Kyle Field

My visit to Kyle Field was highly anticipated but another extremely last minute decision. As someone who is still getting acclimated to Texas culture, you hear a lot about the Aggies and Longhorns. With me being from Alabama, I am accustom to these debates with Alabama and Auburn ruling the football discussions there. There are a lot of places that you see on television but don’t have a true understanding of what it looks and feels like. This stadium ended up being one of those places because television is very deceptive in regards to Kyle Field.

This stadium is the home of the Texas A&M University Aggie football team and over 100,000 rowdy football fans. It is positioned right in the heart of the College Station campus and within eyesight of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library.

Here are my thoughts on Kyle Field.

Pros

When people say size matters, Texas A&M nods in agreement. Kyle Field is by far one of the largest football venues in the country and they don’t hide the fact that they know it. The walk-up to the stadium is unassuming because you don’t really get a feel for how large it is until you’re on the inside. The fans were one of the biggest things that stood out to me upon walking into the stadium. They were very accommodating and welcoming as they tried to share their traditions with me. I’ll admit, they have a lot of chants and I remember none of the words but it was fun to pretend that I knew them for a night.

The tradition is something that caught my attention inside the stadium. There were several illustrations of history on display. From previous coaches to greats of the program. This was something that I liked as they tried to drive in the 12th Man slogan. The cadets were also an added surprise inside the stadium. Watching on television, you only see the cadets in the stands but what they don’t show is that their entire marching band is USMC cadets. This was definitely a first for me but something I must admit I found very impressive.

The ticket pricing is in line with other college games that I have attended. Like all sports, the prices depend on the opponent so choose your match-up wisely. The concession prices are very reasonable and helps you enjoy being on a college campus again. It is extremely possible to get full for less than $20 which is something that you can’t say at a professional game. On campus parking is free so that is also something that you cannot ignore. As we all know, parking is something that you have to factor into your overall gameday costs but with free options everywhere you don’t have to worry. The digital scoreboards all around the stadium and the seemingly unlimited amount of concession areas also help make the environment.

Cons

I couldn’t find any negatives that were substantial enough to note. If I had to search for something I would have to say the amount of individuals tailgating was low. That can be due to several reasons that are easy to explain. The game attended was not a conference game and it fell on the heels of their appearance on ESPN College Gameday. There was an expected letdown because of that factor but nothing to write home about. The near sellout crowd more than made up for the low number of individuals tailgating outside of the stadium.

Overall Game Day Experience

I would give Kyle Field a 10 out of 10. It’s a very large stadium that provides every fan a great view of the action. The ticket pricing, parking and concessions are all reasonable and adequate for any type of family football trip. The fans are very lively and the marching cadets add something you won’t find many places at halftime.

If you ever find yourself visiting Texas from September to November and land within a couple hours of College Station take some time out and make a trip over to Kyle Field to take in the sights and sounds on a Saturday.