New Changes Announced for Gameday (Band, Gates, Security)

#1
apsuhead

apsuhead

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#1
Gates to open 30 minutes earlier; New Pride of the Southland march
University of Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White announced updates for fans coming to Neyland Stadium in 2025.

To ease congestion, gates will now open for all fans two and a half hours before kickoff at 10:15 a.m. Gate 20 will reopen to all fans, and students will continue to enter the stadium at the southeast corner at Gate 4. Students are encouraged to walk down Lake Loudoun Blvd. and turn left onto Phillip Fulmer Way at the Pat Summitt statue.

To adjust for additional congestion for fans entering the stadium, the Pride of the Southland Band's march will begin on Pat Head Summitt Street at 11:05 a.m. The band will then take a left onto Volunteer Blvd. and proceed down the Johnson-Ward Pedestrian Walkway before entering Neyland Stadium at Gate 25. The salute to the hill will take place at the corner of Volunteer Blvd. and the entrance to the Johnson-Ward Pedestrian Walkway.
Neyland Entrance 3

While safety remains a priority, fans on the south end of the stadium will still notice an extended security perimeter this season; however, it will be adjusted at the bottom of Peyton Manning Pass. Fans will be asked to walk through metal detectors on the southeast corner of Neyland Stadium, closer to the Zeanah Engineering building, while exiting the middle walkway of G10 garage onto the south pedestrian walkway, on Phillip Fulmer Way outside of the G10 entrance, at the exit point of G5/30 on Phillip Fulmer Way. Up until four hours before kickoff, fans can move freely through the area.

Fans in G10 can move coolers up Fulmer/Peyton Manning Pass until four hours before kickoff. After that, just head to G3/G4/G5/30, take the stairs or elevator, and find your perfect tailgate spot.
Neyland Entrance 2

In addition, please note that depending on your seat location in the stadium or parking around the stadium, these are recommended as the easiest and quickest way to enter:
  • North concourse level 1 from section X1 – Y7 enter via gate 21
  • North concourse level 2 or Level 3 from section X1 – Y8 or XX1 – YY7 enter via gate 21 and take the ramps up just inside the gate.
  • North concourse level 1 from Y9 - East concourse Level 1 section D enter via gate 24
  • North concourse level 2 or Level 3 from section Y9 or YY9 – East concourse level 2 or 3 section F or FF enter via gates 22 or 23
  • South concourse level 1 section Q- L enter via gate 9
  • South concourse level 2 or 3 section L-Q or LL - QQ enter via gates 11 or 12
  • South concourse level 2 or 3 section G- K or GG- KK enter via gate 10
  • West concourse level 1 or enter via gate 9
  • West concourse level 1 or enter via gate 21
  • West concourse level 2 R-T enter via gate 14
  • West concourse level 2 U-W enter via gate 20
Neyland Entrance 1

Additional gate openings will be added to the fence line along Phillip Fulmer Way to allow for post-game egress.

UT Athletics and campus officials are collaborating with local law enforcement to continue planning for traffic management in response to the difficulties our fans experienced when exiting the garages.
 
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#4
#4
Voltopia said:
Wow. The Pride of the Southland is more or less being relegated to a side route into the stadium. And not doing the Salute outside the stadium feels wrong. Just. Wow.
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This route is pretty much what it was for years before the pedestrian bridge was put in. They'd turn at that corner at the library, go down and then do Salute to the Hill at the bottom. Moving the Salute to the top corner is weird, and going into gate 25 may be awkward, but the route itself is not a side route.
 
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#6
#6
whobethis16 said:
This route is pretty much what it was for years before the pedestrian bridge was put in. They'd turn at that corner at the library, go down and then do Salute to the Hill at the bottom. Moving the Salute to the top corner is weird, and going into gate 25 may be awkward, but the route itself is not a side route.
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If the fans are mostly on Philip Fulmer or congregated outside the stadium, then it feels like a side route since most won't be able to see them march in. I get that they've stumbled into a bit of a logistical nightmare with the Vol Village and all the pre-game crowding, and that this will maybe help them spread the people out a bit more before the gates open, but from what I see of the pathing the band won't be nearly as visible on the new route. Call it a side route or not, it seems less prominent and a bit more perfunctory.

But call it whatever. Main point is, not seeing the band directly outside the stadium going in for the game is going to be a change.
 
