General | 9/2/2026 2:58:00 PM
September 2, 2026-The east side stands of Emporia State University's Francis G. Welch Stadium have been shut down to fans effective immediately.
"During a continuing evaluation of our athletic facilities, we identified some structural deficiencies on the east side of Welch Stadium that, for the safety of our fans, could no longer be delayed," said Emporia State Director of Athletics Steve Rodecap.
Due to this change, Emporia State will provide several accommodations to support the temporary reduction in seating. Portable bleachers with a capacity of 700 will be added for students in the north end zone area, in addition to an adjacent VIP tent that can accommodate up to 75 fans.
Over the past 28 months, Welch Stadium hosted 11 Emporia State football games, eight Emporia High School football games, seven regular season Emporia State track & field meets, six Kansas State High School Activities Association state championship football games, two NCAA Division II National Track & Field Championships, two Kansas Shrine Bowls for football and an MIAA Track & Field Championship meet. These improvements help support the future viability of the facility for maintaining this type of usage.
The west side of Welch Stadium was renovated following the 2023 season with new seating, handrails and steps.
Entry Arrangements
The visitors section of Welch Stadium will be relocated to Section Q in the far south end of the west stands. The main recommended visitor parking lots will be along Merchant Street, just west of Cremer Hall and Science Hall, as well as the large lots between Market and Highland Streets on the east side of campus.
Paid game day parking on Morse Drive on the west side of Welch Stadium remains available for Emporia State fans.
Designated entrances to Welch Stadium include:
The Live at the Hive tailgating section remains at the normal location north of Visser Hall.
Additional portable restroom trailers will be brought on-site at the south end of Welch Stadium to help eliminate lengthy wait times. The available permanent restrooms are located in the northwest corner.
Capacity Logistics
For football games, capacity at Welch Stadium for this season will be 4,419. This number accounts for the temporary reduction in seating on the east side, the temporary areas in the north end zone and standing room only availability. Over the last five seasons, the Hornets have averaged 4,533 fans per football game.
There are fewer than 400 reserved seats available for purchase as of Wednesday afternoon, September 2. Season and single-game tickets are available at esuhornets.com under the tickets tab.
With the reduced capacity and change in ticket window locations, Emporia State's athletic department highly recommends that fans purchase tickets in advance.
