When Austin FC’s 2024 season begins just four (4) days from today it will have been exactly 140 days since our last home game at Q2 Stadium. So as we impatiently await our home opener on Saturday, February 24 at 7:30pm, I want to provide a few additional layers of detail that you might not find anywhere else regarding various improvements to the matchday experience at Q2 Stadium.
OPENING OF MCKALLA STATION RAIL STOP / FREE RIDE ON FEBRUARY 24
Perhaps the most noticeable physical addition to matchday experience in ‘24 will be CapMetro’s McKalla Station which is slated to open on Saturday, February 24. The new station is directly on Q2 Stadium property which will be game-changing for public transit users. The commissioning of the McKalla Station represents the successful implementation of a master transit plan that was mapped-out in 2018, and further reinforces Q2 Stadium’s world-class reputation for fan-friendly amenities. We are extraordinarily grateful to our partners at CapMetro, Austin Transit Partnership, and City of Austin for helping transform our neighborhood through our private-public partnership.
And to celebrate the opening of the new McKalla Station, rail commuters will enjoy fare-free rides courtesy of Q2 Stadium when traveling to (and from) the opener on Saturday February 24.
UNLOCKING A NEW PATHWAY TO THE EAST: NEW PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AT MCKALLA STATION
MetroRail Commuters will not be the only ones who enjoy the positive impact of the highly anticipated McKalla Station. The McKalla Station infrastructure has also produced a new and extraordinarily valuable resource: a pedestrian crossing which directly connects Q2 Stadium to the area just east of the tracks by virtue of a brand-new walking path. A conveniently located pedestrian track-crossing has not previously existed, and as a result this new pedestrian crossing creates significant efficiencies for guests who have been (or want to begin) parking and walking from points East of Q2 Stadium as it increases the accessibility of various parking locations with drastically reduced walk times.
RIDESHARE IMPROVEMENT: NEW PICKUP + DROPOFF LOCATION
One more important transportation update: Rideshare services (such as Uber + Lyft) will now be routed to a new rideshare location just east of the McKalla Station tracks on Delta Drive which will be about 100 feet from Q2 Stadium property. This rideshare refresh applies to prematch drop-offs as well as post-match pickups and rideshare users will also have a very short walk to the stadium as a result of the new pedestrian crossing.
NEW FOOD
We are very pleased to announce that Black’s BBQ joins Q2 Stadium’s amazing lineup of local Austin restaurants operating within the stadium. Black’s will be serving BBQ brisket sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, and tortilla-wrapped Smoked Sausages from the BBQ stand/smoker located in the container bars in La Barra (SE corner, immediately adjacent to the Supporter Section).
And while we won’t list all the new (and returning) options here, I would like to call-out a few additional items that will be new in ‘24: Shwarma Point’s Beef & Lamb Gyro, empanadas from Little Patagonia, One Taco’s Specialty Taco of the Match, and a Specialty Pizza of the Month available at both DoubleDave’s Pizza locations.
EXPANSION OF VALUE MENU SERVICE
We’ve featured value menu offerings for popular items such as beer, soda, water, and kid’s meals since the stadium opened in ‘21, and I just want to emphasize that once again we’ll feature a $6.99 12oz domestic beer option, a 12oz $7.99 premium beer option, a $2.99 12oz soda, and a $2.99 12oz bottled water. We also continue to offer kid’s meals (hot dog, chips & small soda or water) for $6.49. These value menu items are available at Munchies at section 103 and Eastside Eats at section 127-128 and remain priced the same as they were in ’23.
Furthermore, we are increasing the number of locations serving value items in ’24. In addition to Munchies and Eastside Eats, we are adding a $6.99 12oz domestic beer option and 12oz $7.99 premium beer option to DoubleDave’s Pizza at section 123.
