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Photo by Jon Anderson.
Hoover City Administrator Ken Grimes sits in the new chairback seating added at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in advance of the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
Hoover City Administrator Ken Grimes stands in the outfield at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, which has undergone $23 million worth of improvement in the past three years. To the far right is the new 4,250-square-foot club suite.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
This is the new 4,250-square-foot club suite on the third base side of Hoover Metropoltian Stadium.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
Workers build a new fan deck behind right field between the scoreboard and bullpen on April 10.
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Photos by Jon Anderson.
The concourse at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in the final stages of renovation on April 10, prior to the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament. The old tile floor has been removed, and the concourse got a new paint job and color scheme and new lighting. New signage was to be installed as well.
Fans coming to the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament on May 20-25 will notice significant changes to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium for the second year in a row.
The city has spent another $10.6 million since the 2024 tournament on a third phase of improvements to the Hoover Met, including new seating, concession concourse renovations, a new club suite built down the third-base line, and an improved entrance from the lower parking lot beyond left field.
All of the blue chairback seating has been replaced with new gray chairback seating, and 12 seating sections that previously had aluminum bleachers have been converted to individual chairback seating.
That leaves eight seating sections that still have aluminum bleachers, but all the aluminum bleachers now have backs on them, said Ken Grimes, Hoover’s city administrator.
Photos by Jon Anderson.
Hoover City Administrator Ken Grimes stands in the outfield at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, which has undergone $23 million worth of improvement in the past three years. To the far right is the new 4,250-square-foot club suite.
The changes mean that 4,888 more people can have individual chairback seating, each with their own cupholder, Grimes said. At full capacity, the number of people with aluminum bleachers would drop from 7,840 to 2,064, he said. Total seating capacity in the stadium dropped by 848 seats, from 8,696 to 7,848, “but the goal was more comfort for the experience of spectators,” Grimes said.
Total official capacity of the stadium, with suites, is now about 10,000, but with standing areas and grassy areas along the outfield, more people can fit. Last year’s championship game drew 15,686 people, and the record attendance for an SEC Baseball Tournament game was 16,165 in 1999.
In the concourse area where the concession stands are, the old tile flooring was ripped out, leaving a concrete surface, and new lighting was installed, Grimes said. The concourse also got a new paint job with a blue and gray color scheme and new signage directing people to their seating areas.
The goal was to give the concourse and seating areas a more modern appearance, Grimes said. “I think it looks really clean and more modern with this neutral tone,” he said.
Photos by Jon Anderson.
This is the new 4,250-square-foot club suite on the third base side of Hoover Metropoltian Stadium.
Along the third-base side of the field, a new 4,250-square-foot club suite was built just beyond the pre-existing suites and banquet room. Glass panels allow for air-conditioned viewing of the games, and the suite area opens up to outdoor chairback seating for suite guests.
The stadium entrance from the lower parking lot beyond left field has been enhanced with a small permanent shade structure where the ticket takers and metal detectors will be.
Another part of this year’s $10.6 million renovation is a new fan deck beyond right field that will hold about 120 spectators between the scoreboard and one of the bullpens, but that area is not guaranteed to be completed in time for this year’s tournament, Grimes said.
It’s not the fault of the contractor, Brasfield & Gorrie, he said. There were some delays in decision-making by the city and SEC regarding the design of the structure and the type of construction materials desired, he said.
Brasfield & Gorrie has made a lot of progress on the new outfield fan deck, but it may not be ready in time for this year’s tournament, Grimes said. Alternative outfield fan areas have been popular on some SEC campuses, and the goal is to replicate that experience at the SEC Baseball Tournament, he said.
The first phase of the most recent improvements at the Hoover Met involved a $2.4 million renovation of the locker rooms that was completed in time for the 2023 tournament.
Photos by Jon Anderson.
Workers build a new fan deck behind right field between the scoreboard and bullpen on April 10.
The second phase included a redesign of half of the front parking lot, including new islands, lighting, paving and striping, a new front entrance to the stadium, and a new media room for postgame interviews with coaches. The total cost for the second phase was $10.1 million, and all three phases together amount to $23.2 million worth of improvements at the stadium.
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said the improvements helped the city of Hoover keep the SEC Baseball Tournament in Hoover amid growing competition.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the SEC has had interest from high-quality minor league stadiums and some Major League Baseball stadiums about hosting the SEC tournament.
“But through the conversations with our athletic directors, our baseball coaches and the city of Hoover, this continues to be the right place for us,” Sankey said. “Even with our expansion westward the last few times, the geographic center of our league is just north of Birmingham, so this is an accessible city.”
Second, Hoover has a lot of options for nearby hotels. Third, Hoover has made a continuous effort to upgrade not only the Hoover Met stadium, but also the Finley Center, the Hoover RV Park, the practice fields around the stadium, and the dining and shopping amenities nearby, Sankey said.
“All of those things, I think, are representations of the commitment that this locale has to provide a great experience and a great event for both the teams and our fans,” he said.
Photos by Jon Anderson.
The concourse at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in the final stages of renovation on April 10, prior to the 2025 SEC Baseball Tournament. The old tile floor has been removed, and the concourse got a new paint job and color scheme and new lighting. New signage was to be installed as well.
The Hoover Met has been home to the SEC Baseball Tournament 28 times, including the last 26 consecutive tournaments, and has done a great job with it, Sankey said. Last year’s tournament drew a record 180,004 over six days.
City and SEC officials in August announced a contract extension that will keep the tournament in Hoover through at least 2028, and the SEC has the option to extend the tournament through 2030.
The format for the tournament will change this year from a 12-team tournament to include all 16 teams in the SEC and switch to a single-elimination format.
Four games will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday to open the tournament, and two games will be played on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The championship game will remain on Sunday afternoon.
Full tournament ticket books and six-session ticket packs went on sale April 14. Tickets can be purchased at secsports.com/ticketoffice.
Changes for 2025
- Chairback seating replaced
- 12 sections converted to chairback seating
- Backs put on all remaining aluminum bleachers
- Concourse renovations
- New 4,250-square-foot club suite
- Renovated left field entrance
- Right field fan deck in progress
- 16-team single-elimination format
