UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham and chief revenue officer Rick Barakat presented several potential enhancements to both Kenan Stadium and the football program’s gameday presentation to the university’s Board of Trustees Wednesday.
Below are key takeaways from the presentation:
Sponsorships
Barakat and Cunningham also brought forth to the Board new developments with regard to UNC’s athletic sponsorships. Notably, Barakat discussed ongoing engagement with the firm Independent Sports and Entertainement (ISE) to secure a naming rights deal for Kenan Stadium. ISE is already engaged with several high-profile programs around the country, including NC State, Appalachian State and Virginia. Barakat said any naming rights deal would include “Kenan” in the stadium’s new title.
“We’re gonna be looking to be pretty creative with this,” said Barakat, who was hired this past March. “Of course, we need to preserve the Kenan name within the stadium identification, and we’re gonna work through the best way to do that with the family and the Rams Club, and then bring in a commercial brand around that.”
Barakat also projected sponsorships for several areas inside the stadium itself, including sections of seating in the Blue Zone, such as the “Touchdown Club” at field level.
“Tunnel covers, new team benches, you name it,” Barakat said. “We’re trying to turn over every rock and find new ways to drive revenue.”
In the future, Barakat also envisioned sponsorships at the Dean Smith Center and jersey patches for Tar Heel teams.
Football Gameday Presentation
Cunningham, Barakat and the Board all agreed on the need for enhanced football gameday presentation by the university. While Barakat praised the recent implementation of the “Bell Tower Block Party” just outside the west end zone, he also saw an opportunity to grow the footprint of the event into Polk Place, one of the university’s main quads. Polk Place stretches from South Road up to Cameron Avenue across the UNC campus.
Among the proposed enhancements to the Block Party were a concert series, with a stage set up in front of Wilson Library playing toward the middle of Polk Place. Barakat proposed installing a beer garden and a dedicated student tailgating zone in this area.
“That could hopefully bring some three-plus thousand students into Polk Place every gameday,” he said. “Ideally that whole run is full on gameday. Very populated, boisterous… hopefully we can pull that off.”
John Preyer, chairman of the Board of Trustees, proposed a social district on Franklin Street before football games, noting the long walking distance between shops on Franklin Street and the football stadium leads to empty seats at kickoff. Barakat noted that a “block party” located in Polk Place would help expedite the foot traffic to the stadium.
Barakat said the “Plan B,” should the Polk Place idea fall through, is expanding the footprint of the Bell Tower Block Party around the Bell Tower itself. Tailgating would remain in Polk Place.
Physical Enhancements to Kenan Stadium
Barakat described several improvements to Kenan Stadium itself, some of which are already underway. He said a “short-term” enhancement for the stadium’s sound system will be implemented for the 2025 season, while a more extensive upgrade of both the video and the sound systems is envisioned for 2026.
An expanded stadium concourse was also envisioned as a way to ease foot traffic.
The main goal, agreed all present at the meeting, was keeping fans – particularly students – in their seats for the entirety of the game.
“Special Events” at Kenan Stadium
This summer will mark the third straight year Kenan Stadium has hosted an international soccer match, but Barakat and Cunningham imagine a fuller schedule for the facility and others around campus, such as the Dean Smith Center and Boshamer Stadium. Barakat floated partnerships with the Savannah Bananas baseball team, special Christmas events and concerts as three primary targets.
Football Tickets
Football ticket sales are up across the board, according to the presentation. Overall, ticket sales are up roughly 35 percent from 2024, with an anticipated growth of 50 percent once single-game tickets go on sale. Premium area ticket sales, such as those located in the Blue Zone, are at their highest level ever.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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