Finley Stadium will end the fiscal year with the facility in good shape partially thanks to new local support. That is in addition to the traditional revenue such as from the Stadium Corporation, which is the non-profit organization that manages and operates the multi-purpose facility. Funding sources in 2025 included the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County who each contributed $600,000 recognizing the value that the facility brings the community. This year, contributions also came from The Benwood Foundation in the amount of $50,000, The Lyndhurst Foundation in the amount of $80,000 and $100,000 from The Bobby Stone Foundation. Bobby Stone was a member of the stadium’s board of directors, and his grandfather was Max Finley for whom the stadium was named. That has enabled more investments in updates and repairs.
Since 2023, $2.5 million has been invested on maintenance and upgrades, the largest amount since the stadium was built in 1997. The investment is keeping the facility current and safe. This year Peter Turk, Director of Facilities and projects, has overseen a long list of repairs and improvement projects that were scheduled between events without interfering with them. One of the major projects that has recently been completed was replacement of the elevators. The field lights were replaced with energy efficient LED technology that garnered rebates from TVA and EPB. And now stadium lighting is up to the standards needed for broadcast TV. Public safety has been increased with the installation of a system of 65 security cameras that can see all areas. Security and fire safety can all be monitored and fire and emergency personnel can be dispatched immediately if someone sees a problem. Also recently added is a fan text line that an individual can use to alert the command center of an incident.
Also, upgrades have been made to the concession areas with old equipment being repaired and equipment being installed where it is needed and efficiency has been increased. New self-serve beverage stations have been added. Sprinklers were installed in the pavilion which replaced old high-maintenance ones. With the new sprinkler system, a problem can be isolated if it occurs. All the lights in the north parking lot now work and provide adequate lighting. And lighting in the Ultra Club is in the process of being improved. Caulking has been done throughout the stadium to help water and weather-proof it. The next project will be to replace skybox seating because parts are no longer available to fix them. That work is scheduled for mid-August.
Use of the Finley Stadium facility has been diversified and is no longer dependent on solely athletic events. It is now activated many days each year with events throughout the campus. Utilization this year included activities at the Ultra Club for 115 events. First Horizon Pavilion saw 236 events. The stadium itself had 296 practice sessions between last July and June 2025 and there were 49 football and soccer spectator events. Some new uses and events have been added to the ones that have traditionally used the facility. In the last six months 30,000 people visited the stadium for five new events that included a soccer match between in-town rivals, the CFC and the Red Wolves. The Chattanooga Stampede Rodeo drew 4,500 people over two days and a soccer match between Guatemala and El Salvador had 6,500 spectators. And “The Moth Ball”, Chattanooga’s ultimate “girl’s night out” took place at Finley for the first time in April.
Another improvement that will be noticed a new traffic plan for major events that should provide easy ingress to the parking lots. Available parking locations outside the stadium campus can be seen on the stadium website which also shows bus routes if someone want to park and ride. The new traffic plan also includes closing certain streets and having traffic officers present.
With all the progress that has been made, Executive Director Brian Wright reported that income was down 10-15 percent over the first six months of 2025. During the last six months, however, income caught up, so the revenue goals will be met and the stadium will end the year ahead. But that led Mr. Wright to take a deep dive into the financials, he said, looking for areas of opportunity to increase revenue. One of those is food and beverage service and catering. And facility rentals are another opportunity, especially the pavilion, he said. And the Ultra Club has been attracting a new, diverse customer, said Mr. Wright and is meeting expectations.
Mr. Wright said that expenses were higher than expected last year and so management is becoming more frugal. Building operations will be closely monitored, particularly during the cold weather months, after receiving an electric bill for $28,000. Mr. Wright said expenses seem to be showing a decrease for the remainder of the year.