A new addition to Huskie Stadium will impact fans’ future home game experiences.

Wednesday, NIU hosted an unveiling of its new high-definition scoreboard in Huskie Stadium with a movie night for the community.

Just 10 days before NIU’s first home game, fans were invited to the free event to watch “Wreck-It Ralph” in the stadium.

“The new board is fitting for the team and getting what they deserve. My family and I go to all the games so this is a great experience for the girls to be on the field,” said DeKalb resident Chris Soraparu.

The new system — which includes the scoreboard, side panel and a centralized control system – costs around $3.4 million, according to NIU.

“Movie night was my idea. I love ‘Wreck-it Ralph.’ I did [a movie night] at Wisconsin; why not at NIU? I plan on doing it like this annually and over the summer,” said Athletic Director Sean Frazier.

Patrick Gorman, media services video coordinator, it took around 18 months for the scoreboard project to be complete.

“My son’s a part of the national guard, firing the cannon, so we go to a few games,” said Terry Kerone, District 428 teacher and DeKalb resident. “[The scoreboard] is beautiful, gorgeous. The sound echoes absolutely will enhance the football game experiences.”

The event included a 30-minute autograph session from football players and fans got to sit on the field to watch the movie.

“This project was a collective effort from NIU as a whole,” said Jay Orbik, director of media services. “It not only let us improve Huskie Stadium but allows us to have the groundwork for future upgrades of other scoreboards on campus.”

The Dakatronics LED ribbon fascia boards installed on the east and west side of the stadium provide 20 millimeter HD graphics and will be used to promote upcoming events and display graphics, sponsor logos and in-game information.

“This didn’t just happen. You don’t go throw the movie up there,” Frazier said. “They’re lots of people behind the scenes that worked on this. Those are the people responsible — not just athletics, but it was a campuswide effort.”