KFC YUM! Center Review
By Tyler Smith 4/6/2015
KFC YUM! Center
KFC YUM! Center Entrance
Game Attended: 1/13/2015 vs. Virginia Tech
YUM! Center Capacity: 22,090
Date Opened: October 10, 2010
Miles Traveled: 198 miles round trip
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
School: University of Louisville
Tickets: Louisville Cardinals Tickets
Athletics Site: GoCards.com
Blogs and Forums:
CardinalsSports.com
CardinalAuthority.com
Louisville Planet Red Hoops
YUM! Center Capacity: 22,090
Date Opened: October 10, 2010
Miles Traveled: 198 miles round trip
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
School: University of Louisville
Tickets: Louisville Cardinals Tickets
Athletics Site: GoCards.com
Blogs and Forums:
CardinalsSports.com
CardinalAuthority.com
Louisville Planet Red Hoops
Seating Chart via KFC YUM! Center
KFC YUM! Center Features
The KFC YUM! Center made its debut in the fall of 2010. The arena is located in downtown Louisville next to the Ohio River. The venue is just a few miles from the Louisville campus. The estimated cost of the arena was 238 million dollars.
Outside the arena, in front of the main entrance is a large plaza. The entrance has a glass front from top to bottom giving onlookers a great view of the concourse. The glass goes around the arena giving fans views of the city and Ohio River. Where the design is not glass you will see a light and dark grey steel finish. The top of the arena looks like a small wavelength. On the side facing the water they have a convex glass structure placing you right over the water. The YUM! Center sign is displayed on the north and east side of the arena.
Starting with the entry of the concourse the Hall of Honor is straight ahead. The 3,000 square foot space takes you back in time and into the present covering all of Louisville's proud basketball history. On the left side of the entrance is the team shop. On the wall to the right is a collage of things you will see around the city of Louisville.
A couple of the main features of the YUM! Center is located on the Event Level. On the event level are Burnett's Lounge and Evan Williams Bourbon Bar. Both bars have a Las Vegas vibe and are only available to lower level club seat holders.
On the main concourse you will find Woodford Reserve, Kentucky Ale Taproom and Heaven Hill to grab a drink. these bars are available to everyone. They also have popular food favorites KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns. Throughout the concourse the YUM! Center has 72 bathrooms, 176 concession stands and over 400 TV screens.
Inside the arena staring with the lower level they have red chairbacks with cup holders. The lower level includes club seats. These seats give tickets holders access to both bars on the Event Level. The student section is located in the lower level in sections 110-112.
The club level offers several different premium seating options. Starting with a popular seating option the 75 suites that are on both sides of the court. Each suite can hold around 16 to 20 fans. In the south end of the arena are the premium boxes. These seats give fans a spacious place to watch the game with four to six people with a flat screen TV in each box. A personal wait staff is there to serve each fan as well as a bar above the seating area. Opposite of the Premium Boxes are the Terrace Seats. These seats give Cardinal fans a great place to socialize at the Coors Light Club.
The upper level has the same style chairback seats as the lower level but without the cup holders. Each section can have as many as 23 rows.
Fans have plenty of spots to find the score, stats and video. with several boards in the upper level that give fans a quick look at player stats. The center hung scoreboard is a nice size and gives fans video of the game. The arena is full of ribbon scoreboards which sent on the front of the upper and club level seats.
Outside the arena, in front of the main entrance is a large plaza. The entrance has a glass front from top to bottom giving onlookers a great view of the concourse. The glass goes around the arena giving fans views of the city and Ohio River. Where the design is not glass you will see a light and dark grey steel finish. The top of the arena looks like a small wavelength. On the side facing the water they have a convex glass structure placing you right over the water. The YUM! Center sign is displayed on the north and east side of the arena.
Starting with the entry of the concourse the Hall of Honor is straight ahead. The 3,000 square foot space takes you back in time and into the present covering all of Louisville's proud basketball history. On the left side of the entrance is the team shop. On the wall to the right is a collage of things you will see around the city of Louisville.
