Old Dominion University Undergoes Massive Overhaul of S.B. Ballard Stadium The $67.5 million project wrapped up just before the first home game By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor
Thursday, September 19, 2019 - 1:21 pm
Print This Story
Story Highlights
With years of planning, fundraising, and construction in the rearview mirror, the Old Dominion Monarchs have finally opened the doors to their new football kingdom. Formerly known as Foreman Field, Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium underwent a $67.5 million revamp that pushed the seat total to 22,480, the west side of the structure to a 94 ft., and the crown jewel, erected a privately funded video board in the corner of the north end zone.
We also added ribbon boards on both East and West sides [of the stadium] that we didn't have before as well as on top of our suite building in the end zone, says Tina Price, associate athletic director, Old Dominion. We were down to the wire, but we took an 18-month construction project and turned it over in nine months.
Old Dominion received private funding to establish the 31 ft. by 51.5 ft. video board.
Controlling Video in Kornblau: Daktronics Takes the Lead on LED Installation
The 31 ft. by 51.5 ft. monolith with 10mm line spacing (a similar structure being used by the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium) will allow the video production team to project functions that used to not be possible. When the demolition of the old Foreman Field started on Nov. 19, 2018, Old Dominion gave a call to Daktronics to install the structure that runs more efficiently and is much bigger than what used to live inside the stadium
The old board had a lot of static signs, so we ripped all that down and replaced it with all LEDs, says Dwayne Smith, assistant director, classroom and learning space technologies, Old Dominion. [The relationship with Daktronics] has been wonderful. We couldn't have done [this project] without them.
As for the previously mentioned ribbon boards, two ribbon boards will run as long as 300 ft. and the one on top of the building will be 125-ft. long. All three ribbon boards will be 3.5-ft. high and have a 15HD pixel layout. With a mix of the main video board and these different ribbon boards, the philosophy of how they use video has started to change.
We can be more flexible with our graphics, our design, and what we put out there. The big thing we were trying to focus on is giving our fans that same experience they get at home when they watch a game. From our perspective, we have the opportunity to provide fans with a live game environment that they are more accustomed to. [For example], our replays are sharper, we can pull the score out when we're doing some really big sponsorship messaging, and we can put out-of-town scores on the board says Smith. [The setup] makes [our production] more versatile and what we do on the board can grow with ODU and the [overarching] style of the industry.
Do It While You Can: Venue Project Ushers in Full-Campus Connectivity
Eighteen athletic teams are put through their paces throughout the 251-acre campus in six other sporting venues (Bud Metheny Baseball Complex, Soccer Complex, Chartway Arena at The Ted Constant Convocation Center, Folkes-Stevens Tennis Center, Swimming and Diving Facility, and L.R. Hill Sports Complex). With multiple construction cranes, lifts, and bulldozers galore, the timing seemed right to complete a burdensome but necessary task for the sake of capturing the accomplishments of every student-athlete.
We established a video connection back to our central control room in the Jim Jarrett Athletic Administration Building, says Price. That was a big new part of our program that was really important. It was really the final piece in bringing all of our athletic venues [together] for video streaming.
Along with the video board, ODU installed new field turf and 2,362 more seats.
Back in the athletic administration building, the gameday staff on the university-side runs about 12 to 15 individuals deep to produce the gameday video board show in S.B. Ballard Stadium. The control room can become a bit packed, as the ESPN team of six people controlling the live stream utilize the same cameras that power the big screen.
For Price and Paul Briggs, director of video services, Old Dominion, the production team is relying on a NewTek TriCaster TC1 production system as the anchor. Also from NewTek, the 3Play 4800 is running point for instant replay and in-show highlights. Scoreboard animations, as well as player headshots, are being created via Adobe Premiere Pro 2019 and After Effects.
Forging the Next 10 Years and Beyond of ODU Football
Unlike many Division I teams, Old Dominion is still living in its infancy. After a move to the FCS in 2011, they joined the FBS' Conference USA in 2014. Last season, the Monarchs took a bludgeon to the college football Top 25 rankings after an upset victory over then-No. 13 Virginia Tech at home. Coupled with their new domain, the institution is poised for success as it continues to grow as a program.
We've only had football for 10 years here at Old Dominion, concludes Price. This video board takes [our operations] to the next level and to the top of our conference as one of the best facilities.
Old Dominion hosts East Carolina University in their second game at the new Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium next week on Saturday, September 28 at 6 p.m. ET.
North America Stories
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
12/11/2026
Disney, ESPN and the NBA will present Dunk the Halls, the third real-time animated NBA game using Sony's Beyond Sports data visualization technology, on Chr...
12/11/2026
Van Wagner has launched Van Wagner RELAY, a digital platform for official athlet...
12/11/2026
Deal brings together two of the industry's most established graphics brands and significantly expands Vizrt's footprint in U.S. sports and regional broa...
12/11/2026
Euro TV Production GmbH of Austria has upgraded its outside broadcast vehicle with Lawo technology. The mc 36 Classic console in service since 2019 was replaced...
12/11/2026
Tagboard has launched Spark Resize, an AI-assisted tool now in beta that takes an existing graphic and produces a new version for a different aspect ratio or sc...
12/11/2026
Ben Winston, Glenn Weiss, and FIFA's Jenni-Lee Van Gelder headlined a day fo...
12/11/2026
Free interactive platform visualizes team tendencies, formations, and schemes, updated weekly...
12/11/2026
Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer Charlie Jablonski's broadcasting career is...
12/11/2026
Gracenote's 2026 State of Play report signals a rising retention risk: More ...
Old Dominion University Undergoes Massive Overhaul of S.B. Ballard Stadium The $67.5 million project wrapped up just before the first home game By Kristian Hernandez, Associate Editor 
