If you’ve traveled around the University of Northern Colorado recently, you might have noticed a change to the campus scenery.

The lights are up at Nottingham Field.

With about 2 ½ weeks until the season opener against Weber State, UNC Athletics continues to prepare the 31-year-old stadium with its biggest addition.

The Bears will take on Weber State starting 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, marking the first-ever night game at Nottingham.

A lack of funding prevented lights from being installed when the stadium was built in the mid-1990s, said John Zurbrigen, of Greeley, a UNC graduate, former football player and fundraiser for the program.

A decade later, UNC moved up to Division I and joined the Big Sky Conference. The need for lights is more critical now in the competitive world of college football, when most teams play at night.

Donors privately funded the lights at a cost of $1.53 million, according to backup documentation from a UNC Board of Trustees meeting in February. There are seven light poles at the stadium: four on the west side and three on the east side.

UNC head coach Ed Lamb said lights will give the football team better opportunities for recruiting and television coverage, better opportunities for attendance and a better visual product for fans.

Lights are hoisted into position as they are installed at Nottingham Field on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)

“I think it could help us build our home game attendance,” Lamb said. “Give us a little bit of a boost while there’s some newness to it. I don’t expect our players are going to be excited about lights this time next year. But right now, they’re really excited and I hope our students are excited.”

UNC is currently scheduled to play five of its six homes at night. The team plays four of its first five games at home into late September. The only time the team will travel in those first five weeks is for a bus trip to FBS-level Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Laramie.

The final regular-season home game in mid-November is scheduled for a noon start against defending Big Sky and Football Championship Subdivision national champion Montana State.

The Bears, 2-6 in the Big Sky last year and 4-8 overall, were picked to finish 10th of 13 teams in a preseason coaches’ poll. A media poll placed the Bears 11th.

Three players were chosen to the 38-player conference preseason team: long snapper Maddox Broughton, defensive lineman Ezra Ekuban and offensive lineman/center Jack Ziebell. All three players were postseason all-conference honorees last year.

For tickets to UNC football games or other athletic events, go to tickets.unco.edu or call the UNC Ticket Office at 970-351-4849. Handling fees apply for tickets purchased online or by phone. The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. The office is located in the UNC Campus Commons, 1051 22nd St. in Greeley.