Vanderbilt Stadium- Bringing in a New Era

Official Review by Chad Minton, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

The 2012 college football season marks the beginning of a new era for Vanderbilt football, and the offseason renovations to Vanderbilt Stadium�s field surface and Jumbotron helps illustrate that.

Big changes have occurred numerous times to Vanderbilt Stadium since its construction in 1922, which was the first outdoor stadium built for the sole purpose of college football in the South.

Once you get past how small the stadium is for an SEC football program, it�s easy to be impressed by the experience you receive at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt Stadium�s current capacity is just over 41,000, giving it the smallest seating capacity in the SEC by 14,000 to Mississippi State�s Davis Wade Stadium.

Don�t let the small seating capacity fool you. Vanderbilt fans can still make it very loud in this horseshoe style stadium that resembles a naval vessel with its concrete exterior.

Food & Beverage    3

The prices are not the problem when it comes to concessions at Vanderbilt Stadium. Nothing was more than $7, which is very fair for an SEC program.

Where Vanderbilt Stadium lacks in this department is the shortage of choices. It's mainly all of your basic food and beverage items, but the garden burger for $7 was very tasty.

There did seem to be a vast shortage of vendors for a game that was sold out. The few vendors that were spotted all seemed to just be carrying cotton candy. If you weren't a fan of the sweet stuff, then you had to make the trek back to the concession stands and risk missing a big play.

Atmosphere    4

The 2012 opener offered perhaps one of the better atmospheres Vanderbilt Stadium has ever offered to its fans thanks to the offseason renovations.

The new Jumbotron is as impressive as you could ask for. The newly installed field surface also looked great. With ESPN being in the building, that added a whole new element to the game experience. The crowd really fed off the national audience that was watching this game.

There's really only one minor thing that you can get picky about when attending a game at Vanderbilt. If you're the kind of fan that likes to sit down for a good portion of the game, then you might not be too crazy about the metal bleachers. It wasn't too much of a problem in this game because mostly everyone stood.

Neighborhood    5

Vanderbilt Stadium is located on downtown Nashville's gorgeous West End Avenue, which offers numerous things to do before and after the game. There are restaurants of all price ranges located within walking distance of the stadium. There are also several bars and music venues to check out after the game. Exit Inn is always a fun place to enjoy some great music.

The best part about the surrounding area around the campus of Vanderbilt is how close everything is to each other. Even if you do want to check out Broadway, it's only three or four miles down West End. You won't have any trouble finding pre and post-game activities.

Fans    5

When James Franklin became the head coach in 2011, Vanderbilt football was really stuck in a rut. Fans were having trouble showing support for a team that was struggling to win more than two games in a season.

Time and time again Franklin has stated how important it is that the Vanderbilt faithful packs the stadium and supports the team. Franklin has injected this fanbase with a new sense of enthusiasm, and it showed on my most recent visit.

The stadium was absolutely packed, and for once Vanderbilt fans were not outnumbered by their SEC counterpart. There were plenty of South Carolina fans, but they were mainly confined to the visitor section.

What really caught the eye was the student section that was located in one corner of the stadium. They were loud, enthusiastic and relentless. Even when the opposition had the early momentum after opening with a 10-point lead, the student section kept making noise.

There were at least three delay of game penalties by the Gamecocks that could be partially attributed to the noisy fans. Even when it was obvious the Gamecocks were going to win, most of the fans stayed until the very end. The team got a very nice reception as they walked towards the student section to sing the Vanderbilt fight song.

If this night was a sign of things to come, then Vanderbilt will finally start enjoying some much need home-field-advantage in the SEC.

Access    2

It became painfully clear after the game that the influx of people that filled Vanderbilt Stadium was going to have a tough time getting out. Even getting into the aisle from our bleacher seating proved to be a tall task. It was almost like there simply weren't enough exits to the concourse for the over 40,000 people to get to. After about 30 minutes, we finally made our way out of the stadium.

The concourse itself is plenty wide enough to make your way through during the game. Making your way out of wherever you parked was a whole new challenge. West End Avenue is already a very busy roadway. Add another 40,000 fans to the equation and you're asking for a massive traffic jam. Relying on the campus roadways also congested things even further.

If you plan on leaving right after a soldout Vanderbilt game, then plan on taking over an hour to get where you're going. The narrow downtown streets just can't handle so much traffic all at once.

Return on Investment    4

The face value of these tickets were $50 thanks in large part to all of the hype surrounding this game, which opened up the college football season for everyone. A typical Vanderbilt game is not going to cost you nearly that much. If that were the case, then this score would be a lot lower.

However, I cannot fault them for tickets prices for what can be argued as one of the biggest home games in this stadium's history. Yes, it was that big.

It was only the fourth time Vanderbilt had even showcased their stadium on ESPN. To add onto it, there are two parking garages that are free to park in for people attending the game. You will have to walk a moderate distance, but if you are able, a little exercise never hurt anyone.

There are closer parking options that cost $10, but you can't argue with free parking options for sporting events of this magnitude.

Extras    4

It was extremely cool to see all of the renovations in full swing and on display for a national television audience. How could I not give an extra point to this stadium for hosting a great game that was chosen to be run by ESPN.

The fans have embraced a new motto for the 2012 football season called "Anchor Down". A player on the Jumbotron would get the chant started, and nearly the entire stadium would follow up by yelling "Anchor Down".

Almost every college football team has their own unique chant, and it was cool to see the Vanderbilt faithful employ their new chant that should stick around for years to come.

Finally, major props go to the stadium for recognizing the Goodlettsville (TN) Little League All-Stars for their recent run through the 2012 Little League World Series. Goodlettsville is just a 15-minute drive north of downtown, and the entire stadium gave them the applause they deserved.

That applause was followed by the majority of the stadium yelling "U-S-A!" This was just another example of why this experience was one to remember.

Final Thoughts

The one word to take away from this experience is improvement.

Despite the headache of even getting away from our seats following the game, it was an experience that will be remembered for all of the good reasons. If Vanderbilt Stadium continues on this trend of giving a superb college football experience, then fans will start selling out every game.

There is still work to do if Vanderbilt Stadium is going to keep up with the other great SEC venues, but James Franklin seems to have it going in the right direction.