A large stadium, that looks a little vacant or open on TV/ESPN3 or would you rather have a small to average size stadium that looks close to full on TV/ESPN3?

And discuss, go.....

if you are talking about the same attendance, i'd rather have 20k in a full stadium than 20k in a stadium that holds 50k.

for example. ..... GS v App in our stadium, compared to Ga State against... well... anybody.

I am of the thought its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Having witnessed what it takes to get an expansion paid for and built I will always prefer to have more elbow room for future use already in place. For your big games that do sell out it could mean hundreds of thousands if not well over 1M year in revenue lost if don't have the space.

I just don't get folks that would rather have 18K in a 20K stadium than 25K in a 35K stadium just because it looks better. I know one thing coaches, recruiters and AD's prefer more money and bigger facilities than satisfying the ego's of a few fans.

I'd rather have a 50K seat stadium with 50K fans. Yes a few SBC teams have a stadium far to big for their support level, but every team can fall on hard times. Look at some of the AAC, Big10, over even a couple SEC games. They have 80K+ stadiums and some times they may have only 40K in attendance. That is still a lot of fans. I know that's not the simple answer you want (loaded question), but the fact is everyone would want a large stadium packed with fans. You have to have a large stadium 1st in order to have large crowds. How about option?

C. a medium sized stadium (45-55K) at 90%+ capacity

(10-20-2014 02:58 PM)JCGSU Wrote:  I am of the thought its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Having witnessed what it takes to get an expansion paid for and built I will always prefer to have more elbow room for future use already in place. For your big games that do sell out it could mean hundreds of thousands if not well over 1M year in revenue lost if don't have the space.

I just don't get folks that would rather have 18K in a 20K stadium than 25K in a 35K stadium just because it looks better. I know one thing coaches, recruiters and AD's prefer more money and bigger facilities than satisfying the ego's of a few fans.

I wouldn't want a <25K stadium either. It looks small even if it is packed. Small size = small ball to many casual fans and even some that think they are pros.

It depends on the architecture of the stadium.

Empty seats are becoming commonplace at all 'levels' of football. I can remember when Southern had a hard time selling out during latter years of Tim Stowers' era and I suspect it won't take much losing to see that problem come back in a heartbeat.

When it comes to roads, I say build them for future need because otherwise you're stuck in traffic hell. When it comes to stadiums, it's a different story. Don't build it until you're sure you need it and can pay for it.

We need to put a limit on these polls. One per fanbase, per week.

(10-20-2014 02:49 PM)GS99-00 Wrote:  A large stadium, that looks a little vacant or open on TV/ESPN3 or would you rather have a small to average size stadium that looks close to full on TV/ESPN3?

And discuss, go.....

25-30k appears to be a good size for our level of football. At that sizes, I'd say we can fill 66% of the seats. I'm ok with that...

(10-20-2014 03:15 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  We need to put a limit on these polls. One per fanbase, per week.

Seems a tad bit arbitrary.

(10-20-2014 03:15 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  We need to put a limit on these polls. One per fanbase, per week.

Limit? Why? Every thread promotes SBC community involvement. Have u looked at B1G, SEC, Big East, ACC boards? They're relative ghost towns.

I only ask, because seeing these big stadiums like Ladd-Peeples Stadium or Bobcat Stadium for example, look like ghost towns on the visitor side of the stadium, during broadcasts. I personally, hate looking at an empty side of the stadium or endzone stands..........I rather see a 25Kish stadium be almost full than to see a 30K+ stadium look half - a quarter empty on TV, granted they are most likely packed in on the home side, which isn't very view-able from the camera angles.

(10-20-2014 03:33 PM)GS99-00 Wrote:  I only ask, because seeing these big stadiums like Ladd-Peeples Stadium or Bobcat Stadium for example, look like ghost towns on the visitor side of the stadium, during broadcasts. I personally, hate looking at an empty side of the stadium or endzone stands..........I rather see a 25Kish stadium be almost full than to see a 30K+ stadium look half - a quarter empty on TV, granted they are most likely packed in on the home side, which isn't very view-able from the camera angles.

