What’s New At Cardinal Stadium in 2021

Mark BlankenbakerSeptember 9, 2021

University of Louisville football fans attending the Cardinals’ Sept. 11 opening game against Eastern Kentucky will notice several new features that are designed enhance the overall fan experience and provide added customer service throughout the upcoming 2021 season

Before entering the Stadium, patrons can visit The Alley by Buffalo Construction, which is located across from Cardinal Stadium on Floyd St. A recently constructed new tailgate location, that features an expansive courtyard complete with turf greens for yard games, live entertainment, numerous drink options, and food trucks. Free and open to all fans, The Alley will open four hours prior to kickoff and will close approximately 30 minutes prior to kickoff, encouraging fans to be inside the stadium for the beginning of the game.

To expedite the entrance of fans into Cardinal Stadium, mobile ticketing enables patrons to view, scan, send and sell tickets directly from their mobile device. Louisville Athletics season ticket holders and single-game buyers can access their tickets through the CardsMobile app or by visiting gocards.com/cardsmobile or from their mobile device’s web browser at am.ticketmaster.com/uofl.

Speed Parking will be in place in the Purple Lots, fulfilling spots on a first-come first-serve basis. Lots will return to opening 5 hours prior to kickoff. Vehicles will be directed where to park by staff. This will begin with the spaces to the north end of the Purple A lot and will be filled row by row as they move south through the B, C, & D lots.

Additional Important Items
Below are a few additional important items to note for Cardinal Football fans as they attend home games.

The Alley by Buffalo Construction, Inc.
The University of Louisville continues to invest in new fan experience opportunities with the construction of The Alley by Buffalo Construction, Inc., a new tailgate destination for UofL football fans. The Alley, a pre-game social setting on South Floyd Street directly across from the entrance into Cardinal Stadium, provides a unique destination for fans looking for a fun location to congregate with family and friends prior to kickoff. The Alley sits on approximately one acre on the corner of Boxley and South Floyd and features an expansive courtyard complete with turf greens for yard games, live entertainment, numerous drink options, and food trucks. Free and open to all fans, The Alley will open four hours prior to kickoff and will close approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the game encouraging fans to be inside the stadium for kickoff. The facility will be open for one-hour post-game as well.

Expanded Gate 2
Implemented in 2020 to ease entry, the former ticket office and team store at Gate 2 has been removed to accommodate 16 openings and 32 entrances to the stadium at that one location.

Box Office Location
With the renovations at Gate 2, the game day ticket office is now located at Gate 1E. Guest relations, sales & service opens 3 hours prior to game time.

Mobile Ticketing
Mobile entry is now available at all venues, including Cardinal Stadium. Fans will no longer need to print tickets and remember to bring them to games. Mobile ticketing enables you to view, scan, send and sell your tickets directly from your mobile device. Louisville Athletics season ticket holders and single-game buyers can access their tickets through the CardsMobile app or by visiting gocards.com/cardsmobile or from their mobile device’s web browser at am.ticketmaster.com/uofl. Print-at-home paper tickets (PDFs) are being discontinued and will no longer be accepted at any Louisville Athletics venue to further combat fraud and counterfeiting commonly associated with PDF tickets. To prevent issues on game day, be sure to pull up your mobile tickets in advance of arriving at the venue and charge your mobile device. Users should add their tickets to Apple Wallet or Google Pay for added convenience. For more information on these changes, visit gocards.com/tickethub

Concessions
New to Cardinal Stadium, Papa Murphy’s will now be serving pizza at concession stands throughout the concourse. Available at bars throughout the concourse, this year we will feature Ten20 Brewery’s craft beer selections. Cardinal Stadium will continue to be a cashless operation for the 2021 season. All major credit cards will be accepted for concessionaire and ticketing operations on game day. Mobile pay options (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.) will not be accepted.

Game Day Parking
Parking lots will return to opening 5 hours prior to kickoff.Parking staff in the Purple parking lots will use a speed parking method to park vehicles as they arrive. Vehicles will be directed where to park by staff. This will begin with the spaces to the north end of the Purple A lot and will be filled row by row as they move south through the B, C, & D lots. Season long parking passes for the Sun Tan City Bronze lots, Planet Fitness Purple lot, and Platinum lot will be a single parking pass for the season.

Ring of Honor
A new look to celebrate Honored Jerseys will be a significant improvement to Cardinal Stadium over the season. A 450-foot LED Board will be installed on the East side of the side stadium and will highlight UofL’s 23 honorees and its bowl appearances. It will be fully installed by the Oct. 9 game versus Virginia.

Card March
Fans are encouraged to participate in the pregame CardMarch, which provides fans an opportunity to greet the Cardinals and cheer them on as the team enters the stadium. The team will be dropped off on the south side of the Denny Crum Overpass on Central Avenue two hours and 15 minutes prior to kickoff (for example, 5:45p.m. for a 7 p.m. kickoff). With the assistance of the UofL marching band and spirit groups, the team will walk from the Green Lot, through the tunnel and into Cardinal Stadium. Fans are invited to arrive early and create an entrance way for the players as they head into the stadium.

Clear Bag PolicyA Clear Bag Policy remains in place at all UofL Athletics facilities. The following list provides information on what size and types of bags will be allowed into UofL athletic facilities. A list of approved bags can be found here. link: https://gocards.com/sports/2018/9/7/clear-bag-policy.aspx