Aug. 31, 2010
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By Joe Hornstein
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With only days remaining until the season-opening kick-off, please check out the listing below for some exciting changes to game day as well as some important reminders to help make your gameday experience memorable.
GAME INFORMATION
UCF vs. South Dakota, presented by Holler-Classic Automotive Group
Saturday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m.
Bright House Networks Stadium
? Gates open 4:30 p.m. (or 90 minutes prior to kickoff)
? Gold Zone parking lots north of Gemini Boulevard open at 8 a.m. (E lots surrounding stadium, Baseball, Softball and Garage F) with a no-alcohol restriction until 12 p.m.
? All other parking opens at 12 p.m.
BOOKMARK THIS WEBSITE: UCFGameday.com contains all important game day policies to help guide you once you arrive on campus, from parking and directions to listing prohibited items. You will want to also bookmark UCFAthletics.com, which contains everything you want to know about this year's football team!
BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS STADIUM TICKET OFFICE HOURS: This Saturday, the ticket office on the west side of the stadium will open at 9 a.m. The east side box office will open three hours prior to the game at 3 p.m. UCF Athletics will have representatives on-hand outside the west ticket window to manage any student ID card issues. For ticket information, please call the UCF Athletics Ticket Sales Office at (407) UCF-1000.
GREAT SEATS AVAILABLE: Tickets to the South Dakota game start at $25 in non-priority sections. Don't miss out on any game this season! Great seats can still be purchased from the UCF Athletics Ticket Sales staff or conveniently purchase online at UCFAthletics.com. This year, you can also purchase UCF tickets through your PDA!
GAMEDAY FAN HELP DESK: On game day, fans can continue to call 407-882-FANS (3267) with last-minute questions.
TEXT "41513" FOR YOUR IN-STADIUM SAFETY ISSUES: UCF Athletics administers a text-message based system that allows fans to communicate directly with the stadium's command post if assistance is needed in dealing with any special needs inside the stadium. The system will be in place beginning two hours prior to each game. Fans can simply text "41513" and type into the message the word "UCF," followed by a space, followed by a brief description of the issue and its location. Ushers, public safety personnel, first aid responders, or event staff will respond as needed.
SMOKEY BONES PRE-GAME TAILGATE SHOW AND ISP-UCF SPORTS FAN FAIRE: Beginning at 4 p.m., fans can make their way to IOA Plaza, right in front of Bright House Networks Stadium, to catch the pre-game radio broadcast live with Marc Daniels, Jerry O'Neill, Mike Gruttadauria and Scott Adams as they talk about the South Dakota game and welcome guests throughout the show.
South Dakota game Fan Faire participants:
? Free face-painting for the children, by undergraduate students from UCF's own DeVos Business Management Program
? Orlando Sentinel Fan Photo Booth
? E Tour & Travel
? Smokey Bones (will pass out discount cards)
? Holler-Classic Automotive Group (will pass out UCF-themed stickers)
? Bright House Networks (will have UCF-themed rally towels upon stadium exit)
? 5/3 Bank
? Outback Steakhouse (will pass out discount cards)
? E-Pass (will be located at Gate 14, and will have free transponder holders available)
FIRST 1,000 FANS CAN GET A UKNIGHT T-SHIRT: 1,000 UKNIGHT T-Shirts will be available for fans entering the stadium at gates 1-2 and 13-15. Make sure you pick up your 2010 UCF football schedule posters and cards, plus other sports marketing collateral, at the UCF Athletics Marketing Table located inside the main stadium entry between gates 1-4.
GOLDEN KNIGHTS CLUB PREGAME HOSPITALITY: The Golden Knights Club will host its pre-game hospitality event at the Black & Gold Club in the UCF Arena from 2:30-5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The event is open to GKC donors at the Noble level and above. Visit the GKC section at UCFAthletics.com for more information.
CENTERPLATE TO OFFER SEVERAL FOOD OPTIONS AT THE GAME: Highlighting this season's faire inside the stadium are the following vendors:
? The Everglades BBQ will be located at concession stands behind sections 108 and 127
? Dippin' Dots will have several locations throughout the stadium
? Corn Dogs will be available through Carol's Catering
? Papa D's Nuts and Sunrise Nuts will have a variety of snacks sold throughout the stadium
? Soft-serve ice cream products will be served on the west concourse
? There are 11 permanent concession stands located at Bright House Networks Stadium
? Stay in your seats, an increased level of vendors will be moving around the stands to cater to you
CATCH THE MARCHING KNIGHTS' PRE-GAME SHOW AND MORE: At approximately 5:45 p.m., UCF's oldest tradition will hit the field as Pegasus and its rider enter the stadium. To follow, the Marching Knights, under the direction of Donny Allen for the first time, will start their pre-game. Then turn your attention to the video board in the north end zone, where a new team intro video will play. Get ready for the energy of Zombie Nation's "Kernkraft 400", as eyes focus to the Knights football team readying to march onto the field led by UCF's heralded spirit squad. After the team takes the field will be the Bright House Networks Stadium debut of the new UCF anthem "Knightmare" by Orlando-based music group Remove Before Flight.
