BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State kicks off its 2017 home football schedule in Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Mountaineers will face Savannah State in their home opener and play six home games in 2017.
To help all guests prepare for their game day experience, the App State athletics program is providing a comprehensive list of stadium and game-day experience enhancements that are new or improved for the 2017 season. The list includes:
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Clear Bag Policy
Appalachian State's home opener against Savannah State will kick off the implementation of a clear bag policy (
full info here) for all ticketed events in Kidd Brewer Stadium. Game time is 3:30 p.m.
The policy is intended to enhance patron safety and expedite entry into Kidd Brewer Stadium by reducing the time required searching bags at stadium gates. This policy aligns with other clear bag policies from NCAA FBS institutions and the National Football League.
Appalachian State University athletics encourages all fans to adhere to the new clear bag policy and leave unauthorized items at home or in their cars.
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New Kidd Brewer Stadium Video Board and Ribbon Boards
Philanthropic funding through A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence has provided the most visible enhancement to Kidd Brewer Stadium for the 2017 season and beyond.
As an enhanced commitment to the student-athlete and fan experience, Appalachian State athletics constructed new video displays in Kidd Brewer Stadium and the Holmes Convocation Center in August. Kidd Brewer Stadium also has new ribbon displays and a custom audio system integrated with the video system.
The football display is three times the size of the previous video board and the largest of its kind among the Group of Five conferences with 2,500 square feet to feature 13HD technology from Daktronics. It's the same technology featured in football venues for Duke University, the University of South Carolina and the NFL's Carolina Panthers.
The board in Kidd Brewer Stadium measures 50 feet high by 90 feet wide for the overall scoreboard, with the new LED display measuring more than 37 feet high by 67 feet wide. The display includes more than 2 million LEDs and features a 13HD pixel layout for crisp, clear imagery with wide angle visibility and industry-leading environmental protection.
The ribbon displays installed along the seating fascia on each sideline measure 3 feet high and stretch nearly from end zone to end zone at 222 feet long for additional opportunities to provide statistics and graphics to fans as well as highlight sponsors.
Integrated into the video and scoring system at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Daktronics is providing a custom audio system to bring booming sound and clear, intelligible speech to audiences at every event. The system combines loudspeakers in targeted clusters with front-end audio processing components and amplifiers to create a complete audio experience.
In addition to what's produced by the scoreboard speakers, the improved sound will also be present in the concourse areas and club levels.
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Additional Game Day Enhancements
• In addition to the clear bag policy, new ticket scanners will create a more efficient entrance for fans arriving at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
• The bleachers installed in front of Owens Field House are larger than ever before, providing 300 more general admission seats than previous setups.
• In honoring App State's history of team success and standout players, Kidd Brewer Stadium has new signage under the West stands and on the façade of the East stands. The new signs include recognition of the Mountaineers' back-to-back victories in the 2015 and 2016 Camellia Bowls as well as their Sun Belt Conference championship in 2016.
• There are new ATMs available inside Kidd Brewer Stadium to give fans more options on game days.
• The seat backs on the suite level of Kidd Brewer Stadium have all been replaced since the end of the 2016 season.
• After the first and last home games of 2017, family members and friends will be permitted to enter the field at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
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Expanded Handicap/ADA Parking Opportunities
In an effort to accommodate the need for additional handicap parking spaces, parking for App State football fans with a valid, state-issued disability parking tag is now available at the Hill Street parking lot. There will now be twice as many available spaces, and a shuttle will continue to run from the Hill Street lot before and after the game.
For more information on expanded handicap/ADA parking,
click here
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New Yosef Club Parking Opportunities
Season ticket holders who are Yosef Club members contributing $750 or more have been afforded the opportunity this year to obtain a season parking pass in the University Drive parking lot or the Rivers Street Deck roof.
Season ticket holders who are Yosef Club members contributing $500 or more were able to obtain a season parking pass in the Holmes Center parking lot or the Library Deck roof.
For more information on parking enhancement,
click here
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General Parking Opportunities
In addition to on-campus parking lots and decks, the town of Boone has information that's available by
clicking here.
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Student-Athlete Protection
In order to enhance the privacy and protection of its student-athletes, Appalachian State has partnered with Appalachian Regional Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Center (AppOrtho) to provide a pop-up medical tent on the Mountaineers' sideline.
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Game Day Promotions
App State will don new all-gold Nike uniforms for a "Gold Out" against Savannah State on Sept. 9.
In addition, Appalachian State's 2017 Hall of Fame class will be inducted Saturday morning and recognized at halftime of the Savannah State game. Cedric Felton, who played football for the Mountaineers from 1982-86, is joined by basketball player Jim Wilcox (1963-66), wrestler Bruce Schlegel (1967-71), men's soccer player David Mor (1974-75) and volleyball player Brittany Zahn Arnold (2005-07).
During the Savannah State game, Appalachian also plans to recognize its 2007 national championship team that capped an FCS title three-peat. The 2017 season marks the 10-year anniversary of App State's 34-32 upset victory at Michigan, and the Mountaineers beat Delaware in the FCS final that year.
The remaining promotions for the 2017 home schedule are:
• Black Saturday is scheduled for the Sept. 23 home game against Wake Forest.
• Homecoming is scheduled for the Oct. 7 home game against New Mexico State.
• Family Weekend is scheduled for the Oct. 21 home game against Coastal Carolina.
• Heroes Day is scheduled for the Nov. 9 (Thursday) home game against Georgia Southern.
• Senior Day is scheduled for the Dec. 2 home finale against Louisiana.
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Game Day Ticket Promotions
Two special ticket promotions for the "Gold Out" on Sept. 9 have been announced, including four reserved tickets and a concessions voucher for four drinks and four hot dogs for only $99. Select "special offers tab" and use the promo code "
fam4pack" when visiting the ticket site
at this link for the Sept. 9 game.
Use the promo code
"famga" for four general admission tickets and a concessions voucher that comes with four drinks and four hot dogs for $79.
For tickets to other games, visit the
main ticket site at this link.
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Day of Game Ticket Price Adjustments
• Reserved bleacher: $45 day of game
• General admission: $35 day of game
• Youth (3 to 12): $35 day of game
Prior to day of game: Reserved bleacher ($40), General admission ($30), Youth ($30)
• Game Day Gear
Official game day shirts, including gold shirts for the season-opening "Gold Out," will be available in the concourse near the glass doors that lead to the Appalachian Athletics Center elevators.
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Stadium Concessions
In addition to the
improved concession options that were available in 2016, there will be two new food vendors inside Kidd Brewer Stadium this year.
• A food truck from
The Cardinal, which is known for offering classic American road food with fresh ingredients, will be parked on the walkway near the new scoreboard and spectator hill.
• J&J'S Hawaiian Ice will have a location near the main ticket gate.
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Future Gate Openings
Similar to the Miami game at Kidd Brewer Stadium in 2016, there will be future announcements regarding a kickoff time for Wake Forest's visit to Boone on Sept. 23 and a time when the stadium gates will open to fans.
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NCAA Football Rule Changes for 2017
Information on rule changes approved by the NCAA for the 2017 football season is available by
clicking here.
