Gies Memorial Stadium Section 209: view from your seat, rows and shade

Section 209 is in the balcony, east sideline of Gies Memorial Stadium. Its rows run 1-39 (39 rows), all open to the sky. The front row is 258 ft from midfield and Row 39 sits 117 ft above the field. At a 2:00 pm kickoff for Illinois vs Oregon, a seat here gets about 180 minutes of direct sun.

View from Gies Memorial Stadium Section 209, Row 20, looking toward the field — Middle rows: view from Section 209, Row 20. 3D model built from USGS lidar of the stadium, not a photo.

View from Gies Memorial Stadium Section 209, Row 3, looking toward the field — Lower rows: view from Section 209, Row 3. 3D model built from USGS lidar of the stadium, not a photo.

View from Gies Memorial Stadium Section 209, Row 37, looking toward the field — Top open rows: view from Section 209, Row 37. 3D model built from USGS lidar of the stadium, not a photo.

Sat in Section 209? Share your view

How many rows are in Section 209?

39 rows: 1-39. Row list from rateyourseats.com.

Is Section 209 covered?

No. Every row is open to the sky.

How far is Section 209 from the field?

The front row is 258 ft (78.6 m) from midfield; Row 39 is 333 ft. Eye height runs from 62 ft above the field at the front to 117 ft at the top. You look down at the field at 13.5° from Row 1, 16.1° from Row 20 and 19.3° from Row 39. Seats face a compass bearing of 268.4°.

Row	To midfield	Eye height	Angle down	Covered
1	258 ft	62 ft	13.5°	no
7	269 ft	68 ft	14.1°	no
13	281 ft	76 ft	15.1°	no
19	293 ft	85 ft	16.2°	no
25	304 ft	95 ft	17.3°	no
31	317 ft	102 ft	17.9°	no
37	329 ft	111 ft	18.7°	no
39	333 ft	117 ft	19.3°	no

Is Section 209 in the sun or shade?

Mostly sunny: about 180 minutes of direct sun at a 2:00 pm kickoff for Illinois vs Oregon. By row band: front third 217 min, middle 167 min, top 155 min. Every remaining home game and possible kickoff time:

Game	Kickoff	Sun
Illinois vs Oregon Sat Oct 24, 2026	2:00 pm (announced)	180 min shade not during the game
Illinois vs Nebraska Fri Nov 6, 2026	7:00 pm (announced)	0 min shade at kickoff
Illinois vs Iowa Sat Nov 21, 2026	2:30 pm	99 min shade 4:40 pm
Illinois vs Iowa Sat Nov 21, 2026	11:00 am	154 min shade not during the game
Illinois vs Iowa Sat Nov 21, 2026	6:30 pm	0 min shade at kickoff

Next door: Gies Memorial Stadium Section 208 · Gies Memorial Stadium Section 223

Planning the day: Gies Memorial Stadium seating chart with sun and shade · Gies Memorial Stadium parking, shuttles and rideshare · Gies Memorial Stadium bag policy and stadium rules · how the Gies Memorial Stadium data is measured.