Finley Stadium officials painted one section to demonstrate how the field can be changed from football to soccer. The white football marking is permanent. It is painted over for soccer with a green gel coat and then temporary pigments are used to paint it for soccer. To convert it back, the green paint is scrubbed off. During football season, officials will use temporary paint for school logos, too.
The financial report for Finley Stadium from July 2014 through March 2015 is very much improved over the same time last year when there was a net loss of $10,141.63. Net income as of March 19, 2015, was $132,388.
More good news is that the two-year fundraising campaign led by Gordon Davenport Jr., mostly to pay for the new turf, has been successful with around $700,000 pledged so far, including support that Hamilton County is providing and funding that is expected to come from the city of Chattanooga in July.
There has also been an additional anonymous gift of $200,000 for obtaining a protective field cover for concerts or other events, reported Chairman of the Board Bryan Patten.
Much of the credit for the successes goes to Executive Director Paul Smith who said that his main objective in managing the stadium campus is “not just for UTC.” Attendance at UTC football games has increased by 570 people per game, and Mr. Smith said that UTC is putting hard work into the football program and trying to get people into seats.
Utilization of the facilities for other purposes has increased, however, with rentals for parties, meetings, high school football, festivals, camps, marathons, bike races, and other events. The Chattanooga Market each Sunday at the Tennessee Pavilion continues to draw capacity crowds and sales are up. The new partnership with the Chattanooga Football Club, averaging 2,500 spectators per game, has also provided significant income and increased sales from parking and from concessions - $12,000 as of May. It also utilizes the stadium at a time that it would otherwise be empty.
New events already slated for next year include a soccer event that will be announced at a press conference Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in the Stadium Club. The new Chattanooga Marathon scheduled for March 6 will be hosted by the stadium, with 5,000 runners expected. Progress is being made to bring a concert to the stadium, but there is “no ink on paper yet,” said Mr. Smith. But he added that there are a lot of great prospects. He said he is diligently working to make this happen.
Other savings and profits have been due to the “unbelievably good staff,” said Mr. Smith. Brian Wright, venue manager, has helped reduce the costs by staying ahead of maintenance issues as needed rather than putting a band-aid on problems. He has also identified ways to reduce utility expenses. He is doing a great job of keeping the facilities clean and neat, said the executive director.
Concessions, food and beverage profits have skyrocketed since they are now handled in-house and Hailey Bates came on board to manage this part of the business. With food being handled by the stadium itself, there also have been expenses. The infrastructure improvements such as maintenance and/or replacement of equipment and appliances have been necessary, but after the initial expense in 2015, the board members were told those costs would be less in the coming year.
In the year since Mr. Smith has been executive director, improvements that have been completed at the stadium include replacing the turf with a field that can be converted from football to soccer. The Stadium Club has been redecorated and the pavilion restrooms have been updated. Signage above concession stands was added, a new office was built in space borrowed from the press box thereby retaining all available skybox areas to make available for rentals. A recycling program was started by Brian Wright. The concession business is now run by the stadium versus contracting it out, new equipment has been procured for the food and beverage service and beer sales were begun after the stadium corporation received a beer license. Wine and alcohol sales are currently available at the Chattanooga Market and at the Stadium Club under a special occasion license while the application for a full license is pending.
“First of all, congratulations,” said board member Ryan Crimmons, “This is the best report I’ve seen.”
“Things are going well,” said Mr. Patten. It’s refreshing to see.” For his role in the success that the Finley Stadium complex is experiencing, a motion was unanimously passed by the board to adjust the executive director’s compensation by 15 percent for fiscal year 2016. He is also entitled to receive commission on a sale of any of the four skyboxes that are being rented.
The next meeting of the Stadium Corporation Board is slated for Tuesday, Sept. 15.