Change, even when it leads to improvement, can be daunting, especially when it involves a place as cherished as Doak Campbell Stadium, the heartbeat of Florida State University football.

For decades, this iconic venue has been more than a stadium — it has been a home for our Seminole Family, where generations have celebrated triumphs, created lifelong memories and stood in united support of the garnet and gold.

I know. It's personal. For 50 years I've been a season ticket holder and Seminole Booster member, even when I had a pressbox pass or Seminole Booster gameday responsibilities. And I plan to be seated in Doak for the 2025 season, even though, like many of you, I'm rethinking which price point and experience is right for me today.

It came as no surprise to anyone, least of all me, that the announcement of FSU’s most ambitious renovation of Doak sparked concern, especially among season ticket holders facing new seat assignments and adjustments.

I know. That's personal, too.

From 2000 until 2019, when I retired from Seminole Boosters, I was charged with communicating and implementing priority policy changes to generate the revenue FSU needed to keep its athletics teams competitive with its peers.

Athletics and Boosters dreaded every policy change. Even though driven by financial need, those decisions were excruciating because each change impacted many ticket holders, especially those living on limited discretionary income, which most all of us do. Only after all other financial models had been exhausted, and costs managed, would the Athletic Board approve an increase in the amount a season ticket holder was asked to pay to attend games in Doak.

These current changes required even greater scrutiny not only because of the size and scope of the project but because of the number of people being impacted.

Each time we altered the policy our fans would respond by either meeting the new demands for the same seats or moving their seats to a lower-priced priority section. Sadly, each time about 8 percent would not renew.

Many of those people wrote or called me to express their concern or anger. I remember their names, faces and stories well, so I am empathetic to both the loyal fans being impacted by this change — I being one — and the hard-working people in the FSU administration who implement it today.

Research shows a natural resistance to change because our brains are wired to favor predictability. Familiarity provides safety, which is why even the idea of new seating arrangements or different sightlines can be unsettling.

But here’s another truth: Unlike in those prior years, where you were asked to pay more for the same experience, these changes can be a gateway to something better and that's a point I think some of us haven't fully processed.

Over the months since the project was announced, more than a few of our subscribers and season ticket holders have expressed their feelings about this current change, and too often I've felt like they were operating without accurate information. In fact, just yesterday a longtime season ticket holder told me he was angry with FSU because they had priced him out of Doak Campbell Stadium. When I asked him about the pricing he was quoted, he recited the price for the 50-yard line club seats when his seats are located in what will be the much less pricey chair-back section. He was ecstatic when I put him together with the ticket office to review the correct pricing.

Over the coming months I will continue to address this project with a series of stories to clarify all I can. I am also offering my services to each of you. While I no longer work at FSU, I do work for you as an Osceola subscriber, so please don't hesitate to call me (850.508.8690) to help you before the March 5 deadline for renewing. I simply don't want any of our subscribers making a decision they will regret.

This series will include:

— Increasing seating options from three to 16 with a description of each thoughtfully planned change designed to enhance game day experiences, strengthen connections, and create new traditions;

— Clarify the pricing for each of those sections, which I have found to be often misunderstood;

— And, importantly, discuss how these changes are perceived by the ticket holders most impacted.

Let's begin this series by going back 18 months and note that the sales process has been restricted to existing season-ticket holders only. Why? Because FSU has been making a concerted effort to be sure those donors impacted by the project have the first right to choose.

Contrary to rumors, no one else has been allowed to purchase these west side or Dunlap Champions Club seats — not corporations, new season ticket holders or even existing donors with seats on the east side, only impacted donors on the west side and in the champions club.

This is a significant benefit to existing season-ticket holders.

This exclusive sales period for existing donors to decide is a significant benefit that should not be overlooked. Nor should it be missed, as the benefit will effectively colse on March 5, which is the deadline to be included in the priority seat selection process in March, and earliest opportunity to select seats.

Only after the priority seat selection process is over — approximately April 9 — will sales be opened to anyone other than impacted seat holders for the frist time. And it will done on a first-come, first-serve basis.

