City Council approved two construction contracts on Thursday worth over $29 million for upgrades to the multi-purpose Alamodome. 

The improvements will include 18 new luxury suites on the club level to accommodate the 2025 Men’s NCAA Final Four.

The spending also will support major structural improvements needed at the three-decade-old stadium.

But it may not be enough to keep the Alamodome in the game when it comes to attracting major events, said Patricia Muzquiz Cantor, director of convention sports and entertainment facilities, at a council budget session on Wednesday.

“As we look ahead, we believe we have reached an important crossroads,” she said, adding that the NCAA notified local officials that San Antonio did not make the finalist list for hosting the 2031 tournament.

Newer stadiums are more competitive, she said, a fact that should push San Antonio officials to consider the future of the stadium built to lure an NFL team that never came. 

“While we have invested in the Alamodome, we must recognize that it is a 30-year-old facility,” Cantor said. “Without ambitious and proactive thinking regarding the Alamodome, events such as the men’s Final Four, World Cup soccer, college football championship playoffs, large concerts and other prominent events will go elsewhere.”

Recently, talk has swirled of a downtown sports district to replace Frost Bank Center, where the San Antonio Spurs play, and the Missions’ home field, Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium. The Alamodome, though situated in the urban core already, can be counted among San Antonio’s aging sports facilities.

At the council meeting, the city awarded construction firm Skanska a contract for the Alamodome improvements project valued at $20 million. 

The project will bring the added suites to the facility along with upgrades to the fifth-level concession and circulation area, upgrades to kitchen equipment and point-of-sale areas, and in some areas, new flooring and wall paint, an LED monitor, signage and sound system.

“These improvements are part of a commitment that the city made to the NCAA in order to host the 2025 Men’s Final Four,” she said.

Revenue from game suites far exceeds ticket sales. VIP-level, all-session ticket prices for the 2024 Men’s NCAA Final Four in Phoenix start at $1,250, and though suite tickets are not listed, Alamodome suites for the 2018 event were reportedly selling for over $55,000 in the days leading up to the Final Four.

Construction is expected to begin this fall and be completed in January 2025.

Structural repairs are also needed at the Alamodome, Cantor said during the budget session.  

Council approved a second contract worth over $9 million to Turner Construction for repairs to major structural components at the Alamodome. 

The job includes work on the four concrete masts, exterior and interior structural steel trusses and stay cables and masonry walls at the field level.

The Alamodome opened in May 1993 and last underwent $14 million in improvements in support of the Women’s NCAA Final Four two years ago. Also during 2021, the facility got upgrades to the concourse areas, escalators and elevators. 

The latest improvements are part of the fiscal year 2023-27 budget for the Convention and Sports Facilities department, which is funded through the Hotel Occupancy Tax, convention center and Alamodome revenue and other restricted funds. 

The department’s projected 2024 budget is $135.5 million, with $27.5 million of that dedicated to capital improvement projects for the Alamodome, Henry B. González Convention Center and Wolff Stadium. 

During fiscal year 2023, the Alamodome is playing host to 124 events and is projected to end the year with $20 million in revenue. 

In the coming year, 138 events are expected at the facility, with $17 million in revenue. 

The Alamodome will continue to host the Valero Alamo Bowl, UTSA football games, XFL matchups and music performances and concerts, said Richard Oliver, a city spokesman for the facility. 

It has also been selected as the site for the 2029 Women’s NCAA Final Four. Future improvements to the Alamodome will be determined after the upcoming Final Four upgrades are completed, Oliver said.