“I am glad that our heads are above water this year and we are not dealing with the obstacles we dealt with last year,” said Mike Davis, Finley Stadium board chairman. Partners of the stadium - UTC, Chattanooga Football Club and the Chattanooga Market - are all optimistic about having a more normal year than last year when the COVID pandemic closed down most activity.
Mark Wharton, vice chancellor and director of athletics at UTC.
said that UTC has been picked as the number one team in the Southern Conference for the upcoming football season. He said that ticket sales are where they were at this time in 2019, the last season before the pandemic, and he said good attendance is expected at the games. The opening home game with Austin Peay is Sept. 2.
CFC’s fall schedule started Aug. 7 with a good crowd and good energy, said Jeremy Alumbaugh, managing director. CFC will be playing at Finley Stadium three weeks in a row starting Aug.1.
The Chattanooga Market is beginning to see effects from the recent wave of COVID, said Melissa Lail, director of marketing and public relations at the Chattanooga Market, but she said the numbers of people coming to the market traditionally slow down when school starts. Sales at the market this year have been 30 percent over sales in 2019. Ms. Lail is now planning for Octoberfest and said she is confident that the Holiday Market can be held safely this year.
Executive Director of the Finley Stadium complex Chris Thomas said he is happy with where the stadium is financially. Parking, which had begun to be a good source of revenue for the stadium, is having issues, he said, but he is starting to see a return to normalcy. Permit parking is down with permit holders not yet returning to offices such as TVA, he said, but the trend is positive.
Some of the largest contributions and support for the stadium during the last year include $180,000 from the Tennessee Cares Act that was received in the fall and used for COVID mitigation measures such as providing hand sanitizer, masks, plexiglass dividers and road barriers. The first of the two forgivable PPP loans that were received has been reimbursed. An application has been made for reimbursement of the second loan. Additional income last year came from licensing agreements with First Horizon and Mocs Sports Properties.
Facilities Manager Peter Turq updated the board on work that has taken place at Finley Stadium to make it ready for activity. He said that grooming and a repair has been finished on the Astroturf. And now field painting is being done to get ready for UTC games. Old field benches are being replaced, structural painting is close to being finished and HVAC repairs have been made. Homeland Security recommendations have also been implemented such as street closures and using barricades to direct people and traffic. And landscaping is being done to remove dead trees from the north parking lot and adding mulch.
The stadium just finished holding the high school jamboree that was very successful, said Director of Events and Services Sara Hooper. During the three days of the event, concession sales were $25,000 and that was without sales of alcohol. Most sales were in cotton candy and bottled water, she said. Because the staff is still limited at Finley, the stadium is partnering with the Walden Club to provide specialty catering services for the skyboxes this year. Food they prepare will not be typical football food, she said.
Ms. Hooper also said that the facility is returning to all the measures it has used in the past to prevent the spread of COVID. She said the complex will be compliant with best practice guidelines so the public can be reassured that Finley Stadium will be a safe place to be.
Over the last calendar year, more than 700 events took place which is about two daily, said Mr. Thomas. A second Ironman is scheduled for the end of September. The stadium will make from $18,000-$20,000 in catering from that large event with 2,500 athletes. And he said that 2022 is filling up quickly.
Mr. Thomas said, “We are expecting to have a good next year if things continue as we hope they do."
Board Chairman Davis said, "I see good things coming down the road and am excited to see people coming back out.”