University Southern California Trojans
Fan Experience Updates For 2018 USC Football Games In Coliseum
August 15, 2018 | Football, Trojan Athletic Fund, Features
Fans attending USC football home games in 2018 will experience a Coliseum in the midst of an announced $270-million renovation, requiring some adjustments this season to transit, parking, tailgating and stadium access.
"The renovation of the Coliseum is moving along on time and on budget, and we thank the contractors and construction workers who are making this happen," said USC athletic director Lynn Swann. "When the work is complete prior to the 2019 season, the game day experience for our fans will be second to none. We are working diligently to minimize any effect that the construction will have on that fan experience this season."
Details of what fans can expect in 2018 are below. For information about the Coliseum renovation, go to coliseumrenovation.com. Complete information and maps on the 2018 USC football game day experience will be available starting the last week of August at USCTrojans.com/gameday.
In 2015, after taking control of the management of the Coliseum, USC announced plans to renovate and restore the stadium, including building a new structure on the stadium's south side (with suites, loge boxes, club seats, a new concourse and new press box). Work began on the structure after the 2017 football season and will be completed for the 2019 home opener.
New seats with increased legroom have been added on the south side of the stadium in 2018, along with handrails on south side aisles.
When the renovation is completed in 2019, every seat in the stadium will be replaced, aisles and handrails will be added, Wi-Fi will be installed and south ground level concession stands will be added.
New field and stadium lighting was installed for the 2016 season. New videoboards and scoreboards throughout the stadium were in place for the 2017 season, replacing the boards that sat atop the peristyle and thereby restoring the iconic peristyle to more closely resemble the stadium's original design.
The renovation, privately funded by USC, will preserve the Coliseum's historic nature. Improvements will reduce seating capacity to approximately 77,500 in 2019 (it is at 78,467 in 2018 during the renovation). USC has been a tenant in the Coliseum since the historic stadium opened in 1923.
USC opens its 2018 season with a 1 p.m. non-conference game against UNLV on Sept. 1 in the Coliseum. For tickets, go to USCTrojans.com/tickets.
Fans who drive are encouraged to carpool. Those arriving from the north via the 110 Freeway should exit at Exposition Blvd., those arriving from the south via the 110 Freeway should exit at Martin Luther King Blvd. (or at 39th St. if in the Express Lane) and those arriving from the east or west via the 10 Freeway should exit at Vermont St., and follow the signs to park.
Exposition Blvd. eastbound from Vermont Ave. to Figueroa St. will close starting 2 hours before kickoff, while westbound it will close from Figueroa St. to Bill Robertson Ln. starting 1 hour prior to kick (both directions re-open an hour and 45 minutes after the game's end).
Fans without passes are encouraged to park on the USC campus and walk through Exposition Park to the Coliseum. Available USC on-campus lots are located on the north side of Jefferson Blvd. near the Shrine Auditorium, on the south side of Jefferson Blvd. near Vermont Ave. and on either side of Figueroa St. near the Galen Center, as well as in the Grand Avenue Parking Center (Grand Ave. and Jefferson Blvd.). Parking in the Grand Avenue Parking Center can be reserved in advance at usc.clickandpark.com. The Downey Way Structure (Vermont Ave. and Downey Way), Flower Street Structure (Exposition Blvd. and Figueroa St.) and Royal Street Structure (south side of Jefferson Blvd. near the Shrine Auditorium) are available only to existing pass holders. Parking in USC lots, which open at 6 a.m. on Trojan game days, costs $25 on a first-come, first-served basis.
RV parking is not available in Exposition Park or the USC campus.
Left turns into parking lots or structures are not permitted on game day. Also, 39th St. between Vermont Ave. and Bill Robertson Ln. will be closed during the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art construction. Bill Robertson Lane will have limited pedestrian access during USC games (no public vehicle access).
Tailgate Guys offers turn-key, hassle-free tailgating packages in Christmas Tree Lane. For information, go to tailgateguys.com/home/usc.
Tailgating is allowed on the USC campus; large groups must reserve a spot. There also is the Trojan Family Game Day Experience in Alumni Park on campus. No tailgating is allowed in the USC Village. For campus tailgating information, go to gameday.usc.edu.
There no longer will be a pre-game tailgate event at the Galen Center.
The Coliseum Clubs, located near Gates 12, 19 and 33, feature upscale food, beer and wine service. All Coliseum Clubs are accessible once gates open except for Club 33, which opens 30 minutes prior to kick-off. Entrance for all Coliseum Clubs is reserved exclusively for Trojan Athletic Fund members with Cardinal & Gold, Women of Troy, Cardinal & Gold Premier, Committee and Scholarship memberships. Club 33, however, is open to Trojan Club members as well.
Due to the construction, there is no east-west access between tunnels 5 and 9 on the concourse level or outside the Coliseum's south walls on the street level.
