Kyle Field Competing Internationally for Venue of the Year
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Kyle Field has been nominated in an international competition among the world’s leading sports facilities for both “Venue of the Year” and the “New Venue Award.”
An international panel of judges will select the “Venue of the Year,” but the “New Venue Award” will be chosen with a public vote at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/R2XFK9Y. Winners will be announced June 1 in Madrid Spain at the Stadium Business Summit, a meeting for owners, operators and developers of stadiums, arenas and major sports venues
The international nominations come in the wake of another national competition: Kyle Field is one of five U.S. facilities nominated by the Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily for Sports Facility of the Year. The editors will announce their selection May 18 in New York City.
“I am not surprised that Kyle Field, the Home of the 12th Man, is attracting so much attention,” said John Sharp, Chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. “Our team of architects, contractors and technology specialists designed and built the most advanced football stadium in the country while embracing Kyle Field’s great history.”
The design preserved a historic structure while creating a modern facility that brought fans closer to the action by lowering the field and moving seats nearer to it. The renovation also added a three-story Hall of Champions, a theater and public plazas that allow the facility—the largest public space on the campus—to be used 365 days a year.
The $485 million renovation took almost two years, but without the Fightin’ Aggies missing any games.
With an official capacity of 102,733, Kyle Field is the largest collegiate football stadium in Texas and one of the largest in the nation. Equipped with the latest technology, Aggie fans are the most connected anywhere, able to share photos, videos and texts as well as simultaneously make phone calls.
In the international competition, Kyle Field is the only U.S. collegiate stadium nominated.
For “Venue of the Year,” the competition includes Daytona International Speedway, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Twickenham Stadium in the United Kingdom, the Adelaide Oval and the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, both in Australia.
Competing for the “New Venue Award,” will be Parc Olympique in France, Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Mexico, Sports Hub Trivandrum in India, Matmut Atlantique in France, the Suita City Football Stadium in Japan, Vodafone Arena in Turkey, and the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.2 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies, two service units and a comprehensive health science center, the Texas A&M System educates more than 140,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, externally funded research expenditures exceed $932 million and help drive the state’s economy.