Question about the new SAC

[Tricky_Falcon]

Is the university foodservice responsible for the stadium concessions? Sheesh - if the Union can get real food, why can't the stadium?

yes it is provided by the university dining services.

Student Athletic Center

Bingo

[Cork]

I would guess there would be an end zone tunnel leading from the SAC locker rooms to the field. Above that perhaps elite seating behind glass and/or coaches offices. What coach doesn't want to have a view of their field.

Bench Seating could form around the tunnel/trench and enclose the stadium ends. I even like the idea of an end zone hill, but ours would get used less than most. Seating would probably be better. The scoreboard end zone would remain open.

There is a scaffolding company within an hours drive of BG that manufactures bleacher and seatback systems. I have sold platforms similar to the wheel chair levels BG just installed for Washington State. For BG, I could envision something really different in stadium designs. A series of elevated platforms or stages along the end zone. Corporations, groups, or colleges could rent a stage with tent top and portable bar for game time parties. The elevated factor would give people a better view of the game than the Falcon Club presently enjoys and would justify the cost. When they once again allow stadium concerts, they basically have a built-in stage.

FYI: It's mid August. If you haven't started your football season work-outs, get going. I'm working particularly harder on wind sprints, overhead press, squats, and of course curls.

[Schadenfreude]

We would really have to show a NEED for all this seating you guys are throwing around. Aesthetically it would make sense and look great to close one or both ends of the stadium. The simple fact is that there is not enough demand to do so. I have been attending games since 1985 and the only game I can recall in which the place was really packed was a Toledo game in Blackney's first or second year.

Our two "sell outs" last year there were plenty of seats open. For the NIU game I entered the stadium 8 minutes before the scheduled kick off and found enough seats for me and 12 of my friends on the West side 3/4 the way up on the North 40 end zone.

It did sell out and at this point I think we do need the seats.

First on the sellout: They stopped selling tickets before both games. What you seem to be describing is student seating. They left 8,000 seats unsold so that students could walk up.

Why we need the seats: I forget how many seats those bleachers contain, but we are talking about 5,000, I think. That's 10,000 more people we were able to accomodate between the NIU and Toledo. Without them, our season average would have taken a 2,000 hit. And, as we are aware, the average matters.

Attendance is going to continue to slowly grow. If the team is as good as we think it is, we should match last year's average this season and break the school record next season.

Hate to sound negative, but I think the reality is the athletic department is taking a political approach to things- by making Perry Stadium smaller it woudl raise the demand for tickets and also give the appearance of a more exciting, packed house, even if 23k or more would show up in a 28k stadium, 23k in a 23k capacity stadium would appear better on tv and such... just my two cents. . .

You may be right.

But if we keep heading in the same direction, we will quickly reach the point where we need the seats at least some of the time.

[CapitalFalcon]

We would really have to show a NEED for all this seating you guys are throwing around. Aesthetically it would make sense and look great to close one or both ends of the stadium. The simple fact is that there is not enough demand to do so. I have been attending games since 1985 and the only game I can recall in which the place was really packed was a Toledo game in Blackney's first or second year.

Our two "sell outs" last year there were plenty of seats open. For the NIU game I entered the stadium 8 minutes before the scheduled kick off and found enough seats for me and 12 of my friends on the West side 3/4 the way up on the North 40 end zone.

Hate to sound negative, but I think the reality is the athletic department is taking a political approach to things- by making Perry Stadium smaller it woudl raise the demand for tickets and also give the appearance of a more exciting, packed house, even if 23k or more would show up in a 28k stadium, 23k in a 23k capacity stadium would appear better on tv and such... just my two cents. . .

I think DD has a great point. And I didn't mean that the "wrapping" would happen next year...The SAC is on a long-term plan. My point was, hopefully if and when the SAC is built, the football team will have had continued success and the loss of the seats in the north endzone will need to be replaced. That would be be-U-tea-ful!

[falconman]

[The SAC is on a long-term plan.
Why in the world is the SAC on a long term plan. It needs to be done ASAP, lets face it the Doyt needs a facelift and something needs to be added to it. This building will look great in the North endzone, but the sooner the better, we are already very far behind in facilities standpoint compared to everyone else in the MAC.

