BATON ROUGE – With the start of the 2011 campaign now less than one week away, members of the LSU soccer team will break from their preseason training schedule on Saturday afternoon to participate in this year’s Fan Day festivities beginning at 3 p.m. CDT at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Fans will have an opportunity to meet this year’s team on the main floor of the PMAC from 3-4 p.m. with players and coaches signing autographs before the football team takes its turn at Fan Day from 4-6 p.m. Posters and schedule cards will be available to all fans in attendance.
After taking part in Fan Day on Saturday afternoon, the Tigers will return to the practice field Sunday and will hold three more training sessions before kicking off the 2011 season at Memphis on Aug. 19.
“This will be a great opportunity for fans to stop by on Fan Day and spend some time with the team as we are now less than a week before the start of the season,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “Our fans are tremendous, and we’re all appreciative of the support they’ve always shown us. We could not have the championship-caliber program we have today without their support. We want to invite our wonderful fans to come out and spend some time with us tomorrow afternoon.”
Fans will also have the opportunity to “Geaux Free!” to each of the team’s nine home matches this fall, as admission is now free at the LSU Soccer Stadium, compliments of The Advocate.
LSU is set to open its brand new LSU Soccer Stadium on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7:30 p.m. CDT as the Oregon Ducks come to town in a highly-anticipated non-conference clash. It’s a match that comes just one week after the No. 4-ranked Tigers kick off the 2011 college football season against No. 3-ranked Oregon in the Cowboys Classic to be held Saturday, Sept. 3, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Following the 2011 home opener against Oregon, fans are invited to stick around and enjoy the festivities, as an impressive fireworks display is planned to usher in a new era at the LSU Soccer Stadium.
Fans are sure to enjoy home soccer matches like never before as the LSU Soccer Stadium received a total facelift during the offseason with the building of additional seating, new lighting, a brand new concession stand and new restrooms to give the Tigers one of the finest facilities in the SEC.
By adding a second level of bleacher seating to the existing structure, the official capacity of the new-look LSU Soccer Complex will increases to 2,197, which will easily accommodate a fanbase that has helped to create one of the more intimidating home-field advantages in the SEC.
In addition, new entry gates have been built on the west side of the LSU Soccer Stadium featuring brand new brick columns throughout. New gating has also been installed across the top of the bleachers.
Fans attending future matches at the LSU Soccer Stadium will benefit from the addition of the permanent concession stand located directly below the press box. The facility will also feature two new restrooms for a total of four as men’s and women’s facilities will be located at both ends of the stadium.
“This is a new season in so many ways for LSU Soccer,” said head coach Brian Lee. “We’re all excited of the opportunity to open up our brand new stadium and invite our wonderful fans to come out and enjoy an experience like they never have before. They have an opportunity themselves to see some of the very best teams in the country right here this fall for absolutely free. That’s a deal you just can’t beat.”