Kentucky exploring adding Entertainment District near Kroger Field

Could an entertainment district be coming soon to Kentucky’s campus? The university is at least going to explore the idea as it looks for ways to grow revenue in the new age of college athletics.

At yesterday’s UK Board of Trustees meeting, UK Athletics submitted a request for information (RFI) to develop an entertainment district on campus, which could include concepts such as restaurants, hotels, and other entertainment options. The request was part of a larger proposal for $110 million worth of investments over the next few years, which was approved today by the Board of Trustees. Although a location was not mentioned in the presentation, the district would presumably be on the south side of campus, adjacent to Kroger Field, Kentucky Proud Park, the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, and John Cropp Stadium.

Athletics director Mitch Barnhart told BBN Tonight’s Maggie Davis that the entertainment district, or “fan zone,” as he called it, would be similar to those in professional sports cities. He specifically mentioned the Deer District outside the Fiserv Forum, which he and Kentucky fans who made the trip to Milwaukee got a firsthand look at during the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in March. The Deer District is an indoor-outdoor sports, retail, and entertainment hub built on 30 acres, at the center of which is a large plaza, where, in 2021, 65,000 fans gathered to watch the Bucks’ NBA Championship run. The district includes several bars, restaurants, shops, and even an outdoor beer garden. As someone who went there more than once during that weekend, it’s pretty awesome.

Other schools have already announced plans for entertainment districts near their football stadiums, most notably Tennessee. The 175,000 square foot Neyland Entertainment District will include a 240-room hotel with 60 additional condos, retail, restaurants (including one with a rooftop), a conference center, and a pool with a terrace. The area will tie together Neyland Stadium and Food City Center. Kansas is also building the Gateway District, a new entertainment and lodging district surrounding Memorial Stadium.

Where exactly would Kentucky’s entertainment district be located? There are some intriguing options around Kroger Field. That could further cut into the tailgating areas; however, now that schools can distribute up to $20.5 million to their athletes this upcoming year (and increasingly more in the years after that), Kentucky needs all the money it can get. That’s the primary reason that over the next year, UK Athletics will transition to Champions Blue LLC, a non-profit holding company designed to give the department more flexibility to unlock new revenue streams through public-private partnerships and potentially other transactions, such as real estate. Maybe that real estate includes more property around the stadium for the entertainment district?

Now that the request for information has been submitted, UK can start exploring some options. As much as we all love tailgating, UK is only making money off parking passes and the REVELxp VIP tailgate setups (which I can’t imagine have been selling like hotcakes). Creating a new area near Kroger Field where fans can eat, drink, and even stay, with the athletic department getting a piece of the pie through partnerships, is just smart.

Imagine having a hotel room right next to the stadium on a big gameday, or even during basketball season, the district being used for watch parties for away games and the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. It would be awesome.

Renovations coming to Kroger Field

Another part of the $110 million investment is $36 million for Kroger Field. Thirteen million of that will go toward maintenance, $18 million for renovations to the corner suites, and $8 million for the initial design of a West End Zone Club space and wi-fi improvements.

“Obviously, you have to continue to maintain and repair the stadium,” Barnhart told Maggie Davis. “For safety reasons, making sure that all the components, the stairwells, ramps, those kinds of things, that there’s not anything that’s going to put our patrons at risk, so that’s important.

“The other piece is just the fan amenities that allow us to bring new revenue streams, to be able to do some things differently in our suites, really, really important. Those are priorities. What things, what decisions do we make that allow us to create revenue streams or be more efficient, or make sure that we’re prioritizing our fan experiences the right way?”

UK Athletics also requested $5 million for renovations to the soccer and softball facilities. Kentucky will host the SEC Softball Tournament in 2026.