Historic Allen Fieldhouse to Undergo Transformational Renovations

Via Kansas Athletics

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Allen Fieldhouse, the premier venue in college basketball, will soon undergo a series of upgrades that will profoundly enhance the fan experience and equip the most historic arena in the country with state-of-the-art amenities.

The project will be funded in large part due to the generosity of longstanding KU supporters and multi-generational Jayhawk families, who are coming together to elevate the experience for all patrons at Allen Fieldhouse, one of the state’s most visited attractions. The concourses on all three levels of Allen Fieldhouse will be reimagined. There will also be expanded donor space throughout the venue that will increase capacity, provide a world-class gameday experience, and allow for additional opportunities for special events on non-gamedays.

The inside of the arena will also experience significant improvements, while maintaining the history and tradition of the Fieldhouse, with additional chairback seating, state-of-the-art videoboards, along with a new sound system and lighting.

“Allen Fieldhouse is a preeminent destination for sports fans and has long been heralded as the best in-game experience in basketball. There is no arena in sport that provides the tradition and character of the Fieldhouse, and this project will go to great lengths to maintain that, while dramatically enhancing the fan experience for our men’s and women’s basketball supporters. This is a strong statement to our commitment to not just sustaining but elevating Kansas Basketball to new heights, and it will be a gamechanger for our programs, student-athletes and fans.”

TRAVIS GOFF, DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

The renovations to Allen Fieldhouse will reshape first impressions, elevate donor spaces and enhance the game day fan experience for all patrons. Some of the most impactful changes include:
  • Enhanced concessions and new LED lighting to elevate and unify all concourses, including an all-new premium “Jayhawk Pub” concept on the second level, which will have a variety of food options and expansive space for Jayhawk fans to meet and connect while at the fieldhouse.
  • A new and expanded Rally House Team Store in the Booth Hall of Athletics that will feature a flexible mezzanine space above it.
  • Reimagined and expanded premium hospitality spaces, including the donor atrium, which integrates into Allen Fieldhouse, as well as the Naismith Room.
  • Enhanced seating opportunities to include additional chairbacks and accessible seating.
  • Important investments into the in-game experience, including a new center-hung scoreboard, LED sports lighting, a new sound system, new digital signage and upgraded Wi-Fi.
The second and third level concourses – which serve as the access point to the seating bowl for 80 percent of fans — will dramatically increase concession points-of-sale and boast on-site cooking, which will elevate concessions and catering throughout the Fieldhouse.

“This makes the best and coolest place to play college basketball that much better. The fan experience will truly be enhanced, and our team will benefit greatly. We’ve always taken great pride in having the best fans and the best homecourt in the country. These major improvements inside the arena, and throughout all three floors of the concourse, ensure that Allen Fieldhouse will always be recognized as a top venue in America, regardless of sport.”

BILL SELF, MEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH

In addition to the upgrades at the Fieldhouse, Wagnon Student Athlete Center will also be remodeled with a focus on a modernized and welcoming “front door” for recruits, fans, donors and sponsors. Wagnon will also reconfigure space to meet expanding day-to-day needs for current student-athletes, coaches and staff.
Derek Nester
Derek Nesterhttp://www.sunflowerstateradio.com
Derek Nester was born and raised in Blue Rapids and graduated from Valley Heights High School in 2000. He attended Cowley College in Arkansas City and Johnson County Community College in Overland Park studying Journalism & Media Communications. In 2002 Derek joined Taylor Communications, Inc. in Salina, Kansas working in digital media for 550 AM KFRM and 100.9 FM KCLY. Following that stop, he joined Dierking Communications, Inc. stations KNDY AM & FM as a board operator and fill-in sports play-by-play announcer. Starting in 2005 Derek joined the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network as a Studio Coordinator at 101 The Fox in Kansas City, a role he would serve for 15 years culminating in the Super Bowl LIV Championship game broadcast. In 2020 he moved to Audacy, formerly known as Entercom Communications, Inc. and 106.5 The Wolf and 610 Sports Radio, the new flagship stations of the Kansas City Chiefs Radio Network, the largest radio network in the NFL. Through all of this, Derek continues to serve as the Digital Media Director for Sunflower State Radio, the digital and social media operations of Dierking Communications, Inc. and the 6 radio stations it owns and operates across Kansas.

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