[redskins4ever]

That obviously is the University of Florida Gables not Miami University when it comes to 84 Million dollars.

[falconman]

Thats what someone reported over on NCAABBS, still Miami has defintely dumped a lot of money into their facilites recently.

[professorjackson]

Boy o boy, this discussion of a new building at Doyt Perry Stadium is fascinating, but we probably ought to consider this in the context of the entire university community and not just as alumni and others with more than a deep interest in Falcon sports.

Let me say I'm an alumnus and a faculty member at the U., and I can say there are a lot of people who will scream bloody murder if millions are pumped into athletics facilities when faculty positions are going un-filled. Remember the outcry over the lights?

there are many people in the university community who would be glad to see football dropped, or moved down to division 1-AA.

[OptionQB]

ProfessorJackson,

Welcome. From my understanding the SAC has not been built yet, b/c only $500,000 has been raised towards the $8 Million goal. This building will be built with private funds taking away many of the arguments that your colleauges present.

[professorjackson]

Thanks for the Welcome, OptionQB (b.t.w, I did post on the other version of the site a few times)

If the SAC is built with all private donations, you are right it certainly would undercut much of the opposition.

Of course, people could argue, well they could have donated the money to another worthy part of the university if it didn't get eaten up by athletics. Not a good argument, mind you...

Among most of the newer faculty I hang out with football is a really strong positive side of being at this university, although most of my colleagues with degrees from big-time division 1 programs just can't figure out why we can't fill up the stadium consistently.

[OptionQB]

I can't figure out our attendance problems either!!! I have a few ideas, but well . . .

I understand your concerns with an agressive fundraising campaign, but like many of the individual sports having fundraising golf tournaments to pay for things like "summer classes for basketball players" as Dakich advertises, the donors are asked by the athletic department/coaches for their contributions . . . thus taking away from the confusion that you could be purchasing new Shakespeare textbooks . . . The point is I understand where you are coming from.

Hopefully, after another couple years of successful football, those within the athletic department can figure out how to market home games and the only attendance problem we'll have is trying to figure out where to sit everyone.

[bgbill]

I liked the way Marshall does food concessions - local organizations have spots under the stadium. Great variety, and probably draws the locals into the university culture.

[orangeandbrown]

Hate to sound negative, but I think the reality is the athletic department is taking a political approach to things- by making Perry Stadium smaller it woudl raise the demand for tickets and also give the appearance of a more exciting, packed house, even if 23k or more would show up in a 28k stadium, 23k in a 23k capacity stadium would appear better on tv and such... just my two cents. . .

DD, I think this is exactly right. It gets people who buy GA (and poach good seats) under pressure to go to reserved, and gets them to buy early, rather than waiting until the morning of the game to check out the weather. Restricting demand is all about higher per ticket revenue.

[redskins4ever]

It would be great to see BG Take the seats between the two 35's and make those reserved seats only. Those padded seats are not an option but rather included in the price of the seat, and you either pay for those better seats at a higher price or you sit on the ends as student seating would be guaranteed from the 35 yardline to the 15. This does two things. A it forces those who want good seats to pay a higher amount, two it creates a limit on the best available, and three if you dont want to sit with those rabid students you better get your season tickets!

[Schadenfreude]

Boy o boy, this discussion of a new building at Doyt Perry Stadium is fascinating, but we probably ought to consider this in the context of the entire university community and not just as alumni and others with more than a deep interest in Falcon sports.

Let me say I'm an alumnus and a faculty member at the U., and I can say there are a lot of people who will scream bloody murder if millions are pumped into athletics facilities when faculty positions are going un-filled. Remember the outcry over the lights?

there are many people in the university community who would be glad to see football dropped, or moved down to division 1-AA.

Those people are probably right to want to drop football.

I say: **** 'em.

If loving big time football is irrational, then I don't want to be rational. God bless Falcon football.

Anyway, the fact is, money for a SAC wouldn't be coming from the same pot of money that we use to underpay faculty.

I know that won't win many arguments, but it would be the truth. This is going to require private money -- most of which wouldn't be headed to BGSU to bump all the professors up a step.

Here's to hoping the Falcons beat Oklahoma in a highly irrational manner.