Skip to main content
Link to news home page
News

Stadium access plan announced for UW football game day

September 2, 2003

Officials from the University of Wisconsin Division of Intercollegiate Athletics have finalized game-day access plans at Camp Randall Stadium for the Badgers’ 2003 football season home opener.

“The message is simple,” says Associate Athletic Director for Administration Doug Beard. “Arrive early and allow for extra time to get to your seats. Patience from all parties will be very important. Fan safety and enjoyment are our top priorities as we continue with the renovation of Camp Randall Stadium during the season.

“A lot of people have worked diligently to assist with our game-day access plan,” adds Beard. “The Cullen-Smith construction firm, for example, has programmed a four-day work week during home game weeks so that they have Fridays to prepare the facility for a game and Sundays to prepare for a week of construction. That type of commitment is critical to helping us create a workable game-day situation.”

Beard also praises UW’s fan base, which largely consists of season-ticket purchasers. “Our fans are educated in the routine of attending games at Camp Randall Stadium because they’ve been doing so for many years,” says Beard. “Those loyal supporters may face some unordinary challenges this season, but the end result is that we’ll all enjoy a truly first-class facility and a vibrant game-day atmosphere in the future.”

Beard says that the division’s game-day access plans were finalized after more than 30 meetings with different organizations and units involved with putting on a Wisconsin home football game. Some of the plan’s particulars include:

  • The Badgers’ home opener vs. Akron on Sept. 6 will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. to provide fans more time to get to the stadium and into their seating locations.
  • Gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff. It is important that fans enter the stadium at the gate printed on their ticket.
  • The gates on the east side of the stadium – 17, 18, 19 and 20 – will not be accessible in 2003. Patrons holding tickets for seating on the east side will enter from either gate 16 (northeast) or the expanded gates 21-22-23 (southeast). The tunnel under the east side stands, however, will be open for pedestrian flow during games.
  • Entrances on the stadium’s west side (gates 1-10) are largely unchanged from prior years with the exception of the visiting (gate 1) and home (gate 6) team will-call windows.
  • The Athletic Ticket Office will have an auxiliary location (a trailer at the southeast corner of Camp Randall Stadium near Monroe Street) on site.
  • An accessible drop-off area will be located at the corner of Breese Terrace / Regent Street.
  • UW-Madison students need to enter the stadium on the north end and use either gate 15 or the east half of gate 12. Gate 16 will not serve as a student entrance in 2003.

Beard says that Athletic Department officials are also encouraging fans to stay and enjoy the Wisconsin Band’s famous Fifth Quarter post-game celebration. “Hopefully, fans will show patience when they’re leaving the facility,” says Beard. “This is the 25th year of the Fifth Quarter, and I’m sure fans will be in for a special treat if they stick around to participate in the festivities.”

The latest construction information and updates for the Camp Randall Stadium renovation project is available at the Athletic Department’s web site.

Finally, several road construction projects affecting the area around Camp Randall Stadium are ongoing. They include the closure of West Johnson Street between Campus Drive and Broom Street; the one-way flow of Dayton Street from west to east; and the one-way flow of Randall Avenue on game day from north to south between University Avenue and Dayton Street.

Because of road construction, fans are encouraged to allow more travel time and to use alternative transportation methods if feasible. A number of shuttle services are in place as in past years. Among them are the downtown ramp shuttles (State Street Campus, Civic Center, Capitol Square South, Government East, Capitol Square North and State Street Capitol) and the Lot 60/70 shuttle from Walnut Street.

The downtown shuttles, which run 11 buses, drop off patrons on Monroe Street across from the fire station and pick up fans at the same locale after the game. The Lot 60/70 shuttles employ 20 buses with drop-off and pick-up at the corner of University Avenue and Breese Terrace. Shuttle rides cost $2 round trip and generally run every 7-10 minutes. The service begins two hours prior to kickoff and is expected to transport more than 5,000 fans on game day. Delays are possible with the road construction, so patience is important.

Fans may also get to Camp Randall Stadium by taking Metro Bus Routes 2, 3, 6 or 8. For additional information on shuttles and bus routes, call (608) 266-4466 or visit the Web.