Folsom Field Stadium at the University of Colorado Boulder. (Alec Levy-O’Brien/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado Boulder has begun the construction of a new scoreboard in Folsom Field expected to be completed before the start of the 2024 football season. According to CU, the new scoreboard will be five times bigger than the old one, at 130 feet wide and 36 feet high compared to only 32 feet wide and 28 feet high. Folsom Field will go from a stadium with one of the smallest video boards to one above the national average in collegiate stadiums.
The approximately $15 million budget for the project will also increase the size of the ribbon scoreboard below the main screen, stretching the entirety of the south section of the stadium. A large portion of the budget will also be used to construct four steel columns that will support the new scoreboard.
“Enhancing the atmosphere of Folsom Field on game day is always a top priority and we are always looking for ways to improve,” CU Athletic Director Rick George said in a statement. “I’m confident this new video board will further enrich and elevate the game day experience for our fans next year in our first season in the Big 12 Conference.”
The new project is the first major spending from the school’s athletic department since the arrival of head football coach Deion Sanders in Dec. 2022. With Sanders, the school experienced an unprecedented level of national attention which resulted in record-breaking season ticket and merchandise sales. Now with the tens of millions in profits they made from the football season, they will make upgrades to the 100-year-old stadium.
The most recent and major renovations to Folsom Field came in 2016 with a $156 million update to the athletic facilities, also creating the Champions Center and Indoor Practice Facility. It also added the Touchdown Club and Rooftop Terrace, which have allowed fans to easily watch the game with high-end VIP options and boxes. Like the project in 2016 that benefitted both fans and the athletes, coaches and faculty involved in CU athletics, the new scoreboard hopes to do the same, while also modernizing one of the oldest stadiums in the country.
The Colorado Buffaloes will kick off the 2024 football season and debut their new scoreboard at Folsom Field on August 24, hosting the North Dakota State Bison, and beginning the second chapter of the “Coach Prime” era in Boulder. The scoreboard is expected to still be under construction for CU’s Black and Gold Day Spring Football Game on April 27.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Sports Editor Eli Gregorski at elgr9735@colorado.edu
