The University of Louisville has announced a major expansion of its football stadium.
At a news conference Friday morning, Athletic Director Tom Jurich said the $55 million project would add about 10,000 seats to Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, giving it a capacity of 65,000.
When completed, the new section will close the bowl at the north end of the facility. It will include 65 new loge level boxes and 10 on-field suites, according to details released by the university.
The expansion will also add more fan amenities and improved training facilities for players, U of L said.
"We worked extremely hard on this one to assure the timing was right before we moved forward," Jurich said. "We feel that we have a plan in place that will excite our fans and continue to advance our program, which has truly gained a national stage with our university's move to the ACC."
Jurich said the expansion would be funded through sponsorships, private donations, ticket sales and other sources.
Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium was built 1998 with a seating capacity of 42,000. Its first expansion was about five years ago. Jurich said once ground is broken on the expansion, it would take 18 months to complete. There is no deadline at this point.
Renderings provided by the university show a new look for the north end zone:
