Tech To Add 30,000 Seats Over The Next 20 Years

[ADLER]

LUBBOCK, Texas -- A master plan for improving Texas Tech's football stadium includes the addition of 30,000 seats over the next 20 years and a five-story building for club, retail and suite space.

Athletic director Gerald Myers presented the plan Tuesday to the facilities committee of the Texas Tech University system board of regents. Improvements to Jones AT&T Stadium would cost an estimated $40 million.

Myers also presented plans for $14 million to $21 million in upgrades for baseball and softball facilities on campus.

The plan presented to the committee had few details on funding.

"The funding for all of this is not complete at this point, but we are working diligently to do all of these things," Myers said in a story for Wednesday's Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Planners want to start adding 10,000 seats straddling the north end zone by next spring. The athletic offices, suites and retail facilities would be built on the east side of the stadium.

Proposals for softball improvements include a new fieldhouse, stands and practice facilities. For baseball, improvements would include upgrades to artificial turf, concession additions, and a new press box and eight luxury suites.

"I'm glad to see they're doing a master plan," committee chairman Bob Black said. "I think it's been long in coming, but very, very encouraging to see it coming out of the athletics department."

[ADLER]

And you may ask why this story is relevant on our board.

Well, North Texas is currently doing a feasibility study for building a new stadium of our own.

Do we currently need an 80,000 seat stadium? No. 80,000 seat stadium? No. 70,000 seat stadium? No. 60,000 seat stadium? No. 50,000 seat stadium? Again, No.

But we do need to realize that the current standard for Division 1 football stadiums, especially those at larger state schools, excedes 70,000 seating capacity.

Should we build a 70,000 seat stadium? Once again no, but it would be practically criminal not to build something not intended to be expanded to that capacity in phases over time.

It would be best if North Texas designed a 35,000 or 40,000 seat phase 1 of a MUCH larger stadium. This plan would instill our future in Division 1 football.

Failing to plan is planning .......

[KingDL1]

LUBBOCK, Texas -- A master plan for improving Texas Tech's football stadium includes the addition of 30,000 seats over the next 20 years and a five-story building for club, retail and suite space.

Athletic director Gerald Myers presented the plan Tuesday to the facilities committee of the Texas Tech University system board of regents. Improvements to Jones AT&T Stadium would cost an estimated $40 million.

Myers also presented plans for $14 million to $21 million in upgrades for baseball and softball facilities on campus.

The plan presented to the committee had few details on funding.

"The funding for all of this is not complete at this point, but we are working diligently to do all of these things," Myers said in a story for Wednesday's Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

Planners want to start adding 10,000 seats straddling the north end zone by next spring. The athletic offices, suites and retail facilities would be built on the east side of the stadium.

Proposals for softball improvements include a new fieldhouse, stands and practice facilities. For baseball, improvements would include upgrades to artificial turf, concession additions, and a new press box and eight luxury suites.

"I'm glad to see they're doing a master plan," committee chairman Bob Black said. "I think it's been long in coming, but very, very encouraging to see it coming out of the athletics department."

Is there really 80,000 people in all of the Lubbock area??? I mean dust of course but people?

Edited March 17, 2007 by KingDL1

[NT80]

Is there really 80,000 people in all of the Lubbock area??? I mean dust of course but people?

Cattle are everywhere around Lubbock. But why build seats for them and make them pay to watch?

[NT80]

It would be best if North Texas designed a 35,000 or 40,000 seat phase 1 of a MUCH larger stadium. This plan would instill our future in Division 1 football.

Failing to plan is planning .......

Someone reported Hank recently said in conversation the initial goal is 40K seats for us, and expandable. I hope that's true, to start with 40,000. Anything less is SMUtish.

[UNT_playmaker]

I bet that they are much further ahead with their planning for 30,000 additional seats than we are with our own defunct stadium plans.

Stupid idea on the part of Tech expanding to 80,000 seats, has anyone told them that no one really follows Texas Tech Football.

