stadium over the years. Issues with concessions and bathrooms are points of emphasis. Alberts said the goal was to make it more intuitive and easier for Husker fans to support their team.

Potential changes include additional elevators and/or escalators to make it easier for fans to access their seats. Improvements in more points of sale for concessions and Wi-Fi will boost the fan experience on game days and help Nebraska activate Memorial Stadium on more than seven Saturdays each year.

“I’ve heard from some fans that would love to go get a hamburger, maybe get a Pepsi,” Alberts said. “But, they’re not going to leave their seat because they’re afraid they’re going to miss half the first quarter to go get a hamburger, and that’s on us.”

Alberts made it clear the project’s drive was to make Memorial Stadium the nation’s best place to watch college football. To accomplish that and implement what fans wanted in the survey, there will be some short-term struggle for long-term gain.

3. Nebraska drew inspiration from a variety of different sources

Alberts said he and his staff visited several stadiums to learn how they might approach renovations to Memorial Stadium.

Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium features an endzone design similar to what Nebraska wants to execute in the proposed plan. Notre Dame has integrated academics into its stadium in a way Alberts hopes to with East Stadium and student involvement in South Stadium. Lastly, the Chicago Cubs helped Nebraska brainstorm ways to rethink and revitalize an iconic brand.

Wrigleyville may be something to emulate, too. Creating additional revenue streams and boosting the fan experience outside the stadium could be a future focus.

“Our state is really proud of our stadium,” Alberts said. “Every fourth grader in the state of Nebraska tours our stadium, and to see their faces, you know, I think we should expand on that. I think we should get more people involved. I think we should think about other unique inventory that can be a part of it beyond football, like Volleyball Day in Nebraska, like Garth Brooks.”

4. Students are a key cog in Nebraska’s decision-making process

Improving the student experience is a critical passion for Alberts in this project. The athletic director said donors want to fully embrace students because they will become future business leaders and alumni within the community.

Then there’s the competitive advantage of the proposed move of the students to South Stadium behind the endzone. Making things better for the band will also be a focus. Alberts added that Memorial Stadium could be a recruiting tool for future students.

Using academic and experiential learning resources planned for North Stadium and additional student areas in South Stadium can help make the venue a home for student activity. Alberts mentioned how Notre Dame uses its stadium almost as a second student union. It has cafes and a Starbucks, along with housing the schools of music and anthropology.

“Those are the types of things we want to do,” Alberts said. “We want to embrace the band. We want their experience to be as good as our student-athlete experience is, quite frankly. In my personal opinion, we need to raise the bar in that area.”

One short-term concern will be the student section during the renovations. A large portion of the students are located in South Stadium. Alberts isn’t sure what the 2025 season will look like for students but said he knows fewer students will have access that year. The department is considering several strategies to deal with those problems, including a lottery system.

5. Nebraska hopes to improve accessibility and seating

Through the survey process, Alberts said he and his staff found that between licensing fees and costs, Nebraska has the fifth-most expensive ticket in college football.

Finding ways to make Memorial Stadium more affordable for Husker fans is one of the essential elements of this project. Alberts said that the athletic department went through every seat in the stadium and determined the revenue tied to each seat.

Alberts clarified the motive behind what he anticipates as a 10-12% reduction in stadium capacity by the project’s completion.

“I can tell you this is not an effort to decrease supply, increase demand, and use a decrease in supply to increase ticket prices and support new revenue,” Alberts said. “That’s not really what this decision is about. This decision is about the amenities, and those are the ones that ultimately drive that 10-12% reduction.”

Currently, Alberts said Nebraska has club and suite seating. Potential new ideas include ledge and loge seating. But Alberts emphasized the priority was making Memorial Stadium more equitable, accessible, and affordable for fans.

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