Indiana Moves Student Section at Memorial Stadium Amid Football Coaching Change

For the 2024 college football season, Hoosiers fans will cheer on the action from a fresh perspective. The student section at Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium is officially on the move.

According to Hoosier Huddle, the new section includes zones 13 through 24 at the stadium's north end zone. The move allows plenty of room for all students, not only to sit continuously but to be closer to the action on the field. And there is sure to be plenty of action as Indiana University recently hired a new head football coach, Curt Cignetti, formerly of James Madison University.

“The level of support that we have received from IU students in recent years has been tremendous, which is why we are able to make this exciting change,” said IU vice president and director of athletics Scott Dolson.

There has been an unprecedented increase in student attendance at IU football games. And the current student section — zones 18 through 24 — leaves some fans with a sky-high seat, far from the field. Dolson’s department and the Student Athletic Board worked together to survey students about changes they wanted to see in Memorial Stadium. These enhanced seating options were quickly made a top priority.

The new student section also moves the famous “Marching Hundred,” IU’s marching band, directly in the center of the students. Opposing teams can now expect a wall of trumpets and cheers to be waiting for them in the north end zone.

Dolson says the expansion of the student section is the first change in a lineup of fan-centric updates for Memorial Stadium in the coming years.

The increased size of the student section comes just a few years after IU completed a major renovation of Memorial Stadium in 2018. The renovation included an updated exterior, new concourse connections and an events terrace with unobstructed views of the field.

“We need to modernize Memorial Stadium,” Dolson told the Indianapolis Star. 

The new student section will debut Saturday, Aug. 31, when the Hoosiers play their season opener against Florida International University. In the new and improved sea of cream and crimson-clad fans, one question remains: can the Hoosiers overcome last season’s 3-9 record?