New Digs: Baylor Athletics Unveils Seat Selection Process for new Foster Pavilion
When you win a championship in college sports odds are you will likely be awarded with facilities upgrades or stadium renovations, which is exactly what's coming for Baylor basketball.
The Foster Pavilion and Development Center will be built along the Brazos River on the west side of Interstate-35, adjacent to the University's Clifton Robinson Tower, which will remain. This innovative project will spark a transformation of Baylor's presence on the riverfront of University Parks Drive.
Scott Drew
Baylor celebrates the men's basketball 2021 championship.
Baylor's women basketball celebrate their 2019 championship.
The project scope for Foster Pavilion and Development Center will include:
- A 223,547-square-foot facility
- Capacity for 7,000+ fans including standing-room-only areas for approximately 500 spectators
- Two separate premium club spaces at a combined 8,500 square feet
- Two 2,000-square-foot video end boards
- Visiting locker rooms with the flexibility to accommodate two to four teams
- Development Center for Baylor's championship women's and men's basketball teams, including:
- Private entrance and elevator, separate practice courts, dedicated locker rooms and team lounges
- Office facilities for each coach and administrators
- Shared sports performance-related spaces, including strength and conditioning, athletic training/treatment, hydrotherapy, nutrition and more
- Enhancements for the arena to support additional events, such as concerts, performances and public events, including stage rigging, full catering kitchen and cooking capability, additional dressing rooms for performers and related offices
As for the fans and seating, well, that is already underway as Baylor athletics has announced the seat selection process for the new arena, capitalizing on the demand to see the team.
The process to select your seats in the new arena will be done in two phases, and to join either phase you must be an active member of the Bear Foundation and a 2022-2023 season ticket holder.
From there, the two phases differ even further. Phase one is broken into seven giving tiers, set to begin at $50,000 towards the Give Light Capital Fund, able to be donated over a maximum of five years. Ranking within each tier will be based upon the Bear Foundation priority ranking system
The second phase will consist of season ticket holders who do not make a capital gift, prioritized based upon the Bear Foundation priority ranking system, with seat selection for both phases set to occur in the summer of 2023.
If you are curious about joining phase one or phase two, more information can be found on the Foster Pavilion website.
While the Bears won't play a game in their arena for another two years, it is clear that Bears basketball popularity is through the roof, and thus Baylor athletics are smart to strike while the iron is hot when it comes to securing seats when it does open.
Jordan Lewis
James Akinjo
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for the FanNation network. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism with a Master's of Science in Journalism with a Specialization in Sports Media.