Momentum case

MOMENTUM

the case for Sun Devil Stadium

mo•men•tum

– force or speed of movement

This is an extraordinary time for Sun Devil Football. The momentum of our program is clear for all to see. ESPN’s College GameDay recently noted Arizona State University has all the makings of a perennial football powerhouse, and for good reason.

A Pac-12 Coach of the Year in Todd Graham, who led the Sun Devils to a 10-4 record; a Pac-12 South Division title and a berth in the 2013 Holiday Bowl.

Nine weeks in the top 25 of the AP Poll this past season, including a spot at No. 11 on Dec. 2, the highest December ranking for the Sun Devils since 1996.

A high-octane offense that eclipsed 50 points in six games this season, breaking a school record set in 1973.

A bright future with four freshman All-Americans and 17 players who earned 2013 All-Pac-12 recognition, tying a school record.

This is a program on the move!

That momentum is good for the entire university. It is an important step in ASU’s rise to prominence.

Sun Devil Football is immensely important to the rest of the university.

The excitement of a successful football program transcends weekly wins and losses. A winning team creates Sun Devil fans around the world who identify and engage with ASU; for many, their allegiance to ASU began at the doorstep of its athletics program. Football can bring a community together and cultivate pride in ASU in a way that few programs can. For millions of television viewers, football is a window to ASU and its extraordinary accomplishments.

The Arizona Republic called ASU’s appearance in the 2013 Pac-12 conference title game “a giant commercial for the school and the state” of Arizona.

The message is clear: A winning football program creates momentum for not just the athletic department, but the entire university and the Valley of the Sun. Success in athletics leads to greater overall interest in ASU, including more student applications. The year prior to ASU’s appearance in the 1997 Rose Bowl, applications to ASU increased by half of one percent. The year after the Rose Bowl appearance, applications jumped by 14 percent.

The 2013 season had the highest average home attendance since the 2008 campaign. In addition, the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Sun Devil Stadium had the largest crowd in the game’s history.

The math is simple: More fans in the seats means more revenue — revenue that is shared with all Sun Devil Athletic programs and the community.

A winning football program is also a powerful economic engine to the Valley of the Sun as well as the university.

According to the Tempe Tourism Office, each ASU home football game already provides a $9.4 million boost to Tempe. On average, ASU hosts 180 events every year at its athletics facilities for an annual economic impact of $209.4 million.

the challenge What does the world see when it watches Sun Devil Football?

Certainly outstanding coaching and student-athletes.

But viewers also see the one area of our football program that needs attention — Sun Devil Stadium.

At a time when our football team is competing at the highest levels in the Pac–12, it is doing so in an aging facility. Over the past 10 years, schools in the Pac–12 spent $1.5 billion on their football stadiums, yet ASU was one of only two schools in the Pac–12 that made no improvements to its football facilities.

Now is the time for change.

For 56 years, Sun Devil Stadium has represented all that is great in college athletics: passion, commitment, winning and character. Now is the time to demonstrate our pride in an iconic venue that has contributed so much to the university and the community.

Now is the time to take an outdated stadium and build one that represents a world-class institution.

“College athletics is a fantastically important part of the American culture and a way in which universities can compete and project our story to large audiences.”

— ASU President Michael M. Crow

thethe vision vision.

new scoreboard and sound system

august 2017

Devil Stadium 2.0 SunSunDevil Stadium 2.0

scrims

interior upgrades to press level

may 2015 east club furnishings

west club furnishings

october 2016

october 2017 scrims

new concourses: restrooms and concessions

new concourses: restrooms and concessions

august 2016

lower bowl seating improvements

august 2017

lower bowl seating improvements

project total

$210 Million new student seating section and student club new central kitchen

august 2015

the solution Sun Devil Athletics has identified a stadium renovation plan that will keep the stadium in its iconic location nestled in Hayden Butte. The plan calls for renovations to occur in stages to allow Sun Devil Football to benefit from its home-field advantage and to continue attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to Tempe each year.

The renovated stadium will be a state-of-the-art facility that will provide a more enjoyable environment for all, including: • Upgraded seating with additional legroom in the lower bowl.

• New restrooms and expanded concessions for the lower and upper bowls.

• New suites and club premium seating at the loge level with new lobbies and VIP entrances.

• A new student section and air-conditioned club in the south end zone.

• A north end zone plaza capable of hosting events for up to 5,000 people.

• A state-of-the-art videoboard and scoreboard for an enhanced fan experience.

• Wider concourses, elevators and escalators for easier transit.

• Modern skyboxes and a renovated press box.

• Scrims wrapped around the outside of the stadium — visual technology that can display images or change the color of the stadium.

• Planned enhancements to the Sun Devil Athletics academic center and football facilities.

the rewards A renovated Sun Devil Stadium will be the nextgeneration athletic facility that our teams and coaches need to compete, and a powerful recruiting tool that will loudly demonstrate to prospective student-athletes ASU is committed to competing at the national-championship level.

The community will benefit from the economic impact that a renovated Sun Devil Stadium provides and the sense of pride it instills in alumni, fans, students and residents.

Additionally, the revenue generated by Sun Devil Football helps to fund the entire athletics department; a winning program combined with an enhanced stadium will provide opportunity not just for football, but for more than 500 Sun Devil student-athletes who compete in our 22 varsity sports. All Sun Devil programs will reap the benefits of a stronger, better-funded athletic program.

asu is all in

are you all in?

ASU leadership will invest $210 million to improve Sun Devil Stadium, the largest university commitment since its founding in 1885. Sun Devil Athletics seeks to raise a minimum of $50 million in private support to complete the funding for the endeavor and assure first-class facilities.

To reinforce its commitment to Sun Devil Stadium, ASU also has committed revenue from its Athletics Facilities District — 330 acres of prime urban development property in Tempe.

We respectfully request your support of Sun Devil Stadium.

Your philanthropic investment will show the world that the entire ASU community is committed to our student-athletes and to competing at the championship level.

Your investment is crucial to the transformation of Sun Devil Stadium.

Naming opportunities and premium-seating packages are available for your participation at the leadership giving level.

Your support will ensure that ASU transforms Sun Devil Stadium and maintains its tremendous momentum.

Go all in with us today.

An updated and enhanced Sun Devil Stadium will build on the powerful momentum the program has built. Coach Graham and his team have done their part to advance ASU’s potential to be an elite program. Now is the time for those of us who care about ASU and its athletics program to do ours.

Coach Graham and the Sun Devil student-athletes are all in. President Michael Crow and the university are all in, committing significant ASU resources and revenue to help fund the project.

“…This is going to be the most visible building on campus and one of the most visible buildings in this state, so it should represent this state in a unique way.”

– ASU Head Football Coach Todd Graham

create your Sun Devil Stadium legacy today to support Sun Devil Athletics or for more information: Sun Devil Club 480-727-7700 sundevilclub.com P.O. Box 872205 Tempe, AZ 85287