New Stadium

[runt96]

Are you interested in making any bets on which stadium will better fill it's function for higher attendance and revenue.

UCF has virtually no football history, similar student numbers and demographics to North Texas, and comperable competition for entertainment dollars.

If North Texas procedes with the POC desogn, let's bet a set dollar figure for each of the first 10 years after the stadiums are built. If North Texas has higher attendance for the year, I pay you that figure . If the University of Central Florida has the higher attendance, you pay me the same.

If you are confident in your convictions, then it shouldn't take you very long to reply.

I'm not totally sure, but does anyone have their enrollment? I thhink it's in the mid 40k, but i'm not sure.

[NTPhiKap99]

Can someone find me a stadium sales man I don't know what I want anymore. Every design I've seen either looks great inside and out but is too expensive or is in our price range but is crap in another aspect or another.

[NT80]

If we have to have an upper deck, I want it to look like this, one continuous level with a break for suites, etc......

http://z.about.com/d/hartford/1/0/W/4/rentschler2.jpg

Otherwise, we should start with a larger horseshoe design, and add a deck later as needed....

http://www.bba-arch.com/images/ksustadiumexpansion_05.jpg

[ADLER]

All Im saying is its a CRAPTACULAR, cheap ass, way to build. I like the bowl, single level concept, but UCF is doing it on the cheap. You said you wanted to build it right, then let's build it right. Dont settle for an erector set, pre-fab piece of crap. Let's build something that fans actually WANT to go to. Build it with nice concourses, restrooms, fan amenities. Build the club level and luxery boxes that will fund the program. Make the stadium a profit center, not a cost center.

I like the bowl design, but thats about it.

Oh and as to which will fill it's function for higher revenue? With no club seating, zero to few luxery suites, UCF isn't gong to be a cash cow. Why do you think every new or renovated stadium includes these? Because that's where the money is. Look at Boise St. for example. They are doing a 30+ million upgrade to the stadium, but it's only going to add 2000 seats. The bulk of the money is going to suites and club seats....It's where the revenue is.

Sure, I'll concede that the UCF stadium is prefabricated and may have to be replaced in 25 years by a bigger more substantial stadium. Conversely, the Sparks POC design proposed for North Texas will seldom if ever draw large crowds. The catastrophic mistake of putting the cocktail party rooms between the fans and the field will destroy the fan base. It will be several generations before that perpetually half-empty 30,000 seat stadium can be replaced.

It's Deja vu' all over again in Mean Green Country.

Fouts was doomed for failure before the first shovel of dirt was turned. Does anybody really want to recreate that nightmare?

[NT80]

I'd prefer this KSU, deck-add-on model. Open ended like we need for our A/C.....

https://www.ksu.edu/photo/newwebsite/footba...rge/Stadium.htm

[ADLER]

If we have to have an upper deck, I want it to look like this, one continuous level with a break for suites, etc......

http://z.about.com/d/hartford/1/0/W/4/rentschler2.jpg

Otherwise, we should start with a larger horseshoe design, and add a deck later as needed....

Like many other stadiums, UConn's Rentschler Field has a walkway bisecting the lower from the upper seats, but the luxury suites are where they are supposed to be, atop the stadium behind the fans, just like at every successful stadium.

And some of those luxury suites are quite elaborate.

[Baby Arm!]

An upper deck can be done right. I like the UConn stadium. I also like Stanford. the suites and club are at the press box level. Theree is an open air concourse/walkway that seperates the seating bowls but it allows for handicap seating and the field can be viewed from the concourse.

https://www.seats3d.com/ncaa/stanford_university/

http://www.stanfordstadium.com/

[Mean'n'Green07]

An upper deck can be done right. I like the UConn stadium. I also like Stanford. the suites and club are at the press box level. Theree is an open air concourse/walkway that seperates the seating bowls but it allows for handicap seating and the field can be viewed from the concourse.

https://www.seats3d.com/ncaa/stanford_university/

http://www.stanfordstadium.com/

Just out of curiosity, what happened to the old stanford stadium? Why would you dump a stadium that seated over 80,000 when you're in the PAC-10.

Edited January 17, 2007 by Mean'n'Green07

[Baby Arm!]

