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Family-friendly season opening party planned for Saturday, August 24
Some players get a first glimpse of what Kansas’ renovated football stadium will look like when it’s completed.
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An update for EA Sports College Football 25 on Thursday catapulted the team into the future – at least virtually.
The most noticeable difference from the stadium in the game is that it is surrounded by wheat-colored lights on three sides.
As for the games against Mizzou, as shown here, a continuation of the Border Showdown series is planned with games in 2025, 2026, 2031 and 2032, with the odd-numbered years’ games being played in Columbia, Missouri, and the even-numbered years’ games being played in Lawrence.
In the real world, however, only a few of the wheat-themed lights have been installed on the north side of the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Construction this year means the team’s games will be played in Kansas City, at Arrowhead or Sporting Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Park, but the first phase of construction is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2025 season.
The KU football team will host a season-opening celebration as part of the Downtown Lawrence Welcome Back Jayhawks Weekend, which will take place on Saturday, August 24th from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The family-friendly 2nd Annual Lawrence Kickoff Party will be held the same day from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Massachusetts Street in downtown Lawrence.
“Fans will have the opportunity to hear Kansas head coach Lance Leipold, athletic director Travis Goff and others perform on a main stage set up on the street at the south end of South Park,” a KU Athletics press release said about the event. “Kansas fans will also have the opportunity to purchase the latest KU merchandise at a Rally House pop-up shop.”
Admission to the event is free and will feature tailgating games, food trucks, bouncy castles, face painting, balloon artists and more, according to the press release.
The Jayhawks won a bowl game for the first time in 15 years last year and finished 9-4 on the season. Leipold signed a modified contract with KU in February that runs through April 2030.
The team’s first game of the season will be against the Lindenwood Lions on Thursday, August 29th at 7 p.m. at Children’s Mercy Park. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
For more information on the stadium project, check out the articles at this link. You can get a live overview of the ongoing construction on the KU Gateway District website at this link.
Here are some renderings and snapshots of the stadium and its construction over time:
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