Purdue University announced Monday that it will survey its fan base before embarking on what is being described as a massive renovation of Ross-Ade Stadium.
According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, the e-mail survey of university football ticket-buyers, students and alumni was assembled by Elevate Sports Ventures and scheduled for distribution beginning this Friday. Part of a "Your Ross-Ade Stadium" campaign, the survey features multiple-choice questions focused on entry and egress, communication, concessions, entertainment, parking, restrooms, game-day experiences and more. It should take respondents about a half-hour or complete.
Elevate Sports Ventures CEO Al Guido said the school’s approach to “this massive renovation with a smart, analytical eye and their unwavering desire to create the ultimate, fan-centric, college game experience make them an ideal partner through which to leverage Elevate’s insights and analytical approach from the professional sports front office to the college sphere.”
"This will be a study unlike any other that has been generated in the college space," Tom Moreland, vice president of strategic initiatives at Purdue, told thesports.biz. "The size and scope of the constituents, fans, season-ticket holders, alumni, is massive — as is the range surrounding Purdue University we are surveying, from West Lafayette-Lafayette, Indianapolis, throughout Indiana, Chicago and more."
Purdue had indicated that it intends to renovate the south end zone of Ross-Ade Stadium, but cost figures and a completion date are unclear. The last major renovation to Ross-Ade Stadium took place from 2001 through 2003 with a price tag of $70 million. In 2007, a Daktronics videoboard was installed, and it was another 10 years before permanent lights were installed. Last season, a new sound system and brick facade around the field level were added, as reported by the Journal & Courier.
The paper also reports that Purdue is already experiencing growth in season-ticket sales and attendance. Average home attendance has increased nearly 50 percent from 2016 through 2018, and last season the Boilermakers averaged 51,120 fans at seven home games. Purdue sold out its 10,000-seat allotment of student tickets in 2018. But Purdue isn't satisfied.
"Our new partnership with Elevate Sports Ventures allows us to employ a modern, thoughtful approach to shape future strategies and initiatives, while also advancing Purdue’s role as a progressive force in collegiate athletics," Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski said in a statement.
