Mizzou AD provides update on changes coming to Faurot Field amidst ongoing renovations

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou football fans will notice some changes to their game day experience out at Faurot Field in the upcoming season, as renovations to the north end zone will continue through the 2025 campaign.

On Monday, Tiger Athletic Director Laird Veatch took time to talk to media members and break down all of those changes. He started off his press conference by first and foremost thanking the MU fan base for selling out more season tickets in a shorter period of time than last season, even with the price increases. He said that they will finish with more than 40,000 season tickets sold.

Veatch then went on to address the construction going on behind him at Memorial Stadium.

"The senior leadership team and I took a little hands on tour this last week, walked through the facility. It is really hard to do it justice until you get in there and you see the sightlines, particularly with how much farther forward and how straight up it is," he said. "The sightlines are incredible and the magnitude of the project sort of speaks for itself."

You can watch the full press conference with Veatch in the video player below.

Mizzou Athletics is expecting sold out crowds for most of their home games in 2025. As a result, they are planning for how all that congestion will make its way around a more limited stadium.

In order to make for quicker entry into Memorial Stadium on game day, gates will open for all fans two hours prior to kickoff, instead of the usual 90 minutes. Crews will still be working on the north end zone project on game days, but will stop once gates open.

"It is safe, so as as fans are out there seeing it and they're seeing steel continue to fly or a lot of workers out there during their tailgates, that is planned and appropriate," Veatch said. "But we assure fans that it that it's safe and we'll make sure we'll set it down before before the gates are actually open."

Veatch also reminded Tiger fans to allow for more time traveling to Columbia on game days, with the ongoing construction on I-70 in Boone Country between mile markers 137 and 144.

Once fans arrive at Faurot Field, the athletic department is reminding them to plan out their routes. Everyone should enter the stadium through the gates on the same side as where their tickets are located due to the impacts of the Memorial Stadium Centennial Project.

• Fans sitting on the east side (Sections 101-110), students in the student section and fans in Tiger Deck (Sections 301-315) should enter via Gates 2E-6E
• Fans sitting on the west side (Sections 116-125) should enter via Gates 2W-6W
• Entrances to the premium Walsworth Family Columns Club, the West Tower and the South End Zone remain unchanged

The tunnel that runs under Stadium Boulevard will be open for foot traffic, but fans are encouraged to use alternate routes since the walkways will be smaller due to construction.

Although the project will not be finished until the 2026 football season, Veatch said you will begin to feel some of the impacts of the project in the season ahead, specifically in the noise department. Faurot Field is already expected to be a bit louder than it has in years past in 2025.

"I don't think any of us can really fully appreciate the difference it's going to make, but you're going to start to really get an understanding of it just this year. Obviously, next year will be even more so. You have more enclosed, that than it has been. But, just standing here, you can feel the difference. I mean, you could see the magnitude of that project and just the overall sort of Coliseum effect that it gives to the stadium," Veatch said.

The leader of Tiger athletics also took time to address the rumors about a potential video board in the north end zone, on Monday. He said that there will be no video board hanging there, but instead a small scoreboard was hung up for teams to use when driving north.

"That was cost prohibitive. Really not a good investment of resources," he said.

In addition to the changes due to the ongoing north end zone renovations, Mizzou Athletics has also made some significant improvements the game day experience. You can find a list of those updates below.

• New custom designed LED stadium lights, allowing for choreographed light shows
• New Tiger Fans Zone, opening three and a half hours prior to kickoff on the lawn at Tiger Avenue across from from Tiger Avenue Parking Structure.
  • Large-screen TV showing games around the country
  • Food trucks and seating
  • Beer sales
  • Tiger Team Store merchandise sales
  • MU Health Care Kids Zone featuring a video game truck playing EA Sports College Football 26
  • Coca-Cola Student Tailgate
• Enhanced and increased pyro at key moments on game day
• A new camera placement inside the locker room to get the crowd excited for the team runout
• A re-worked in-game script designed to help keep up the energy even during breaks in play
• Six concessions locations at Memorial Stadium featuring Fan-Friendly pricing, consisting of $2.99 hot dogs, popcorn, chips, 16 oz fountain sodas and 12 oz Dasani water
• New concession items
  • BBQ Bacon Wrapped Conecuh Sausage Dog (Section 121)
  • Boulevard Beer Brat (Section 106 and Boulevard Concession Stand at Section 123)
  • Boulevard Beer Cheeseburger (Boulevard Concession Stand at Section 123)
  • Boulevard Beer Cheese Fries (Boulevard Concession Stand at Section 123)
  • Loaded Nachos (Una Vida Concession Stand at Section 118)

Veatch said all of the improvements coming to Memorial Stadium in 2025, but especially the renovations to the north end zone, are going to make Faurot Field an even more iconic place to be.

"If you're coming up to our to our stadium and you're thinking about the front look of that stadium, that'll be maybe next to the columns, the next sort of most visible call it selfie point that you see on our campus. I think there's something important about that. There's also going to be a massive club section inside that space that will seat I think around 500 for other special events. Probably the largest venue in the in the city of Columbia and we were up there the other day and you can actually look back and see Jesse Hall and Memorial Stadium from that space," Veatch said. "So, just the opportunity for that space to be utilized not just by us on game days, but by the university and folks in our community throughout the year."

Mizzou will kickoff the 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28 against Central Arkansas, as fans will get their first real glimpse at all the construction.