COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

After breaking ground on the newly named Memorial Stadium Centennial Project in November the University of Missouri says it expects to have the stadium fully enclosed by October. 

The $250 million stadium improvement project is the largest in the stadium’s history. The athletic department has already raised more than 70% of its goal of at least $125 million in donations after receiving an anonymous $25 million donation in September. 

However, MU is still seeking support from the state with University President Mun Choi calling the project a top funding priority for the university. 

“Last year we had the highest applications in our history,” Choi said. “The front porch of having the football team have such an outstanding season made a tremendous difference.” 

Given the football team’s recent success on the field, the university felt that it was the perfect time for this project to help capitalize on that momentum. 

“We are all in as a whole and a totality from an athletic department, board of curators, and the university to invest in us and invest in the program,” Executive AD/Chief Infrastructure Office Joe Swingle said. 

The project is expected to increase the stadium’s total capacity from 62,621 to about 65,000 people. The new north concourse will be approximately 191,000 gross square feet total, including about 99,000 gross square feet of enclosed conditioned area.

At a time when it is more expensive to compete in the SEC Conference than ever, Swingle believes that the $250 million project is a worthy investment. 

“This is an area for premium so it will help bring in revenue and that’s one of the biggest things and that’s one of the biggest things to keep us at that advantage,” Swingle said.

The project includes adding over 14 outdoor field-level suites, 150 loge boxes, 28 premium suites, 28 Tiger Den Suites, 250 club seats, a 300-person Rock M Club, and a 500-person Mezzanine Club.

Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Jay Arnold is no stranger to playing in Columbia after visiting Farout Field in 2013. 

“As we saw this year, Missouri gets colder than most SEC stadiums and that’s one of the things I remember most,” Arnold said. “I would probably not rank it among the top stadiums that I’ve been to but it was a good crowd. Certainly as a player a good hostile environment.” 

Arnold now spends his free time traveling to stadiums across the country for his annual “Send Jay Away tournament” which raises money for food banks across the country. After traveling to dozens of different stadiums as both a player and a fan, he said one of the things that makes a great college stadium is its tradition and atmosphere. 

“Talking about unique characteristics of stadiums, that’s something you see that [Rock] M in the end zone and you immediately know where you are,” Arnold said. 

Swingle said one of the biggest challenges for architects tasked with designing the north end zone was preserving the Rock M. 

“The DRL group, that was one thing that they really enjoyed that challenge of trying to incorporate that into the north endzone,” Swingle said. 

Swingle also believes that the renovations will increase the volume of noise in the stadium, which will help improve the Tiger’s home-field advantage and recruiting efforts. 

“Showing that we’re investing in the program that’s always a good thing and that always helps with recruiting,” Swingle said. 

Arnold suggests the type of seating being placed could impact how crowd noise is perceived.

“It can be crucial late in the game when somebody is driving towards that end zone. The crowd can absolutely play a factor,” Arnold said. “The fan that is going to be louder and a little more into the game isn’t necessarily going to be in a suite so that’s something that gives me a little pause, especially in the end zone.” 

The project is expected to be completed by 2026 to coincide with the stadium’s 100th anniversary.

As for next season, the north end zone will be closed off, so it won’t be a full 360 concourse. however, if everything goes according to plan three-quarters of the steel should be up by the start of the season with the stadium being fully enclosed in October.