Crowds Returning To Finley Stadium, Pavilion

  • Tuesday, June 15, 2021
  • Gail Perry

At a board meeting on Tuesday, after an almost two-year period when Finley Stadium was largely shut down, Stadium Corporation Chairman of the Board Mike Davis expressed thanks to the partners who use the stadium. “The city of Chattanooga is ready to get out,” he said at a meeting on Tuesday.

 

Director of Athletics at UTC Mark Wharton told the board that tickets for both football and basketball are being sold and that there is a lot of excitement surrounding the sports.

The school is looking forward to a special football season and getting back to normal after the season cancelled by the coronavirus pandemic, he told the board.

 

Likewise, CFC Managing Director Jeremy Alumbaugh said the team is close to getting back to normal and there is excitement and energy surrounding the organization. The tournament held at Finley Stadium at the beginning of the season was very successful and he said that Finley Stadium and the entire city showed energy and hospitality to the out-of-town teams. During this season there will be a total of 29 home games. Attendance is returning to more normal numbers, he said, which is approaching  3,000 a game, close to the pre-pandemic numbers. Plus, beverage and merchandise sales have been strong, which benefits the stadium.

 

Melissa Lail, director of marketing and public relations representing the Chattanooga Market, also reports large crowds and strong vendors so far, at one third of the way through the season.  

 

Finley Stadium Executive Director Chris Thomas told the board that the facility is on better footing than it appeared it would be nine months ago. The balance sheet is now pretty solid, he said with $329,000 cash on hand and more in accounts receivable. Fire alarm system renovation expenses are still pending.

 

The profit and loss statement shows that gross profit is down 10-15 percent this year and revenue is up about the same amount. He said this shows how busy the stadium has been during the spring. He said he feels that the year will end making up ground. “It has been crazy,” he said because the facility has been so booked. It now is almost booked for the remainder of the year at full capacity. Overhead savings have contributed to the success, he said, giving credit to Peter Turk, facilities manager.  There have been overhead savings because he has “kept the lid on utility expenses.”  The sale of food and beverages, which took the biggest hit, is also on the rebound, he said.

 

Corrections to the deficiencies of the fire alarm and sprinkler systems are now almost complete, said Mr. Turk. And there have been strong sales of food and beer on the concourse at CFC games. Additionally, Sara Hooper, food and beverage manager, said there are two large outside catering events known at this time. At the Ironman competition that was held in May, she fed 3,000 participants by shuttling food to the river front.  Another Ironman will  take place in Chattanooga in September that will also be catered by the stadium staff, this time feeding 3,000 to 4,000 people. "This has expanded our footprint out of our gates and helps add to the revenue,” she said. “It works for them and for us.”

 

Parking is the one area that continues to be weak, said Mr. Thomas, because a lot of downtown has not returned yet after the pandemic. But he said that is expected to pick up.

 

A new contract between Finley Stadium and UTC has been negotiated that both sides have agreed on. The terms are now in the hands of attorneys for both sides. UTC will pay $14,000 per football game and includes use of the stadium, the parking lots and pavilion. The three-year agreement with two single-year options will have an annual increase of two percent. UTC will maintain first priority for scheduling of football games and will be responsible for ushers, ticket takers, police, parking attendants, security and EMTs. UTC and the Stadium Corp. will share concession and parking revenues. UTC will also be able to use the stadium for several night practices, working around CFC schedules.

 

An agreement between the Stadium Corporation and Chattanooga Sports for the TSSAA championship games was also approved. This will be a two-year agreement with conditions based on the contract with UTC. The stadium will be paid $14,000 for each game with use of the campus for three consecutive days. One difference is that with this contract, the stadium will retain all food and beverage revenue and Chattanooga Sports will handle all parking at their events. Alcohol will only be available in the skyboxes.  Board member Gordon Davenport suggested facilitating the coordination of skybox owners with out of towners for these games.

 

The new budget will be voted on at the August meeting. Mr. Thomas said a difference from previous years will be production expenses because the organizers will now be responsible for handling more of their own events. The stadium’s focus will be to maintain a high-quality facility, which is now 24 years old. With the millions of dollars that have been used for renovations over the last three years, the stadium campus is in amazing shape, said Mr. Davenport.

 

The election of officers for the board resulted in keeping the current slate. Chairman is Mike Davis, vice chairman is Ryan Crimmins, secretary is Gerald Webb and treasurer is Molly Cooper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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