[MeanGreen61]

Is there really 80,000 people in all of the Lubbock area??? I mean dust of course but people?

Expecting a significant movement of people from south of El Paso due to the Lubbock area employment needs.

Edited March 17, 2007 by MeanGreen61

[PlummMeanGreen]

And you may ask why this story is relevant on our board.

Well, North Texas is currently doing a feasibility study for building a new stadium of our own.

Do we currently need an 80,000 seat stadium? No. 80,000 seat stadium? No. 70,000 seat stadium? No. 60,000 seat stadium? No. 50,000 seat stadium? Again, No.

But we do need to realize that the current standard for Division 1 football stadiums, especially those at larger state schools, excedes 70,000 seating capacity.

Should we build a 70,000 seat stadium? Once again no, but it would be practically criminal not to build something not intended to be expanded to that capacity in phases over time.

It would be best if North Texas designed a 35,000 or 40,000 seat phase 1 of a MUCH larger stadium. This plan would instill our future in Division 1 football.

Failing to plan is planning .......

Good post, ADLER...

And for another aforementioned post, there are also a whole bunch of jack rabbits in the Greater Lubbock area, too, but of course, unlike the cows mentioned in that above post, their seats won't need to be quite as large.

Edited March 17, 2007 by PlummMeanGreen

[GoMeanGreen1999]

And you may ask why this story is relevant on our board.

Well, North Texas is currently doing a feasibility study for building a new stadium of our own.

Do we currently need an 80,000 seat stadium? No. 80,000 seat stadium? No. 70,000 seat stadium? No. 60,000 seat stadium? No. 50,000 seat stadium? Again, No.

But we do need to realize that the current standard for Division 1 football stadiums, especially those at larger state schools, excedes 70,000 seating capacity.

Should we build a 70,000 seat stadium? Once again no, but it would be practically criminal not to build something not intended to be expanded to that capacity in phases over time.

It would be best if North Texas designed a 35,000 or 40,000 seat phase 1 of a MUCH larger stadium. This plan would instill our future in Division 1 football.

Failing to plan is planning .......

Call me crazy, but I really think if we are going to build a new stadium, it should start at the least amount of 45,000. I really think that a college should not build a new stadium under 50,000 in todays time.

Is there really 80,000 people in all of the Lubbock area??? I mean dust of course but people?

It is hard for me to believe that they could fill an 80,000 person stadium. They do have a nice stadium now, or at least it is a good design.

[russell360]

An argument can certainly be made that it makes a lot more sense for Tech to expand than NT.

Tech averages almost 51k in a stadium that holds a litttle over 52k. Which includes playing some fairly unattractive OOC home games. The big games are sellouts and have been for years.

UNT averages 15-16k in a stadium that seats over 30k

UNT need a bigger stadium to attract bigger programs to Denton, but far more importantly they need to fill those seats.

Tech wants more seats to attract the bigger name programs which should sell more tickets...

[NT80]

An argument can certainly be made that it makes a lot more sense for Tech to expand than NT.

Tech averages almost 51k in a stadium that holds a litttle over 52k. Which includes playing some fairly unattractive OOC home games. The big games are sellouts and have been for years.

UNT averages 15-16k in a stadium that seats over 30k

UNT need a bigger stadium to attract bigger programs to Denton, but far more importantly they need to fill those seats.

Tech wants more seats to attract the bigger name programs which should sell more tickets...

If UNT had Tech's home conference schedule and promotion $$ we'd be averging 50K too. It's not hard to get 50K hosting zero-U, uTee, A$M, Nebraska, et al. UNT needs a new stadium just to get into modern times if nothing else. Our next goal should be getting into a better conference!

[ADLER]

If UNT had Tech's home conference schedule and promotion $$ we'd be averging 50K too. It's not hard to get 50K hosting zero-U, uTee, A$M, Nebraska, et al. UNT needs a new stadium just to get into modern times if nothing else. Our next goal should be getting into a better conference!

I'm sure he's aware of that but maybe doesn't want to admit it.