While the vast majority have made their plans to renew, some have not yet and if you are an impacted seat holder who has not yet decided, be sure to call your ticket representative to clarify any question you have before March 5. If you have not been impacted but want to buy seats in these sections, you will want to reach out to the ticket officce and prepare to act by April 9.

Many have asked me why the changes need to be made and the No. 1 answer is the 'Ole Gal' simply needed a makeover.

Over the decades, while we were celebrating the victories, bouncing up and down creating those memories, time and the elements were taking a toll on the outdoor metal structure, from the metal seating deck all the way through the foundations.

By 2020, after seven decades of useful life, engineering studies showed the stadium, which drives Florida State athletics' financial engine, needed repair. The cost studies and surveys clearly pointed to the renovation of the east side and the replacement of the west.

Surveys of season ticket holders in 2016, during my tenure, and again in 2020 generated remarkably high response rates with 90 percent of season ticket holders asking for improved seating comfort and a broader variety of seating options, even if it meant their seats would have to be relocated.

Rather than all bleacher seating, FSU’s existing customers want a variety of seating options and price points. Their request is the architects command as there will now be 16 seating experiences in Doak rather than just three — bleachers, skybox and Champions Club — for Seminole fans to choose from.

We will take a deep dive into each of these experiences in the next article in this series, but you may find it surprising that the percentage of premium seats in Doak will increase by just 2 percent, from 11 to 13 percent.

While the price point for many of the west sideline seats have increased, the vast majority of Doak, including the renovated east side, north and south end zones and portions of the west sideline, will remain bleacher seating. And most of those seats will still be priced with the same $350 per season ticket price, starting with the 2025 season, which includes Alabama and Miami.

Even the west sideline bleacher seats, which feature the expanded legroom and access to the new consourses, restrooms and concessions, will be priced at $350 per seat with a $250 Booster contribution and no captial campaign requirement.

While the sightlines will change, there are new seating experiences with similar price points for those of us who still want to enjoy the gameday atmosphere.

Season-ticket holder respondents also said they wanted improved concourses, with better lighting, sanitary restrooms and enhanced food and beverage options.

On the east side, wider, more comfortable seats with seat bottoms, wider aisles with handrails, more ADA seating and better restrooms are now available without an increase to the $350 per season price point.

To address other requests for comfort, like more legroom between rows and more spacious concourses, requires a replacement of the existing structure. The new west side seating deck provides at least 6 inches of extra leg room in every row — even in the new bleacher seats — and 7 inches in the club seat sections.

Wider concourses on the west side are being achieved with fewer columns and wider support spans.

Enhanced concession options on the west sideline can now be achieved with new infrastructure, including plumbing, electrical, sewerage and grease pits, concessions that could not be produced without major renovation.

Replacement of the west sideline also enabled the building the sideline club for club seat holders as well as the loge and midlevel boxes.

A new seating experience — the chair-back seats — is possible because of that increased distance between rows. This chairback seating section affords season ticket holders a price point between the bleacher seat and the premium club seat.

Replacement of the west stands also provided the opportunity to introduce just under 4,000 premium seats for those wanting a west sideline club experience. While adding premium seats on the west sideline, FSU’s alterations to the Champions Club will reduce the number of premium end-zone seats from 5,800 to 4,000 for a net increase of just two percent in premium seating in Doak.

The premium seats, which include those club seats, Founders Loge Boxes and mid-level skyboxes, will fund 78 percent of the cost of the project.

The renovation is more than just a construction project — it’s a carefully designed effort to improve the fan experience with variable price points for everyone, while preserving the stadium’s timeless spirit.

In our next articles, we’ll examine the seating options and clarify the pricing of each.

March 5: Tentative deadline to commit to chair-back seats to be included in the inaugural seat selection process, which will run in priority order in March.

April 9: Anticipated date the inaugural seat selection will be completed, and the public will have the opportunity to buy the chair-back seats on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Please note this selection process is separate from the bleacher and parking selection process set to take place in May.

Follow The Osceola on Facebook

Follow The Osceola on Twitter

Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel

Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple