Baylor announces improvements throughout McLane Stadium

Soccer
03/07/2024 11:28:00

WACO, Texas — Baylor Athletics has announced an eight-figure project to upgrade elements of McLane Stadium, including installing upgraded and additional video boards, building new production control rooms and adding a high-end hospitality structure ahead of Baylor’s football season this fall.


The upgrades address a variety of needs that will modernize the facility. The LED screens and main video display, which have been original to McLane Stadium since its construction in 2014, have been upgraded to enhance both the functionality and visual elements of the fan experience. A high-quality video display is being added to the rear of the main videoboard structure to add revenue opportunities and enhance the South Plaza experience on game days. McLane’s south end zone will become even more of a focal point during games as a premium hospitality clubhouse will be added beneath the videoboard, providing a one-of-a-kind experience as well as a view of the action from the berm. The construction of new production control rooms on the east side of the stadium will allow Baylor to produce multiple broadcasts at once and fully centralize operations.


“We are thrilled about these significant additions and enhancements to McLane Stadium,” said Mack Rhoades IV, Baylor’s vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “These new elements will enhance what is already one of the premier venues in college football. Each element was carefully considered and selected to help us maintain an elite experience throughout McLane Stadium. We are grateful for the support of the Baylor family in making it possible for us to invest in our facilities, and we are deeply grateful to our partners across campus, including the offices of Business and Finance, Building Services, Facilities Management, BUPD, ITS and others who lend their time and expertise to projects like this. Additionally, our strategic partnership with Playfly Sports Properties and our relationship with Daktronics helped make this a reality ahead of the upcoming season.”


Daktronics is bringing technical improvements in the form of seven new LED displays, a higher-resolution display on the main videoboard structure and the rear videoboard facing the South Plaza. Fans will also enjoy a new auxiliary video display on the north end of the stadium, two ribbon displays and two field-level displays.


Baylor Athletics media rights partner Playfly Sports Properties is breaking ground on a new premium hospitality clubhouse that will appear in the south end zone below the video board, allowing for three air-conditioned suites with views of the field, each accommodating 50 guests. The primary function of this temporary structure will be geared toward corporate hospitality. General seating in the berm will remain available with the clubhouse elevated and positioned to the rear of the berm area, allowing for ample seating for GAs closer to the field.


The McLane Stadium production control rooms will allow Baylor Athletics’ creative staff, led by the BaylorVision team, to produce broadcasts for numerous Baylor Athletics events from a centralized location and make them available to various network television partners to produce their broadcasts. The production control rooms will include two broadcast control rooms and two video board control rooms. The facility will feature isolated suites for audio, replay, video shading and engineering. The latest technology has been incorporated into this new state-of-the-art facility. The fan experience will be further enhanced with the addition of new cameras, lenses and super slow motion capabilities. Space is also set aside for the future construction of a studio for creative services and live production.


“Our team has been hard at work and we are excited to be able to showcase these enhancements and additions to our fans,” said Jovan Overshown, Baylor’s associate athletic director. “The stadium’s new high-resolution video board, the rear video board visible from the Brazos River and the South Plaza, and the new scoreboards throughout McLane Stadium are welcome additions. We believe our business partners and fans will love the all-new Clubhouse, which will provide a truly unique experience and perspective on game days. And of course, we are thrilled that our incredible creative and production teams will have state-of-the-art control rooms. All of these exciting updates will only add to our incredible home on the Brazos, McLane Stadium.”


The main scoreboard will be 47 feet tall by 107 feet wide and will upgrade the resolution from 15 to 10 HD pixels, significantly improving image quality and brightness. The auxiliary scoreboard on the north end of the stadium will be 10 feet tall by 49 feet wide and is a new feature at McLane Stadium to provide fans with additional stats and scores from around the country.


Once completed, the rear video display board will face the south plaza and navigation area and will measure 38 feet high by 80 feet wide with the same high resolution as the main video screen. The display will help fans stay connected during the game day experience.


Additionally, two ribbon screens and two field-level screens will be upgraded. Each will offer the same high-resolution capability. The ribbon screens along the east and west side seats of the field will extend the entire length of the sideline seats and continue to enhance the on-site experience.

– BaylorBears.com –