Apogee Stadium Apogee Stadium is a college football stadium in Denton , Texas , at the junction of Interstate 35 East and West . Opened in 2011 , it is home to the University of North Texas ( UNT ) Mean Green football team , which competes in Conference USA . The facility replaced Fouts Field , where the school ' s football program had been based since 1952 . The stadium was proposed by the University of North Texas System Board of Regents after the 2002 New Orleans Bowl and designed by HKS , Inc . It was constructed at a cost of $ 78 million after a contentious student body election in 2008 . It was originally named " Mean Green Stadium " , but was renamed when ResNet provider Apogee purchased the naming rights in 2011 . The stadium hosted its first major event on September 10 , 2011 when the Mean Green lost 48 – 23 against the University of Houston Cougars . Official home attendance figures for the team ' s first two seasons at Apogee Stadium averaged around 18 , 900 per game , which is a little over 60 % of its capacity of 30 , 850 . The facility houses various amenities , including a press box , luxury boxes , and an alumni pavilion . It also uses environmental technology ; it is the first newly built stadium to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED ) Platinum certification . It can be reached by road , but because of traffic congestion on game days , many visitors park on the other side of Interstate 35 and cross a pedestrian bridge to reach the stadium . History . Early planning and finance . For the Spring 2002 student election , UNT Student Government Association ( SGA ) senators held a referendum on whether to allow the University of North Texas System Board of Regents to increase the student athletics fee by $ 4 . 50 per credit hour , $ 1 of which would be dedicated to " facility improvements " . The referendum was rejected by UNT ' s voting students , with 1 , 023 voting for the proposal and 1 , 265 voting against it . After the vote , however , school administrators lobbied senators to increase the fee as a way to help the university ' s athletics program achieve Title IX compliance . The student senators then approved a student fee of $ 3 per credit hour , which the Board of Regents implemented immediately . Consequently , students mounted a recall election campaign , supported by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore , which resulted in the removal of 14 student senators from office . In September 2002 , the university purchased land on the opposite side of Interstate 35 from the main campus in Denton , Texas from Liberty Christian School for $ 5 . 1 million . < ref name = " 9 / 8 / 2005 " > < / ref > Following the football team ' s victory at the 2002 New Orleans Bowl , school administrators announced their intent to build an assortment of new athletic facilities on the property , including a new football stadium . The new stadium would replace Fouts Field , where the school ' s football team had been based since 1952 . Richard Raefs , then vice chancellor of administrative affairs at UNT , claimed that renovating Fouts Field would cost $ 8 million more than building an entirely new stadium and that the project ' s primary objective was the consolidation of academic facilities . < ref name = " NT Daily 1 / 4 / 2003 " > < / ref > The Board of Regents released a long - term campus master plan in 2005 that included a proposed new stadium with a capacity of 35 , 000 and an estimated cost " in excess of $ 35 million " . UNT athletic director Rick Villareal stated that the university would use only private fundraising , rather than another increase in students ' fees , to pay for any new facilities , including a stadium . He said , " we have a mandate here . We haven ' t built anything or will build anything without raising the money ourselves " , and that the new stadium would cost $ 40 million and seat 50 , 000 spectators . < ref name = " NT Daily 9 / 1 / 2005 " > < / ref > The athletic department changed that capacity estimate in 2007 to 32 , 000 with the possibility of later expansion to 50 , 000 . Athletics fee referendum . In 2008 , the athletic department tried again to increase the athletics fee to pay for the new stadium , which now had an estimated cost of $ 60 million . SGA student senators voted to hold a student election on the referendum to approve the new fee , which amounted to a net increase of $ 7 per credit hour for each student , or approximately $ 840 per student over the course of four years . The athletic department made a concerted effort to promote the higher fee to students , and supporters suggested hiring street preachers or troubadour s to promote the election . < ref name = " NT Daily 10 / 7 / 2008 " > < / ref > A month before the election , athletic director Rick Villareal said that the stadium was " not some arms race for us " and that the fee ' s objective was not just to keep up with other universities . The referendum was held in October 2008 , with the text : In order for the University of North Texas to have a better Athletic program , which in turn can lead to national exposure and increased recognition of UNT ; I agree to a dedicated Athletic Fee not to exceed $ 10 per semester credit hour , capped at 15 hours . Once the Athletic Fee is implemented , the Student Service Fee will be reduced by $ 3 per semester credit hour . The Athletic Fee shall not be implemented until the semester the new football stadium is complete , which is expected to be fall 2011 . On October 21 , 2008 , the UNT SGA announced that in one of the largest turnouts in the school ' s history , student voters approved a dedicated athletic fee to fund the new stadium . Almost 14 percent of the student body voted , with 2 , 829 students ( 58 . 