The San Antonio City Council approved an extended licensing agreement with the San Antonio Bowl Association from February 2019-February 2030. The Bowl Association – the host organization of the Valero Alamo Bowl – will give $6 million for technology upgrades at the Alamodome; the total sum of renovations at the stadium now tallies $60 million. The donation will go towards two additional video boards, expanded wi-fi access and an improved sound system to bolster fan experience.
“After last year’s extensions of our ESPN, Big 12 and Pac-12 agreements through the 2025 college football season, our focus became how to best enhance the City’s improvements to the facility to provide the best in-venue experience possible,” said Derrick Fox, president and CEO of the Valero Alamo Bowl. “We are looking forward to unveiling the renovated Alamodome this fall to fans, our participating universities and our patrons as well as parties interested in bringing future neutral site games to San Antonio.”
The Alamodome serves as the host of the UIL State basketball game and was recently granted an extension by the UIL through 2019. UIL Football currently has a contract with AT&T Stadium through next season, but could examine the improvements of the Alamodome if the location offers an enticing deal.
Susan Elza, the UIL’s director of athletics, said the UIL will look “at every venue” when negotiating a new contract. Locations in the mix: AT&T Stadium, NRG Stadium and the Alamodome.
“As exciting as it is to have people in those seats, it’s about the venue being able to accommodate all of our teams. It’s about having the four locker rooms, the facilities to get the teams in and out of with ease and just the experience on the field for the kids,” Elza told Sportsday HS. “We are trying to keep it to where weather doesn’t become a factor. So you really only have three venues in the state that can hold this size event.”
The Alamodome is the current home field of the UTSA Roadrunners and will host the 25th annual Valero Alamo Bowl later this year. Both have pumped serious coin into the local economy, with the Bowl estimated to have generated in excess of $484 million in direct impact.
