UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 15/14 Penn State Nittany Lions open the 2019 campaign against Idaho August 31 at 3:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium. Fans will notice several enhancements to their game day experience during the 2019 season.
Fans are encouraged to visit Game Day Central for all information as it relates to Penn State football game day traffic, parking, clear bag policy and information on the match up.
New Phone Charging Stations Available Inside and Outside of the Stadium
Penn State Athletics has added charging stations outside of Beaver Stadium at Gate A along Curtin Road and between Gates B and C, near the ADA entrance. There will also be charging stations located inside the stadium at the customer service kiosks at Gates B, C and E. In addition, the Bryce Jordan Center will also be open on game days (with the exception of the Military Appreciate game vs. Indiana) with charging stations available until kickoff.
Waze Helps Fans #RunYourRoute
Penn State has worked with Waze to develop directional tools to assist fans in being sure they run their route as they head to games. Fans can enter their lot number into the Waze app and will be instructed the appropriate route to run based on the new traffic pattern. Waze instructions will also be available via the Penn State Athletics app.
Happy Valley Hospitality
During the 2018-19 athletics season, Penn State Athletics unveiled the Happy Valley Hospitality initiative (https://gopsusports.com/news/2018/9/14/general-penn-state-athletics-promoting-happy-valley-hospitality.aspx). The initiative promotes the positivity and welcoming atmosphere the Penn State fanbase is known for. This season, we will continue to promote Happy Valley Hospitality by encompassing our customer service offerings inside and around Beaver Stadium. Happy Valley Hospitality representatives will be located throughout the stadium area in 10 customer service booths and fans are encouraged to seek assistance at these locations. All of this will go towards enhancing the game day experience and environment for the best fans in college sports.
Team Arrival Improvements
Team Arrival has long been a staple of the Penn State Football fan experience. During Coach James Franklin's tenure, Team Arrival on Curtin Road outside of the South Tunnel continues to grow as the focal point of pregame festivities. At this free event, fans can high-five their favorite student-athletes and coaches and enjoy a pep rally-style welcome as the team enters Beaver Stadium. This year, the stage on Curtin Road will move closer to the South Tunnel, near the All Sports Museum. The stage will feature the Nittany Lion, Cheer and Dance teams, as well as live musicians before the Penn State Blue Band leads the team into the stadium. There will be special celebrity guests appearing on stage throughout the season as well.
Penn State Athletics Partners with EngageMint
Penn State has joined forces with EngageMint to create tools, systems and processes behind the scenes to drive experiences that create deep emotional connections with Penn State fans. EngageMint is a customer experience design firm, helping athletic departments become more fan-centric. Among the featured items will be customer feedback terminals throughout the stadium and fan surveys following games. The customer feedback terminals can allow fans to rate their experience in key areas of the facility, including concessions and restrooms, with a simple touch of a button. Satisfaction ratings will provide measurable and actionable feedback for Penn State Athletics to pinpoint specific locations requiring attention, as well as review trends of all designated areas where the terminals are located. This is an intentional focus to make data-driven decisions relating to future enhancements of the game day experience.
New Game Day Traffic Pattern and Parking Improvements
In an effort to address traffic and parking challenges on football game day, Penn State Athletics announced last November several improvements for traffic and parking for the 2019 season. These improvements are being implemented after evaluation of the operation by the University with a national consultant, SP+.
Once the one-way traffic pattern begins, fans will be required to travel to their specific Beaver Stadium lot, from one of four traffic zones that have been created (North, South, East and West). All parking permits will have zone and lot specific driving direction instructions.
Once the one-way traffic pattern begins, vehicles that attempt to access their parking lot via the incorrect traffic zone will be re-routed to the correct zone, delaying the arrival time to their parking lot.
Here is the link to the football traffic and parking improvements story with the 2019 parking map:
https://gopsusports.com/news/2018/11/30/football-season-tickets-set-for-slight-increase-for-2019-season.aspx
One-Way Traffic Pattern Start Times
In February, ICA announced when the one-way traffic patterns will begin for the 2019 season:
- Noon Kickoff - The one-way traffic pattern will begin at 8:30 a.m. Beaver Stadium parking lots will open at 7 a.m., providing fans with a 90-minute window to access their parking lot via any route.
- All Other Kickoff Times – The one-way traffic pattern will begin four hours prior to kickoff.
- 3:30 p.m. Kickoff – The one-way traffic pattern will begin at 11:30 a.m.
- 7 p.m. Kickoff – The one-way traffic pattern will begin at 3 p.m.
- 8 p.m. Kickoff – The one-way traffic pattern will begin at 4 p.m.
Post-Game One-Way Traffic Pattern in Effect for Approximately 90 Minutes
University Police has indicated to ICA that the vast majority of pedestrian traffic typically clears the Beaver Stadium area approximately 90 minutes after a game ends. The out-bound one-way traffic pattern will be in effect from the of end of the contest for approximately 90 minutes and fans will be required to leave their lot via the directions for their specific traffic zone. During the vast majority of the game, there is a normal traffic pattern around Beaver Stadium.
Once the one-way out-bound traffic pattern ends (approximately 90 minutes after the game), fans will be able to exit their lot and leave the stadium vicinity via any route.
Improvements set for several grass parking lots
Penn State Athletics restored and invested in upgrades to several grass parking lots controlled by ICA that will improve the parkability if grass lots become saturated. In other lots, gravel drive aisles were installed to also improve the parkability. More than 3,900 grass parking spaces, including Lot 43 (former Blue RV), will be positively impacted by the improvements.
The improvements include:
- Penn State Athletics invested in a drive aisle reinforcement product in two lots to reduce the amount of rutting that occurs in the drive aisles. The reinforcement product was placed in Lot 17 near the Pennsylvania State University sign and in the grass areas of Lot 18.
- Gravel drive aisles were installed in sections of two lots (Lot 31 and 43) to reduce rutting during wet conditions.
The Nittany Lions' home schedule features three non-conference games and four Big Ten Conference match-ups. The Nittany Lions open the season against Idaho (Aug. 31; 3:30 p.m.), Buffalo (Sept. 7; 7:30 p.m.) and the 100th all-time meeting with Pittsburgh (Sept. 14; noon) in non-conference action. In Big Ten play, Penn State welcomes Purdue (Oct. 5; noon), Michigan (Oct. 19), Indiana (Nov. 15) and Rutgers (Nov. 30) to Happy Valley.
Single-game tickets are available for the 2019 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU. Fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.