April 24, 2007

Athletics Director Debbie Yow

On revelation of plans:
"It is truly an exciting time for us at Maryland. We are going to have an opportunity to share will all of you an update of Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium plans for now and for the future. Larry Leckonby and Joe Hall, two of our Senior Associate Athletic Directors are going to help describe certain aspects of the expansion."

On funding:
"Every phase of the improvements will be privately funded. There is no public money involved, there is no state funding, and there is no expectation in any way that this campus would participate in funding for any of the improvements. All of the dollars will need to be raised privately.

On selling suites:
"Phase One is the only phase to date that the Athletic Department has sought approval to begin. We will not seek approval to move on to the other phases until we have sold the new suites in the Tyser Tower expansion. That is job number one for us. Our entire development staff is focused on selling the suites. Once that is done, then we can move to the next phase."

On stadium improvements:
"There will be something for everyone in the overall expansion, in the vision for what Byrd Stadium can be."

On improvements for seating:
"For everyone who is seated in the main seating bowl, there ultimately will be very pragmatic changes that they will appreciate. A greater number of bathrooms and concessions stands will ultimately be built. There will be a new team store for selling Terrapin merchandise. We will install safety railings in the lower bowl which is something our patrons have been wanting for years. We will be able to reclaim 3,000 of the restricted view seats. They are restricted view because they are so low in the seating bowl that when you sit there you have a hard time seeing over the team. There will ultimately be a west end zone expansion which will take us to over 60,000 seats, which is just the right size for our market as we are one of the few collegiate programs in the United States that are bordered by two professional football teams.

On other improvements:
"We will have a new video board in the west end zone. In fact, that that video board will be completed before the beginning of the 2007 season. For others in the bowl, on the north side there will be chair back seats. The vision there is that one day that will become a full fledged club section."

On construction of suites:
"There will be something in the expansion for those who are interested in upper end seating. That of course will be the suites. It is important to note that although we have just now completed our printed material for sales of the suites, that already 10 have been committed. They committed to the suites for multiple years without even seeing any of the printed materials."

On improvements for the team:
"There will be something for the team, and that will include a beautiful field turf, larger locker room and training area in one of the later phases. Finally, a beautiful brick wall that surrounds the football stadium that gives it a much more collegiate feel."

On improvements for the media:
"There will also be something for the media. We have finally figured out from a special perspective how to create an area for the media to eat their meals and keep it separate from their work area. This will occur in Phase One."

On funding:
"These phases will only be initiated and we will only seek approval from this campus once we have identified the funding sources for them. We are an athletic program that in 1994 inherited $54 million debt that was unfunded. Effective July 1, 2007, that debt will only be $8.7 million but we must continue from a fiscal accountability perspective to pay down that debt, to pay operational expenses, and to pay for the other facility debt for anything else that we are doing for the athletic program."

On improvements for other varsity teams:
"Although we are specifically focusing today on football related projects, please understand that the Great Expectations campaign, which is a 7 year slice of life, includes other sports and improvements for them. One of those will be the varsity team house which is high on our list. I look forward to beautiful locker rooms, training equipment, and meeting spaces for all of the coaches of all the sports that share that facility. When that facility is built we will also include space for the visiting football team. This will allow us to double the space for our football team in the Gossett Team House"

Senior Associate Athletics Director Larry Leckonby

On improvements to Tyser Tower:
"Phase One is actually an expansion of Tyser Tower. Tyser the centerpiece of this expanded project and we have an east and a west wing addition. The expanded towers are modeled after the current Tyser building. The first floor is still the concourse where we have temporary seating today. Floors two, three, and four are now going to be the suite complex. There are 64 actual suites and one large university suites on the second floor. The major difference is that the 5th floor is currently an open air floor with cameras and extra press radios. The 5th floor will be enclosed and become an entire complex for the working press with radio, TV, coach's booths, and replay booths. There will be a new work area for the media and for coaches."

On scoreboard improvements:
"We will add a new west end score board. We will replace the existing scoreboard with a new sate of the art LED scoreboard."

On estimated time frame:
"This project will take a minimum of two years to build. The complete design should be completed by November 2007. We should be in the ground immediately after the last home football game this year. We will construct for the next two years through the 2008 season. There will be some minor inconveniences during the 2008 season but there will be some construction in place. We have a two-fold game plan. The overall game plan is to have the entire complex ready for the 2010 season. We also have an accelerated game plan that will have every thing complete prior to the 2009 season."

Senior Associate Athletics Director Joe Hull

On the suite amenities:
"The suites are stunning, they are terrific. They will feature seats both inside and outside. There will be a personal food service and flat screen TVs. So basically it is a terrific area to watch the game and socialize."

On cost of the suites:
"The costs of the suites are approximately $40,000-$50,000. There are some around midfield which are a little more expensive. I am also proud to announce that we have ten commitments for suites already even though we have not yet made any announcements and have not distributed any marketing materials."

On suite floor plan:
"We have four different size suites. Forty-eight of the sixty-four are pretty much the same floor plan which features 12 fixed seats outside the suite and one fixed row of 6 seats inside the suite. The suite is handicapped accessible. The suites are set up for 24 game tickets."

Head Coach Ralph Friedgen

On stadium expansion:
"It's amazing how much we have accomplished in six years since I have been here. From the renovations in the Gossett Team House to the improvements we've made to the practice fields, and now this. This will do a wonderful job in establishing our football team as a top team every year. We have been growing each year. We have made more improvements in the last six years than in the history of the program. This will be a beautiful place to come and experience the game. We also think that players will want to play in this environment. They can see the improvements being made and they'll want to be a part of this program.