Here’s what Kentucky football fans need to know about Vandy’s ongoing stadium renovations

Former Vanderbilt running back Ray Davis, who transferred to Kentucky after the 2022 season, put the circumstances for Saturday’s UK-Vandy football game the best.

“The stadium we’re going to Saturday, is not the same stadium I played in,” Davis said Tuesday.

It’s not the same stadium Big Blue Nation is used to flooding whenever the Wildcats travel to Nashville. It’s the same facility, in the same site, but what is now called FirstBank Stadium is undergoing renovations as part of the school’s $300 million “Vandy United Project.”

Construction on the changes and upgrades began late this summer and will continue through the 2023 season, all while the Commodores are playing home football games.

So, here’s what Kentucky fans traveling to Vanderbilt for Saturday’s noon (EDT) kickoff need to know:

▪ Enter the stadium on the side where your tickets are located.

“At the highest level, they should know that our venue is essentially two sides of the stadium, an East side and a West side,” Lauren Belisle, associate athletics director for fan experience and sales, said Wednesday. “While people can get from one side to the other, it is very cumbersome. It is through gravel, therefore we are really encouraging people to check their ticket location and enter through the gates or the entrance on their side of the stadium where their seats are located.”

▪ If your seats are located in sections P through V on the East side of the stadium, you must enter through Memorial Gymnasium, Vandy’s basketball arena. Fans will not exit through Memorial. They will either exit through the baseball stadium outfield or one north of the stadium by section V.

▪ There will be concessions and bathroom facilities available inside Memorial Gymnasium as well as pop-up concession stands on the concourse.

▪ Fans on the West side of the stadium can enter via Natchez Trace.

▪ Parking remains unchanged, though construction may block the way fans normally get to their parking spots. If you haven’t already made parking arrangements, Vandy has three garages in which drive-up parking is allowed. You can find those locations at the vucommodores.com website.

▪ While construction is ongoing, seating capacity at the stadium has been reduced from 40,305 to 28,500.

▪ A temporary video board is now located in the south end zone.

“It is flown from cranes in our South end zone, both the video board and the audio system,” Belisle said. “They are set up the Friday before home games.”

▪ The visiting team’s locker room has been set up across from Natchez Trace.

“It needs to be talked about, so they’re not surprised when they see it, because there definitely will be the most challenging environment we’ll play in this year, from that point, just aesthetically and getting dressed and logistically and all that,” UK coach Mark Stoops said Monday. “So, we’ll deal with it just like everybody else has to. It is what it is. Our players will handle it just fine.”

Stoops said Josh Pruitt, UK’s director of football operations, has been working for more than a month on what the setup will be for the team’s first road game of the season.

As for a timeline, Vandy hopes construction on the North end zone will be finished by the fall of 2024 and the South end zone by 2025. The North end zone will house a new basketball operations center while the South end zone will have new locker rooms, a dining facility and premium seating.

“There’s a lot of excitement and momentum for what’s to come,” Belisle said. “Every day something is moving along. It changes every day.”

Weather wreaked havoc on Vanderbilt’s home opener against Hawaii on Aug. 26. Storms delayed the start of the game and the new scoreboard was seen swaying in the wind.

“The best thing is we won,” said Belisle of the Commodores’ 35-28 victory.

Meanwhile, Kentucky football has won three straight games at Vanderbilt. Despite all the new “Pardon Our Mess” challenges, the Cats hope to make it four straight on Saturday.

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