Elevating the Notre Dame Stadium Environment

How some quick fixes and long-term consistency can raise the ceiling and floor for Notre Dame fans experience on game days

The crowd is buzzing. Notre Dame is dominating Indiana, up 20-3 with the ball in Hoosier territory. Despite the cold the crowd has been loud all game, standing for its entirety. Gold towels are everywhere, waving through snow flurries.

The band plays the 1812 overture, and the lights go out. Everyone is waiting on something memorable for the first ever home College Football Playoff game. What kind of hype video or light show have they cooked up over the last four weeks? Just five days before Christmas, could we get a holiday surprise? A celebrity appearance like DJ Kool’s appearance at the FSU game, but bigger?

It is…a pika¹ with a photoshopped Irish hat on doing a Freddie Mercury call and response bit, then the stadium DJ playing Seven Nation Army. What a missed opportunity.

Notre Dame’s atmosphere is solid. It can easily get better.

At this point, the ND stadium atmosphere is a topic that’s been beaten to death in fan debates and across message board. But if you filter out the hot takes, I think there’s a growing consensus that for the marquee games² it’s been very loud and strong.

For lesser opponents there’s a lower ceiling and the crowd can definitely get sucked into some lulls of energy when the Irish aren’t performing to expectation. But there’s a lot of good to work with - no video ads, the band doing its thing, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish Media putting out strong video content all year.

So let’s take an optimistic view and look at where things can go from good to great. There’s some easy low-hanging fruit, as well as long-term moves that Notre Dame can take to elevate the in-stadium gameday experience. But first, let’s take a few things off the table.

Out of Scope:

• Ticket policies / crowd demographics: These are what they are. Complaining about the “wine and cheese” crowd isn’t productive, so let’s assume they’re still attending and think about what may get them to make some noise. On a related note, the recent efforts to prevent away team invasions seem to be working well (fingers crossed - let’s check in after A&M).

• The schedule: Yes, the stadium atmosphere is very different for a night game against USC versus a day-game against a service academy. Let’s focus on improvements that will make for a better environment regardless of opponent, team quality, and game time.

• Ushers / “Down in Front” Complaints: These feel more like an ongoing myth than present reality. I’m sure some of these stories still take place in isolated parts of the stadium, but both anecdotally and from Notre Dame’s own efforts (remember the staND campaign?) I don’t think the yellow hats are a real concern.

Easy Wins: Fix the Sound System, Sell Booze

Invest In a Better Audio Experience

Irish Sports Daily’s Matt Freeman has been all over this since the stadium renovation. The unbalanced audio experience with the majority of the powerful speakers embedded in the south end zone video board means it’s incredibly loud on one end and more quiet / echoey in other places.

The quieter part of the stadium - mostly toward the north end zone - also can hardly hear the band at certain angles. Boost up the band volume, balance the audio, and we’re instantly in a better place. And how could you easily fund the upgrades?

Stop holding out and allow in-stadium alcohol sales

Notre Dame is now in the firm minority when it comes to alcohol sales at football games. 80%+ of major college football programs sell alcohol in their stadiums, with no real signs of negative impact (increases in alcohol-related hospitalizations, reported fan incidents, etc.).

No one expected the Irish to be first jumping on this trend, but it’s time to join the club. It can help move fans from tailgate lots into the stadium earlier, increase concession revenues, and lead to happier / slightly louder ND fans in seats.

Embrace green as the fan color for all home games

The “Irish Wear Green” campaigns have worked despite what I’d classify as lukewarm campaigns making fans aware and excited for these games. Green-outs play well both live and on TV, helping mitigate the appearance of opponent fans taking over (definitely a threat this coming season from A&M and maybe sneakily Boise State?). Wearing green while the team wears blue most games shouldn’t be an obstacle - Penn State wears their traditional blue jerseys during their infamous fan white-outs.

Yes, this is not the optimal strategy for Under Armour, or sales of The Shirt, or the bookstore. But let’s be realistic - Notre Dame fans are going to buy cool apparel of all kinds of colors for the other 356 days a year. They have money and will buy more green apparel if they know the drill. The fireworks are green, rally towels should be green, the neon lights in the home tunnel are green. Go all-in and don’t look back.

