Falcon Stadium construction update: Club seats, year-round team shop, more ticket lanes among additions

The long-known look of Falcon Stadium is officially gone.

Local media toured the under-construction home of Air Force football on Thursday morning, catching the first glimpse of its transformed appearance and receiving a briefing on some of the changes that the $90-million project will bring.

“We’re getting to the point where it’s a lot of fun to walk people through here, show off the progress that’s been done since last April when we started construction,” athletic director Nathan Pine said.

There will now be 24 security and ticketing lanes to enter the east side, an increase from six. There will also be four times the restroom and concession capacity on the east side, And with a large kitchen added, there will be enhanced menu options. New lights will better illuminate the action and allow for programmable displays to show key moments.

A year-round team shop will also be located on the east side when finished.

The enclosed club on the east side will alter the acoustics of the stadium, trapping more sound and, in theory, adding to a home-field advantage.

Of course it’s that club on the east that is the most noticeable piece of the project that has distinctly changed the look of the stadium with its enclosed facade that rises up and, when viewed from that area soon to be encased by glass, provides the impression of hovering over the action.

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They will be arguably the closest club seats in the country, senior associate A.D. for external operation Matt McGahey said.

There will be 850 indoor seats (some of which will be reclining) that provide access to the club, which features a large open-concept lobby reached by double elevators, a grand stairway or what is believed to be the first escalators to be included on an Air Force facility on U.S. soil.

An additional 350 covered, chairback seats will be located under the overhang of the club's roof.

Standing in the open-concept club, the central feature of the level that runs roughly end zone to end zone, brings to life the scope of the room. The hope for Air Force is to utilize the space for wedding receptions, reunions and corporate events, generating revenue for around 300 days per year.

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“You don’t really understand until you can stand in this space,” Pine said of the room, which features floor to ceiling windows on the east side facing Colorado Springs and will overlook the stadium and mountains the west.

Access to the club for football games will be contingent upon having tickets to the 850 seats. Single-game availability for the enclosed seats will depend on inventory after season-ticket sales are completed.

The club also includes an outdoor (but covered) party deck and an area to host recruits. The kitchen, located under the club’s south side, will allow for food to be made on site for the games and other functions in the space.

The structure has taken shape, but no finishing touches have been applied. The hope remains to have it open and functioning when Merrimack visits on Aug. 31 for the opening of the 2024 season.

The construction crew from G.E. Johnson has 200 workers putting a combined 8,000 hours per week into the project with that date in mind.

“Nothing’s guaranteed in construction” Pine said. “But in our conversations with G.E. Johnson, Nation’s group, we feel very good about making it for opening day here at the end of August. Keep your fingers crossed.”

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