GVSU football stadium getting $6M addition as fanbase grows

ALLENDALE, MI – A $6 million expansion is coming to Grand Valley State University’s football stadium to accommodate growing attendance at Laker football games.

The planned expansion will add more bathrooms, concessions stands, an elevator, and additional viewing areas to the northwest corner of Lubbers Stadium. The GVSU Board of Trustees approved a $6 million budget for the project during a Friday, Nov. 6, board meeting.

The project is expected to be finished in time for the start of the 2024 football season.

GVSU officials say the expansion will help meet increased demand for bathrooms and concessions in the stadium, as more and more fans attend Laker football games each year.

Attendance has increased by over 50% in recent years, growing from an average of 9,205 attendees per game in 2016 to 14,459 per game in 2023, Tim Nott, associate athletic director for Laker athletic communications, told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.

GVSU officials wanted to add more bathrooms and concessions areas to the stadium to enhance the fan experience and make sure attendees weren’t having to wait in long lines during the games, said Keri Becker, GVSU Director of Athletics.

“If you’ve every been to our games, the lines to the bathrooms are long, concessions (lines) are long,” Becker said. “We had to do something if we want our fans to continue to support our program, and make sure they have a great experience at the game.”

There are 10,440 seats inside the stadium, so capacity has typically “maxed out” at games this year, Nott said. A grassy area behind the north end zone is used to accommodate overflow from the student section.

“The stadium was built in a time for far less student body, far less interest, and it’s just grown over time, from our national championships in the early 2000s to today,” Becker said. “We’ve gotten to a place where our average attendance is over 10,000, so it was time to address the fan experience.”

The new addition to the stadium will include 19 new men’s restroom stalls, 24 women’s restroom stalls, and two gender inclusive or family restrooms, according to materials presented to the GVSU Board of Trustees last week.

The project will triple current concessions capacity, expanding the current concessions stands on the upper and lower levels of the stadium, according to board documents. GVSU is also planning to add elevator and ramp access to the press box, president’s box, viewing deck and upper seating sections.

Construction is expected to begin in February and be completed by August 2024. Grand Rapids-based Erhardt Construction has been tapped as the construction manager for the project, with Integrated Architecture as the architects.