A brief look at the past, present and future of this ever-changing section.

BY: Pietro Marino ’23, MEd ’27

One of the first things I did when I joined the WMSportsBlog was a deep dive into all the great past articles written by Davey, Kyle and the rest of the crew. 10 years is a lot of time to be covering all things Tribe Athletics, so I wanted to get a feel for what had already been written, and some topics that could be further explored. 

I eventually stumbled upon this Zable Stadium Renovation piece from 2016, which explored, as you might have guessed, progress on the $22 million project that began in 2014. Little did I know that the picture shown at the start of the article would lead me down one incredibly niche rabbit hole, even by WMSportsBlog standards.

“Notice anything different?” the writer asks. The obvious answer at the time was the new Smith-McGlothlin Grandstand, but my eyes were fixated on one (technically two things): the end zone bleachers.

For us younger alumni, the south end zone has been a rotating assortment of Taverns, Terraces, and now Clubs. The north end zone has been somewhat of an enigma. Sure, that is the place where the Colonial Cosplayers celebrate after a Tribe touchdown and where one can get kettle corn, but it is, for all intents and purposes, a lot of empty space too.

That brings us back to the bleachers. Since as early as 1948, Cary / Zable Field has had some form of end zone seating. Pre-Zable renovation, the bleachers were a fan-favorite for a number of reasons. The bleachers offered the best proximity to the field to the greatest number of people possible since the track makes all permanent stands farther away from the action.

South end zone bleachers circa 2010.

Those that regularly sat in the sections attested to a more lively crowd and atmosphere, something that modern Zable can struggle with at times (for a myriad of reasons). There were also mini tents above the north end zone for private parties, for a more elevated viewing experience. All in all, it’s not hard to see why those sections were so popular, which brings us back to the Zable Renovation.

North end zone bleachers circa 2010.

Now I wasn’t a student nor alumni during the Zable Renovation, but from what I gathered, there was quite a vocal group of season ticket holders and Tribe Club members that saw the potential writing on the wall for their beloved section, and lobbied hard to the powers that be to keep the end zone seating. 

I don’t know much about the back and forth, although in the Original Q&A for the project (the link to it no longer works), the temporary stands were listed as not being affected by the renovations. 

Unfortunately for the end-zone fanatics, quite a few things were going against them at this point.

1. The crown jewel of the Zable renovation project was the Smith-McGlothin Grandstand. An entire new upper deck, private suites, an up-to-date press box, modern restrooms and concessions. You can easily make the argument that it makes no sense to keep temporary seating in a stadium that was renovating their permanent seating.
2. The costs and nuisances associated with having temporary seating in a shared facility. Let’s not forget that track and field also uses Zable and I’m sure that the bleachers caused some friction there.
3. Last but certainly not least, the average attendance and existing capacity of Zable hardly necessitated the need for extra seating. 

Ultimately, it was probably a combination of all three, plus some other considerations not listed, that led to the quiet removal of the sections in 2018.

But the story doesn’t end there, as the removal of the bleachers that year coincided with the announcement of the Tribe Tavern. 

Having the end-zone seats in the background is making me feel some time of way… 

Again, not a student nor an alumni during this time (my freshman year was fall 2019), so I can only explain what was in the press release here, but the Tribe Tavern was essentially Athletics first foray into the beer garden space. Before fans could purchase alcohol at concession areas in Zable, they would have to utilize this space in the south end zone. I can see why Tavern was chosen as the name, as evidenced by this giant tent utilized for it.

From the press release alone, however, I can see why this specific concept only lasted a year: it was incredibly confusing. 

Here’s how it apparently worked:

“Fans may purchase up to four (4) Tribe Tavern passes per account, as each pass will allow the purchase of up to three (3) beverages per game.

Tribe Tavern season passes are available for $75 each. Passes allow entry into the beer garden but do not include the cost of beverages.”

Based on that blurb, buying a Tavern pass was neither your ticket to the game nor did it actually pay for any alcohol, rather it granted you the privilege to buy alcohol in the beer garden. 

I guess this was appealing to a more middle-aged, empty-nester crowd, because as you might expect, no one under the age of 21 was allowed in the section (guess the kiddos are staying home!). Looking at the few pictures I could find of this space, I can confidently say that future versions of the section would do a better job utilizing the end zone space.

Not allowing kids into the section probably alienated too many potential customers, because the following season the Tavern was retired and replaced with the Tailgate Terrace.