I tend to agree. When the games are on the tube, I hate to see mid major programs stands half full. It just adds fuel to the flame by others who claim that we're less than.

(10-20-2014 03:33 PM)GS99-00 Wrote:  I only ask, because seeing these big stadiums like Ladd-Peeples Stadium or Bobcat Stadium for example, look like ghost towns on the visitor side of the stadium, during broadcasts. I personally, hate looking at an empty side of the stadium or endzone stands..........I rather see a 25Kish stadium be almost full than to see a 30K+ stadium look half - a quarter empty on TV, granted they are most likely packed in on the home side, which isn't very view-able from the camera angles.

Yeah but with a bigger stadium you get the chance to bring in a big name school and fill it up! Something you can't do with 25k stadium.

(10-20-2014 03:55 PM)Jag89 Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 03:33 PM)GS99-00 Wrote:  I only ask, because seeing these big stadiums like Ladd-Peeples Stadium or Bobcat Stadium for example, look like ghost towns on the visitor side of the stadium, during broadcasts. I personally, hate looking at an empty side of the stadium or endzone stands..........I rather see a 25Kish stadium be almost full than to see a 30K+ stadium look half - a quarter empty on TV, granted they are most likely packed in on the home side, which isn't very view-able from the camera angles.

Yeah but with a bigger stadium you get the chance to bring in a big name school and fill it up! Something you can't do with 25k stadium.

I just think, that you expand as you need to, not expand just to bring that bigger school in for 1 or 2 times......I rather see a school average 23K+ a game in a 25Kish stadium over a few years, than just expand just for those few game opportuinities.

We already need to expand again. We are at capacity in our first season. Expand, build the base, and start attracting corporate sponsors, which we are doing. A bigger stadium would guarantee a P5 home and home in the near future.

(10-20-2014 04:13 PM)GS99-00 Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 03:55 PM)Jag89 Wrote:  

(10-20-2014 03:33 PM)GS99-00 Wrote:  I only ask, because seeing these big stadiums like Ladd-Peeples Stadium or Bobcat Stadium for example, look like ghost towns on the visitor side of the stadium, during broadcasts. I personally, hate looking at an empty side of the stadium or endzone stands..........I rather see a 25Kish stadium be almost full than to see a 30K+ stadium look half - a quarter empty on TV, granted they are most likely packed in on the home side, which isn't very view-able from the camera angles.

Yeah but with a bigger stadium you get the chance to bring in a big name school and fill it up! Something you can't do with 25k stadium.

I just think, that you expand as you need to, not expand just to bring that bigger school in for 1 or 2 times......I rather see a school average 23K+ a game in a 25Kish stadium over a few years, than just expand just for those few game opportuinities.

Same here. Ideally I'd like to have a stadium that the fanbase would fill to about 80-90% consistently while still allowing some room for extra in a big game. It looks better, it creates better demand for seats, and it keeps people close together which helps create the fan experience. If we got to a point where we consistently sell out then we need to expand. Pre-expansion, Paulson had about 15,000 actual seats but they listed capacity at 18,000. We've averaged over 20,000 for a few years so we were overdue for an expansion. This year were averaging over 23,000 which is about right for a 25,000 capacity stadium.

Ask a UAB fan...

I really couldn't care less if our crowd density looks sparse as long as our attendance and ticket revenues at least gradually improve.

As of right now, I don't think our stadium is big enough for it to make financial sense to get a home and home with a P5. I would very much be in favor of a seating expansion even if getting a P5 at home is the only way to fill the stadium.

I personally want the Cajuns to eventually seat around 46k. Mainly by the complete renovation of the current upper deck and add a matching upper deck to the east side. We had 35 years a piss poor to mediocre and 3 years of success. With sustained 8-10 win seasons and bowl appearances the fan base will continue to grow. But I think we will peak at somewhere between 40-50k if we continue he to have success.

I want to be like ECU.