Tennessee's commitment to enhancing the fan experience at Neyland Stadium took another step forward on Wednesday.
Tennessee athletics director Danny White announced that the school had 'initiated the exploration' of a entertainment district outside of the Vols' home football venue that would be the first of its kind in college sports.
"Innovation is at the forefront of everything we do," White said in a press release. "The ideation of this new Neyland Entertainment District exemplifies that mindset. This is a massive project that has the potential to positively impact our entire city. We're eager to see what world-class developers dream up to creatively maximize this extraordinary market opportunity. We have the capacity for constructing an entertainment ecosystem that doesn't presently exist anywhere across the collegiate landscape."
The district would span the Tennessee River waterfront in the area near both Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena and would link the to two facilities and include updates to the exterior of the stadium.
According to the press release, plan would include a boutique, full-service hotel with for-sale condominiums and conference and event space as well as well a "tabletop" above G10 parking garage on the stadium's south end with restaurants, retail and entertainment.
The construction of a hotel connected to the stadium was announced in February and would be 12 stories with a rooftop bar overlooking the stadium.
The potential project would be both publicly and privately funded according to a press release.
Neyland Stadium recently completed phase I of a renovation project ahead of the 2022 season which included a new jumbotron and plaza area in the north endzone and new and updated suites.
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