Look thoroughly enough around Q2 Stadium for today’s 2022 home opener against FC Cincinnati, and you’ll see some subtle changes in how Austin FC is receiving its more than 20,000 guests. While at least one of those changes won’t be initially well received by fans braving the cold rain today – several Icee machines strategically placed around the stadium — keep those in mind for the six home matches between July 12 and Aug. 31.
But, as Austin FC president Andy Loughnane said in an exclusive interview with The Striker Texas this week, don’t expect too many changes given how well the club felt that its initial year rollout of fan amenities went.
“We're in a fortunate position in the sense that many aspects of the Q2 stadium experience and the overall Austin FC fan experience were viewed as successful,” Loughnane assessed. “And so as a result, we've identified consistency as an important component of our offseason planning.”
Refreshing familiarity?
That means, from a food and drink perspective, that many of the restaurants and refreshment stations fans grew to know in 2021 will be similarly findable in 2022. Vegan fans will be happy to know that there’s a new vegan food stand on the north side of the stadium, offering tofu bowls and vegan hot dogs, located where Slovacek’s was in 2021 — with that popular sausage stand moving over to the east side of the stadium near the Captain Morgan Club.
The Austin Table will also offer some new standard food options, such as a loaded mac and cheese with pork, chicken and brisket options featuring alongside the rotating dishes offered by guest restauranteurs from Austin’s diverse culinary scene.
But if you feared that fan favorites like Valentina’s and Bao’d Up might be switched out in the new year, know that you’ll find reassuring familiarity on your 2022 concourse walks.
That familiarity will extend to beer selections, which was definitely on the minds of fans when we sought their input on what they’d like to see for Q2 Stadium’s second year for an article we ran in December. The northside beer hall is still active and selling a wide variety of craft beers, albeit under the new PointsBet Sports Bar name reflecting the club’s acquisition of the gambling sponsor last September.
Q2 will have a range of beers available throughout the stadium, including selections at the grab-and-go markets where Loughnane points out, “There's a 12-ounce domestic beer that's available for $6.50, and there's a 12-ounce premium beer available for $7.50.” The grab-and-go experience may also be improved by the Mashgin touchless system that the club installed, which Loughnane believes will speed people through the markets.
But fans who were hoping for more and better beer available in more and better locations should temper their expectations; Loughnane maintains, “We have a wide variety of craft beer at Q2 Stadium.”
Fans wondering about water should know there’s one helpful policy moving the stadium toward greater sustainability — allowing fans to bring in up to 30-ounce reusable metal containers to fill with water. (Though Loughnane is careful not to exclusively specify the Yeti brand, every jersey worn by Austin FC players and fans throughout the whole stadium suggests that would work.)
As for where to fill those receptacles, the two water stations at the northwest and southeast corners of the concourse will remain active and filled in 2022, though there aren’t plans to expand beyond those this season.
All about the atmosphere
Art continues to be part of the Q2 Stadium experience; Friday’s unveiling of the new mural by Austin artist Fabian Rey near the Zebra Gate continues a tradition that commenced last year, and Loughnane notes that fans should expect a two-mural-a-year rotation going forward.
For fans curious about the outdoor amphitheater outside the east end of the stadium, and how that might look and sound with music, there’s a post-match concert on Saturday featuring Grupo Fantasma — one of the best musical acts in a city known for its live music. While the weather won’t be optimal for such an offering, it could still prove enticing for fans who don’t want to make a direct beeline away from the stadium post-match.
The Feb. 16 preseason match against Atlas FC also gave Q2’s new director of matchday presentation, Justin Drum, a chance to flex a bit prior to the home opener. According to Loughnane, Drum — who has prior experience in that role via work with the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers — will be responsible for “orchestrating the symphony, that is the lights, the scoreboard content, the content that appears on our other digital platforms … and the music selections in the stadium.”
DJs will rotate throughout the season — so don’t expect a steady diet of DJ Chorizo Funk – and as a number of Austin FC fans already know, there’s a new PA Announcer, the mysteriously named Jeremiah the Announcer. Sebastián Driussi was kind enough to oblige him, via converting a late PK equalizer against Atlas, to do what Verde fans are hoping will be the first of many goal announcements.
The moment I was waiting for all night...Announcing the first home goool @AustinFC at @Q2Stadium in 2022. Thank you Supporters & Fans I feed off your amazing energy!@LosVerdesATX @LaMurgaATX @AustinAnthem 💚🖤⚽️🎙#pasionverde pic.twitter.com/ZOJQgaGlxA
— jeremiahtheannouncer (@lavozdejeremiah) February 17, 2022
Outside the stadium
There’s one more important piece of the Q2 Stadium puzzle fans should be aware of — starting this fall, construction will commence east of the stadium on a new Capital Metro rail station that will replace the existing Kramer Station by the fall of 2023, getting fans taking public transportation closer to the stadium gates.
That might prove useful outside of match days, as Loughnane says that — as predicted in the Austin City Council meetings leading up to the approval of the public-private partnership allowing Q2 Stadium to come to life – Austinites are coming to the stadium on non-match days, and not just to shop at the Verde Store.
“It’s a destination for dog walkers, for residents to go for jogs, eat lunch, have yoga class,” Loughnane observed. “We created eight new acres of park space that didn't previously exist. So, we have not only fulfilled our mission, but it's great to see that the community has embraced it and is activating it on non-match days.”
