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New look for De Valois Stadium
Improvements to Northwestern College’s De Valois Stadium continued this summer with the installation of new aluminum bleachers that seat 3,100. The $630,000 project is being funded by a combination of college resources and a limited number of private donations.
“This was always in our long-range plans for the facility,” says Barry Brandt, Northwestern’s athletic director, “but the timeline was moved up to meet safety standards. The old bleachers had openings in the decking, in front and behind fans’ feet, and were a concern.”
The home bleachers are 210 feet long, stretching from one 15-yard line to the other, and rise 20 rows. There are four entrances: one on each end plus two walkways inside the grandstand. The visitors’ bleachers is 150 feet long, running from one 25-yard line to the other, and is 10 rows high.
Fans’ sightlines are improved because the bleachers feature a steeper incline than the previous stands. The risers are red, and the decking is completely enclosed underneath. The project increased the stadium’s seating capacity by about 900.
Topping the grandstand is a one-story press box 96 feet wide by 12 feet deep. An aluminum-skinned prefab structure, it is equipped with heating and cooling, a hospitality suite, and accordion windows in the film room that can be opened completely.
The bleacher installation is the latest in a series of recent renovations to De Valois Stadium. In 2003, an eight-lane polyurethane track was completed and the bleachers on the visitors’ side were moved. A locker room facility was also built. A synthetic FieldTurf playing surface and Daktronics scoreboard were installed in 2004, at which time the field was named Korver Field in honor of former Head Football Coach Larry Korver and his wife, Betty.
“We have had a really good performance arena, with an outstanding track and playing surface for soccer and football,” says Brandt. “Now our spectators and people who do the statistical work for us have facilities comparable to what the athletes have on the field. This project gives us a beautiful, highly functional stadium.”
Brandt says the final phase of the stadium renovation, to be completed when funds are available, includes enclosing the bleachers with brick or decorative block and constructing new entrances.
Progress photo galleries
July 21
July 24
July 25
July 26
July 27
July 28
July 31
August 1
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August 7
August 8
August 21
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