There are 6 entry gates into the Coliseum in 2018. Tickets will include a suggested entry gate. Gates open two hours prior to kickoff. Fans sitting in Sections 1-2-3-33 should enter Gate 1, those in Sections 4-5-6-7 should use Gate 4, those in Sections 8-9-10-11-12 should enter Gate 8, those in Sections 13-14-15-16-17-18-19 should go through Gate 19, those in Sections 20-21-22-23-24 should use Gate 23 and fans in Sections 25-26-27-28-29 should enter Gate 28.
Trojan Athletic Fund members attending pre-game parties should enter at the gate instructed on their invitation. All TAF members with a TAF or Club 33 logo on their ticket also will have access to a dedicated gate at the peristyle end of the Coliseum, entering through Club 33 (it opens 30 minutes prior to kickoff).
Fans are encouraged to enter the stadium early. All fans will go through metal detector screening. A "clear bag" policy is enforced; for information, go to lacoliseum.com/beclear. Smoking and smoking implements are prohibited inside the Coliseum.
Pre-installed cushions for seat backs and bottoms can be ordered at order.seatbacks.com/trojanseats.
A temporary press box has been installed at the base of the construction zone, above the new seats. The press box is accessible via tunnel 5. Media will call for USC games will be at Gate 29 in 2018. Media parking in 2018 at USC games will be in the Flower Street Structure (corner of Figueroa St. and Exposition Blvd.), with a post-game shuttle available.
"The renovation of the Coliseum is moving along on time and on budget, and we thank the contractors and construction workers who are making this happen," said USC athletic director Lynn Swann. "When the work is complete prior to the 2019 season, the game day experience for our fans will be second to none. We are working diligently to minimize any effect that the construction will have on that fan experience this season."
Details of what fans can expect in 2018 are below. For information about the Coliseum renovation, go to coliseumrenovation.com. Complete information and maps on the 2018 USC football game day experience will be available starting the last week of August at USCTrojans.com/gameday.
In 2015, after taking control of the management of the Coliseum, USC announced plans to renovate and restore the stadium, including building a new structure on the stadium's south side (with suites, loge boxes, club seats, a new concourse and new press box). Work began on the structure after the 2017 football season and will be completed for the 2019 home opener.
New seats with increased legroom have been added on the south side of the stadium in 2018, along with handrails on south side aisles.
When the renovation is completed in 2019, every seat in the stadium will be replaced, aisles and handrails will be added, Wi-Fi will be installed and south ground level concession stands will be added.
New field and stadium lighting was installed for the 2016 season. New videoboards and scoreboards throughout the stadium were in place for the 2017 season, replacing the boards that sat atop the peristyle and thereby restoring the iconic peristyle to more closely resemble the stadium's original design.
The renovation, privately funded by USC, will preserve the Coliseum's historic nature. Improvements will reduce seating capacity to approximately 77,500 in 2019 (it is at 78,467 in 2018 during the renovation). USC has been a tenant in the Coliseum since the historic stadium opened in 1923.
USC opens its 2018 season with a 1 p.m. non-conference game against UNLV on Sept. 1 in the Coliseum. For tickets, go to USCTrojans.com/tickets.
TRANSIT OPTIONS
Because of limited parking options in Exposition Park in 2018 due to the renovation, fans are encouraged to use public transit options to get to the Coliseum, including Metro's Expo Line rail and Silver Line park and ride (from the Harbor Gateway Transit Center), as well as ridesharing services.Fans who drive are encouraged to carpool. Those arriving from the north via the 110 Freeway should exit at Exposition Blvd., those arriving from the south via the 110 Freeway should exit at Martin Luther King Blvd. (or at 39th St. if in the Express Lane) and those arriving from the east or west via the 10 Freeway should exit at Vermont St., and follow the signs to park.
Exposition Blvd. eastbound from Vermont Ave. to Figueroa St. will close starting 2 hours before kickoff, while westbound it will close from Figueroa St. to Bill Robertson Ln. starting 1 hour prior to kick (both directions re-open an hour and 45 minutes after the game's end).
PARKING
On-going construction of an underground parking structure for the planned Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has eliminated all parking on the west side of Exposition Park (between Vermont Ave. and Bill Robertson Ln.) for the 2018 season. Parking in Coliseum Lots 4, 5, 6 on the south, on the South Lawn of the Natural History Museum and in the Exposition Park Visitor Parking Structure to the east of the stadium is reserved for existing pass holders. Those lots, which open up at 7 a.m. on USC game days, are not available for general public parking.Fans without passes are encouraged to park on the USC campus and walk through Exposition Park to the Coliseum. Available USC on-campus lots are located on the north side of Jefferson Blvd. near the Shrine Auditorium, on the south side of Jefferson Blvd. near Vermont Ave. and on either side of Figueroa St. near the Galen Center, as well as in the Grand Avenue Parking Center (Grand Ave. and Jefferson Blvd.). Parking in the Grand Avenue Parking Center can be reserved in advance at usc.clickandpark.com. The Downey Way Structure (Vermont Ave. and Downey Way), Flower Street Structure (Exposition Blvd. and Figueroa St.) and Royal Street Structure (south side of Jefferson Blvd. near the Shrine Auditorium) are available only to existing pass holders. Parking in USC lots, which open at 6 a.m. on Trojan game days, costs $25 on a first-come, first-served basis.
