
UNC football fans will be pleased to learn that the school is renovating Kenan Stadium in order to replace the facility’s bleachers with individual chairback seats–helping to make the game-viewing experience much more comfortable than it’s ever been in the past.
The seats–which are 22 inches wide and have arm rests–were installed in Sections 110 and 111 prior to the 2017 season as a test run, with the results and feedback proving to be overwhelmingly positive.
Student sections are the only places where bleachers will remain.
Construction will begin on the project in February, and is expected to be ready for UNC’s 2018 football campaign.
“We want our fans to have the best game-day experience possible, and this is a fantastic next step,” UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said, in a statement released by the university. “We look forward to seeing those Carolina blue seats filled – and we’ll continue looking at every area of game day to see how we can improve even more.”
In order to fund the project–which is expected to cost close to $6.5 million–a $6 “facility improvements fee” will be added to the price of each ticket.
Kenan Stadium’s capacity will also be reduced to 51,000 with the removal of the bleachers.
UNC’s first home game next season–the first chance for fans to see the new seats–is set for Sept. 15.
Photo via UNC Athletics
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