Next Steps: Choose Your Traditions & Stick with Them

SEC Lessons in Storytelling & Repetition

Let’s contrast the Notre Dame Stadium experience with another cathedral of college football. Last fall I went to a night game at Neyland Stadium to watch Tennessee take on Kentucky. The Vols and their media team do a lot of things really well - from build-up on social media leading up to the game (where UT wore black jerseys) to the stadium experience itself.

Tennessee knows what its hits are and they go back to them constantly. It’s “Rocky Top” and “V-O-L-S / Go Vols Go” over and over - because they work. That doesn’t mean they are immune to the stadium DJ working in Mo Bamba, or that ever choice is a home run (their adaptation of Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” into “Third Down for What” as an outsider feels past its shelf life). But there is an impossible to define ratio of gold standard chants / band performances / DJ staples and risks that were well placed throughout an uncomfortably tight game. The experience at Kyle Field was similarly strong, although the transition out of Aggie Yells sometimes lends to awkward energy lulls.

The Vols also excelled at creating energy and a story around the experience - leaning into the idea that Neyland is a loud and spooky place in the Smokies and making the stadium almost a main character in the lead-up to the game. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that works - messaging pre-game about how incredible and loud the environment will be, attracting people that are on the fence that want to be a part of it, and then activating them with investments in the stadium experience.

It’s a steady drumbeat. Early in the week, an incredible video hyping up the alternate jerseys. As game day approaches, hype videos leaning into the night game environment. By the time the lights go out before the game, crowd energy and anticipation is peaking. Shoot off a million orange fireworks, play a strong intro video, light up the UT marching band, and you’ve pulled through the experience as much as you can with the stadium operations.

vol_sports

A post shared by @vol_sports

Compare this to Notre Dame and Under Armour’s efforts where often an alternate uniform color scheme is often posted hours before gametime with virtually no fanfare. The Friday hype videos have been terrific, but are one-and-done. It doesn’t have to be constant for every game, but flood the zone with good stuff! You aren’t going to turn fans off putting out lots of cool stuff, especially in bite-sized clips.

Ok, but what should Notre Dame take from this?

To be clear, this isn’t a copy and paste solution. Notre Dame doesn’t have to win the arms race of light shows or fireworks displays (although as with facilities, NIL, and many other categories, they need to stay very competitive). You can’t force-fit or manufacture traditions that don’t authentically resonate with students and fans. Leave strobe lights and “Sandstorm” to South Carolina.

But there’s several realistic areas of improvement beyond investing in the build-up to games:

1. Double down on things that work, and stay consistent

   The in-stadium experience today suffers from constant change. Beyond “Here Come the Irish” into “Shipping Up to Boston” before kickoff - something that notably works because it hasn’t changed in years - everything is in flux. There are a million third down songs from DMX to Mo Bamba³ to Crazy Train and music from Dune. And there’s some fairly consistent choices that are bad and fans have no idea why they exist (Vengaboys after third down stops MUST GO).
   
   Before 4th quarters, you might get DJ Kool, or “All of the Lights” for a night game, or “Living on Prayer”. Pick something so that people can embrace it and get excited for it and anticipate it! These decisions aren’t forever and can emerge naturally, but they can’t change week to week.
   
   Florida’s “I Won’t Back Down” as a 4th quarter anthem only started in 2017 but is now a beloved fixture. Tennessee (apologies for too many Vols references) changed this year from “Friends in Low Places” to a Morgan Wallen song that prominently features UT references in the lyrics with footage from his concert at Neyland. Tennessee media told everyone the change was coming, put lyrics on the video board, and now that’s the thing everyone can expect.
   
   Notre Dame has to double down on the things that feel uniquely Irish and keep them consistent. Sprinkle in some new things, sure, but get rid of what doesn’t work, especially songs that don’t energize the crowd at the expense of more opportunities for the band.