Just out of curiosity, what happened to the old stanford stadium? Why would you dump a stadium that seated over 80,000 when you're in the PAC-10.

Because they could never fill it up

other reasons according to Stanford:

" Stanford Stadium has served the Stanford community well since 1921, but after eight decades of use, it was determined that the stadium's infrastructure had reached the end of its service life. The venue was considered outdated and inadequate for a comfortable game experience. Additionally, the relationship of the field to the stands created substandard sightlines that rendered the first 14 rows unusable, partly because of the presence of a running track. Guest circulation, ingress, and egress were also considered to be substandard because of the narrowness of the "mineshaft" and the extensive stairs. Finally, the mineshaft needed additional structural strengthening because of the presence of dry rot. "

Pretty much everything wrong with Fouts....same w/ Stanford

Edited January 17, 2007 by Baby Arm!

[trud1966]

http://www.stanfordstadium.com/

http://smumustangs.cstv.com/facilities/ford-stadium.html

http://www.smu.edu/tour/FordStadiumField.htm

http://www.ridersbaseball.com/ballpark/bal...p;id=60&t=0

Personally, what I really love about Stanford's and SMU's new stadiums are the fact that their playing surfaces are partially depressed into the ground. Even the Frisco Roughriders ballpark is designed like this. This design makes the highest tier of stands not project too terribly high above the adjacent grade/propoerty outside the stadium. Some of you will probably want the new stadium to reach to the heavens, as to show off or pound our chest or whatever. I just dont care for that because alot of the time, the exterior of stadiums is visually unattractive. They CAN be made attractive by adding a facade or skin around the perimeter, but it starts to add up in construction dollars very fast. If the stadium is partially depressed into the ground, the exterior facade is minimalized, which will save construction costs. It's more affordable to remove dirt and 25 feet down than it it to skin a facade 80' tall all the way around.

Edited January 17, 2007 by trud1966

[PlummMeanGreen]

Like many other stadiums, UConn's Rentschler Field has a walkway bisecting the lower from the upper seats, but the luxury suites are where they are supposed to be, atop the stadium behind the fans, just like at every successful stadium.

Did I read somewhere that UConn's stadium is almost 1 hour from their campus? And didn't the state of Conn. build this stadium for almost $100 million, too?

[NTPhiKap99]

I live both the Stanford and the UCONN designs yet we are in the 85-90 million mark on both of them. Yet I do think with the increased land value, cost of living and the fact that it is a 50000 seat stadium something like Stanford could be build here at 40000 in the 60 million dollar range. So I say bring in the bulldozers it only took them a year to build. Wait I guess we still have the problem of that 60 mil.

[Quoner]

Yup, not sure about the price tag, but they poured a ton of state resources they didnt have into this thinking they were on the verge of becoming a Big East power, then watched their program go back to crap without Orlovsky. Then, for an extra crotch kick, the Big East almost fell apart when Miami, VT, and BC left. Now they have a long, distant stadium they will need to replace with a more intimate one near the campus and a hell of a time justifying it. Should be fun. Marcus Williams will need to fence about 100,000 more laptops to foot the bill....

[kj86]

I'd prefer this KSU, deck-add-on model. Open ended like we need for our A/C.....

https://www.ksu.edu/photo/newwebsite/footba...rge/Stadium.htm

Too many endzone seats for me. Endzones are for future expansion, if there's no other place to go.

[NTPhiKap99]

Too many endzone seats for me. Endzones are for future expansion, if there's no other place to go.

No one like end zone seats but they are inevitable rather we go horseshoe or fully enclosed. We aren't talking end zones like Fouts where they are already 50ft away because of a track. As long as the seats are right up against the field end zone seats won't be that bad. Building upper decks on end zones are last resorts when there is no where else to go but just having them is necessary unless you want a high school stadium with two big sideline grandstands.

[NT80]

Too many endzone seats for me. Endzones are for future expansion, if there's no other place to go.

I agree double-decked endzone seats like the UNT model are a huge waste, but a smaller section close to the field would be useful for connecting the two sides, horseshoe effect. The UConn and Stanford decked stadiums are unique in that the upper and lower decks are on basically the same slope down to the field (one section can see the other section). The seperation between them can also be used for suites, as I think it will be in Stanford's model.

