Monmouth to renovate football stadium

West Long Branch, NJ – Monmouth University will begin a $5 million renovation project to its football stadium at the conclusion of the 2013 season.

The planned renovations to Kessler Field at Monmouth Stadium were funded privately and approved by the borough of West Long Branch recently, the university announced Monday.

Monmouth will build a four-story building behind the Monmouth Stadium stands, which is home to the Hawks' football, men's and women's lacrosse teams and men's and women's outdoor track and field teams.

The building will house indoor restrooms and concession stands on the first floor. While plans for the second floor have not been finalized, the floor will be utilized to improve the student-athlete experience.

The third floor will house a press box, scoreboard operations, radio booths, camera and streaming video operations and coaching booths. The fourth floor will feature camera wells, a broadcast booth and other multi-purpose space.

"This is a great first step, and a much-needed upgrade to our football facility at Monmouth University," football coach Kevin Callahan said. "The building will enhance fan experience as well as provide more resources for the football program and our players. I am looking forward to the start of construction after the 2013 season."

Monmouth, which joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this summer in most sports, will play football as an FCS independent this season and join the Big South Conference for the 2014 season.