University of Kansas hosts its first game after renovations

Alex Moore

The University of Kansas has unveiled the renovations on the David Booth Memorial Football Stadium on Aug. 23. In a 31-7 victory over Fresno State, fans were able to give their first impressions of the completed parts of the stadium.

“This is my first time seeing the stadium fully done,”Jaylen Mason, an incoming student to KU, said. “It was a really good day, expectations were blown through the roof.”

One of the biggest priorities that KU had with the new stadium was accessibility. That included widening stairs, adding backrests to all seats and easier navigation for patrons. 

“I honestly was super impressed,” Ashley Denneler, a KU football season ticket holder, said. “The stairs were not too steep, which I think is accessible to a lot of people. And getting around it was self-explanatory, and all the ushers and staff were super helpful.”

The improvements caused KU Athletics to make some compromises. KU Athletics had to decrease the maximum capacity from 47,233 last year to 41,525 this year. 

Renovations on the eastern portion of the stadium is part of the second phase of construction, which will begin as soon as the 2025 football season comes to an end.