After embracing a handful of renovations regarding the look of the Vol Football stadium last year, the University of Tennessee Athletics Department is now beginning a project to improve the connectivity of Neyland Stadium.
According to a Tennessee press release on Thursday afternoon, “Tennessee Athletics has initiated the installation of a very high density (VHD) Wi-Fi network at historic Neyland Stadium.”
The connectivity move has come at the request of Vol fans for several years now. As society continues to develop in the modern and technological age, many fans enjoy the benefit of keeping up with the game on social media platforms while inside the stadium. That can include listening to the radio broadcast, sending out pictures and videos from the stadium, and interacting on social media.
“We know Vol Nation has been looking forward to this,” Tennessee Director of Athletics Danny White said in the release. “And we appreciate everyone’s patience. This is a very big, complex project. The bones of Neyland Stadium date back to 1921, and as it grew over several decades, no one could have planned for how we’d deliver a strong Wi-Fi signal through tons of concrete and steel. But we have a great partner that knows how to get this done at a venue like this. It’s exciting to get the ball rolling, because this will elevate the experience of every single fan who visits Neyland Stadium.”
For those wondering, this isn’t necessarily a project that will be ready to go for the Vols’ home opener in Neyland Stadium on Sept. 9 against Austin Peay. Instead, it will be a phased rollout of connectivity improvements.
According to Tennessee’s press release, the installation work will go through the 2023 football season and through the summer of 2024. A project of this magnitude, especially when done correctly, will take some time to be done.
Tennessee also states that “different areas in and around the stadium will realize coverage at different times throughout the installation” during the phased rollout.
More from RTI: The Orange & White Game is Officially Around the Corner
Tennessee states that the initial focus of the project will be on improvements at the gates and the plazas surrounding the stadium in an effort to improve digital ticketing for the season.
The work will then move into the stadium, starting with the lower bowl and moving outwards and upwards as the installation team completes different sections.
“At the completion of the project, nearly all areas—including vomitories, concourses, concessions and plaza spaces—throughout Neyland Stadium will have reliable access to Wi-Fi,” the press release states.
During the 2022 offseason, Tennessee installed multiple new features at Neyland Stadium. For starters was the digital ticketing setup across all stadium gates. In addition to that, though, Tennessee also added a pair of V-O-L-S signs to Neyland Stadium, a party deck in the north end zone, and preium chair-back seating in the lower bowl on the west side of the stadium.
Neyland Stadium will be in action this Saturday afternoon in Knoxville as the Vols’ 2023 football team closes down the spring slate with the return of The Orange & White spring game. Considering the COVID cancellation in 2020 and the relocation of the event due to stadium construction in 2022, this will be the Vols’ second spring game inside Neyland Stadium in the last four years.
The Orange & White game will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET. Find all your information on the event here.
