One of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Intercollegiate Athletics Department’s top priorities is to make the fan experience unforgettable. With the renovation of the Fieldhouse courtyard into Vaquero Village, fans will have a new way to enjoy game days.
“It’s going to cater to our longtime fans, into adults of all ages, but it’s also going to cater to our students,” Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “We have a very interactive space for them to tailgate and hang out pregame. We’ll have a kids’ zone area. We’ll have a Vaquero-branded bounce house.”
Vaquero Village will be a new pregame experience at UTRGV basketball games. The Village will be split into four sections. Section one will contain picnic and patio tables for UTRGV students. Another section will be for children, which will feature a custom inflatable and picnic tables.
Professionals will be welcomed into the third section, which will have lounge furniture and cocktail tables. The last section will also have lounge furniture and cocktail tables.
“I think it’s something that our team here has wanted to do for a while,” Conque said. “That courtyard gives us such a neat opportunity.”
On game days, Vaquero Village will be open 90 minutes prior to the basketball game tipoff. During 7 p.m. games, the Village will be fully set up. For the weekend games that begin before 7 p.m., the Village will only be set up with the professional and special events/corporate partners zones.
“That courtyard is really what separates us apart from the rest,” he said. “It gives us a neat opportunity to do something like this.”
Vaquero Village is open to all fans with a ticket to the game. To enter the Village, current UTRGV students can have their student IDs scanned at the gate on the west side of the Fieldhouse. Other community members are encouraged to enter through the gate on the east side.
“We’re trying to create something special here in the athletics department and it really touches everything we’re trying to do,” he said. “We want to start on campus first.”
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Village will take place at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday followed by the men’s basketball game at 7 p.m. against Sam Houston State at the Fieldhouse.
