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Penn State Unveils Beaver Stadium Improvements for 2024 Football Season

Expanded gates, more concessions and new videoboards highlight early stages of Beaver Stadium's renovation.

Mark Wogenrich

A rendering of the proposed renovation of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, which is scheduled for completion in 2027.
A rendering of the proposed renovation of Penn State's Beaver Stadium, which is scheduled for completion in 2027. / Courtesy Penn State Athletics
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Aspects of Penn State's Beaver Stadium will come online for the 2024 Penn State football season, including a new videoboard, several accompanying ribbon boards and expanded concourses with more concession options.

Penn State has begun its planned $700 million renovation of the 64-year-old Beaver Stadium, which university trustees approved in May. Penn State said Monday that some of that initial work will greet fans for the home opener Sept. 7 against Bowling Green. The athletic department also released a series of renderings highlighting changes to several gates, concourses and entry spaces.

The biggest changes are the expansions of Beaver Stadium Gates A, E and F. Construction at each gate will improve stadium circulation and include more open-air space, Penn State said in a news release. Penn State is installing four escalators, two each at Gates A and E, along with new concession stands and restrooms.

At Gate F, located on the stadium's East Side, Penn State is expanding the perimeter to Porter Road to create an outdoor lounge-style space with more concession options. The expansion also will expand the stadium's security perimeter and create more entry locations. Penn State said it will add 50 points of sale, including grab-and-go options.

Enhancements to the Beaver Stadium media boards include multiple changes. Penn State is replacing the video board in the South end zone with a higher-resolution screen. Ribbon boards in both end zones will be replaced, and a new ribbon board is being added in the South end zone. In addition, a super ribbon board will be located atop the upper bowl of the South end zone. Penn State said these changes will be in place for the 2024 season.

Penn State's Beaver Stadium renovation addresses significant infrastructure and maintenance needs, of which university officials said there's a $200 million backlog. That includes winterization, necessary to host a College Football Playoff game, repairing or replacing aging steel supports, concrete sealing and coating, upgrading electrical facilities and increasing commercial kitchen space.

The project's scope widens after the 2024 season, when Penn State will begin demolishing and replacing Beaver Stadium's West side. First, the press box and upper deck of the West stands will come down in 2025. Penn State will replace the lower bowl in 2026. The West side will house club seats, loge boxes and suites. The West side of Beaver Stadium also will house a new "Welcome Center," which Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi said would create a "front-door experience" for the university. The center will include 21,000 square feet of new event space, giving Beaver Stadium more year-round utility.

"There have been no major improvements to Beaver Stadium since 2001, whereas many of our peers in the Big Ten Conference and around the country have made significant financial investments to enhance their home stadiums," Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said when the project was approved in May. "We are behind, both in fixing the necessary structural needs within the stadium and what we provide our fans. It is time for Penn State to catch up with its peers.

"Beaver Stadium should be more than just average, more than just comparable to others. It should be a model for the college and the NFL world, with innovation, experiences that are different and exciting technology. If we fail to act, we will face significant infrastructure issues in the years ahead. The costs of repair will only increase. To put it simply, renovations to Beaver Stadium are long overdue. It’s time to act, and that time is now."

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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