MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - Middle Tennessee State University announced plans Thursday (September 3rd) for a $16 million renovation to the west side seating area of Floyd Stadium.
The major upgrade will add more than 2,200 new chairback seats across the west side. Below the existing west side walkway, seating will feature 24-inch chairbacks and 48-inch seating treads, doubling legroom for Blue Raider fans throughout that section. Existing benches in the upper corners of the west side will receive added seat backs, and the project will directly expand and improve west side ADA seating.
"MTSU has made a tremendous commitment to building the facilities and resources necessary to provide an outstanding experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans," said MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee. "This $16 million project continues that commitment and represents another important investment in Floyd Stadium and MTSU Athletics. We are proud of the progress being made through our Build Blue initiative and look forward to seeing this project completed in time for the 2027 football season."
Fan entertainment amenities will expand on both ends of the field. The project will feature new patios on the north and south ends of the west sidelines that will be open to all fans. These patio spaces will include limited concessions, televisions, and picnic tables, topped by a party deck available to a limited number of fans each game. Two 57-foot ribbon boards will also be installed between the patio and party deck at each end of the west side.
"This is another significant investment in the future of Middle Tennessee Athletics and, most importantly, in the experience our fans have on game day," said Director of Athletics Chris Massaro. "The West Side of Floyd Stadium has served us well for many years, but this project will provide our fans with substantially wider seating, comfortable chairbacks, improved sightlines and enhanced ADA accommodations."
Gilbert McLaughlin Casella Architects is designing the project, with Reeves Young serving as the general contractor. Reeves Young previously completed major stadium projects including the Western Kentucky Football Press Box Renovation, Mercedes-Benz Stadium Home Depot Backyard, Atlanta Braves Truist Park Pedestrian Bridge, Kennesaw State Baseball Stadium Renovation, and Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium Renovation.
Construction will begin immediately following the 2026 football season and is scheduled for completion in August 2027. The project follows the university's recent completion of the $66 million, 85,000-square-foot Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center, which opened in July 2025, alongside ongoing improvements to the Murphy Center.
Blue Raider fans can visit Floyd Stadium in its current configuration when MTSU opens the 2026 season on Saturday (September 5th) against Murray State at 6 p.m. Take a way to listen to the game, which will be on WGNS (FM 101.9, 100.5 & AM 1450) or WGNSRadio.com. Pregame begins at 4:30pm.
