$7 million renovation on tap for Kroger Field ribbon video boards, lighting system
The UK Board of Trustees is set to approve a $7 million renovation to the ribbon video boards and lighting at Kroger Field at its meeting this week.
The project, which will be funded privately, was initially approved by the Kentucky General Assembly in 2022. According to an athletics committee agenda item, the ribbon boards, which were installed in 2011 and surround the stadium’s interior seating bowl, “are challenging to repair and have exceeded their useful life.” UK cited the need to “better align with the amenities experienced in modern football stadiums” as the justification for the lighting enhancements in the project.
The renovation is expected to be approved by the athletics committee at its Thursday meeting and then by the full Board of Trustees on Friday.
Also on the athletics committee agenda is a $2 million replacement of the surface of the outdoor track and field complex. The committee is scheduled to accept gifts of $10 million from Larry T. Gibson, $8 million from Joe and Kelly Craft and $1 million from Jim and Sheila Master. The Masters’ donation will be split evenly between UK Athletics and the university’s Gatton College of Business and Economics.
The ribbon board and lighting renovations are the latest in a series of upgrades to UK’s football stadium.
UK replaced the end zone video boards at the stadium prior to the 2022 season. Last year, it replaced the stadium’s turf field while renovating the adjacent indoor practice facility.
Earlier this winter, UK unveiled the Jim Green Track and Field Center, the new indoor practice facility for the track program. The surface replacement scheduled to be voted on by the board this week is for the outdoor track next to the indoor facility. UK’s outdoor track was opened in 2012 and is scheduled to host the 2024 NCAA East Region Championships, the 2025 Southeastern Conference Championships and the 2026 NCAA East Region Championships. UK annually hosts the Jim Green Invitational and the KHSAA boys and girls state track championships.