Glass Details Transformational Improvements to Indiana Football and the Gameday Experience

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Fred Glass today met with the media to detail transformational improvements to Indiana Football and the gameday experience, involving Memorial Stadium, the football facilities, football uniforms, football traffic and parking, other new gameday experiences, and "oldie but goodie" continuing traditions.

"Football is a critical component of IU Athletics, not only as a program, but for the department and university as well," Glass said. "2018 will be a transformative year for improvements to Indiana Football and the gameday experience. I am very pleased with the dynamic leadership that Tom Allen has brought to the program and very excited about this team as we head into year two of the Allen Era."

"Ever since I have been in this position as head football coach at Indiana, Fred Glass has been tremendously supportive of our football program," Indiana University Head Football Coach Tom Allen said. "He is doing what he can do to help us in regards to staffing, in regards to the things we feel we need to compete at a high level in this conference. I was very impressed early on when I was hired here, one of my first conversations was with Fred Glass, about his commitment to Indiana Football, and that has not wavered since I have been here."

MEMORIAL STADIUM: "It is not an overstatement to say that we will essentially be opening a new Memorial Stadium this fall," Glass said.

Excellence Academy: Dedicated to the personal development of our student-athletes, the $48 million, 66,575 square foot building also – among many other things – encloses Memorial Stadium into a bowl and creates a bold, welcoming, new "front door" and beautiful plaza facing campus.
Video Boards: The Excellence Academy also supports a new, gigantic (91' x 42') LED video board (65% larger than its predecessor), complementing the 68' x 20' video board recently added to the north end zone. The Excellence Academy also provides a 168' x 3.2' long video ribbon board complementing the also recently added 198' x 4.1' foot video ribbon board in the north end zone.
Branding: Consistent with the new IU Athletics Brand and Uniform Guidelines to be unveiled this fall, new color, graphics, and banners are being installed at Memorial Stadium, inside and out.
Knothole Park at Sample Terrace presented by Aggressively Organic: The next iteration of the Knothole Park Legacy, this open-to-all venue located atop the Excellence Academy will be a key feature of our family friendly football Saturdays, including Chocolate Moose ice cream provided for free by IU Athletics for 12-and-under "Knothole Club" members, as well as a 3-D selfie station, mini-quarterback throwing game, mini-field goal kicking game, IU face painting booth, and stadium concessions.
New Premium Seating/Hospitality Options: In addition to two new suites in the press box, the Henke Hall of Champions will also add a new season ticket fan amenity through a "club" experience, including theatre-style outdoor seating and inside access to all-inclusive food and beverage, big screen TVs and the like. The Tobias Nutrition Center, meanwhile, will serve as a new and improved gameday hospitality area for Hoosier Hundred and above Varsity Club members, similar to how the Hoosier Room had been utilized in the past.
Improved Accessibility: We have improved accessibility to Memorial Stadium for our fans with disabilities including four ADA compliant viewing platforms in the bowl and three in the press box suites, as well as two ADA compliant restrooms in the south end zone. Additional accessibility improvements have been made to multiple concession areas as well as the east and west concourse restroom facilities.
Capacity: It was a goal of the Excellence Academy and Improved Accessibility projects to be roughly capacity neutral which was attained with a new official Memorial Stadium capacity of 52,656, a less than 0.6% change from the previous capacity of 52,929.

FOOTBALL FACILITIES: Consistent with the philosophy that Indiana Football needs ongoing investments and consistency to be excellent, and building on the substantial investments in the last ten years in facilities, equipment, people and the like, we are making these additional facility improvements:

The Terry Tallen Indiana Football Complex: With construction soon to start and opening next fall, this 25,000 square foot, multi-million dollar football-only renovation located in Memorial Stadium will include a dramatically enhanced Trent and Julie Green Locker Room and Dr. John N. Miller training room as well as a new team lounge/recruiting area, coaches locker room, and enhanced equipment room.
Football Team Room Renovation: To be completed before this year's home opener, the Football Team Room will be completely renovated including state-of-the-art seating, new carpeting and other amenities.

