CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the Illinois football season approaching, the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced 19 new enhancements and changes to the gameday experience. The exciting new offerings include significantly discounted concessions during Illini Hour, added portals entrances, championship team reunions, added food variety and stands, and tailgating reservations.
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Illini Hour: Fans are now incentivized more than ever to enter Memorial Stadium during the first hour gates are open. From 90 minutes to 30 minutes before kickoff, all hot dogs, non-alcoholic beverages (excluding souvenir cups), domestic beers and Trulys are just $3. Fans can visit any stand where items are sold to take advantage of the early bird deals.
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Enhanced Fireworks as Team Takes the Field: One of the great traditions of Memorial Stadium just got bigger. Fans will be entertained by fireworks, fire displays and an orange smoke entrance as the Fighting Illini take the field.
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Nursing Pods: Nursing mothers will find more options at Memorial Stadium to take care of their lactation needs during gameday with the introduction of a lounge area on the west side of the stadium and a new Lactation pod on the east (delivery of pod is likely around Sept. 23). Those needing to nurse or pump in privacy on the west side, and until the pod is in place, will check in at the Guest Services stand in the Great West Hall and will be escorted up to a lounge in a premium space.
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Illini Markets: The new "grab-n-go" Illini Markets are designed to allow fans to shop and self-checkout for a full meal with drinks, sandwiches from Jersey Mike's, chips, fruit, and candy. Each of the four markets will have six checkout stations, increasing the stadium total to 24 new points of sale. Markets can be found in the East Main Hall, West Balcony and two in the Horseshoe.
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New Concessions Stands: Variety is the name of the game in 2023 with a number of new concessions stands at Memorial Stadium. On the west side, fans will find the new Corndog Depot featuring corndogs, mini corndogs and tater tots, and a new offering of a bacon cheeseburger which can be found at the U of I Grill Zone. On the east side, the smell of grilled onions and peppers will be coming from the Illini Cheesesteak stand, which will have loaded cheesesteak toppings on a sandwich, fries and nachos, as well as a stand dedicated to Filipino/Cambodian cuisine from A Taste of Both Worlds. Additionally, the Domino's stand will feature deep dish and brownie pizza options, special chicken wings can be found at Dat Wings, and Sooie Bro's BBQ will have pulled pork sandwiches and nachos.
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Vet Tix: The Illinois Ticket Office has partnered with Vet Tix, the industry leader in providing free tickets to sporting events to active military and veterans. More than 1,000 tickets have been donated to the site, which verifies military personnel status and honors those who serve and their families. Tickets for active military and veterans is available through VetTix.org.
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Xpress Portals: Grange Grove will open two new portals to help improve the flow of traffic into Memorial Stadium. These portals – 1X and 2X – will be located off the grass areas in Grange Grove in both the north and south quadrants and will cater to fans without bags for expedited entry. This addition brings the number of portal entrances for Memorial Stadium to seven.
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Frozen Cocktails: Fans can now enjoy more exciting ways to cool off in Memorial Stadium with new frozen cocktail stands featuring Mai Tais, Blue Hawaiis, and Pina Coladas. The three stands can be found in Gate 14 on the west, Gate 9 in the east, and Section 114 of the Horseshoe.
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Season Ticket Holder Benefit Punch Cards: More than 10,000 new season tickets have been purchased for the 2023 football season. New and returning loyal season ticket holders will receive exclusive gameday deals at Illini concessions and Gameday Spirit merchandise stands when they show their STH punch card. Deals will be announced each week on FightingIllini.com/promotions.
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Freaky Fast 77 Yard Dash Presented by Jimmy John's: The Freaky Fast 77 Yard Dash presented by Jimmy John's, a new promotion between the third and fourth quarters of Fighting Illini football games, will feature a race between Red Grange and a University of Illinois student inside the hashes of Zuppke Field at Memorial Stadium. The contestants will begin at the 23-yard line, racing 77 yards across the field to honor the legendary No. 77 worn by Red Grange.
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Food Trucks: Everyone loves a good food truck and this season Memorial Stadium will host six local favorites in the Horseshoe and the east sidewalk. Brien's Bistro, Canelo's Taco Truck, Juanito's, Maria's Kitchen, Sammie's Smoothie Bar, and Watson's Shack and Rail will all be serving their delicious cuisine at Memorial Stadium this season.
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More Enhancements for Illini Game Days
East Colonnade Concessions: Two brand new concessions stands have been created in the East Colonnades, at the top of sections 103 and 107, to provide service for east balcony patrons as well as those sitting towards the top of the east main stands. These stands will have bottled soda and water, hot dogs, popcorn, and candy.
Grange Grove Reservation System: In response to the tremendous demand and popularity of tailgating in Grange Grove at Memorial Stadium, fans will be required to reserve tailgate spaces in advance of gameday through Tailgater Concierge's reservation system. Fans can request "self set-up" which remains free to tailgaters, or the hassle-free, turnkey paid package option. Tailgates will be allocated 10 days prior to gameday.
2003 Men's Tennis National Championship Reunion: The all-star 2003 Fighting Illini men's tennis team which took home the NCAA team championship as well as the singles and doubles titles, will return to campus for a 20th anniversary celebration on Sept. 2. The team of starters Amer Delic, Rajeev Ram, Phil Stolt, Michael Calkins, Brian Wilson and Chris Martin, along with Evan Zeder, Ryler DeHeart, Pramod Dabir, Connor Mornigham and Alex Hobson made tennis history. Fans can meet the team at the Varsity I Letterwinner tent in Grange Grove.
Parking Guarantee: This season, fans with season parking passes in pass lots will be guaranteed a parking spot, regardless of arrival time. Pass holders will feel assured that upon arrival in their designated lot, parking will remain available.
Rhino Partnership: Earlier in the summer, DIA entered into a partnership with Rhino Sports and Entertainment to help increase the number of gameday staffers at Memorial Stadium. In just a few months, results have been impressive, having already surpassed gameday staffing from the entire 2022 season. Rhino's commitment to high-level customer services in parking lots, at gates, and in the stands will improve the experience of a growing fanbase.
Fox Big Noon Kickoff: Fox Sports' national pregame show will make its way to Grange Grove on Sept. 16 when Illinois hosts Penn State. On hand will be Big Noon Kickoff's all-star cast of Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, host Rob Stone, Bruce Feldman, and Chris "The Bear" Fallica. The fan-friendly, two-hour show begins at 9 a.m. and will bring a number of activations with giveaways and interactive games.
1984 Rose Bowl Team Reunion: One of the most historic teams in Illinois football history will return to Memorial Stadium to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the 1983 Big Ten Championship and 1984 Rose Bowl appearance for the season opener vs. Toledo. The team became the first and only Big Ten program to defeat every team in the conference. Led by head coach Mike White, All-Americans David Williams, Craig Swoope, Jim Juriga and Don Thorp, the team posted a 10-2 record. Returning members of the squad will be featured for autographs in the Varsity I Letterwinner Tent in Grange Grove.
Street Closures
To protect the safety and security of Memorial Stadium two additional street closures will be enforced on gamedays in 2023. Fourth St. from Pennsylvania to Kirby will be closed to pregame traffic. Additionally, Kirby Ave. from First to Oak St will close three hours prior to kickoff. Read more HERE.
