Venue
There are factors that i do not grade the game on, they do not control the weather, they did not control the bad officiating, however they have 1 big screen for replays, they had zero port-a-potty outside the venue, no where to purchase merchandise inside the venue and basically ran out of food at halftime.
We purchased tickets for our entire family as a surprise Christmas present. Nine of us caravanned from middle Georgia to Birmingham. The stadium was easy to get to. Parking was not horrible, just had to walk ¼ of a mile, but at least it was a straight shot. We weren't thrilled that the stadium had very little coverage to get out of the rain during the rain delay. They announced where to go, but it was confusing. I think there was a basement? Not sure. Even the concession area was uncovered, which we thought was strange. As for the game itself, the referee calls were terrible. Even Sports Illustrated commented on it. Seems to me that if these refs are getting paid big bucks to officiate a high profile game, they should be alert and honest.
We came as a family of 6. We were going to grab a bite to eat at one of the local establishments by the stadium. With the weather being rainy and windy they were all very crowded and that’s totally understandable so we tucked under an awning and for the most part stayed dry. At about 1:50 we walked into the stadium and found our seats. We had seats in section 118 and had 2 concession stands right behind us. My wife, mil and our girls asked for something to eat since we didn’t get a chance to eat. We proceeded to go to both of the concession stands and the wait was really long but hey that’s ok lots of people were trying to get food. Here’s where it gets bad when I got up to the counter and asked for a cheeseburger the young man behind the counter said we don’t have any so I said I need 6 hotdogs and he replied we don’t have any so I said we will take 2 chicken tender baskets and a pretzel and he said it’ll be at least 15 minutes and I asked very politely are you serious and he said yes. My girls were very hungry so I said I’ll wait so I got a Coke Zero a sprite a water and 2 chicken tender baskets and it was $55! Missed almost the whole first quarter due to waiting still no biggie. So right before the start of the 4th quarter I walked up to the concession stand to grab a couple of cokes and guess what they were all closed. So in a nutshell i wouldn’t waste my time going back to progressive stadium. I hope this review finds the right person and they can do better for others next time!
No clear indication when tickets went on sale which team had which side. Parking although close by was awful, the red garage should post that no full size quad cab long bed pickups should be parking there, it was very tight to make most turns to and from the roof. The food was terrible, Dog, pretzels, and pop corn were stale and not expectedly warm or hot. the seats were great, field in awesome condition, Jumbotron worked great, bathrooms were good.
All went well. Parking shuttles to game access went smooth. Weather was dicey but that's how memories are made.
Georgia Tech fans are the whiniest bunch of losers in the planet. They complained about everything even when the replays showed the call was correct. Pathetic people and a terrible school. Glad to see them get beat! They deserve the loss.
Had to wait in long lines to get in, there were like 2 gates open on each end of the stadium, missed half the first quarter. Went to concessions first thing and they were either out of product or didn’t have any prepared. Left before the game was over and had to wait in long line to get out due to two gates being open. The venue and its workers were just not ready for a crowd. It felt like a high school experience.
Even with multiple gates to enter, there was a lack of event staff at the main gate to organize crowd and encourage people to utilize the other gates. Venue is nice
Despite the rainy weather, had a good experience at the Birmingham Bowl. The stadium, the new home of UAB, was nice. Good location adjacent to restaurants and hotels. Had cushioned, backed seats on the 46-yard line which were very comfortable. It was a little slow getting through the security checkpoint so glad we started early. There was a weather delay in the 4th Quarter which was annoying but handled well by the stadium management. Best of all, Vandy won! Go ‘Dores!
Protective Stadium and the Uptown Birmingham neighborhood is great for an event like the Birmingham Bowl. Communication regarding ticketing and parking was great. The only downside was the lack of food options in the neighborhood prior to the gates opening at the stadium. Birmingham Bowl people encouraged visitors to visit the local establishments before the game, and rightfully so. However, restaurants became overwhelmed with guests hours before the gates opened. At 11:30 AM restaurants were quoting 3 hour wait times to get a seat. There were simply not enough restaurants to accommodate the number of guests for an event like this. My immediate suggestion, food trucks and vendor carts. The restaurants may not like the idea, but the only business they would lose is what they are already turning away. Look at an event space like Fenway Park. There can be a ball game at Fenway and a concert at MGM happening at the same time and there are plenty of ways to get food for everyone. I know Birmingham isn't Boston, but if they utilized some of the open space around the stadium for food trucks and food vendors, they could improve the experience for those attending events like the Birmingham Bowl.