A newly proposed downtown location for football fans to gather on SEC game days, called Tiger Town, is in the works for next year.
The idea behind Tiger Town is to create a destination area for fans to support their university, whether it’s MU or an opposing school. It will include a blocked-off section of streets downtown, a Tiger Trail leading to the stadium, and also a possible alcohol-free family area with activities for children, said Bob Gerding, one of three businessmen who introduced the idea.
“(Tiger Town) is based on visits over the years to various other colleges on football weekends and a wish to create a similar venue/event for Columbia,” Gerding said in an email.
Several SEC schools have their own game day locales for fans, including The Grove at the University of Mississippi and The Quad at the University of Alabama.
“Tailgating on The Quad is crazy,” Alabama freshman Carson Frederick said. “It’s a tradition that adds to the fun of game day. Everyone’s friendly, and it really brings the whole community together.”
Alabama, like many other SEC schools, is notorious for having large celebrations on game days. Similarly, Tiger Town will provide a safe and enjoyable area for fans to hang out before, during and after games, and will provide an economic boost to the city, Gerding said.
“I think that this has the potential to be something that helps us make a great first impression on our new conference partners,” Athletic Department spokesman Chad Moller said.
The proposed location for Tiger Town contains the five to six blocks north of Elm Street, and the intersection of Elm and Eighth streets will serve as the start of the nine-block Tiger Trail to Faurot Field, according to a recent article in the Missourian.
Tiger Town is still in the early stages of the development. Its organizers have met with university and city officials in order to create a cohesive plan and address any issues that may arise.
“We do have hurdles such as open container laws,” Gerding said. “We are gathering information and input from stakeholders to determine a best course of action that is workable for all parties.”
One of Tiger Town’s main goals is to accommodate the influx of visitors that is expected to come to Columbia for games. The MU athletic department has been told to prepare for larger groups, and there will probably be about 6,000 stadium seats held for visiting teams, said Senior Associate Athletic Director Tim Hickman.
The executive committee, which includes Gerding, has formed a Tiger Town citizen task force to join the discussion and planning.
As the owner of three businesses in Columbia, Adam Dushoff said he joined the task force to help Tiger Town organizers understand that increasing traffic downtown will not necessarily make businesses any better off.
“The whole idea behind this is to try to figure out how we can integrate not only the university’s or the city’s needs, but the business owners of the district’s needs and try to make it a positive experience for everybody,” Dushoff said.
The Tiger Town proposal is not finalized and has not been officially presented to the city yet. In terms of a timeline, Dushoff said they are working hard to get a plan completed so that Tiger Town can be a new part of gameday festivities this fall.
“It’s great to see a group of leaders that have a passion for this community and the University of Missouri come together to help enhance the game and visiting fan experience,” Hickman said.