University Park, Pa. — Penn State football fans will be greeted with an improved Gate A at Beaver Stadium when the season kicks off on Sept. 4 against Youngstown State.
The nation’s second-largest facility, with capacity of 107,282, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, having opened in 1960.
Gate A is undergoing a number of permanent changes that will provide fans with more entry gates, safer access into the stadium, kiosk structures and aesthetic beautification of the area. All of the improvements to the gate currently used by students entering Beaver Stadium are on schedule for completion prior to the first game this fall.
More than 21,000 Penn State students annually purchase season football tickets, the largest number of full season student tickets of any school in the nation.
The latest upgrade to Gate A is part of a three-year project to improve crowd flow and safety on gameday. Following the 2007 season, Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics instituted a new strategy for entrance into the stadium at Gate A. Serpentine entry lines were among the first changes in 2008. Last year, student tickets were placed on Penn State ID cards and kiosks were added at Gate A to swipe student IDs prior to entering the serpentine line for entry into the stadium.
Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations Mark Bodenschatz addressed the issues with funneling into the stadium at Gate A with improvements following the 2007 season.
"There was a concern with the funneling effect during games that we wanted to address," Bodenschatz said. "And we did. Two years ago, we went into the serpentine line system. The logic behind it was to create a much safer flow system. What we created were two places to manage the flow. One between the end of the serpentine and the gate, and the other located between the bag and article check and the beginning of the serpentine. We were able to manage crowd flow much more efficiently."
The 2009 season brought about another change, as student tickets were placed on their id+ card, further enhancing the flow and safety at Gate A.
The end result of the changes during the past two seasons was significantly improved crowd flow into Beaver Stadium on gamedays. The strategies implemented provided a more efficient method for students to enter the stadium.
The past two years, Bodenschatz said the on-going development process has significantly improved the entry into the stadium and has made for a safer environment for Penn State students. Once a solution to the crowd management concerns was found, Bodenschatz said they wanted to make the Gate A changes permanent.
"This year, we will have more entranceways into the stairwell that will help the flow," Bodenschatz said. "We are going to bring back grass and trees. General Beaver’s Stone will be where it has always been. In addition to the crowd flow improvements, the changes will bring back some more aesthetic aspects to the landscape."
Bodenschatz also said that the space available for Paternoville at Gate A will be slightly larger than in the past.
Coach Joe Paterno’s squad returns 36 letterwinners and 13 starters for the 2010 season. The Penn State-Youngstown State season opener will kick at 12:00 p.m. and air on the Big Ten Network, Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com. The Nittany Lions were 11-2 last season, defeating No. 13 LSU in the Capital One Bowl.
