New Belgium Brewing commits $4.3M for patio naming rights at CSU football stadium

FORT COLLINS – Colorado State University and New Belgium Brewing Co. on Monday afternoon announced that the latter is donating $4.3 million to CSU in exchange for the naming rights to a standing-room-only patio area at the north end of the school’s new on-campus football stadium.

Dubbed the New Belgium Porch, the feature will serve as a sort of hospitality area for the new 36,000-seat stadium slated to open for the 2017 season.

In addition to seating, the stadium is expected to include standing room for about 5,000 people. Any ticket-holders will be able to purchase an additional pass to the New Belgium Porch, which will have a capacity of 1,200.

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The New Belgium deal follows a $1 million donation from the company to CSU last year to update and renovate facilities used by the school’s Fermentation Science and Technology program. It also follows an anonymous $20 million gift announced by the school earlier this year to name the field at the new stadium in former coach Sonny Lubick’s honor. CSU has now raised $51 million toward the $220 million stadium since the project was approved in late 2014.

“This is another great opportunity for us to collaborate with Colorado State University and help support their athletic program,” New Belgium CEO Christine Perich said in a release. “We have more than 70 CSU alumni working at New Belgium, so the connection is deep and meaningful for us. It’s almost hard to imagine New Belgium without Colorado State considering all of the talent that has come out of there.”

Both Perich and Kim Jordan, who co-founded Fort Collins-based New Belgium in 1991, are CSU alumni.

“We’re delighted to expand our partnership with New Belgium Brewing – and to honor the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of our community by highlighting a tremendously successful, home-grown brand at the new stadium,” CSU president Tony Frank said in the release.

In addition to the naming rights deal, CSU on Monday released a number of metrics related to ticket and suite sales at the new stadium:

• Seventeen of 22 luxury suites have been sold.

• Indoor club seating is completely sold out.

• Only a “handful” of the 43 loge boxes remain unsold.

• Fewer than 10 percent of outdoor club seats remain.