FOOTBALL UNIFORMS:

State-of-the-Art Helmets for Improved Safety: Every IU football player is being provided Riddell's new Speed Flex Precision Fit helmet, which utilizes two different layers of 3-D scanning technology to make a custom-made helmet for every individual player. The medical and equipment staffs of IU Athletics believe this to be the safest football helmet available. This year's new helmet will be red matte with variations created by the use of decals. IU Athletics will add an additional color helmet next year.
Bill Mallory Helmet Sticker: IU will continue to honor former head football coach Bill Mallory, who passed away on May 25, with a helmet sticker commemorating his tremendous impact on IU Football, the men who played for him, and the Bloomington community. A two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, Mallory is the program's all-time winningest coach and led the Hoosiers to six bowl berths.
Our Name Will be on the Front of Our Jerseys and Not on the Back: Again, consistent with our soon-to-be-unveiled IU Athletics Brand and Uniform Guidelines, and our status as the state's Flagship university, our football jerseys will once again bear "Indiana" across the front. Also consistent with the new Guidelines, our football jerseys will not carry the individual names of players on the backs of our regular season jerseys, consistent with our philosophy of team over self.

IMPROVEMENTS TO FOOTBALL TRAFFIC AND PARKING: For starters, as of our home opener, the long, regional nightmare of the transition of State Road 37 to Interstate 69 between Martinsville and Bloomington appears to be over:

All four lanes of SR37/I69 open from Indianapolis to Bloomington: Thanks to the hard work of the people of INDOT and the engagement of Governor Eric Holcomb, we expect that for the first time in years this critical artery will have all four lanes open for traffic for all of our home football games.
Parking Options: In addition to parking in and around the Athletics campus, free football gameday parking will now be available at: Poplars Garage (off 6^thStreet between Grant and Dunn Streets); and Henderson Garage (off Indiana Avenue and South Fess Avenue between 3^rdStreet and Atwater Avenue). Paid parking will also be available at the Fee Lane Garage (near the Kelley School of Business). Prepaid parking passes (at a $5 discount!) are strongly recommended to secure a parking spot on the Athletics campus on football gamedays as we expect to be sold out in advance of many of our gamedays.
Shuttle Service: A new, free, gameday shuttle will pick up fans from the Poplars Garage and the Indiana Memorial Union and transport them up Woodlawn Avenue to 17^thStreet in order to, among other things, facilitate use of the new free parking and otherwise better connect Memorial Stadium to the heart of campus on gamedays. The shuttle will begin operating two hours before kickoff and run until 90 minutes after the game's conclusion.
New Memorial Stadium Command Center: To help facilitate football gameday management of traffic and parking, as well as other public safety issues, a new and improved Memorial Stadium Command Center has been built out on the 7^thFloor of the press box. In addition to IU Athletics staff, representatives from IU Emergency Management, IUPD, IU Health and ESG Security, among others, will be working out of the Command Center.

NEW FOOTBALL GAMEDAY EXPERIENCES: In addition to our existing gameday traditions, including those set forth in the "Oldies But Goodies" section below, we have added the following:

Free Student Spirit Poster T-Shirts: The first 1,000 students to arrive in the IU student section will receive a free t-shirt mirroring that week's spirit poster, a revered and expanded IU tradition.
Student Fan Experiences: Early-arriving IU students will be eligible to be selected for exclusive pre-game field level experiences. Before kickoff, IU Athletics staff and the Student Athletic Board will select individuals and/0r small groups to participate in a series of activities, including viewing player warm-ups from the sidelines and holding the oversized State of Indiana Flag. These experiences will be showcased on IU Athletics social media channels and the new stadium video board and offer a unique opportunity to be field level on a football game day.

OLDIES BUT GOODIES: In addition to all the foregoing, new improvements, IU Athletics will continue with the following traditions which have been developed over recent years:

