In 2013, Texas A&M approved a renovation plan that made Kyle Field, the site for Texas A&M’s home football games, the fourth largest stadium in the NCAA. The stadium was expanded to seat 102,733 people, making it the largest stadium in the SEC. I had the chance to attend the first two Aggie home games against Ball State and Nevada and in this case, bigger means better.

The renovations have succeeded in making Kyle Field arguably the most beautiful stadium in the NCAA. With the expanded capacity, Kyle Field was made into a bowl-shaped stadium. This makes the stadium looks like a traditional SEC stadium, but a lot nicer. With the bowl-shaped stadium, the sound echoes in the stadium and makes the crowd sound even louder. This should give Texas A&M one of the greatest home-field advantages in football.

Gigantic lights were added to the top of the stadium, which are not blinding, but as bright as they need to be to illuminate the stadium for night games. The renovations also moved the stands closer to the sidelines which makes the people in the first deck feel like they are closer to the game.

The exterior was not the only feature to be improved in the renovations. The interior has improved as well. The concession stands and restrooms are much cleaner than they were before. The food in the concession stands has been improved as they sell tastier food such as Double Dave’s Pizza Rolls, chicken tenders, Slovacek sausages and brisket sandwiches.

Although for the most part the renovations were positive, I have one complaint on the stadium’s interior.

One issue with the new stadium is that the lines for snacks and the restrooms are very long. The concession stands were understaffed as it took about 30 minutes to get to the front of the snack line. Although they allow fans to watch the game on large televisions, it is nothing like watching the real game and is frustrating to not be watching it in person for standing in line for ages. The interior would be much improved with a larger workforce.

All-in-all, the renovations made to Kyle Field were positive as the stadium is much nicer, aesthetically pleasing and louder. If there is a way you could score tickets to a game, I would advise it.