USC gets final OK on $350M Williams-Brice Stadium renovations

COLUMBIA — The University of South Carolina received the final approval it needs to begin long-planned upgrades to Williams-Brice Stadium.

The state’s five-member financial oversight board, chaired by the governor, gave the Gamecocks the nod last week to finance upgrades to the student section, locker rooms, concession stands and bathrooms, as well as expanding the number of suites for big-spending fans.

The flagship university’s athletics department will issue $350 million worth of bonds to pay for improvements to the 91-year-old stadium. University officials emphasized to the oversight board that student fees and tuition will not increase as a result.

Instead, the school plans to pay off those bonds over three decades with additional revenue it expects to earn from new premium seats and suites, plus $16 million from one-time bonuses in its contracts for food sales and media rights.

Athletics anticipates earning $26 million more in annual ticket revenue by year two. By year 30, the school projects that additional ticket revenue to reach more than $70 million, compared to present day numbers, according to documents filed with the State Fiscal Accountability Authority. It also expects to use the new suites to fundraise $210 million, most of that in the first 10 years, according to the documents.

Students should expect changes to the north end zone, including an air-conditioned club space and more restrooms and more concessions for students. Student athletes will see improvements to their locker rooms and training rooms. And the school is considering two new video boards at the south end of the stadium.

But at the heart of the renovations is the expansion of premium seating, taking the stadium from just 18 suites to 43. That includes 33 traditional suites and 10 luxury “founder” suites.

In addition to suites, USC athletics has plans for nine different club areas, including one at field level.

“Increased suites and clubs will address demand from fans and generate new revenue to service athletic revenue bonds,” the school wrote in its proposal.

Construction is expected to begin in December 2025 and finish in August 2028. The renovated stadium will hold about 73,000 fans. That’s a capacity of 4,500 fewer people, resulting in $9 million lost from those seats.

Student fees

Separately, the athletics department sets aside a portion of ticket sales — $15 on each football ticket sold, $4 for each men’s basketball ticket sold and $1 for any women’s basketball ticket — to pay for facility improvements.

Plus, since 2007, full-time students have paid a $52-per-semester special fee that goes to athletics. That fee allowed students to attend every Gamecock sporting event except football games. Students have to enter a lottery for the chance for a spot in the student section. That fee brings in about $2.1 million annually, according to the school’s documents.

While athletics has access to that money, it is already obligated to pay off the $153 million still owed for past projects.

New this year is a $300 annual “auxiliary” athletics fee. That’s on top of the regular, per semester athletics fee. That money’s meant to enhance students’ experiences at games but won’t pay for stadium construction, according to the college.

That $300 fee for full-time students will pay for increased event operating costs, as well as “student centered in-game activity and promotions, facility upgrades and additional support for health/safety staffing at athletics events,” the school said in a statement in July, when the Board of Trustees approved the new fee.

Based on the school’s total enrollment of more than 38,000, that new fee could generate more than $11 million annually.

Clemson University also announced a mandatory $300 athletics fee despite never having such a fee in the past.