With a hopeful football season on the horizon the Lion Athletics is modernizing Strawberry Stadium to enhance the game day experience for fans. A new video board has been installed to offer game watchers a different view of the field with better video quality and more big opportunities.

“It will do instant replay and have live play action,” said Damon Sunde, Assistant Sports Information Director. “While the game is going on, you’ll be able to watch the video board. If for some reason you’re in one of the portals and can’t quite see the field, you’ll be able to see it on the video board.”

According to Andrew M. Bechac, senior associate athletics director, the $230,000 video display unit is being funded through corporate sponsors and private donations.

“The new Daktronics video display with LED lighting includes a software package allowing projection of instant replays, still shots, and pre-recorded video,” said Bechac. “The board measures approximately 14 by 25 feet and will include new game clocks and space for permanent advertisers.”

In addition, the sound system in Strawberry Stadium is receiving updates to accompany the new display board. 

“The new video board is going to allow us to do pretty much anything we want,” said Andrew Hickman, coordinator of student marketing and promotions with the Athletics Department. “We’ll be able to have instant replay, a live starting line-up, commercials and all the cool things that you see on big league games; we’ll have the ability to do that. It’s really limitless, and there’s a lot of opportunities to do a lot of really cool things.”

In preparation to replace the old scoreboard, Strawberry Stadium had to receive a partial face-lift.

“They’re having to do drilling. They are having to build new supports for it,” said Sunde. “They had to go a little deeper than for the last scoreboard, so in the last week and a half they’ve torn up a section of the turf and drilled new footings and cemented those, that way when the inevitable hurricane comes it won’t fall.”

Sunde said that the new video board has outstanding capabilities for the future.

“If we can get a cable into the room that it’s in, then we can basically play TV on the board,” said Sunde. “It’s basically a high definition television.”

Southeastern staff, students and fans can all look forward to this marked improvement to Strawberry Stadium and should be able to see it in action at the first home football game on Thursday, August 29 at 7 p.m. versus Southeast Missouri.

“Everybody’s excited about it,” said Hickman. “I know the football staff is really excited about it. It adds another aspect to the football game. Football is starting to do really well, so this is just going to help to add that extra wow factor at the games and hopefully help bring more people to the stadium.”