Coliseum Club Room
November 19, 2004 02:50 PM | General
November 19, 2004
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University associate athletic director Russ Sharp says the brand new Coliseum club areas are “95 percent” complete and will be ready for tonight’s women’s basketball game against UNC Greensboro. According to Sharp, the University was able to squeeze 18 months worth of work into a 10-month period.
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| A side view of the Coliseum club area located underneath the lower level of the arena.
WVU Sports Communications |
“We’re really close,” he said. “There are just a few things that need to be done. The only thing the average fan might notice are the speakers won’t have the radio feed yet. And we’re only going to be able to do bottled Coke for the first game because the Coke products won’t be in until the next game.
“But all of the systems work and it’s been working for a while. We’ve got some signs that need to go up. I’d say we’re really past 95 percent complete.”
The club area is the culmination of a $7 million Coliseum renovation project that encompasses new locker rooms for men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and physical education, a new equipment room, a team video area, a state-of-the-art athletic training center and a new weight room.
The locker rooms and training facility were completed ahead of preseason practice with the club area being the final touch to the project.
“I’ve been very pleased,” said Sharp. “One thing we’ve been blessed with on every one of these jobs is that we’ve had a great group of architects, consultants and engineers and we’ve had a really fine group of contractors and sub-contractors. I can’t say enough things about all of the people involved. There have been no weak links.”
Like virtually all projects, Sharp says the construction team encountered obstacles that had to be dealt with. That especially proved true in a facility that is nearly 35 years old.
“There are unforeseen things that occur,” Sharp said. “One of the things we saw after they ripped up the floor downstairs is that they had ground water coming in. That had to be dealt with and everybody worked through it. We found a solution and managed to meet the schedule.”
Whit Babock, WVU assistant athletic director and executive director of the Mountaineer Athletic Club, is convinced the new club areas will be a major upgrade for the WVU Coliseum.
“It just gives us another chance to offer hospitality options for our upper-level donors so they can come in during pre-game, halftime and post-game,” he said. “It’s a comfortable place for them with more upscale concessions, private rest rooms and a comfortable area to socialize and entertain for business.”
Babcock has already taken a few individual donors on private tours and the response has been very favorable.
“We’ve done some informal tours with some people that have contributed to the overall Coliseum project and everyone seems pretty impressed with it,” Babcock said. “I think it has done a lot for the entire basketball program but from the Mountaineer Athletic Club side, it gives us another chance to generate support and say thank you to those that already support us.”
Those gaining access to the club area must contribute at a Champion Level ($6,000) or higher. Those who purchase seats along the VIP row or in the baseline seat section also have access to the club area for men’s basketball games.
And fans that purchase season tickets for women’s basketball games will also have access to the club area when the women play, according to Babcock.
In addition to providing an inviting atmosphere for premium contributors, the club areas are expected to take some pressure off the concourse where spectators usually gather during games. Babcock believes it may also reduce traffic because fans will want to come early and stay later after games.
“It will be convenient for people to come early or stay late to avoid traffic,” he said. “We had no place within the Coliseum to entertain for donor hospitality. This fills a big void.”
Later on, Babcock envisions a scenario where assistant coaches might come down and visit with donors and present an informal scouting report before games.
“Just some things to spice it up a little bit,” he said.
“It is something we’ve never had in the Coliseum,” Sharp added. “It’s a real inviting space; it’s convenient and located close to the majority of the seats. We’ve got something like 9,000 square feet in there and it’s really high end.”
Babock says the entire Coliseum renovation project is proof that West Virginia University is committed to maintaining top-flight men’s and women’s basketball programs.
“This is another move in the right direction that everybody wants us to get to,” he said.
Those interested in learning more about the Coliseum club area can call the Mountaineer Athletic Club toll-free at 1-800-433-2072.
