While the Bulldogs tend to look great on the field, the court and the gymnastics mat, everyone knows the restrooms and other accommodations in their arenas tend to appear less than stellar – but that’s about to change.

The University’s Athletic Board of Directors met on Sept. 23 and allocated $1.9 million to the development of remodeling plans for the concourses at Sanford Stadium and Stegeman Coliseum. The plans have been developed and will be completed before the 2010 football and basketball seasons.

“We are really stressing that these upcoming projects are not about driving in more money or recruiting – they’re for the fans,” executive associate athletic director for Finance and Administration Frank Crumley said.

“Fans will soon have cleaner restrooms, bigger concourses, and better concessions when they come out to support their teams.”

The Coliseum concourses will be increased in size by 10,000 square feet and the usable space in Reed Alley and the north gates of Sanford Stadium will be increased by five or six times their current sizes.

“We’re flattening out the Reed Alley area on the north side of Sanford Stadium between Sanford Drive and East Campus Road and turning that into a large, open concourse area,” Associate Vice President for Facilities Planning Danny Sniff said.

“We’re also building a concessions structure in the new concourse with a large jumbotron screen mounted on it so the fans purchasing concessions, using the restrooms, or just meeting up with friends in the new concourse won’t miss a second of Georgia football.”

The University architects have already agreed on a schedule with the project contractors, said Sniff.

The Sanford Stadium renovations will be underway by February 2010 and completed in August before the 2010 football season begins. The Stegeman Coliseum construction will begin after graduation and be completed before the 2010 basketball season.

“Some of the local high schools may need to relocate their graduation ceremonies out of Stegeman, but the construction will not interfere with any of the athletic events,” said Sniff.

Sniff and Crumley are confident that the Sanford Stadium and Stegeman Coliseum projects, which will be contributed to the University by the Athletic Association, will heighten every Bulldog fan’s game-day experience to a new level.

“The remodeling of the Coliseum concourses, which have not been renovated since the arena was constructed in the 1960s, will add concessions, open up the concourse area, and shorten those long restroom lines,” said Sniff.