KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomes fans to campus this Saturday for the first home football game of the 2010 season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET for the Volunteers’ game against the Skyhawks of the University of Tennessee, Martin. Gates open at 4 p.m. VideoSeat pay-per-view will televise the game.
New Look For Neyland
Fans approaching Neyland Stadium will immediately notice the dramatic new plaza at Gate 21, complete with an arched entrance, permanent bench seating, brick walkways and landscaping. Just outside Gate 21, a new amphitheater serves as the location for a live broadcast of the Vol Network’s Kickoff Call-In Show.
Other features of the newly-renovated stadium include:
- The Tennessee Terrace, a 1,804-seat area located just below the club seats on the west side;
- A large display area at Gate 16 that eventually will house a statue of Gen. Robert Neyland; and
- Large murals of legendary former Vols on the exterior of the stadium, featuring Neyland, Johnny Majors, Al Wilson, Peyton Manning, Doug Atkins and Reggie White.
Fan Text Messaging System
Starting with the Sept. 4 game, UT Athletics will introduce a fan text messaging system. The system allows fans to request immediate assistance from event management and security personnel through a text message.
From a personal cell phone, fans can text the location and details pertaining to an incident, including the section, row and seat number, to 69050. The fan then will receive acknowledgement of the message, and stadium staff, security or emergency personnel will be alerted and respond to the site. Standard text messaging rates will apply, based on the provider.
Game Day Activities
The start of the traditional Vol Walk has been moved in front of the C-8 parking lot on Volunteer Boulevard, east of the intersection with Lake Loudoun Boulevard. The walk will begin at 3:45 p.m. and will proceed down Volunteer Boulevard to the Torchbearer statue. The team members will then gather at Circle Park, where they will pay homage to the Torchbearer and the spirit of service to others that it represents. Following the visit to the Torchbearer, the team will walk down Peyton Manning Pass, then turn left onto Phillip Fulmer Way and enter the stadium.
The Pride of the Southland Marching Band will begin marching at 4:20 p.m. in front of the old band building on Volunteer Boulevard, march past the Torchbearer statue, then right on Andy Holt Avenue, then right onto Phillip Fulmer Way. The band will briefly pause in front of the new amphitheater for their traditional salute to The Hill, then continue to the stadium.
Fans also can attend the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pregame Showcase, now in its 21st year. Held two hours before each home game kickoff in the University Center Ballroom, the showcase is a free 30-minute presentation by a UT faculty member, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session. This week, Cathy Leach, professor in the School of Music, will educate, entertain and demonstrate her favorite musical instrument in “Sound the Trumpet! Why This Versatile Instrument Is So Popular.”
The Volunteer Village commercial display area will be open on the lawn of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Also on display at Volunteer Village this season is the UT Zero Energy House prototype, created by a team of UT Knoxville faculty and students to demonstrate environmentally sustainable design.
Only fans with permits can park on campus. UT encourages fans to use shuttle buses from the university’s Kingston Pike building, the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, the Old City and Market Square areas of downtown Knoxville and Farragut High School in west Knoxville. Limited public handicapped parking spaces and handicapped shuttle service to the stadium are available on the UT Agriculture Campus, off Neyland Drive.
Many area hotels also offer shuttle service to the game. Check with your hotel’s management for details.
Stadium Security
UT reminds visitors that all items, including purses, are subject to search at the gates. Certain items remain prohibited inside the stadium, and those items cannot be stored at any stadium gate.
Prohibited items include the following:
- alcoholic beverages, cans, bottles or coolers
- radios without headphones
- open umbrellas
- video cameras
- stadium seats with arms
- large bags or parcels, including backpacks and large purses
- weapons of any kind, including pocketknives
Fans are allowed to bring the following items inside the stadium:
- cushions and seats without arms
- diaper bags that accompany infants
- small cameras, pagers, cell phones and binoculars
Under state law, no smoking will be allowed anywhere inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. No one inside the gates will be allowed to leave and then be re-admitted.
A no-fly zone extends over the stadium from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends, prohibiting flights within a 3-nautical-mile radius and lower than 3,000-feet altitude, except as authorized by air traffic control.
Solicitation near stadium gates and along Phillip Fulmer Way is prohibited.
For those driving on campus, Peyton Manning Pass, Middle and Lower Drives, Estabrook Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way from Middle Drive to Tee Martin Drive will be closed 30 minutes before kickoff. Directional parking will be used in Area 9 and Lots 4, 5A and 5B.
For more information on game day parking, including a map of campus parking areas, visit http://web.utk.edu/~pso/athletic.php.
Season tickets and select individual game tickets are available at http://www.uttix.com.
DISH Network, DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse have announced their state of Tennessee channel numbers for Tennessee’s game Saturday against UT Martin.
Tennessee customers can order the pay-per-view game on DISH Network channel 461, DirecTV channel 783 and AT&T U-Verse channel 103, respectively. Home dish customers should order the broadcast by going to the designated channel and following the ordering instructions on their TV screen using their remote before Saturday’s kickoff.
Cable systems across the state of Tennessee also are carrying the telecast from the VideoSeat pay-per-view service. Fans may contact their local cable system to order the game and receive price information. ESPN GamePlan is offering the game to fans living outside the state of Tennessee via the ESPN GamePlan package. The game is blacked out on ESPN GamePlan and ESPN3.com in the state of Tennessee and cannot be ordered as part of any ESPN package.
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CONTACT:
Jeff Maples (865-974-3061, maples@utk.edu)
Brian Browning (865-974-3061, brian-browning@utk.edu)
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)