A couple of the main features of the YUM! Center is located on the Event Level. On the event level are Burnett's Lounge and Evan Williams Bourbon Bar. Both bars have a Las Vegas vibe and are only available to lower level club seat holders.
On the main concourse you will find Woodford Reserve, Kentucky Ale Taproom and Heaven Hill to grab a drink. these bars are available to everyone. They also have popular food favorites KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns. Throughout the concourse the YUM! Center has 72 bathrooms, 176 concession stands and over 400 TV screens.
Inside the arena staring with the lower level they have red chairbacks with cup holders. The lower level includes club seats. These seats give tickets holders access to both bars on the Event Level. The student section is located in the lower level in sections 110-112.
The club level offers several different premium seating options. Starting with a popular seating option the 75 suites that are on both sides of the court. Each suite can hold around 16 to 20 fans. In the south end of the arena are the premium boxes. These seats give fans a spacious place to watch the game with four to six people with a flat screen TV in each box. A personal wait staff is there to serve each fan as well as a bar above the seating area. Opposite of the Premium Boxes are the Terrace Seats. These seats give Cardinal fans a great place to socialize at the Coors Light Club.
The upper level has the same style chairback seats as the lower level but without the cup holders. Each section can have as many as 23 rows.
Fans have plenty of spots to find the score, stats and video. with several boards in the upper level that give fans a quick look at player stats. The center hung scoreboard is a nice size and gives fans video of the game. The arena is full of ribbon scoreboards which sent on the front of the upper and club level seats.
YUM! Center Scoreboard
KFC YUM! Center Concourse
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Louisville Hall of Honor
Kentucky Ale Bar at the YUM! Center
KFC YUM! Center from the lower level.
Louisville collage at the KFC YUM! Center
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What To Do On Gamedays
#1 Start by checking out the Louisville campus. The parking garage across from the Soccer and Track Stadium has public parking.
#2 While on campus make sure to check out all the sports facilities down Floyd St. and the "Thinker Statue" in front of Grawemeyer Hall.
#3 Head towards downtown. Near the arena they have plenty of parking options ranging from 10 to 15 dollars.
#4 If you are looking to grab a beer or bite to eat there are plenty of options on Main St. which is the street located in front of the arena.
#5 Head to the YUM! Center!
#2 While on campus make sure to check out all the sports facilities down Floyd St. and the "Thinker Statue" in front of Grawemeyer Hall.
#3 Head towards downtown. Near the arena they have plenty of parking options ranging from 10 to 15 dollars.
#4 If you are looking to grab a beer or bite to eat there are plenty of options on Main St. which is the street located in front of the arena.
#5 Head to the YUM! Center!
Photos of KFC YUM! Center/University of Louisville
KFC YUM! Center Overview
KFC Yum! Center: Most universities would do anything to have an arena like the KFC YUM! Center. It is an NBA level facility with a college team being the sole team that calls it home. The bars in the arena will be hard for many college teams to match simply due to space available in most college arenas. The entrance to the YUM! Center is phenomenal with all the windows and high ceiling. The Hall of Honor is a nice feature to have near the entrance. Really, the whole arena is stunning from top to bottom. The one thing I would like to see is the addition of cup holders in the upperdeck. The leg room at least in the upper portion of the arena was a bit tight too.
Louisville Campus: The University of Louisville was founded in 1798. In 1846 the University of Louisville you see today was created. Laying down the campus on the east side of the city. In 1970 the U of L became a public university. The university prides it's self on their athletic programs, athletic facilities and medical research. The main campus also known as "Belknap Campus" is home to seven academic colleges and the athletic facilities. Most of the stadiums and arenas can be found down Floyd Street. The new soccer stadium is a must see. Some of the can't miss stops on the campus are the H. Charles Grawemeyer Hall, Paul B. Lutz and Harry Frazier Hall. Outside of the H. Charles Grawmeyer Hall is the "Thinker Statue". The statue on campus is the first bronze large casting of the piece.
