Lillian VestThe University of Rhode Island (URI) is moving forward with a renovation of Meade Stadium along with several other projects seeking to enhance the institution’s athletic facilities.
The projects will be supported through a combination of state and local funding, including $65.8 million from the state’s 2024 budget and from the Rhode Island Capital Plan.
Of the appropriated funds, $42 million will fund the Meade Stadium renovation, with designs having recently been completed. Construction for the 18-month stadium project is set to start once the 2025 football season is over. The university raised an additional $20 million to help fund the athletic facilities projects.
The renovation will demolish and replace the east stands. The new stands will include 5,000 seats and 800 seats with comfortable chair backs.
The stadium currently has five sections of metal bleachers and does not include chair backs. The new stands will include nine sections, including three in the middle, with 10 different entrances within the stands.
The university also plans to create a press box that would enable URI to facilitate partnerships with various sports streaming services. It will feature a control room for the scoreboard and a production room equipped for Football Championship Subdivision level game production.
The press box will create a dedicated broadcasting booth with streaming bays along with other dedicated spaces, including rooms for coaches and radio broadcast teams as well as a spot for instant replay operators and officials.
In addition to the box, URI plans to add an elevator from the box to the ground floor, two bathrooms and roof access for the use of team film and broadcast cameras.
During construction, the URI football team and women’s lacrosse team will need to find another location to hold practices and games for the 2026 football and lacrosse season, according to university officials.
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