(10-10-2021 07:15 PM)SMUleopold Wrote:  There's a difference between upgrading it and expanding it. Ford is due for an upgrade. A number of things, from concessions to facilities to the soundsystem, need to be upgraded.

But at this point there isn't really a reason to to expand just yet. We have not sold out a conference game since the SWC and that's with a 32k seat stadium. If we close out the end zone it would bring capacity to about 42-44k and we could also conceivably build a deck on the visitors side for another 15-20k. I'm more for building the deck than enclosing the end zone, but we'll see.

But upgrades are coming soon.

SMU hasn't sold out a game in how long?

Conference game. We've sold out plenty of non-conference games against our old SWC rivals.

Texas, TCU, Baylor, and Texas Tech from the Big XII. Houston from the American. And Rice from C-USA would get our juices flowing and would help attendance. But some of these schools refuse to play us, and certainly not in Dallas.

(10-11-2021 03:34 PM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(10-10-2021 07:15 PM)SMUleopold Wrote:  There's a difference between upgrading it and expanding it. Ford is due for an upgrade. A number of things, from concessions to facilities to the soundsystem, need to be upgraded.

But at this point there isn't really a reason to to expand just yet. We have not sold out a conference game since the SWC and that's with a 32k seat stadium. If we close out the end zone it would bring capacity to about 42-44k and we could also conceivably build a deck on the visitors side for another 15-20k. I'm more for building the deck than enclosing the end zone, but we'll see.

But upgrades are coming soon.

SMU hasn't sold out a game in how long?

We haven't sold out a conference game since at least 1995 when we were playing in a 22k seat on-campus stadium - there was no way in Hades we were selling out the Cotton Bowl when we played there from '95-'00. The closest we've come is two years ago when ECU came to town. We've sold out a number of non conference games.
That's a major reason for the whole 'Dallas' campaign. Our collective current undergrad enrollment plus living alumni in Dallas would barely sell out Ford, a 32k seat venue. If we don't get some T-shirt fans we'll never sell out a 40k seat stadium, much less on a regular basis.
So upgrades are coming to a number of things. A larger stadium, however, probably isn't a priority.

We haven't sold out a conference game since at least 1995 when we were playing in a 22k seat on-campus stadium - there was no way in Hades we were selling out the Cotton Bowl when we played there from '95-'00. The closest we've come is two years ago when ECU came to town. We've sold out a number of non conference games.
That's a major reason for the whole 'Dallas' campaign. Our collective current undergrad enrollment plus living alumni in Dallas would barely sell out Ford, a 32k seat venue. If we don't get some T-shirt fans we'll never sell out a 40k seat stadium, much less on a regular basis.
So upgrades are coming to a number of things. A larger stadium, however, probably isn't a priority.

Unless somebody knows something and we are getting a Big XII invitation. We wouldn't want to have the smallest stadium in the Big XII. We could count on a fairly large contingent from TCU, Baylor, Tech, Houston and Oklahoma State. Especially if we're doing as well as we are now.