A $60 Million Football Stadium= Only 32,000 Seats

[UNT_playmaker]

I am so sick and tired of seeing all of the effort and time that has gone into people trying to get a new stadium for the future of NT Athletics just to settle for a new $60 million stadium that seats almost the same amount that Fouts can already seat. Which is about 31,000 people.

The reason the new stadium is being built is for the following reasons: Recruiting, New Potential Donors, More home games, better opponents, rivalries, a better conference, potential site for large scale football games, and most important our own pride.

After the students vote to allow their own fees to be raise for a better stadium than what we already have, let's give them a better stadium than what we already have. We need a new stadium that can seat at minimum 38,000 to 40,000.

The reasons are facts: 50,000 students at UNT in just a few years, we need to be in a better conference, and to securing better opponents to play at our stadium. I mean who wouldnt want to play us knowing they can tap into the DFW market, have their alumni attend the game and get to play in nice stadium. When we have known opponents Fouts is near a sell-out each time, even when I team is mediocre. 32,000 isn't going to cut it, whatsoever.

Your spending $60 million and it took 7 more years for a revote for the stadium, please tell HKS, RV, UNT admin, everyone who matters to look into adding an additional 5,000 - 8,000 seats to get these known opportunities. Please dont tell me that the stadium will be 35,000 seats or can be expanded because we know that it wont get expanded, build it right the first time and avoid the additional costs.

Todd Dodge wants to build this team to be the team of the metroplex, give us the stadium to be able to compete on that level. If we are going to do this, let's do it right. Just like we did with the Super Pit.

I feel very strongly about this and hope that whoever else does takes action to make sure we don't lose out on a great opportunity to change the plans that have been presented to us. I will email RV this statement and hope to hear back from him this time. I encourage others to do the same.

Rick Villareal (940) 565-3646.........Rick.Villarreal@unt.edu

Edited September 23, 2008 by UNT_playmaker

[UNTFan23]

[NT91]

38K-40K IS A GOOD NUMBER!!!

[Green Mean]

I totally agree with you but people are settled on 32K. Building this stadium is all good but in my estimation it will be in a half ass way and not thinking about the future and thinking big. But I guess you can't expect anything else from UNT.

[Smitty]

And which of us is going to pay for the extra 8,000 seats?

Fiscal realities must invade this debate. It appears (hard to tell during a silent period) that we are having a tough time raising the $60 million needed for a 32,000-seat stadium. Yet there are complaints that this is not enough.

Frankly, I would love to see a 40,000-seat stadium. Only I don't have an extra ten or twenty million dollars lying around to pay for it. So, for those pushing for a larger stadium, you must answer the question: where will you get the money?

And before you say, "That's RV's job," don't you think that RV is trying to raise as much money as he can and will build as big and nice a stadium as he possibly can? This new stadium is going a long way toward writing his legacy. He and we all know that UNT needs a new stadium. But we can only build as big and nice a new stadium as UNT can afford.

[Green Mean]

And which of us is going to pay for the extra 8,000 seats?

Fiscal realities must invade this debate. It appears (hard to tell during a silent period) that we are having a tough time raising the $60 million needed for a 32,000-seat stadium. Yet there are complaints that this is not enough.

Frankly, I would love to see a 40,000-seat stadium. Only I don't have an extra ten or twenty million dollars lying around to pay for it. So, for those pushing for a larger stadium, you must answer the question: where will you get the money?

And before you say, "That's RV's job," don't you think that RV is trying to raise as much money as he can and will build as big and nice a stadium as he possibly can? This new stadium is going a long way toward writing his legacy. He and we all know that UNT needs a new stadium. But we can only build as big and nice a new stadium as UNT can afford.

The same people paying for the the 32K seat stadium can pay the extra money to build a 40-50K seat stadium. It will take a few more donors and the students can pay for it too especially if we can get this vote passed.

[Guest GrayEagleOne]

In order to get 40,000 seats you will have to double-deck at least one side. Unless you can find a donor for that addition, I don't believe that's possble under the proposed funding structure.

Who could you get and how often to warrant a 40,000 seat stadium that would not come to a filled 32,000 seat stadium? You won't get Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, LSU, or any other team that draws 80-90,000 and up for their home games. It would be rare that those additional seats would garner enough "bigger names" to warrant the additional cost. We'll be fine until we are able to expand to 50,000. Besides, we'd have 8,000 empty seats for most of the games.

Edited September 23, 2008 by GrayEagleOne

[Harry]

Totally agree Grey Eagle - let's prove we can consistently sell out our 30K stadium before we expand to 40 or 50K. Let's reward the students and season ticketholders with a full stadium that has awesome sightlines and atmosphere. Let's increase the value of the product before we build for the masses.

[Green Mean]

Based on past history of NT athletics....I am under the presumption that the new stadium will never get expanded. I just think you build now and save costs for later.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Green Mean

[greenminer]

I think we should start over.

