When Memphis football fans file into Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Sept. 1 for the Tigers home opener against Mercer they will be able to hear things a bit clearer, thanks to an upgraded sound system.

The city of Memphis, owner of the stadium, is trying to keep the Tigers’ home stadium as up to date as possible. In addition to the sound system improvements, renovations have come to coach Mike Norvell’s home locker room.

“We at City government are the landlord, and it’s on us to make sure the Liberty Bowl is up to date,” Mayor Jim Strickland said this morning on Sports 56’s Wolo & Peter Show. “The Tigers have upgraded their program, and we’re upgrading their home.”

The City Council approved the $2.5 million renovations in May after it was presented by Councilman Reid Hedgepeth. According to the resolution, the purpose of the renovations is to “provide comparable facilities to other collegiate football stadiums.” The statement also states the renovations will ““support the recruitment, growth, and increased visibility.”

Past improvements include a new video board, new playing surface, new chairback seats and the continued development of Tiger Lane.

The new sound system falls in line with that initiative – the JBL Variable Line Array system is commonly used in major football venues across the country. Strickland tweeted “we worked with Daktronics to design a sound system specifically for the unique shape of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.”

According to a release, the new locker room provides nearly 6,000 square feet of locker room space. There will also be 105 lockers with LED Monitors with full data connectivity. A new coaches’ room will come along with a new training room providing direct access to the Liberty Bowl field.

The Tigers were undefeated at home in the 2017 season with a win over the No. 25-ranked UCLA Bruins. Memphis averaged 36,302 fans per game, fifth among group of five schools and third in the American Athletic Conference.