1 % ) voting for the increase and 2 , 038 ( 41 . 9 % ) voting against it . After the election , the cost estimate for the stadium ' s construction increased by $ 18 million to $ 78 million , $ 38 million more than the 2005 estimate . < ref name = " NT Daily 4 / 7 / 2009 " > < / ref > At a press conference with then head football coach Todd Dodge , Villarreal said , " there ' s an arms race going on going on with facilities . This one will put us up there with everybody else . " In February 2009 , the school ' s chapter of Students for a Democratic Society unsuccessfully attempted to petition for a re - vote on the referendum . Construction and naming rights . In February 2008 , the school selected HKS , Inc . to provide architectural and design services for the proposed new stadium . The university hired Manhattan Construction Company in 2009 to provide pre - construction and construction services . Prior to the groundbreaking ceremony on November 21 , 2009 , then President of UNT Gretchen Bataille said that of the approximately $ 78 million needed to pay for the new stadium , the department had raised $ 5 million . After leveling the area , Manhattan installed a steel - reinforced concrete skeleton for the stands . Subsequently , the firm flattened the playing field area and installed artificial turf . In later phases , glass and brick were added to the facility ' s luxury suites . Construction officially finished on July 20 , 2011 . On August 11 , 2011 , UNT announced a deal with Austin - based ResNet provider Apogee for the naming rights to the new stadium , and the name was changed to " Apogee Stadium " . < ref name = " DRC 8 / 12 / 2011 " > < / ref > According to the contract , Apogee will pay $ 11 . 8 million of the $ 20 million deal in cash over 20 years , including graduated annual payments beginning at $ 312 , 000 and ending in three payments of $ 1 million . The remaining $ 8 . 29 million will be in the form of in - kind services . As part of the contract , Apogee also received one luxury suite in the new stadium and premium tickets to other UNT events . Opening . The stadium hosted its first game on September 10 , 2011 , when the Mean Green football team lost 48 – 23 against the University of Houston Cougars . Despite the concerted efforts of the university and the athletic department , the first home game at the new stadium did not sell out , and the game attracted 28 , 075 spectators , 2 , 775 fewer than full capacity . Although attendees ' reception to the opening game was generally positive , attendance dropped to 21 , 181 for the second home game against the Indiana University Hoosiers . By the third home game against the Florida Atlantic University Owls , attendance had dropped to a season - low of 13 , 142 mainly due to thunderstorms in the area during the afternoon and the Texas Rangers playing Game 1 of the 2011 American League Championship Series that evening . To promote the final home game of the season against the Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders , the university offered free tickets to some athletic booster club members , and head football coach Dan McCarney promoted the game with an op - ed in the school ' s student newspaper , the " North Texas Daily " . The official attendance for the final game was 15 , 962 , bringing the total home attendance for the year to 113 , 186 , a new record for the Mean Green . < ref name = " NT Daily 12 / 5 / 2011 " > < / ref > For the 2011 season , the stadium averaged 18 , 864 spectators per home game , which is 61 . 15 % of the facility ' s capacity of 30 , 850 . The team ended the season ranked 98th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) teams in average home attendance . It finished with five wins and seven losses , its best record since the 2004 season . For the five home games of the 2012 season , average game attendance saw a slight increase to 18 , 927 , giving the Mean Green the 103rd highest attendance out of 124 FBS teams . The venue hosted its first nationally televised game on October 16 , 2012 when the Mean Green defeated the Louisiana – Lafayette Ragin ' Cajuns 30 – 23 on ESPN2 . The broadcast had an estimated 366 , 000 viewers , earning a Nielsen rating of 0 . 3 . The venue also hosted a Bands of America regional marching band competition on September 28 , 2012 . Structure and facilities . Apogee Stadium occupies on of land . Stands on the north , east , and west sides of the stadium seat 30 , 850 and form a horseshoe shape around a standard American football field . The field ' s surface is PowerBlade HP + , a type of artificial turf comprising synthetic fibers with a rubber and sand infill . Unlike Fouts Field , Apogee Stadium does not have an all - weather running track , and spectators are set approximately closer to the field . A separate pavilion for alumni is located just north of the stadium . Parts of the stadium ' s exterior are covered with of recyclable silver aluminum composite panels , with an additional of green panels for accent . The home side stands are located on the west side of the stadium . They include 21 luxury suites , which the athletic department sells for $ 20 , 000 per year plus a " six - or seven - figure gift to the Stadium Fund " , and 754 club seats , which can be purchased with a one - time gift of $ 3 , 125 to $ 12 , 500 , in addition to an annual $ 500 