Georgia Tech Family,
It’s a great time to be a Yellow Jacket! I’d like to start out by wishing our nationally ranked men’s tennis, women’s tennis and golf teams the best of luck as they begin postseason play at this weekend’s ACC Championships. Please be sure to follow them throughout the postseason on social media and at RamblinWreck.com.
Next, we’d like to thank everyone that attended our White and Gold Game at Bobby Dodd Stadium! Your great turnout made a difference for the student-athletes and coaches on the field that have worked so hard this spring and, just as importantly, for the recruits that were in attendance or watched the television broadcast. We talk internally about being “recruit ready,” and a great turnout at Bobby Dodd Stadium, whether it’s for the spring game or the regular season this fall, goes a long way towards ensuring that we are ready to welcome premier potential student-athletes to The Flats.
Being “recruit ready” doesn’t just apply to rolling out the gold carpet for potential student-athletes. It also applies to recruiting people to join us as fans, as expanding our base of supporters is critical to everything that we hope to accomplish. One way that we feel that we can move the needle in expanding our fan base is to further enhance the football gameday experience on The Flats.
Recently, I shared with the GTAA’s Board of Trustees that we have begun developing a plan to utilize North Avenue as a “front porch” to Bobby Dodd Stadium – and the Georgia Tech campus – on football gamedays. This plan involves inviting fans to enjoy tailgating, music, family activities and more on and surrounding North Avenue.
The plan serves two purposes:
1) It allows us to take advantage of one of the most visible and vibrant areas of our campus and the city of Atlanta. People that see North Avenue on a gameday need to feel the energy of Tech football and want to be a part of it! The area is also surrounded by some of Georgia Tech’s most iconic locations, including the Tech Tower lawn, which allows us to merge the great traditions of our campus with the enhanced atmosphere that we plan to bring to the area surrounding Bobby Dodd Stadium on gamedays.
2) Many of our gameday traditions – including Wreckfest and Yellow Jacket Alley – are currently centered on or near Callaway Plaza on the north end of the stadium. Beginning in 2024, construction of the new Student-Athlete Performance Center will greatly impact our ability to continue to hold those events in those locations. By including those two great events in our plan for the North Avenue experience, we can get a jump on adjustments that we will need to make sooner than later.
We think that you’ll enjoy celebrating Tech football in such a lively location, and we’re confident that these plans will only add to the great gameday atmosphere across campus! Please be on the lookout for more information as details are finalized throughout this spring and summer.
Thank you for your support of Georgia Tech athletics! Go Jackets!
Sincerely,
J Batt
Director of Athletics