RV parking is not available in Exposition Park or the USC campus.
Left turns into parking lots or structures are not permitted on game day. Also, 39th St. between Vermont Ave. and Bill Robertson Ln. will be closed during the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art construction. Bill Robertson Lane will have limited pedestrian access during USC games (no public vehicle access).
TAILGATING
Tailgating areas in Exposition Park will be limited in 2018 due to the elimination of the parking lots on the west side. Trojan Fan Fest, including the Ralphs Ultimate Tailgate Experience (available with product purchases at Ralphs), will be in Christmas Tree Lane.Tailgate Guys offers turn-key, hassle-free tailgating packages in Christmas Tree Lane. For information, go to tailgateguys.com/home/usc.
Tailgating is allowed on the USC campus; large groups must reserve a spot. There also is the Trojan Family Game Day Experience in Alumni Park on campus. No tailgating is allowed in the USC Village. For campus tailgating information, go to gameday.usc.edu.
There no longer will be a pre-game tailgate event at the Galen Center.
The Coliseum Clubs, located near Gates 12, 19 and 33, feature upscale food, beer and wine service. All Coliseum Clubs are accessible once gates open except for Club 33, which opens 30 minutes prior to kick-off. Entrance for all Coliseum Clubs is reserved exclusively for Trojan Athletic Fund members with Cardinal & Gold, Women of Troy, Cardinal & Gold Premier, Committee and Scholarship memberships. Club 33, however, is open to Trojan Club members as well.
INGRESS/EGRESS INTO STADIUM AND SEATS
The Scholarship Tower under construction above Row 40 in Sections 4 to 9 on the Coliseum's south side and extending outside the Coliseum's south walls will necessitate modified pedestrian traffic flow into and out of the stadium, as well as alternate pathways to seats on the south side. Fans in seats in front of the construction zone should enter through tunnel 5 (for sections 5 to 7) or tunnel 9 (for sections 7 to 9).Due to the construction, there is no east-west access between tunnels 5 and 9 on the concourse level or outside the Coliseum's south walls on the street level.
There are 6 entry gates into the Coliseum in 2018. Tickets will include a suggested entry gate. Gates open two hours prior to kickoff. Fans sitting in Sections 1-2-3-33 should enter Gate 1, those in Sections 4-5-6-7 should use Gate 4, those in Sections 8-9-10-11-12 should enter Gate 8, those in Sections 13-14-15-16-17-18-19 should go through Gate 19, those in Sections 20-21-22-23-24 should use Gate 23 and fans in Sections 25-26-27-28-29 should enter Gate 28.
Trojan Athletic Fund members attending pre-game parties should enter at the gate instructed on their invitation. All TAF members with a TAF or Club 33 logo on their ticket also will have access to a dedicated gate at the peristyle end of the Coliseum, entering through Club 33 (it opens 30 minutes prior to kickoff).
Fans are encouraged to enter the stadium early. All fans will go through metal detector screening. A "clear bag" policy is enforced; for information, go to lacoliseum.com/beclear. Smoking and smoking implements are prohibited inside the Coliseum.
Pre-installed cushions for seat backs and bottoms can be ordered at order.seatbacks.com/trojanseats.
OTHER NEW FEATURES
In addition to the new seats and wider rows on the south side of the Coliseum, viewing terraces have been added in the northeast (for USC students) and southeast (for Trojan Athletic Fund members) corners of the Coliseum for the 2018 season.A temporary press box has been installed at the base of the construction zone, above the new seats. The press box is accessible via tunnel 5. Media will call for USC games will be at Gate 29 in 2018. Media parking in 2018 at USC games will be in the Flower Street Structure (corner of Figueroa St. and Exposition Blvd.), with a post-game shuttle available.
COLISEUM RENOVATION BY THE NUMBERS
August 2018| Total Yardage of Concrete | 12,514 cubic yards poured |
| Precast Concrete | 210 pieces |
| Tons of Rebar | 1,740 tons (3,480,000 pounds) |
| Tons of Structural Steel | 2,131 tons, 3,264 individual pieces/members |
| Cubic Yardage of Dirt Exported | 46,000 cubic yards |
| Number of Trucks That Exported Demo Material | 700 truckloads, 12,600 tons |
| How Many Seats Removed | 11,958 seats |
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