ADDITIONAL “JUST WALK OUT” CONCESSION STAND (OPENING IN APRIL)
Q2 Stadium became the first soccer specific stadium in the world to introduce “Just Walk Out” technology when it was added to the ATX MRKT ahead of the ’23 season. Given the high-usage and favorable speed-of-service increases that were experienced in the ATX MRKT due to the investment in the technology, we’ll be introducing our second “Just Walk Out” location in ‘24. The new “Just Walk Out” location will be built along the wall that resides between Captain Morgan Club and Pluckers on the East concourse, and we expect construction to begin in March with completion in mid-April. The various portable cart concepts that currently reside along that East wall will either be relocated or brought within the newly constructed stand when construction is completed in April.
ADDITIONAL MOTHER’S ROOM
We continue to strive to ensure that our guests have access to resources which address various needs that might arise during a visit to Q2 Stadium. With that in mind, I’m happy to share that we’ve added another Mother’s Room behind section 125. This newest Mother’s Room, compliments of St. David’s Healthcare, will be located next to our Sensory Room (the room dedicated to assisting fans who experience sensory sensitivities or challenges with sensory regulation) and joins the first Mother’s Room which is outside of Section 103.
PARKING NETWORK
For fans looking to access Q2 Stadium using a personal vehicle, we’ve updated the process to acquire single match or season-long parking passes for spaces located at/near Q2 Stadium. Our new parking network will be hosted on SeatGeek which represents an increase in the customer experience in terms of viewing, purchasing, transferring, or reselling parking passes.
Importantly: we will be selling both individual match and season-long parking passes (including pro-rated season-long passes if you purchase after the 2/24 match). We do plan to bring additional parking inventory online into the new network across the coming weeks, so I would encourage users to periodically visit the new site as your event grows near to explore any new lots that may have been added.
The new parking network hosted on SeatGeek can be found here for single match purchases and here for season-long purchases:
MLS RULE CHANGES
From time-to-time, the League will introduce new rules that impact players and fans. Sometimes the updates are highly noticeable, such as the introduction of VAR in 2017 or increasing the number of subs from three to five in 2021. However, I don’t recall a season where there have been as many interesting and substantive rule changes like the package of updates being introduced in ’24. I think you’ll agree that some of these rule changes have high potential to enhance both on-field competition as well as fan experience. I’m personally excited about these four specific rule changes:
Off-Field Treatment Rule: If a player with a suspected injury remains on the ground for more than 15 seconds, the referee will stop play and wave the medical crew onto the field to evaluate the player. When safe, the player will be removed from the field and remain off the field for a minimum of two minutes for further assessment and treatment. There are some exceptions including potential head injuries and other serious medical issues or serious fouls resulting in yellow or red cards. This new rule application was first implemented at the MLS NEXT Pro level in ’22 and continued throughout ’23 in the NEXT Pro division.
Timed Substitution Rule: Once a player substitution is announced by the fourth official, the substituted player will have 10 seconds to exit the playing surface through any part of the field (doesn’t have to be in front of the team benches). If the player being subbed-off does not exit within the 10 second period, the incoming player must wait for a mandatory 60 second holding period before entering at the next stoppage. This rule was also successfully implemented and tested at the MLS NEXT Pro level in 2023, and the results were staggering: 99.7% of the 3200+ substitutions were completed in 10 seconds or less.
Stoppage Time Clock: One of the most common questions we receive from fans is why we freeze the clock at 45:00 and 90:00 on our in-stadium scoreboard. Up until now, it always felt unsatisfying to deliver the factual answer: it wasn’t allowed by the rules of the game. But we are now able to deliver good news: the rule has changed, and the stadium scoreboard clock will sequentially continue past 45:00 in the first half and 90:00 in the second half if the officials determine there should be added time in any given half. For example, if the officials determine there should be a minimum of three minutes of added time at the end of the second half, the scoreboard clock will count upwardly from 90:00 to 93:00 (and potentially beyond at the referee’s discretion) until the final whistle is eventually blown.
