How the fan experience at Bryant-Denny Stadium will be improved this season

After a 2022 season that brought major changes to Bryant-Denny Stadium, including adding beer and wine sales inside, ticketing going mobile-only, and all point of sale stations cashless, 2023's Crimson Tide fan experience will be more about tweaking and refining processes, through technology.

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One big difference fans may not notice as quickly as players and coaches will: the new playing surface.

"We've got a SubAir system with a natural grass field," said Greg Byrne, who has served as director of athletics at the University of Alabama since 2017. "The only place there'll be synthetic turf is on the aprons."

SubAir creates turf systems for golf courses, baseball and football fields, and soccer pitches, using Mother Nature's preferred playing surface, but with heating, drainage and monitoring systems beneath, to keep the grass at ideal conditions. Sensors monitor oxygen, moisture and temperature levels, and adjust aeration accordingly.

If one of Tuscaloosa's sudden monsoons sweeps over, vacuum-assisted draining systems kick in. If later fall or winter games turn freezing, the surface underneath can be heated. Functions can be set to auto, or adjusted via tablets, computers or smartphones. The system also retains historical data, to better prepare for future seasons.

"It's a beautiful surface," Byrne said, "real grass."

Beer and wine at Bryant-Denny

Beer and wine sales over went very well for the inaugural season, he said.

"We certainly heard a lot of feedback from fans, as an amenity for them," Byrne said. The successful adaptation led also to similar concessions for baseball and softball fans, at Sewell-Thomas and Rhoads stadiums.

Early in the 2022 football season, Michelob Ultra was the most popular drink, the sixth-best-selling item after bottled water, bottled soda, popcorn, candy and hot dogs. A few tweaks were made for better speed and convenience, easier access, Byrne said. A little over a week ago, he tweeted about price reductions on food, water and soda, but didn't have details to share yet.

"We redesigned five of our highest-volume stands to grab-and-go markets, and added self-checkout kiosks at several areas throughout the stadium," he said. Alcohol sales will still be monitored, following the rules that purchasers must be 21, with valid ID. Each transaction is limited to two alcoholic beverages, and beer and wine sales will conclude at the end of the third quarter.

The SEC lifted bans on beer and wine sales in 2019, but UA was more deliberate, following other school's reporting before adopting the change. One of the compelling arguments was that schools adopting alcohol sales noted either a flat line, or actual drop in alcohol-related incidents within the venues.

Ohio State University police reported a 65% drop in alcohol-related problems inside their stadium, since sales began in 2016. The University of Oregon similarly saw a 49% drop. The thinking behind that stat is that tailgaiting fans won't pre-game as hard, won't toss back one more before entering the stadium, knowing they can have a beverage inside.

"Anytime you have 100,000 people come together for any event, there's going to be challenges," Byrne said. "But our in-game incidents reflected something similar to the others'."

Again, he didn't have exact figures he could report, but said UA studies its historical incident records for comparison.

"Obviously we want more than one season's data" regarding the effects of in-house sales.

Paperless tickets and cash-free concessions

The paperless ticketing systems ran smooth, he said.

"Overall, lines have been better, people have been getting in at a more efficient rate," he said. "And the ability to transfer tickets has been greatly improved."

Bryant-Denny Stadium went cash-free, with tech upgrades for digital ease. "That went very well," Byrne said.

Also new in Bryant-Denny Stadium, The Authentic opened last October. This retail store inside the stadium offers officially-licensed paraphernalia, jerseys, shirts, headgear, collectible cards, authentic game-used gear, autographed photos, footballs, basketballs and more. Fans can support their favorite teams and players, with NIL (name, image and likeness) agreements benefiting more than just the manufacturers.

"That's been good. We're still getting that off the ground. We need to continue to publicize it," Byrne said. "There's been a lot of good autograph signings there, for kids and fans. It's a really good showpiece for Alabama athletes, and from a recruiting standpoint as well."

The NIL agreements are negotiated between the student-athletes and, for example, the jersey companies. Byrne noted that jersey sales weren't a big moneymaker, as some believe, but the benefits extend beyond the financial.

"The Authentic is expanding the inventory, and events throughout the year," he said.

Food trucks, video boards and more

"We're also going to increase our activities outside the stadium, with food trucks, autograph areas, video boards outside the stadium," Byrne said. Screens will display information, including directions to various gates, prohibited items, how to enter. Such videoboards will be located more heavily on the north side of Bryant-Denny, adjacent to University Boulevard.

Ticket revenue shot back up in 2022, after falling to record lows with 20%-capacity restrictions, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, ticket revenue added up to just $7.4 million; in 2022, it was $44.2 million, about $5 million more than the last pre-pandemic season. Alabama football brought in a record $130.9 million (up from $110 million pre-COVID) with a profit of $52.3 million.

The Crimson Tide's first game on Bryant-Denny's new surface will be 6:30 p.m. Sept. 2, against Middle Tennessee. This season's home schedule also includes Texas, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU and Chattanooga.

Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama fans will notice improvements at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2023