The Bengals' new field rolls out this week as the Paycor Stadium upgrades keep progressing at warp speed in anticipation of the club's 25th season in the facility. Hamilton County Commissioners invested $39 million in pre-renovation projects to take advantage of the offseason while continuing to meet the short-term needs of the stadium, including infrastructure, technology, operations, seating and stadium accessibility. Projects are on time and within budget.
"We've had great support and collaboration from the county, great support from the construction company (Messer) and it's been all hands-on deck," says John Pope, stadium capital projects manager. "There's been very clear communication. Things are progressing well."
Four major projects headline this work: a new field which is expected to be finished this summer, new club seats set to be installed by early June, expansion to the plaza entrance at Gate D tying the building to downtown is envisioned for late July's Cincinnati Music Fest, and an enhanced TV system earmarked for the preseason.
NEW FIELD
There's been a lot of fan-chatter about the field design this offseason. The team took the opportunity to take a full review before finalizing the design. The Bengals mulled mockups of other 50-yardline logos, such as the leaping tiger, helmet and tiger head. They studied other field designs and worked within the NFL policy (that changed since the last field installation and shrunk the logo space by about 200 square feet) to reach the final design.
"We want our field to be immediately recognizable and our primary logo accomplishes that in a clean, crisp way," says Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals director of strategy and engagement. "The 50-yard line is the natural spot for a team's primary logo and we feel lucky to have a mark that presents well on TV from a distance."
The field has been stitched together by old and new. The team's familiar "B" logo remains at the 50-yard line while the endzones design and field numbers have been tweaked with elements of the 2021 uniform branding.
Usually, the field is laid into the floor of the stadium in pieces. But the urgency and communication between the Bengals, the county and FieldTurf allowed for the company to sew the field into one piece at its factory and fast-forward the installation by about two months. There are still seams, but not as many.
"If you have all those seams and cuts done in the shop, there's a better opportunity for the field to perform at a higher level," Pope says.
NEW CLUB SEATS
Tradition is also getting a ticket in the new club seats. In a nod to the stadium being the first footprint on The Banks, the Bengals are using forest green for the color.
It's the closest shade to the original color of the seats, when the plans for the parks and green space were merely on paper. Now that reality sprouts around the building, the Bengals decided the color scheme fits not only "The Jungle" theme, but also the kaleidoscopic view of the cityscape rolling on the Ohio River.
Plus, Pope says orange seats would have faded into pink in about two years and black seats would have been too hot to the touch for much of the season.
About 95% of the club seats have been installed on the east side with all that really needs to be done is attaching the new end-plate logos. Power washing is being completed on the west side while work continues on the concrete and drain repairs.
"We're taking advantage of the seats being out of there," Pope says.
PLAZA EXPANSION
Meanwhile, the tripling of the size of the plaza entrance at Gate D has begun. Pope figures fans see evidence of the work with the rise of a thickened concrete deck as the entrance widens from 60 feet and 200 feet.
The new look not only eases arrivals and departures, but it integrates Paycor Stadium with all the elements the building spawned with its opening in 2000: Great American Ballpark, The Banks and Smale Riverfront Park.
Two steel staircases are being added, one at the corner of Second and Elm streets and one along Elm Street near the Andrew J Brady Music Center, to help fans traverse from the tailgates to The Jungle and the rest of the Banks this fall.
UPGRADED TV SYSTEM
Once in the stadium, fans are going to be treated to twice as many TVs in a massive technology upgrade switching to a faster internet fiber optic system. The project scatters about 1,600 TVs around the building on gameday with many of the sets going in on the general admission concourses and the canopy level.
Plus, they can now be controlled in one spot and personnel doesn't have to rely on remotes being used on-site. "That's fantastic because it allows for a better use of resources on gamedays," Pope says. "The added TVs really keep the fans connected as they move around the stadium."
As the season looms closer, everyone will be working quickly to complete these projects ahead of the late-summer concerts. Another offseason filled with stadium improvements shows that both the Bengals and Hamilton County are committed to investing in the future of the stadium and delivering a best-in-class fan experience.