VAR Announcements: If VAR is used to make a decision, the referee will eventually announce the decision to the crowd (and to the broadcast audience) once a decision is made.
I’ll add that Austin FC was one of the teams that advocated for the implementation of Goal Line Technology ahead of the ’24 season. I’m personally hopeful that GLT will gain traction one day soon, and I foresee our Club continuing to be a voice in favor of adding GLT.
2024 JERSEY SET
As will be the case each season, Austin FC welcomed one new jersey concept in ‘24 while simultaneously saying goodbye to another. It was great to see so many of you come out and celebrate the launch and unique story of the Armadillo Kit last Thursday, when we officially unveiled the kit at ACL Live.
Austin FC’s newest addition to the jersey collection draws cultural inspiration from the iconic Armadillo World Headquarters music venue which helped Austin become the “Live Music Capital of the World” during the venue’s heyday in the 1970s. More than a music venue, AWHQ was a place where Austin’s ethos was born.
Revered from local bars all the way to the pages of Rolling Stone, the ‘Dillo was responsible for the emergence of the music scene in Austin. At the ‘Dillo, the ‘all ways welcome’ mentality that makes Austin a bastion of creativity and community was cultivated. The new kit also draws fashion inspiration from the raglan t-shirt designs that were popularized in the 1970s.
As we welcome our new Armadillo Kit which features a new tone of Verde that has not previously been seen within Austin FC lore, we will retire the mint colored “Sentimiento” kit which arrived ahead of the ’22 season. The Sentimiento kit will hold a special place in the history of the Club as its arrival signaled an intent to introduce new tones of Verde within our ongoing jersey collection.
The ‘24 jersey set will feature alongside the dark-colored/vertical-striped “Las Voces” kit introduced in ’23 paired alongside the light-colored Armadillo Kit.
Based on early feedback and sales, the Armadillo Kit is trending to be extremely popular, and I would expect the Armadillo Kit design to make its regular season debut on February 24 vs. Minnesota.
VERDE STORE ON CONGRESS
We are extremely fortunate to operate a beautiful, highly trafficked, and highly functional 5,000 sq ft. flagship retail store at Q2 Stadium. Our downtown location at 5th and Congress was originally planned to be a 1-year program that was viewed as an extended pop-up store for the inaugural 2021 season. I can now share that our pop-up store – which lasted 3+ years – will naturally conclude on Sunday, March 17. We’re very grateful to the building owners who were extraordinarily flexible and cooperative during our tenure by allowing us to stay for much longer than planned.
In 2020 we invested in the Verde Van, our mobile retail unit, which we debuted as we launched the inaugural “Uniform for Austin” jersey. The Verde Van will assume a more active schedule around town, as originally designed, once we sunset the Congress location on March 17th.
Fun fact: We bought the Verde Van from an Austin FC fan named Paul Oakenfold.
50/50 TICKET SALES NOW AVAILABLE DIGITALLY
4ATX Foundation, the non-profit arm of Austin FC, has operated a 50/50 raffle during Austin FC matches since our inaugural season. Starting in '24, fans will be able to purchase tickets from the comfort of their seats as the foundation introduces a digital 50/50 ticket purchase option accessible from the Austin FC/Q2 Stadium mobile app. Mobile 50/50 raffle ticket sales will be geo-fenced within Q2 Stadium gates only and will require a one-time age verification.
MATCH EXPERIENCE
In a short time, Q2 Stadium has quickly become one of the best, most compelling and vibrant stadiums to watch professional sports not only in the state of Texas, but across the entire North American professional sports landscape. To ensure that we continue to provide our fans with the best possible experience, several updates are being made to our matchday presentation. These new features will be rolled out during our home opener on Saturday versus Minnesota United.
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To conclude, there’s a lot to be on the lookout for when you visit Q2 Stadium in ’24. Our fans are the lifeblood of our Club, and we can’t wait to see and hear you all again on Saturday.
Thank you very much for your support,
Andy Loughnane
President
Austin FC