#7
#7
Voltopia said:
If the fans are mostly on Philip Fulmer or congregated outside the stadium, then it feels like a side route since most won't be able to see them march in. I get that they've stumbled into a bit of a logistical nightmare with the Vol Village and all the pre-game crowding, and that this will maybe help them spread the people out a bit more before the gates open, but from what I see of the pathing the band won't be nearly as visible on the new route. Call it a side route or not, it seems less prominent and a bit more perfunctory.

But call it whatever. Main point is, not seeing the band directly outside the stadium going in for the game is going to be a change.
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It is the same route The Pride has taken for many decades. What is the problem?
 
#9
#9
onevol74 said:
It is the same route The Pride has taken for many decades. What is the problem?
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It's a little different. Before they did the Salute to the Hill at the intersection of Middle Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way, with the fans standing on the bridge able to look down on them. Now that route doesn't exist anymore, and the new route goes over the bridge. It looks like the new Salute to the Hill will be in front of Hodges Library (corner of Volunteer and the Pedestrian Walkway).
 
#10
#10
HeavenUniversity said:
Is the library the tall gray tower on the map?
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The tall skinny tower is McClung Tower, which is mostly offices for the humanities departments that give classes in the neighboring building. The library is the big building that looks like a stack of blocks, covered by the "Updated Band March Route" title card.
 
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#11
#11
Voltopia said:
If the fans are mostly on Philip Fulmer or congregated outside the stadium, then it feels like a side route since most won't be able to see them march in. I get that they've stumbled into a bit of a logistical nightmare with the Vol Village and all the pre-game crowding, and that this will maybe help them spread the people out a bit more before the gates open, but from what I see of the pathing the band won't be nearly as visible on the new route. Call it a side route or not, it seems less prominent and a bit more perfunctory.

But call it whatever. Main point is, not seeing the band directly outside the stadium going in for the game is going to be a change.
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I do think the point, though, is to keep that area clear. I get it. It's much better than last week. They will (I'm guessing) stop on the bridge and play to the crowd below, which I like.
 
#12
#12
NighthawkVol said:
I do think the point, though, is to keep that area clear. I get it. It's much better than last week. They will (I'm guessing) stop on the bridge and play to the crowd below, which I like.
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Oh I get the thinking, I just think it further waters down the gameday experience. It's just my opinion. The more they isolate and seperate things, the less it all comes together. And if playing from the bridge is the idea, then the crowd won't be able to hear the band. Acoustically it won't travel well, unless they all stood right at the railing and pointed their instruments down toward the crowd. And even then, they can't fit half the band at the railing as it is.

As I'm not familiar with all the other gate / traffic flow changes, I do wonder how they got themselves here. The band has marched to the stadium with that turn on Philip Fulmer for a long time now with no trouble at all. But. Nothing new really. Remove the old to make way for the new.
 
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#13
#13
Voltopia said:
Oh I get the thinking, I just think it further waters down the gameday experience. It's just my opinion. The more they isolate and seperate things, the less it all comes together. And if playing from the bridge is the idea, then the crowd won't be able to hear the band. Acoustically it won't travel well, unless they all stood righ at the railing and pointed their instruments down toward the crowd. And even then, they can't fit half the band at the railing as it is.

As I'm not familiar with all the other gate / traffic flow changes, I do wonder how they got themselves here. The band has marched to the stadium with that turn on Philip Fulmer for a long time now with no trouble at all. But. Nothing new really. Remove the old to make way for the new.
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That almost 180 degree angle turn from the pedestrian bridge down to Phillip Fulmer has been a pain since the bridge was finished. Looks a little better since they've done it for over 10 years now, but still a pain. It was much easier going down the road and turning on Phillip Fulmer before the bridge was in, but as you said as enhancements are made, things have to change. I agree, moving the Salute from closer to the stadium is going to be weird, and I wouldn't be surprised if this gets changed at least one more time throughout the season, but from all the pushback from this past weekend something had to change.
 
#19
#19
bugsme said:
Does anyone know the reasoning behind all the South Side Security checkpoints? Seems a bit extreme.
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I don't know but it's definitely extreme and a mess.

does anyone know if these new changes will finally allow people to walk between G10 and the stadium again without having to go THROUGH G10? That seems extremely unnecessary and creates a lot of extra parking garage traffic (people) which is more dangerous as well with cars moving around too
 
#21
#21
bugsme said:
Does anyone know the reasoning behind all the South Side Security checkpoints? Seems a bit extreme.
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I think it’s in response to what happened at the Sugar Bowl last year. A lot of stadiums have taken precautions, and some do seem extreme. It’s not just UT.
 
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