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In an interesting twist to the stadium debate, the University announced that the annual spring game will be played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. The game is going to be April 7th at 1 p.m. and will have free admission. This of course is the second year in a row there won’t be a formal spring game in Fayetteville due to last year’s being cancelled due to severe weather.
Hunter Yurachek announced the decision and it was soon followed by an official announcement. One of the reasons listed was the construction happening at Razorback Stadium.
Yurachek: "While staging an off-campus spring game is not traditionally permissible per conference guidelines, we appreciate the [SEC] accommodating our request. The change in venue will also benefit the ongoing construction at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium."
— Kyle Deckelbaum (@KATVKyle) January 25, 2018
There wasn’t a ton of details of the reasoning behind the move outside of that vague statement. The construction can also carry on throughout the spring with no worries about making the stadium presentable for a single event in April. It also means avoiding the headache of planning Razorfest around the construction. On the other hand they were able to play an entire football season with construction, so who knows.
It could also provide an interesting compromise in the stadium debate. If this proves to be successful, Arkansas might find a way to make this a regular occurrence. Doing this could also be a way to not completely leave those passionate about having a game in Little Rock if the administration chooses not to extend the contract of regular season games in Little Rock which is set to end this year.
However, it could also be a sign that more games are on their way to Little Rock and this is a sign of more to come. The athletic department hasn’t made any statements indicating one or the other, and this is all just speculation. That speculation has created an interesting twist in a long debate among Hog fans.