[UNTLifer]

I think we should start over.

Underrated post, but highly appreciated!

FYI, the stadium will be built to seat 32,000 expandable to 50,000. If we can consistently sell out a 32,000 seat stadium, then the funding will be there to expand.

[Smitty]

Totally agree Grey Eagle - let's prove we can consistently sell out our 30K stadium before we expand to 40 or 50K. Let's reward the students and season ticketholders with a full stadium that has awesome sightlines and atmosphere. Let's increase the value of the product before we build for the masses.

Complete agreement.

[e-bone ver2.awesome]

How many does Utah State's stadium seat? We have to beat them.

[UNT_playmaker]

If we get the student's fees raised then there will finally be money to play with plus what we already have. We can attract another donor to get the seat amount right where we need it. We are forunate that we have Eagle Point, we have the capacity and land to build our dreams on that piece of land.

Do it right and save tons of money in the long run. It wont cost all that extra to put in a few thousands seats onto what you already have.

[UNT_playmaker]

I have an official response from RV. As I quote:

I need you to give me a call at 940-565-****.

Rick

I think I'm trouble, I will call and provide details later on this afternoon.

Edited September 23, 2008 by UNT_playmaker

[Travis]

RV has stated... If you fill it... we will make it bigger.

I agree with his thinking... 32,000 is fine for now... we need a new complex.

[ForneyGreen]

I have an official response from RV. As I quote:

I need you to give me a call at 940-565-2789.

OHHHHHHH Shit I think I'm trouble, I will call and provide details later on this afternoon.

I think you're in trouble with the boss man :-)

Here's the deal... in today's world, a nice 32,000 seat stadium will cost 60+ million dollars.

A nice 32,000 seat stadium is much better than a bad 45,000 seat stadium (and much, much better than a bad 30,000 Fouts Field stadium) from all perspectives (recruiting, scheduling, etc.)...

Let's do this... get the new stadium built. Then if some big donor decides to chip in an extra 15 million for an upper deck later, we'll build it and call it the "Joe Donor Upper Deck".

[Censored by Laurie]

How many does Utah State's stadium seat? We have to beat them.

Romney Stadium

A paltry 25,513.

[UNTLifer]

Romney Stadium

A paltry 25,513.

This shows 30,257

www.worldstadiums.com Romney Stadium

The USU website shows 25,513. I've actually always liked this stadium.

[Censored by Laurie]

This shows 30,257

www.worldstadiums.com Romney Stadium

The USU website shows 25,513. I've actually always liked this stadium.

Looks like a great place to run a draw...a dive...a draw...and a punt

[untjim1995]

In order to get 40,000 seats you will have to double-deck at least one side. Unless you can find a donor for that addition, I don't believe that's possble under the proposed funding structure.

Who could you get and how often to warrant a 40,000 seat stadium that would not come to a filled 32,000 seat stadium? You won't get Texas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, LSU, or any other team that draws 80-90,000 and up for their home games. It would be rare that those additional seats would garner enough "bigger names" to warrant the additional cost. We'll be fine until we are able to expand to 50,000. Besides, we'd have 8,000 empty seats for most of the games.

Actually, TCU and SMU have home games scheduled against Oklahoma and Texas A&M in the near future. The questions of whether OU/A&M will actually play them on the road or just buy them out is yet to be answered, but both stadiums seat less than 45K, I believe. I still think that we could get an LSU-type game here if we have a nice stadium, just for recruiting visability. This is also why I think they should try and get Iowa, Mizzou, Kansas, etc on the schedule for the future. If K-State ever plays at Fouts, I will laugh at their stupidity. Playing here with all of the stadium's issues would not be worth the buyout, IMHO.

[eulessismore]

I'm throwing in with those who say build it w/32k quality seats, WITH expandibility planned, fill it consistently, then expand it. Folks, without quality, you have nothing. Once you have a quality stadium and football team, anything is possible. For those who think you can't do all that much with that size of stadium, consider Wake Forest (yes a small school, but a small fish in a big pond of Winston-Salem, N.C.). They're dreaming bigger, but this is what they're doing quite nicely with now. Check out their stadium on Wikipedia:

Wake Forest B.B.T. Field

[UNTFan23]

I have an official response from RV. As I quote:

I need you to give me a call at 940-565-****.

Rick

I think I'm trouble, I will call and provide details later on this afternoon.

So what did RV say to you?

[shaft]

This isn't playstation, you just don't get invited to a bigger/better conference.

The chance to change conferences is another one of those bad arguments, that distracts from the issue at hand. The students are voting to replace Fouts. A concept plan for the proposed stadium is already in place.

[EagleMBA]

Sorry, Playmaker can't use the computer just now. The jaw will be unwired in six weeks, when the full body cast comes off.