The year-long effort to expand seating in Albertsons Stadium’s North End Zone has transformed into a completed multi-purpose space designed to benefit fans, students and athletes year-round.
What started as a plan to fix structural issues and add premium seating quickly grew into a broader investment for Boise State’s athletic department. Built comparable to the Stueckle Sky Center, the facility is designed to host game-day fans, campus events, create student job opportunities and provide resources for student-athletes.
Nathan Burk, chief operating officer for Boise State’s Sports & Entertainment Group, said the space is already being used for events beyond sports.
“It’s available to everybody… Campus events have a significant discount from public rates and we host a lot of the fraternities and sororities,” Burk said. “It’s comparable to any other rentable space on campus.”
The North End Zone Concourse
With 12 field-level suites, 44 loge boxes, 148 ledge seats and 882 club seats, premium fans can experience game-days differently.
Just beside the student section, the concourse will be accessible to all fans throughout the stadium, with more than 100 new points of sale for food, drink, and merchandise, according to Burk.
As Boise State football’s popularity increases, Burk said affordable options remain a priority, with the stadium offering standing-room tickets for sold-out games at a low price.
“Some of them have really great views,” Burk said, “for 15 to 20 dollars, it’s hard to beat … it feels like a center-field view … hang out and catch part of the game.”
Field-Level Club
Prior to kickoff, players have the unique opportunity to enter the field through the North End Zone.
As fans create a human tunnel in the club, players will walk from their locker room through a hallway filled with smoke and blue and orange lights. A roll-up door reveals the team in front of a neon white LED “Broncos” sign, where players will run between the crowds before stepping onto the blue.
After showcasing the experience to the football team, the long-term project was met with excitement and satisfaction. From enhanced fan experiences to details such as foggy etched windows representing Idaho mountain ranges, the North End Zone was designed to create a sense of community.
Burk said the experience was meant to connect student-athletes and fans.
“We represent much more than just athletics at Boise State,” Burk said. “We represent a community, an area, a state and we wanted that reflected in the design.”
North End Zone ticket holders will have the opportunity to experience dining in the field-level club which is designed with wood and stone to represent a McCall lodge.
Aside from gamedays, the lounge will be used to benefit student-athletes through post-practice team meals.
After three years playing for Boise State, senior offensive lineman Carson Rasmussen expressed his gratitude towards the project.
“The North End Zone has been great,” Rasmussen said in a fall camp press conference. “We’re really blessed to get this new end zone and it’s going to be really cool for the games this year.”
Fueling Station
The fueling station gives the nutrition department a proper workspace while providing student-athletes the resources they need to stay active and properly nourished.
Assistant Athletic Director of Performance Nutrition at Boise State, Sam Wade, said that providing student-athletes a central hub for nutritional support is necessary for success.
“They are students first… They have really high expectations to not only compete in the classroom, but then also on the field,” Wade said. “This is a way to help them succeed in all aspects of being a student-athlete.”
Recruiting Lounge
Aside from event use, the recruiting lounge serves two main purposes: providing a game day space for recruits, and bridging the gap between fans and players through providing space for game day media coverage.
Inside, a monochrome mural showcasing running back Ashton Jeanty on top of a packed stadium wraps the room.
After the game, the room shifts and an oversized LED screen and surrounding studio lights become a press conference backdrop for players and coaches.
Foothills Club
Exclusive to North End Zone ticket-holders, this concourse-level space overlooks the field through floor-to-ceiling windows wrapping three sides. A long bar on the fourth side keeps fans stocked with drinks throughout the game.
The athletic department announced in mid-August that First Federal Bank will sponsor the space, with branding featured on the room’s exterior. Murals highlighting historical moments in Boise State football history wrap the outside.
The North End Zone has already hosted Banana Ball and student-athlete meals, but fans get their first taste of the 360-degree concourse on Sept. 12 when Boise State opens its home slate against Memphis.
