MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The game day experience for West Virginia football fans is about to be enhanced for the 2024 season.
Milan Puskar Stadium, which has been open since 1980, has installed brand-new, state-of-the-art LED lights that will be able to sync up with the stadium’s scoreboards and produce lightshows with an array of different colors.
Noah Smith, the assistant athletic director for marketing at WVU, says fans will see a difference.
“The fans are really going to notice a difference in clarity and brightness,” Smith said on MetroNews “Talkline” Tuesday. “These LED lights are the premium in terms of lighting compared to what we had previously.”
The premium lighting system did come at a hefty price, as the replacement of the old lights, the new upgrades, and the control systems totaled over $1.4 million, but WVU Athletic Director Wren Baker said in a statement that the old lights, “had pretty much come to the end of their usage life.”
Smith says the new lighting system will allow fans to enjoy lightshows throughout key parts of the game that will make the home-field advantage better than it already is.
“Fans can expect a lot of different really cool shows that they can see at kickoff, in team entrance videos, at really big moments throughout the game that are key pieces,” Smith said. “This is really going to help enhance the home field advantage of Milan Puskar Stadium.”
In addition, Smith says the lights being synchronized with the jumbotron will put the new upgrade over the top.
“I think what’s really going to bring it over the top is a lot of the light synchronization with music and different videos that we’ll be able to run at different points throughout the game.”
Smith says that while the lights will be on for every game regardless of time, the late afternoon and night games will be the best for the full experience.
“For the full effect you’re going to see, it’s going to be primarily night games,” Smith said. “Those late afternoon to night games is where you’re going to be able to see more of the effect.”
Smith says these lights are so good, that watching them from home on the TV just isn’t good enough.
“You’re not going to be able to experience this at home,” Smith said. “It’s one of those types of deals where you’re going to want to be in the stadium to see it. You’re going to want to buy tickets. You’re going to want to come see the Mountaineers and see what these lights have to offer and what kind of atmosphere it can help create.”