[UNTLifer]

No one like end zone seats but they are inevitable rather we go horseshoe or fully enclosed. We aren't talking end zones like Fouts where they are already 50ft away because of a track. As long as the seats are right up against the field end zone seats won't be that bad. Building upper decks on end zones are last resorts when there is no where else to go but just having them is necessary unless you want a high school stadium with two big sideline grandstands.

Set it up like Amon Carter's endzone seats.

[Zeke]

Set it up like Amon Carter's endzone seats.

These are the endzone seats I imagine. One end is our AC - the other end is like the far endzone in this pic:

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

Thoughts from a newbie.

I want to share a short story regarding my thoughts on the proposed stadium:

I went to my first Rangers game a few months back and when I walked into the stadium I was amazed at the size of it and its capacity. If I had to guess how many people were there I would have said about 40K. Well, I was shocked when they announced the nights attendance at a little over 24K.

I thought about why there seemed to be so many more people than that. The reason is because of the build of the seats. Their seats are more vertical while Fizlouts field is more horizontal. All this to say that we need to build the new stadium more vertical, whether we have 1 deck or 2. Look at TCU's stadium, the upper deck is very vertical.

What will this do for us:

Make it look like more people are attending.

Make it look like we have more seats that we do.

Keep more sound in if we could ever use that as an advantage.

Lastly, make it more visible from the highway.

Just my suggestions. Now someone take them to RV.

[NT80]

Thoughts from a newbie.

I want to share a short story regarding my thoughts on the proposed stadium:

I went to my first Rangers game a few months back and when I walked into the stadium I was amazed at the size of it and its capacity. If I had to guess how many people were there I would have said about 40K. Well, I was shocked when they announced the nights attendance at a little over 24K.

I thought about why there seemed to be so many more people than that. The reason is because of the build of the seats. Their seats are more vertical while Fizlouts field is more horizontal. All this to say that we need to build the new stadium more vertical, whether we have 1 deck or 2. Look at TCU's stadium, the upper deck is very vertical.

What will this do for us:

Make it look like more people are attending.

Make it look like we have more seats that we do.

Keep more sound in if we could ever use that as an advantage.

Lastly, make it more visible from the highway.

Just my suggestions. Now someone take them to RV.

I agree vertical is more impressive, but it is also more expensive. The original thoughts about the new stadium on the golf course property was to use the natural slope of the land. The idea was to use exisiting earth as a natural foundation for the east stands as much as possible to reduce the cost of concrete pilings and the expense of that. That's also why entry to the stadium would be thru ground level and they were trying to design the suite/pressbox level there too to keep from needing extensive support structures. Unfortunately cost trumps looks when on a fixed budget. I still hope seats are as close to the field as possible in the new facility, something they never thought about in that track stadium we now have.

[NT91]

I love SMU's place.

Just make it green and white.

[NT80]

I love SMU's place.

Blasphemy!

[TheTastyGreek]

Blasphemy!

Learn to love Ford Field. I expect we'll own it in about 8 months.

[bgantz]

Hello all, here's more input from a newbie. Been reading around here a lot lately...but haven't felt inclined to post until now. I'm extremely interested in the discussion here. One of my suggestions was to actually take a look at MLS stadiums throughout the US in addition to other college stadiums. A few MLS stadiums are small enough to hold the capacity you guys are all mentioning here. Here's a couple links that I found intriguing.

FORUM DISCUSSION WITH MLS STADIUM DESIGNS

PIZZA HUT PARK VIRTUAL TOUR

I don't know how many of you have been to Pizza Hut Park in frisco, but I think it's great. It came to mind immediately when reading this thread, which is why I posted it above. Also, the message board link above also has some interesting stuff in there. I'm not wild about the hangover roofing like a lot of the soccer stadiums have, but as far as enclosing the fans around the field and utilizing around the same capacity, I thought they might work.

[UNT74HM]

I don't know how many of you have been to Pizza Hut Park in frisco, but I think it's great. It came to mind immediately when reading this thread, which is why I posted it above. Also, the message board link above also has some interesting stuff in there. I'm not wild about the hangover roofing like a lot of the soccer stadiums have, but as far as enclosing the fans around the field and utilizing around the same capacity, I thought they might work.

I attended a high school playoff game at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. I was really impressed. Something like that would fit our needs nicely.