With the same schedule as Tech we would easily beat them in attendance for most game, the UT, OU, OSU, KSU, and A&M games for sure. Their remote location makes them inaccessible, or at least horribly inconvenient for visiting fans.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---Why trash TxTech..!!! We would love to have at UNT games the 40-50,000 or so fans that attend now. (ENVY? by some) Lubbock is over 250,000 and with Midland/Odessa south of them 120 miles there is another 250,000 which half a million people and trust me a lot of this area goes to Lubbock to watch Tech. Distance means little out here. You can even toss in Amarillo which is north of them as well..it is no small village either..... Unlike Dallas there are no other I-A colleges even close to compete with in West Texas and there is no professional football, NBA, or MLB to complete with either... (UTEP is over 350 miles away and Dallas may be closer (UNT is) than El Paso. Many of the Tech games now are sold out.. especially the UT, A&M, OU and Nebraska ones. The last game I attended there was FIU last year (2005) and it was 90% sold out...... and it was a rather awful game with no one from FIU. Trust me they could fill an 80,000 stadium for some of their games...

---We should not build anything under 40,000 and have the capability to expand to a min of 70,000. I am very confident our situation will change greatly as the university gets larger, we get better, and we get better home schedules...... We will become the university of the metroplex as time goes on...[sorry about that SMU, not really ].. The northern edge of Dallas (well educated) is getting much closer every year...

Edited March 18, 2007 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[NT80]

---Why trash TxTech..!!! We would love to have at UNT games the 40-50,000 or so fans that attend now. (ENVY? by some) Lubbock is over 250,000 and with Midland/Odessa south of them 120 miles there is another 250,000 which half a million people and trust me a lot of this area goes to Lubbock to watch Tech. Distance means little out here. You can even toss in Amarillo which is north of them as well..it is no small village either..... Unlike Dallas there are no other I-A colleges even close to compete with in West Texas and there is no professional football, NBA, or MLB to complete with either... (UTEP is over 350 miles away and Dallas may be closer (UNT is) than El Paso. Many of the Tech games now are sold out.. especially the UT, A&M, OU and Nebraska ones. The last game I attended there was FIU last year (2005) and it was 90% sold out...... and it was a rather awful game with no one from FIU. Trust me they could fill an 80,000 stadium for some of their games...

---We should not build anything under 40,000 and have the capability to expand to a min of 70,000. I am very confident our situation will change greatly as the university gets larger, we get better, and we get better home schedules...... We will become the university of the metroplex as time goes on...[sorry about that SMU, not really ].. The northern edge of Dallas (well educated) is getting much closer every year...

Wreck Tech! Who cares about Lubbuttocks? They are #2 behind SMUt on my "hope they lose every game list".

[DeepGreen]

Someone reported Hank recently said in conversation the initial goal is 40K seats for us, and expandable. I hope that's true, to start with 40,000. Anything less is SMUtish.

Old buddy, I'd gladly take a 30,000 seat "SMUish" stadium over what we now have. Our stadium is "high schoolish".

[russell360]

If MaryHardin Baylor were in the SEC, they would probably have better attendance than Tech...

NT like Tech, has hired a high-powered offensive coach which will bring more excitement than the old Buick....

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Wreck Tech! Who cares about Lubbuttocks? They are #2 behind SMUt on my "hope they lose every game list".

Why ??? at least they voted to admit us to the SWC and they don't constantly trash us the in DMN and they have not been afraid to schedule us a few times unlike the "chickens" and arrogant %$#&^% at SMU that think they are too good for the rest of us.

[NT80]

Why ??? at least they voted to admit us to the SWC and they don't constantly trash us the in DMN and they have not been afraid to schedule us a few times unlike the "chickens" and arrogant %$#&^% at SMU that think they are too good for the rest of us.

Never have cared for Leach or Knight, the way they treat people, or that whole school's attitude toward anyone outside Lubbock. They deserve each other. I will however favor Tech over SMUt this fall !

Edited March 19, 2007 by NT80