Scoreboard: The center hung scoreboard is not bad by any means but it does not match the rest of the arena. I was looking for that scoreboard to wow me but the four boards that sit in the upper level make up for the lack of enchantment the center hung board has. I do however like the top of the board featuring the Louisville Skyline.
Atmosphere: Louisville fans stay for the whole game. This game was out of reach halfway through the second half and the stands were still packed at this point. Nothing is better than seeing a fan base that stays for the whole game despite the score. It was not very loud on the day I was there but that is understandable due to the nature of the game vs Virginia Tech. If the arena is that packed on a Tuesday, vs. Virginia Tech, I could not imagine the atmosphere for a big game.
Louisville: The largest city in Kentucky sits on the banks of the Ohio River. The city is well known for the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Louisville Sluggers and of course, Horse Racing. The city offers plenty to do for tourist with one of the largest collections of Victorian Homes found in the United States located in "Old Louisville". Here you will also find plenty of pedestrian only streets. Fourth Street Live is home to Louisville's entertainment hub with plenty of live entertainment, food and drinks. If you're looking for a place to relax next to the river check out the Waterfront Park. The city is well known for their bourbon providing the nation with over a third of the whiskey found on shelves. For the history buffs West Main is your spot. Also known as "Museum Row" with many museums within walking distance of each other. Other attractions around the city include Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville Zoo, Belle of Louisville, KFC YUM! Center and Kentucky Kingdom.
Louisville Campus: The University of Louisville was founded in 1798. In 1846 the University of Louisville you see today was created. Laying down the campus on the east side of the city. In 1970 the U of L became a public university. The university prides it's self on their athletic programs, athletic facilities and medical research. The main campus also known as "Belknap Campus" is home to seven academic colleges and the athletic facilities. Most of the stadiums and arenas can be found down Floyd Street. The new soccer stadium is a must see. Some of the can't miss stops on the campus are the H. Charles Grawemeyer Hall, Paul B. Lutz and Harry Frazier Hall. Outside of the H. Charles Grawmeyer Hall is the "Thinker Statue". The statue on campus is the first bronze large casting of the piece.
Scoreboard: The center hung scoreboard is not bad by any means but it does not match the rest of the arena. I was looking for that scoreboard to wow me but the four boards that sit in the upper level make up for the lack of enchantment the center hung board has. I do however like the top of the board featuring the Louisville Skyline.
Atmosphere: Louisville fans stay for the whole game. This game was out of reach halfway through the second half and the stands were still packed at this point. Nothing is better than seeing a fan base that stays for the whole game despite the score. It was not very loud on the day I was there but that is understandable due to the nature of the game vs Virginia Tech. If the arena is that packed on a Tuesday, vs. Virginia Tech, I could not imagine the atmosphere for a big game.
Louisville: The largest city in Kentucky sits on the banks of the Ohio River. The city is well known for the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Louisville Sluggers and of course, Horse Racing. The city offers plenty to do for tourist with one of the largest collections of Victorian Homes found in the United States located in "Old Louisville". Here you will also find plenty of pedestrian only streets. Fourth Street Live is home to Louisville's entertainment hub with plenty of live entertainment, food and drinks. If you're looking for a place to relax next to the river check out the Waterfront Park. The city is well known for their bourbon providing the nation with over a third of the whiskey found on shelves. For the history buffs West Main is your spot. Also known as "Museum Row" with many museums within walking distance of each other. Other attractions around the city include Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville Zoo, Belle of Louisville, KFC YUM! Center and Kentucky Kingdom.
Thinker Statue on Louisville's campus
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YUM Center RatingsArena 9.5/10
Scoreboard 8.5/10 Atmosphere 9/10 Louisville (Campus) 6.9/10 X-Factor (Athletic Complex) +3 Total 36.9/40 Louisville 8.1/10 |
Louisville Campus
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