New Track and Soccer facility questions...

Harry · February 24, 2017

Let me preface this by saying how glad I am that we are FINALLY putting some dollars behind the most successful coach in UNT history, John Hedlund. Is anyone more deserving of this? Kudos to UNT leadership for putting funds toward athletic facilities.

That said, I have to think that a bigger part of this facility is the need to demolish Fouts and make room for more parking space. They have planned on demolishing it for some time. I constantly hear that parking at UNT is a mess which is saying something because it was a mess back in the ice ages when I was roaming the campus.

Back to the facility, is it just me or is track really where we need to put funds right now? I know we have to give them a facility and all but I really felt like the indoor facility could have benefited soccer and football. Whenever I ask about track I am told that it was a requirement of Title 9. Clearly they deserve a place to train but I just wonder if this decision wasn't more of how can we deal with the parking situation and removing the Fouts eyesore more than anything else.

RV used to always make clear how he wanted UNT to excel in all sports we participated in and I got that. I know that schools like UT always perform at the top of the national ranking in olympic sports etc.. which is admirable. The difference is UT built a great football program first and then built the programs around it.

Again, I want to restate this is not meant as a wrinkled dollar bill comment, just some thoughts going through my mind as we get this good news on the new facility.

BTG_Fan1 · February 24, 2017

I think it has to do with them wanting to remove Fouts mostly, and its a way to reward both sports and clear up both land for development on campus and at the Athletic complex.

My question is, about will the Track be a separate part or will it be running around the soccer field?

I would also think that the IPF is its own thing that hasn' been finalized and with WB talking about wanting to fundraise money for it as well.

MeanGreenTexan · February 24, 2017

11 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

I think it has to do with them wanting to remove Fouts mostly, and its a way to reward both sports and clear up both land for development on campus and at the Athletic complex.

My question is, about will the Track be a separate part or will it be running around the soccer field?

I would also think that the IPF is its own thing that hasn' been finalized and with WB talking about wanting to fundraise money for it as well.

This is what I assumed, but this is an interesting question. I mean, would they rebuild a new soccer stadium right next to a Track stadium and join them with concessions & whatnot like how the Soccer/softball complex currently sits? That does not seem like a good idea when they could probably just spend $1-2mil and make the existing stadium very nice. Then allocate the rest to a brand new track stadium.

I agree with the notion that this is mainly about the University wanting Fouts gone so they can move forward with plans for that site.

GrandGreen · February 24, 2017

I would think the facility would be akin to the old style track field and football stadium. I am really hoping for an indoor track facility as part of the IPF complex.

Track and field has been a very disappointing sport here for a long time. Both teams finished in ninth place in the just completed indoor track conference tournament. This could be due to inadequate budget and sub-par facilities. I still remember losing an excellent pole vaulter years ago because NT couldn't afford the first rate poles.

Soccer on the other hand, is NT most successful sport by any criteria. Hedlund has been the only NT coach that has prospered by primarily recruiting metroplex athletes. He doesn't get many of the very top recruits in the area, but with his connections has been able to identify and sign those players that can be very good college players. Maybe a top notch facility can further the program to the next step.

Harry, I think you are correct that the driving force of this move is the demolition of Fouts and the opening up of a great area for the school. I assume future uses will be a lot more than a parking lot.

I await the design of this facility. Although, it doesn't seem like you get a lot for construction dollars; this should be a very nice dual facility.

Wag Tag · February 24, 2017

This makes a lot of sense! I can't imagine any sports facility being doubled in cost and getting approved by the BOR.

forevereagle · February 24, 2017

1 hour ago, Harry said:

That said, I have to think that a bigger part of this facility is the need to demolish Fouts and make room for more parking space. They have planned on demolishing it for some time. I constantly hear that parking at UNT is a mess which is saying something because it was a mess back in the ice ages when I was roaming the campus.

Of course this is about clearing the land for other purposes. Fouts needs to go and the campus needs that land to grow. It just makes sense.

1 hour ago, Harry said:

Back to the facility, is it just me or is track really where we need to put funds right now? I know we have to give them a facility and all but I really felt like the indoor facility could have benefited soccer and football.

Not sure that doing this means that we aren't going to build the IPF. One does not preclude the other.

Cerebus · February 24, 2017

3 minutes ago, GrandGreen said:

I assume future uses will be a lot more than a parking lot.

Short term is a parking lot, long term a parking garage and intramural fields.

Parking is awful right now, if you don't have to come up to main campus every day it's probably unimaginable to you how bad it is now. I know a lot of people say "it was bad when I was a student" but it's an entirely different level of awful now.

IMHO parking and the I35E congestion (now construction) are a big part of why our enrollment has plateaued. THECB wanted us to be at 45k by this point. It's hard to get many more students in when student housing is saturated, rental rates are high, and it's a nightmare to commute from Lewsiville and other areas.

outoftown · February 24, 2017

Overall this is a good idea, as both sports can profit some and Fouts does need to go. However it is a better deal for track than for soccer, as atmosphere on soccer fields with a track around them is usually pretty bad, due to the distance it puts between the players and the spectators.

MeanGreen_MBA · February 24, 2017

I am thinking they will build the soccer/track facility at TBD, the build the IPF where the current soccer field is now. Makes sense to put it there.....

MeanGreenTexan · February 24, 2017

8 minutes ago, MeanGreen_MBA said:

I am thinking they will build the soccer/track facility at TBD, the build the IPF where the current soccer field is now. Makes sense to put it there.....

I doubt it. There's just not enough room for a nice IPF where the current Soccer Stadium is now.
I'm thinking more along the lines of this:

The Soccer/Track guess is also in line with the published Master Plan from before. The new Track Stadium was supposed to go where I have it.

