The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, welcomes fans to campus this Saturday for the first home football game of the 2011 season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET for the Volunteers’ game against the University of Montana Grizzlies. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. VideoSeat pay-per-view will televise the game.
Fans are encouraged to follow @UTGameday on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates on traffic, weather, gate info, and game day events, such as the Vol Walk.
New Road, River Traffic, and Security Changes
All lanes of Neyland Drive approaching campus will be open for the football season as renovation work continues on the Henley Bridge over the nearby Tennessee River. Due to the closure of the Henley Bridge, after each home game, all southbound traffic will be routed to the Gay Street Bridge or the South Knoxville Connector Bridge.
Construction work on the Henley Bridge also has narrowed the river channel, reducing traffic on the Tennessee River and reducing the number of slips available for the “Vol Navy,” the traditional flotilla of fans who park their boats along the river prior to the game.
UT reminds visitors that all items, including purses, are subject to search at the gates. This year, bags larger than 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches cannot be brought into the stadium. This is the standard in use by the National Football League and by a growing number of collegiate sports facilities. Items larger than this standard size, as well as other prohibited items, cannot be stored at any stadium gate. To assist fans, boxes demonstrating the proper bag size will be placed at stadium gates and bus loading areas. This should help fans determine if their bags are too large to be allowed into the stadium.
Prohibited items include the following:
- alcoholic beverages, cans, bottles or coolers;
- radios without headphones;
- open umbrellas;
- video cameras;
- stadium seats with arms;
- large bags or parcels, including backpacks and large purses; and
- weapons of any kind, including pocketknives.
Fans can bring the following items inside the stadium, provided they meet the size requirement:
- cushions and seats without arms;
- small diaper bags that accompany infants; and
- small cameras, pagers, cell phones, and binoculars.
Under state law, no smoking will be allowed anywhere inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. Fans cannot leave the stadium and be re-admitted.
A no-fly zone extends over the stadium from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends, prohibiting flights within a three-nautical-mile radius and lower than 3,000 feet in altitude, except as authorized by air traffic control.
Solicitation near stadium gates and along Phillip Fulmer Way is prohibited.
Game Day Activities
The traditional Vol Walk will start at 3:45 p.m. on Volunteer Boulevard near Circle Park and will proceed down Volunteer Boulevard to the Torchbearer statue. The team members will then gather at Circle Park, where they will pay tribute to the Torchbearer and the spirit of service to others that it represents. From the Torchbearer, the team will walk down Peyton Manning Pass, then turn left onto Phillip Fulmer Way and enter the stadium.
The Pride of the Southland Marching Band will begin marching at 4:20 p.m. near the Rock on Volunteer Boulevard, march past the Torchbearer statue, then right onto Andy Holt Avenue, then right onto Phillip Fulmer Way. The band will briefly pause in front of the new amphitheater for their traditional salute to the Hill, then continue to the stadium.
Fans also can attend the College of Arts and Sciences’ Pregame Showcase, now in its twenty-second year. Held two hours before each home game kickoff in the University Center Ballroom, the showcase is a free thirty-minute presentation by a UT faculty member. This week, at 4:00 p.m., internationally acclaimed pianist David Northington, professor in the School of Music, will present A Musical Tribute to a Great American: Aaron Copland.
From 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. the Volunteer Village commercial display area will be open on the lawn of the Humanities and Social Sciences Building. Pregame festivities will be available for fans of all ages, including interactive inflatable games, live bands, appearances from Smokey, Junior Smokey, cheerleaders, and the dance team.
Parking and Road Closures
Only fans with permits can park on campus. UT encourages all fans to use shuttle buses from the university’s Kingston Pike building, the Knoxville Civic Coliseum, the Old City and Market Square areas of downtown Knoxville, and Farragut High School. Limited public handicapped parking spaces and handicapped shuttle service to the stadium are available on the UT Agriculture Campus, off Neyland Drive.
Many area hotels also offer shuttle service to the game. Check with your hotel’s management for details.
At 3:45 p.m., Phillip Fulmer Way, from Andy Holt Avenue to Peyton Manning Pass, will be closed to vehicle traffic for the duration of the game. At 5:30 p.m., Peyton Manning Pass, Middle and Lower Drives, and Estabrook Drive will be closed. Directional parking will be used in Area 9 and Lots 4, 5A and 5B. Chamique Holdsclaw Drive from Lake Loudoun Boulevard to Pat Head Summitt Street is closed for the entire season.
For more information on game day parking, including a map of campus parking areas, visit http://web.utk.edu/~pso/maps.html.
Season tickets and select individual game tickets are available at http://www.uttix.com.
C O N T A C T :
Jeff Maples (865-974-3061, maples@utk.edu)
Brian Browning (865-974-3061, brian-browning@utk.edu)
Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)