donation to the athletic department and the cost of season tickets . The side also includes a press box , named the Bill Mercer Press Club in honor of the school ' s longtime play - by - play announcer . A Mean Green Gear Store is located underneath the stands at Gate 2 on the west side of the stadium . The stands on the east side of the field are generally reserved for student seating ; behind them is a path - defined tailgating area called " The Hill " . The seating behind the north end zone forms a distinctive " V " shape intended to resemble an eagle ' s wings in flight . The tips of the " wings " reach above the field . There is no seating behind the south end zone , but the area includes a scoreboard and a bronze bust of an eagle . The bust is named " Spiriki " , and was donated by members of the Geezles , the school ' s first social fraternity . On game days , the area also includes a scale replica cannon named " Boomer " , which is fired each time the team scores . Environmental design . In 2008 , then president of UNT Gretchen Bataille signed the American College and University President ' s Climate Commitment ( ACUPCC ) to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 . As part of that process , all new university buildings and facilities are required to achieve a minimum of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED ) Silver certification . While planning the stadium ' s construction , the university consulted HKS , Inc . to design it to meet a number of green building standards and hired FocusEGD , an environmental graphic design firm , to design many of the stadium ' s graphic elements . As a result , Apogee Stadium uses various forms of environmental technology . To reduce water consumption and urban runoff , the facility includes a water retention system , of permeable paving , and low - flow plumbing systems . To minimize the human impact on the environment , developers took advantage of the landscape around the stadium whenever possible . The facility also includes three Northwind 100 wind turbines , which were completed in February 2012 . To fund the turbine project , the Texas State Energy Conservation Office allocated $ 2 million in stimulus funds to the university . The turbines each have three blades and are expected to produce a combined of energy per year , which would account for roughly a third of the stadium ' s energy needs and offset of carbon dioxide emissions . The stadium ' s sustainable design features earned have praise and awards from media outlets and industry groups . In 2011 , Apogee Stadium became the first newly built stadium to achieve LEED Platinum certification , the highest level awarded by the U . S . Green Building Council . The points - based ratings system measures various environmental aspects including water efficiency , energy conservation , indoor air quality , and sustainability . " Dallas Business Journal " named the stadium the " Green Project Deal of the Year " in 2012 , and " Engineering News - Record " named it the year ' s " Best Green Project " . The stadium was named as one of the four finalists during the World Stadium Awards Congress for " most sustainable stadium design concept " , but lost to the London Olympic Stadium . Transportation and location . Apogee Stadium is located on Bonnie Brae Street at the junction of Interstate 35 East and West in the southeast part of Denton , Texas . It is part of the Mean Green Village , a parcel of land located south of UNT ' s main campus that includes various athletic department facilities . In February 2003 , the school conducted studies to identify potential traffic problems in the area . The results of the studies indicated that the intersection of Bonnie Brae Street and Airport Road northwest of the facility represented a potential major traffic hazard , since the two - lane Bonnie Brae Street could not accommodate the additional game day traffic , and Airport Road would be needed for access to Denton Municipal Airport to the north . Initially , university officials planned to address some concerns by rerouting season ticket holders through the surrounding neighborhoods , but in 2009 , residents expressed concerns that the stadium could clog traffic systems in the area . Consequently , the City of Denton passed an ordinance to shut down the area streets on game days to anyone without a resident ' s permit . The university began the process of transferring the right - of - way surrounding Bonnie Brae Street to the city in 2012 to allow for the road ' s expansion from two lanes to four . To encourage the use of sustainable transportation , developers limited the quantity of parking spaces on site . The facility includes 1 , 758 parking spaces adjacent to the stadium , but to access it on the day of an event , most attendees park at Fouts Field on the opposite side of Interstate 35E and walk across a pedestrian bridge , which leads to the stadium . The university announced plans to build the bridge in August 2011 to address another area of the concern from the 2002 studies . Construction on the $ 2 . 5 million project , a joint venture between the university and the Texas Department of Transportation , began in February 2012 . Although originally expected to open for the football team ' s first home game of the 2012 season , construction delays moved the opening date to October 16 for the third home game of the season . Attendees can also take the Denton County Transportation Authority ( DCTA ) A - train to the Downtown Denton Transit Center and take a taxi to the stadium .