TreeFiddy · February 24, 2017

17 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I doubt it. There's just not enough room for a nice IPF where the current Soccer Stadium is now.
I'm thinking more along the lines of this:

The Soccer/Track guess is also in line with the published Master Plan from before. The new Track Stadium was supposed to go where I have it.

Whoa, that is a pretty big IPF.

MeanGreenTexan · February 24, 2017

1 minute ago, TreeFiddy said:

Whoa, that is a pretty big IPF.

It's gonna be YUUUGE. It's gonna be a tremendous, luxurious IPF.

MeanGreen13 · February 24, 2017

39 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I doubt it. There's just not enough room for a nice IPF where the current Soccer Stadium is now.
I'm thinking more along the lines of this:

The Soccer/Track guess is also in line with the published Master Plan from before. The new Track Stadium was supposed to go where I have it.

Remember that victory hall has a twin that hasnt been built yet. Goes right on the other side of that circle. I think the ipf would best fit where the current practice fields are so it can be connected to the athletic center. I think they should make new outdoor fields where the intramural joints are currently. I would imagine the basketball arena would go where the hotel/convention center was proposed. I bet they have something planned for the space the current soccer stadium sits on... Like an expansion or redesign of the athlete academic center, which is truly an embarrassment for a university of this size and with the academic success our students have had.

MeanGreenTexan · February 24, 2017

1 minute ago, MeanGreen13 said:

Remember that victory hall has a twin that hasnt been built yet. Goes right on the other side of that circle. I think the ipf would best fit where the current practice fields are so it can be connected to the athletic center. I think they should make new outdoor fields where the intramural joints are currently. I would imagine the basketball arena would go where the hotel/convention center was proposed. I bet they have something planned for the space the current soccer stadium sits on... Like an expansion or redesign of the athlete academic center, which is truly an embarrassment for a university of this size and with the academic success our students have had.

Huh?

We're getting a new basketball arena?

Harry · February 24, 2017

6 hours ago, outoftown said:

However it is a better deal for track than for soccer, as atmosphere on soccer fields with a track around them is usually pretty bad, due to the distance it puts between the players and the spectators

Amen. I know Ernie is a track letterman and if we are going to participate we should give it our best but having a track around the soccer field is a real beat down. It's like we are tearing down Fouts and building a similar track around the stadium design. Hope like hell I am wrong.

BTG_Fan1 · February 24, 2017

18 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Huh?

We're getting a new basketball arena?

Down the road, should be in a 2 or 3, maybe 4 years.

UNT Mean Green · February 25, 2017

The IPF will be separate from track and soccer, which is standard in industry, and should be located on or near one of the existing practice fields.

BTG_Fan1 · February 25, 2017

1 hour ago, UNT Mean Green said:

The IPF will be separate from track and soccer, which is standard in industry, and should be located on or near one of the existing practice fields.

I'm hoping that they do this as well, the only question is about spacing, I would believe?

5 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I doubt it. There's just not enough room for a nice IPF where the current Soccer Stadium is now.
I'm thinking more along the lines of this:

The Soccer/Track guess is also in line with the published Master Plan from before. The new Track Stadium was supposed to go where I have it.

I'm not sure if anyone else knows... but I'm assuming the idea would be for the Baseball field to go to the south of the softball field?

That would leave the spot to the North open of the softball field and East of where we think the Soccer/Track stadium will be.... If that is where the Soccer/Track stadium they will have to fill in that pond on the map.

FirefightnRick · February 25, 2017

Agree with Harry in that the driving force is parking at Fouts.

But what irks me most about this is they hastily bulldozed 10,000 seating capacity worth of aluminum a year and a half ago that is still unused space. Now we'll spend millions replacing that. What's 10,000 seating capacity worth of aluminum cost? Just seems to me it would have been more prudent to hire a few students looking for part time work to disassemble and stack it for reuse at a later date.

Rick

Cerebus · February 25, 2017

5 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

Down the road, should be in a 2 or 3, maybe 4 years.

You've hinted at this more than once, but there is zero mention of it on the master plan, zero prep work done with the state, zero hint at a fund raising or bond campaign, zero money and planning for this period.

If we had the money right now, it would take longer than 2 or 3 years to get state sign off on it, get it pushed through planning, and have it built.

If you have any proof of the above being wrong go ahead and share.

BTG_Fan1 · February 25, 2017

1 minute ago, Cerebus said:

You've hinted at this more than once, but there is zero mention of it on the master plan, zero prep work done with the state, zero hint at a fund raising or bond campaign, zero money and planning for this period.

If we had the money right now, it would take longer than 2 or 3 years to get state sign off on it, get it pushed through planning, and have it built.

If you have any proof of the above being wrong go ahead and share.

When I say that I'm meaning down the road, with no idea of date for it to be built or even discussed.. nor do I have any idea how long it takes for it to be approved..

All I know is that in my Facility Management Class, the professors have brought up the new plans for the superpit, with them seeking input for new ideas and developments(from us in class) with them having us going out getting information from students as well.

Cerebus · February 25, 2017

2 minutes ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

All I know is that in my Facility Management Class, the professors have brought up the new plans for the superpit, with them seeking input for new ideas and developments(from us in class) with them having us going out getting information from students as well.

You don't think that's much more likely to be a class exercise, instead of actual planning?

BTG_Fan1 · February 25, 2017

7 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

You don't think that's much more likely to be a class exercise, instead of actual planning?

Not being in the class it would appear like that to people, but from what we have been told no it is not.. but with people doubting the information, I won't bring it up anymore