EWU will add $8 million press box above east grandstands in second phase of Roos Field upgrades
Sep. 3—Two years after laying out its vision for $25 million renovations to Roos Field, Eastern Washington University announced Thursday that it will move forward with the construction of a new elevated press box on the stadium’s east side.
At an estimated cost of $8 million, the press box is a significant step forward for the overall project, and it is one that EWU athletics director Tim Collins said will pave the way for additional improvements to a stadium that will host its first football game of the season this Saturday when the Eagles play Northern Iowa.
“The new press box is a critical project that will improve space for those covering events at Roos Field, but it’s so much more than that,” Collins said in a statement.
The current press box, located on the west
The current press box, located on the west side of the stadium, will ultimately be redesigned into suites and other “premium spaces” to improve the fan experience, Collins said.
A ceremonial groundbreaking for the press box project will be held on Oct. 10. Construction is expected to begin next year with the project’s completion date set for before the 2028 football season.
Private donations are driving all phases of the stadium renovation.
“We’re thankful for the philanthropists who are informing the need and desire to improve Roos Field and make it more attractive to fans and prospective student-athletes alike,” Laura Thayer, EWU’s associate vice president of philanthropy and campaign engagement, said in the same statement.
The most recent improvements to the stadium site
The most recent improvements to the stadium site just wrapped up in August with the resurfacing of the track that surrounds Roos Field. That $2.5 million project will allow the university to bid for events it was no longer equipped to host, such as state track and field meets or Big Sky Conference events.
In 2024, the university added end zone suites on the south side of the stadium. But no improvements at the scale of this next phase have been completed at Roos Field since 2012 and 2013, when a new video board was installed and new concession stands and a team store were added to the stadium.
The field’s red turf, which first debuted in 2010, was most recently replaced in 2020.
Beyond that, future phases of the renovation plan include new concession stands and restrooms on the east side of the stadium, plus a new suite level and indoor club area on the west side. It also includes 198 new outdoor club seats along the west side. Funding for those has not yet been announced.
The stadium upgrades are part of nearly $250
The stadium upgrades are part of nearly $250 million in capital improvements that are either planned, envisioned or underway at Eastern Washington University. Those projects include a $110 million Science Building expansion that will be completed this fall, a $51 million residence hall that will be built on the site of Dryden Hall, and $17 million in energy upgrades across campus.
Roos Field’s current official capacity is 8,600, though temporary bleachers have been added at some football games to allow for capacity beyond 10,000. Its record attendance came on Sept. 18, 2010, when an announced crowd of 11,702 attended a football game against the University of Montana.
That capacity ranks in the bottom half of the 13 football programs in the Big Sky Conference, which includes programs like Montana, Montana State and Idaho.
Until Montana State’s national championship last January, the most recent Big Sky team to win an FCS title was Eastern Washington, at the end of the 2010 season.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