Per the original press release: “Located behind the south end zone of Zable Stadium, the Tailgate Terrace will be a family-friendly experience with spectacular views of the field and no charge for admission.  Once in the Pavilion, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a variety of food and beverage options.”

Now we have finally caught up to a time where I was a student and was able to experience one of these sections for myself, and I gotta say, I loved the Tailgate Terrace.

The beauty of the Terrace was that it was free-to-enter and ala carte style for drinks, which kept things simple and straightforward. At the time, there was a natural draw to the section since it was the only area where one could purchase and consume alcohol, and honestly what better place to do so than on the ground level with a great view of the action?

I honestly felt like this was the unofficial “Senior Section” at Zable since only upperclassmen and grad students were able to get with 21+ bands. It was accessible, yet still exclusive. 

But perhaps the most important part (and the one that unfortunately made the least amount of sense from a revenue standpoint) was that it was free. If you were already sufficiently buzzed prior to entering Zable, it was quite easy to not feel inclined to purchase any alcohol, thereby making your stay at the Terrace free of charge.

This was no doubt an inflection point from a revenue aspect, but also in some cases a crowd-control consideration. I don’t know what the magic number was for the RMC Event people that worked this area, but there was an official capacity number that the Terrace hit pretty regularly during the 2023 season. Trying to get in during homecoming? Forget about it.

All the supply of a very high demand product (beer) only available in a small area that’s free-to-enter? Econ 101 would tell us this shouldn’t have been a surprising outcome. 

From the Athletics viewpoint, money was clearly being left on the table, and there absolutely needed to be some sort of cost associated with entering this seemingly premium area.

That brings us to the current day dilemma of the Touchdown Club.

Without rehashing too much of my earlier review of the TD Club, the Tailgate Terrace was retooled into the Touchdown Club beginning this season. It is now a ticketed space, meaning that only people who have purchased a TD Club ticket ($60 per game or $300 for the season) prior to the game can enter. 

The main selling point here is that there’s a buffet and a variety of different viewing options when watching the game. Like I said in my review, the physical space itself is wonderful, but the food leaves a lot to be desired, and the section (even during homecoming) is essentially dead from a crowd perspective.

I’ve been to the Club for three out of the four Tribe home games so far this season, and the attendance has been pretty underwhelming for each one. I really thought homecoming would be the game where it would be standing-room only and packed to the brim, but it was hardly the case. My guess as to why the TD Club hasn’t been nearly as successful as the Tailgate Terrace attendance wise comes down to two things: the cost of a ticket and the ability to buy alcohol outside of the section now.

The current “Club” model seems to be the future for sports across the board, as basketball has retired the Precarious Pavilion this year in favor the “Basketball Baseline Club.” Like Zable, Kaplan Arena has expanded alcohol concessions beginning this season, which is cited as a reason for the change: “With the additional sale of alcohol throughout Kaplan Arena, Tribe Athletics presents the Baseline Club…The Club features elevated seating, high-top tables, TVs, featured food, and beverages (both non-alcoholic and alcoholic).”

It’s been nearly a decade since the completion of Zable’s renovation, and we’ve seen multiple iterations and experiences in the space where the old bleachers used to be. It’s clear that end zone bleachers aren’t coming back to these spaces, but the current usage of the space just does not seem to be as popular as past concepts either. It could very be that the people that would be in this section are now just sitting in the stands with a drink in their hands.

To me, the answer in injecting some more life into the end zone is by combining certain aspects of the TD Club and Tailgate Terrace. Keep the buffet for the private sections and allow a cheaper entry option for the main middle section of the Club. I still believe a discounted senior pass for students would be well-received, especially since it taps into a revenue stream that otherwise would not exist. I think a $20 or $25 add-on for access to the section (without food) for anyone in Zable would be a more competitive price point.

I’ve always longed for W&M to have a little more of a tailgate / social culture around football amongst its students than it currently does, and I feel like there’s a golden opportunity to do so through the end zone section. The beauty of these gameday experiences is that you don’t have to be a huge football (or sports fan in general), to have a good time at a beer garden with friends.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see if any modifications are made to the end zone sections after this season. Looking back, it’s honestly impressive how many different versions there have been in a relatively short amount of time. It’s clear that Athletics is still trying to find the end zone section’s identity and hook in a post-bleacher world.

What are your thoughts on the different gameday experiences at Zable? Any particular versions that you liked more than another? What would you like to see added in the future?

Thanks again for reading and as always, Go Tribe!