An Improved Gameday Experience Awaits Seminoles Fans As 2025-26 Season Begins

Diversified seating, structural improvements and new technology integration among renovation highlights

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As the Florida State Seminoles open the 2025-26 football season on Saturday, Aug. 30, fans will be welcomed to a new Doak Campbell Stadium experience, the result of a $256 million renovation.

The transformation began three years ago with Populous and Seminole Boosters, Inc., to expand and upgrade several areas throughout the stadium, including a diversification of seating on the stadium’s west side and in the south end zone that now includes loge boxes, Founders Suites and more. In renovated spaces throughout the west and south sides of the stadium, fans can now enjoy mesh chairback seating for enhanced comfort in any weather.

Improvements to the west concourse’s structural system allow greater flexibility for fan movement, including expanded restrooms and better concessions placement and queuing.

The new West Sideline Club is another renovation highlight, putting fans at field level on the 50-yard line for a more authentic game day experience that also includes access to premium food and beverage offerings and restrooms, as well as climate-controlled club spaces fitted with operable glass walls to blur the line between indoor and outdoor areas.

No matter where fans go in the stadium, they’ll feel the effects of the transformation as a result of the project’s primary goal: a better experience for all Seminoles fans.

“We are thankful to our fans, university leadership, the Board of Trustees, Seminole Boosters, and our entire Athletics Department staff for their unwavering commitment to modernize college football’s best fan experience at Doak Campbell Stadium,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford. “We asked our fans for their guidance and direction on what was needed beyond our own observations. That input really directed our efforts and made us very intentional about the enhancements. The work of our partners at Populous enabled us to create an incredible transformation of one of college football’s iconic stadiums. The folks at Manhattan Construction, Culpepper Construction and Nations Group are simply best in class — and they’ve proven that on this project. They were handed a very complex task and they’ve simply excelled at it.”

The stadium renovation project team — including FSU; Seminole Boosters, Inc.; Populous; owner’s representative Nations Group; and Manhattan Culpepper joint venture — not only prioritized the fan experience to guide the stadium design, but also ensured that experience remains rooted in FSU’s celebrated legacy and beloved game day traditions.

“The transformation of Doak Campbell Stadium upgrades game day with modern amenities and a variety of seating options while also offering the vibrant atmosphere and experience that is uniquely FSU to their dedicated fans,” said Denver Finlinson, Populous senior architect and principal.

“Nations Group is proud to have played a leadership role in the Doak Campbell Stadium project,” said Chris Nations, President. “This is a transformational project that will greatly enhance the game day experience for Seminole fans and ultimately serve as a model for other collegiate stadium projects across the country.”

“Our Manhattan Culpepper team is proud to have delivered on our ‘building excellence’ promise with the redevelopment of Doak Campbell Stadium,” said Robert Hogan, Project Director for the Manhattan Culpepper team. “We are excited for Florida State fans to experience the new, beautiful suites, expanded concourses, and unique club areas built with them in mind.”

About Florida State Athletics
Representing a top-10 public university, Florida State is among the nation’s elite athletic departments as it supports more than 500 student-athletes across 21 intercollegiate sports. Florida State has won 19 national championships and has claimed 148 conference titles since joining the ACC in 1991-92. The Seminoles have placed in the top-20 of the Learfield Director’s Cup standings in 17 of the last 19 years, showcasing the comprehensive success of Florida State Athletics, and are consistently among the country’s best in student-athlete academic performance. For more information, visit http://seminoles.com.

About Seminole Boosters, Inc.
Seminole Boosters, Inc. is the Direct Support Organization for Florida State Athletics. Through the financial support of its 16,000 members, Seminole Boosters annually contributes more than $100 million to capital projects and the athletics department’s operating budget. Visit http://boosters.fsu.edu for more information.

 About Populous
Populous is a global design firm that began with a singular focus — to draw people together around the things they love, through experiences that capture all the senses and amplify the pure emotion shared in human moments. Over the last 40 years, the firm has designed more than 3,500 projects worth over $60 billion across emerging and established markets. Populous’ comprehensive services include architecture, interior design, event planning and overlay, branded environments, wayfinding, and graphics, planning and urban design, landscape architecture, aviation and transport design, hospitality and sustainable design consulting. Populous has over 1,500 employees in 31 global offices on four continents with regional centers in Kansas City, London and Brisbane. For more information, visit www.populous.com. 

About Nations Group
Nations Group is a leader in owners’ representation for athletic capital facility projects that uses the power of collaboration combined with depth of experience and industry/market knowledge to assist partners in all aspects of facility projects. With a focus on collegiate, professional and municipal projects, Nations Group uses a two-phase approach comprised of services tailored to meet the needs of its partners, creating a clear path forward for their projects. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nations Group has been in the owners’ representative space since 2008. For more information, visit www.nationsgroup.com.

About Manhattan Culpepper, a joint venture
Manhattan Culpepper is a partnership between Manhattan Construction Company and Culpepper Construction, formed to deliver transformative projects at Florida State University—including the renovation of Doak Campbell Stadium. Combining Manhattan’s national expertise in technically complex sports facilities with Culpepper’s long-standing legacy of craftsmanship at FSU, their work reflects a shared commitment to innovation, quality, and fan-focused excellence—elevating the game day experience and honoring the spirit of the Florida State Seminoles. For more information, visit www.manhattanconstruction.com and www.culpepperconstruction.com.