Vanderbilt Boasts Stadium Picture With Massive Construction

Vanderbilt football boasted a new picture of FirstBank Stadium on Sunday afternoon despite massive ongoing construction outside the stadium.

The FirstBank Stadium project began in February with the removal of the north endzone to eventually build a men’s and women’s basketball operations facility. Then, in April, Vanderbilt began the demolition of the south endzone to pave the way for new locker rooms and football training facilities.

While the photo provided by Vanderbilt does highlight the progress that is being made, the stadium and all the construction around it won’t make for the prettiest view this football season. According to The Tennesseean, the construction around the endzones will continue through the 2023 season, thus making those seats unavailable to fans.

Home 🖤💛#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/ciAmjCDZ5w

— Vanderbilt Football (@VandyFootball) August 13, 2023

Tennessee fans flooded the comment section after the picture was posted.

“Can y’all go ahead and put orange seating on the ends? It’ll look better on TV when Tennessee comes to town,” one user posted.

“Where’s the rest of it?” another used posted.

“Good to see Neyland West is coming along good,” one user wrote.

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According to Aria Gerson of The Tennesseean, Vanderbilt reversed course this past weekend after originally intending on allowing fans into the stadium to view the Commodores’ second scrimmage of the fall camp slate. The construction was cited as the reason for the decision.

Vanderbilt’s Sunday morning scrimmage did take place, though, as evidenced by the photos and videos that the team’s social media department posted online.

The most recent Tennessee-Vanderbilt football game took place in Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium in November 2022. With Joe Milton taking over for an injured Hendon Hooker for the first time, the Volunteers were victorious by a score of 56-0 behind four touchdowns from the Tennessee ground game in the pouring rain.

With construction happening throughout the 2023 season, it’s reasonable to believe that Vanderbilt’s FirstBank Stadium will be much more renovated for the next time that Tennessee travels to the mid-state. Despite the SEC divisions going away at the start of the 2024 season, Tennessee is already confirmed to play Vanderbilt in Nashville during the 2024 season. Tennessee’s away conference opponents for that season will include Vanderbilt, Georgia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Neyland Stadium Renovation

Speaking of stadium renovations, Tennessee is also continuing ongoing construction in and around Neyland Stadium. The Vols completed a massive project prior to the 2022 season that included a new party deck in the north endzone, a new state-of-the-art jumbotron for the north endzone, and club-level chairback seating in the western position of the stands.

Tennessee also added a pair of massive V-O-L-S letters atop Neyland Stadium on each side of the southern jumbotron overlooking the river.

In June, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees approved Tennessee Athletics’ “request to increase the budget for phase 1 of the historic Neyland Stadium renovation project by $49 million to $337 million.”

Tennessee has previously listed future plans for the Neyland Stadium renovation project, including:

• Necessary upgrades to the south side and perimeter of the stadium
  • Widening of concourses, construction of expanded gates and entryways
• Additional restrooms and concession areas

Here’s a look at the future upgrades that Tennessee has previously listed this past summer, serving as a loose timeline for the project moving forward over the next few years.

Via UT Athletics:

Fall 2023

• Removal of South Stadium Hall with structural strengthening of the stadium’s south end
• Partially completed Wi-Fi capabilities
• Brick cladding around in-bowl vomitories
• New restrooms under the Gate 10 ramp

Fall 2024

• Full stadium-wide Wi-Fi connectivity
• Stadium kitchen, commissary and loading dock
• New southeast elevators vertically connecting all concourses
• New Gate 4 entry plaza
• Brick cladding around in-bowl vomitories (phase 2)
• Renovations and upgrades complete for all stadium skyboxes (see updated renderings below) 
• Initial construction for the westside Founders Suites New restrooms and concessions on north concourse two

Fall 2025

• Expanded south concourse 1 (increased restrooms, enhanced concessions, wider concourse)
• Completed Founders Suites
• Tee Martin Drive to shift south of the Gate 10 ramp

Fall 2026

• Completion of entry plazas