THE FARM BUREAU WEATHER REPORTER OF THE GAME: Florida Farm Bureau Insurance has teamed up with UCF Athletics for an exciting contest. This football season, Knights fans can register online at KnightsContest.com for the opportunity to be on the UCF ISP Sports Network as the Farm Bureau Weather Reporter of the Game. Fans can also click the Farm Bureau button at UCFAthletics.com to register for a chance to be live on the radio before a UCF football home game this fall. The winner will receive four game tickets and VIP hospitality passes, one VIP Gold Zone parking pass, a pre-game tour of the field and the opportunity to be the radio team's on-air game-day weather reporter. A new winner is chosen prior to each home game, so log onto KnightsContest.com and register today! No purchase is necessary, visit KnightsContest.com for more details.
THE FIFTH THIRD BANK COIN TOSS KID: You don't have to play for the Knights to get on the field before a UCF football game at Bright House Networks Stadium this fall. Parents can register their child (ages 6-13) for a chance to be an official Fifth Third Bank Coin Toss Kid a UCF Knights home game! One lucky kid will be chosen before each of the six home games to join the team captains and referee at midfield for the official coin flip. The winner chosen for each home game will receive recognition on the video board, four game tickets, four pre-game field passes, one parking pass and a gift courtesy of Fifth Third Bank. To register your kid for this contest, or to read the complete contest rules, visit UCFAthletics.com.
SATURDAY CLASSES: UCF will continue its policy of holding Saturday classes until noon on game days. Afternoon classes will be canceled, and classroom buildings will be locked at 12 p.m. Staff and faculty members with keys may access the buildings after 12 p.m. if they are conducting official business, and they are advised to make sure that doors remain locked after they enter or exit.
GETTING TO THE STADIUM: Traffic patterns before and after games are virtually the same as in 2009. Preferred routes for each of the three parking zones and campus road closures that occur on game days are listed at www.UCFGameday.com.
UCF will operate free shuttles for students to and from several nearby apartment complexes, from five hours prior to the start of the game until two hours after the game ends. The on-campus shuttle routes (Black and Gold routes) will not be operating on game days.
PARKING AND TOWING: Parking policies are virtually the same as they were in 2009. Parking is divided into three zones -- Gold, Red and Blue. The Gold Zone, closest to Bright House Networks Stadium, requires a reserved game day parking permit and is only for members of the Golden Knights Club, credentialed media, stadium operations personnel, patrons with disabilities and students with special permits.
Anyone parked in the Gold Zone who does not meet the above criteria will be towed as early as 5 a.m. on Saturday. The Gold Zone includes surface parking lots C 1-2, D 1-2 and E 1-8, as well as parking garages C, D and F. This does not apply to Towers residents who have reserved parking spaces in Garages E and G. They are allowed to remain in their reserved spaces. Parking also is prohibited on East Plaza Drive on game days.
Almost all parking in the Red Zone and Blue Zone is free and open to everyone on a first-come, first-served basis. Garage B, located across from the Recreation and Wellness Center, is reserved for official university business. Towing will be enforced beginning at 5 a.m. in Garage B.
Parking is not allowed along any campus roadways, in residential housing parking lots or garages, or on any open grassy areas throughout campus (except for designated E-lots).
PARK AND RIDE: Fans are invited to park at off-site parking lots conveniently located in the Research Park. Free UCF Shuttles will continuously transport passengers from the Orlando Tech Center in the Research Park to the on-campus Health & Public Affairs stop at Lot C1. Game day service will be available from 3 p.m. until two hours after game ends.
FANS WITH DISABILITIES: Parking for fans with disabilities is available on the first floor of Garage D across from the UCF Arena. Fans with valid handicapped parking permits are allowed to enter the Gold Zone via Libra Drive or North Orion Boulevard to access Garage D. A free shuttle for patrons with disabilities will be provided from Garage D to Bright House Networks Stadium (Gate 13) from 2 p.m. until two hours after the game ends. Fans with disabilities can park in other handicapped parking spaces on campus, but shuttles will be available only from Garage D.
ANIMAL POLICY: Animals, except for service animals, are not allowed on campus on game days. Anyone who brings an animal that is not a service animal will be asked to take it home. Click here for more information.
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE HEAT: Fans should drink plenty of water or sports drinks, and limit alcohol consumption, to ensure they are replacing essential fluids lost due to the heat. Fans also should consider wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 to 30 or higher, a hat and loose-fitting clothes. First-aid stations are located on the main course near gates 10 and 18 inside the stadium, and the American Red Cross will have two aid stations set up on Memory Mall. Click here for more information.
KNIGHTS PICKS UP: To keep the campus clean, a roving trash and recycling pick-up team called "Knights Pick Up" will travel around Memory Mall every few hours. We encourage fans to embrace the "Knights Pick Up" service and help recycling crews by regularly cleaning up their tailgating areas.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES: The SGA tailgate area on the south end of Memory Mall will open at noon and will include a DJ, a misting tent open to all fans and free food for students.
UCF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION PRE-GAME PARTY: Fans can "chill out and chow down" inside the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center from 3 to 5 p.m. Admission is free for fans with UCF Alumni membership cards and their guests. Fans can purchase food and enjoy a DJ, NCAA football games on big projection screens and a game room for kids. Visit www.ucfalumni.com for more information.
The Knights will play six contests at home in 2010, including games against the NC State Wolfpack, Southern Miss Golden Eagles, East Carolina Pirates, UAB Blazers and Rice Owls.
Season tickets for UCF's 2010 football campaign at Bright House Networks Stadium are currently available by calling the UCF Athletics Ticket Office at 407-UCF-1000 or logging on to UCFAthletics.com.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.