The U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the US, is set to undergo a $1.3m (€1.1m/£996,700) upgrade just 12 months after opening its doors to the public.
The venue, which is serving as the new home of NFL American football franchise the Minnesota Vikings, officially opened on July 22 last year and has hosted a full Vikings season as well as a number of other major events.
However, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), the company that owns the venue, has now approved plans for further work to take place.
According to the Star Tribune, upgrades will include installation of a women’s locker room, an expanded kitchen in the Hyundai Club facility and additional cooling in the video production area. Work will be funded by the MSFA’s $5m annual capital improvement fund.
The kitchen expansion will be the most expensive part of the project, with the improvements set to cost $532,000. The Hyundai Club, which sits on the north side of the stadium, is the largest facility of its kind at the venue.
The new cooling in the video production area will set the MSFA back around $442,000, while the women’s locker room is something that is “overdue” at the venue, according to MSFA executive director Rick Evans.
The timescale for the work has not been confirmed, but Letser Bagley, executive vice-president of the Vikings, has said that he hopes the project will be finished in time for the start of the new NFL season.
The Vikings face the San Francisco 49ers in a pre-season game at the U.S. Bank Stadium on August 27, ahead of the team’s first regular-season game against the New Orleans Saints on September 11.
Image: Darb02