Spirit Posters: The revitalized, iconic IU football game day spirit posters will be available for fans to pick up throughout the week in either Memorial Stadium or Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The posters are wonderful items to display in a local business and/or to save as a collector's item.
Kicks for Keeps: When IU makes a field goal or extra point, fans get to keep the ball. When an opponent makes a field goal or extra point, throw it back!
Engagement by Ushers and Event Staff: To help make sure our fans have the best experience possible, our ushers and event staff wear large buttons saying "Ask Me. I'm Here to Help". Fans will be specifically and uniformly welcomed to IU and thanked for coming to IU.
Hoosier Bucks: Ushers and event services staff will have access to "Hoosier Bucks" for use at our concession stands, that they may provide at their discretion to fans who may be in need of a little love as the result of a spilled drink, dropped hot dog, or the like.
William Tell Overture: The Marching Hundred and the Redsteppers fire up our team and our fans to finish strong in the fourth quarter.
Fan Run Ons: Groups and organizations will lead the run out onto the field before select games this year.
Back Home Again in Indiana: IU Jacobs School of Music professor Brian Horne will once again sing 'Back Home Again in Indiana' as part of the band's pregame performance, joined by the giant State of Indiana flag.
Victory Flag: After every IU victory, the enormous IU Victory Flag will be raised by members of the Student Athletic Board on college football's tallest flag pole on the southeast corner of the field.
Crimson Guard App: Students are encouraged to sign up for the official student rewards program for IU Athletics. Students who download the app from any app store become eligible for prizes and earn student priority points.
Red Victory Lights: After victories, IU Athletics will light the outside of the North End Zone complex of Memorial Stadium in red after games.
Roving Bands and Cheerleaders: Three different bands and cheerleaders rove the tailgate areas before home games to build excitement for the game.
Big Jake: IU ROTC will fire the cannon from the south end of Memorial Stadium after IU scores.
First Down, Touch Down, Third/Fourth Down, Cheers: The Marching Hundred, Cheerleaders, Redsteppers, and the Student Athletic Board will lead our fans in these now-familiar cheers.
On Campus Pep Rallies: Pep rallies during select home game weeks held at high traffic area on-campus to build excitement for the upcoming game.
Interactive Zones: Photo opportunities for fans on Memorial Stadium concourses (i.e., player cutouts, uniform and helmet displays, inflatable games, themed selfie stations).
Tailgate and Stadium Spirit Patrols: Special promotions team (the SAB Hype Crew) which visits IU tailgates in pregame and inside the stadium to hand out giveaways, prizes, fire T-Shirt and Hot Dog guns, and keep fans engaged.
Fan Advisory Board: A committee of fans will meet, consult, and make formal recommendations to IU Athletics staff on ways to improve the overall fan experience at IU Athletics events.
Oversized Footballs: Oversized football with paint schemes similar to the team's helmet designs will be displayed on concourses.
Memorial Stadium Tours: IU Athletics will host special Memorial Stadium and IU Athletics venue tours on Friday, September 21, and Friday, Oct. 12. Tours will feature special interactive fan experiences like catching a pass on the field, special fan-run outs, and photos with team trophies and will include behind-the-scenes access to Memorial Stadium, the press box, Mellencamp Pavilion, Excellence Academy and the W. Jay and Nancy Wilkinson Performance Center.
Dedicated Ride Share Pick-Up and Drop-Off Location: IU Athletics provides a dedicated ride share pick-up and drop-off location on the IU Athletics campus. This will allow fans staying in Bloomington or who already live in town to use ride share services like Uber to be dropped off and picked up close to Memorial Stadium on gamedays. The conveniently located ride share pick-up and drop-off location will also ease gameday related traffic and parking issues, while allowing ticketholders to avoid the hassle of driving and parking on gamedays.
Pedicabs: Indiana Bikecab, based in Indianapolis, will bring ten bike cabs to all September and October home games and offer rides to the stadium from the tailgate lots surrounding the IU Athletics campus. Rides are free of charge, but fans are encouraged to tip drivers.
Water Stations: As part of the Greening Cream and Crimson sustainability initiative, IU Athletics has installed water stations on the East and West Concourses. Fans can bring empty bottles into the stadium to use at water stations, as well as refilling bottles and cups that they purchase at Memorial Stadium concessions stands.
Food Trucks and Free Refills: To provide additional fun food options on the IU Athletics campus on gamedays, food trucks will be located in Memorial Stadium. Free beverage refills will be provided for all who buy the special souvenir cup at stadium concessions stands this season.
Don't Be That Guy!: Indiana University is committed to creating a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable game day experience for all fans. Patrons who see fan behavior that is threatening, rude or vulgar in any way, are asked to report it to IU Event Services staff on-site at Memorial Stadium or by texting 812-369-MYIU (6948).

Glass Details Transformational Improvements to Indiana Football and the Gameday Experience

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