2. Lean into the mythology of Notre Dame Stadium

   It’s a cathedral of college football with unparalleled tradition - this shouldn’t be that difficult! This is where the storytelling comes in - connect the stories of today’s players to legends of the past. Play moments where the Irish crowd absolutely lost their minds or drew penalties for making too much noise. If there’s opponent-specific history to draw on, even better. Recent video content focuses so much on the current player highlights it misses the ties to history or building up the atmosphere for big games.
   
   This doesn’t mean scouring the black-and-white archives either. When Texas A&M visits in September, put together a package heavy on last year’s gritty win in College Station. Make Marcel Reed watch a montage of Notre Dame’s defense putting Caleb Williams and DJ Uiagalelei in hell during night games in South Bend. Bring back Riley Leonard and put him on the field.
   
   A highlight of the Indiana CFP game was a montage of incredible moments from ND players in attendance, transitioning from highlights to those past stars on the field with Jerome Bettis pumping up the crowd. That spirit is spot on, it just needs to be fine-tuned (just let the crowd cheer for all these guys! The video board didn’t even identify all the players on the field).
   
   There’s just so much rich, untapped territory here. There can’t be so much history and lore around the program that Rudy gets made as a movie but it gets glossed over and can’t get infused into the stadium experience. Make Notre Dame Stadium and its history a main character in the storytelling and experience of each game.

3. Create an active audience (steal some Irish songs + chants)

   The stadium experience suffers the most when the crowd is turned into passive participants. The DJ plays songs, video content doesn’t add to the energy or transitions badly back to the game, and the band’s selections don’t get the crowd (beyond students) doing anything. For as great as the Victory March is, the attempts at just clapping in rhythm (with no lyrics on the video board) sometimes exacerbates this lethargic feeling.
   
   There has to be a balance over the game and every stoppage of crowd participation. “We Are … N-D” chants work! Let the band play “Mr. Brightside” and “The Wild Rover” with people singing along. There’s an over-reliance on the DJ to carry things (and student section / band to pick up the slack in the rare pauses).
   
   Radical idea time - let’s shamelessly steal some more ideas from Ireland. The times where the stadium production leans into Notre Dame’s Irish roots seem universally successful. Let’s take some traditions that will create stadium engagement, uniquely fit with ND, and give them a go.

   Imagine nearly 80,000 fans doing “Stand Up for the Boys in Green”? It’s quick, but the contrast from everyone getting quiet and sitting down to standing up and shouting would be incredible. The chaotic potential for the extra “shoes off” section as things keep going just adds to the appeal.

   
   That’s just one example of several Notre Dame should try (start with the band / students, it’s incredibly easy to learn, people will want to be part of it). It can work! The Vikings shamelessly stole their ‘Skol’ chant from Iceland’s run at the UEFA Euro Cup in 2016 - now it’s their main thing. The key here is both to take some chances that fit while keeping an eye out for organic traditions that may pop up on campus from other sources or sports.

Let’s make this happen

The 2025 home schedule is terrific. I’d bet on night games for the home opener (Texas A&M) and USC in their traditional October spot. Purdue ideally is a fun romp after an incredible 2-0 start against Miami and the Aggies, or it could again function as a “get-right” stomping. Either way should be enjoyable.

Boise State is an amazing contrast of new blood vs old tradition between two of last year’s CFP quarterfinalists. NC State is frisky for a non-marquee ACC opponent, and slots into a peak fall weather window. I won’t try to sell you on Navy in early November, but recent Senior Days have been celebratory romps over mismatched ACC foes, and Syracuse looks poised to continue that tradition.

The slate is the best in recent memory, without a clear stinker (unless you hate the troops). It’s the perfect time to continue investing in the stadium experience and making Notre Dame Stadium a better place to watch a game and louder atmosphere for opponents.

1. Apparently that’s what this rodent is - not a squirrel or groundhog. I’ve done this research in the hopes of not seeing this video in a meaningful game again, cute as the animal may be.

2. Night games, big-name opponents, highly rated - think ‘18 Michigan, ‘22 Clemson, ‘23 Ohio State, the IU game this year.

3. The kids love Mo Bamba, I get it. But its broken free from containment. Every stadium DJ in college football now uses it like a crowd noise easy button. Find your own things!