The On-Campus Stadium Debate

[whaler11]

I didn't mean to open Pandora's box with this I just wanted to know the story behind it. I will search through the Hartford Courant archives to see what I can find.

As for my future goals in life, it is my hope to one day be one of the big time influential donors to the athletics dept. and convince the other high roller donors that this is something that needs to be done. If you get the big donors in support of it, threatening to stop donating if it doesn't happen, it has more of a chance than people would think IMO.

You don't get the dynamic. UConn doesn't have the juice.

 

[noeynox]

Yeah UConn is in the AAC.

I get it that our fans want UConn to be in a better conference, but the board in general is getting tough to read with B1G/ACC dream scenarios. Everything "is a sign" or "evidence" that UConn and the B1G "are talking".

 

[Dann]

Dan man.... there is a difference between a vision and reality, is all. I'm with you that UConn needs to be much, MUCH more proactive. In a lot of areas. But not even 1/10th of what you typed is rooted in reality.

Put the same energy in how to improve the experience at the Rent, like that train thread. That's much more realistic. We can be big time there if we start f@ $%n winning.

then fold up the program. why do we play football? profit? brand? what is it? for fun?

 

[Drew]

You don't get the dynamic. UConn doesn't have the juice.

i think the Storrs Center project shows that locals and the University can agree enough to get something done (although I understand building a football stadium is different than a downtown). Having an oncampus stadium with no amenities is an awful idea, but why have people not thought about this as an idea?

1. Build the stadium on horsebarn hill
2. Create an alternate entrance to UConn/The stadium via the area behind the hill. Have the exit be specifically for UConn/The football stadium. Having two exits off the highway helps alleviate traffic on the way in.
3. Extend "W" lot (near the greek village) and open it up to season ticket holders as a parking option on saturdays in the fall, use it as general parking the rest of the year.
4. continue to build larger parking lots that can accommodate a large number of people. there is an abundant need for parking in Storrs, and building these parking lots helps to solve that problem. build them all around different parts of the campus so that there are essentially three entrances instead of one. I believe UConn also recently purchased Farmer Brown's property, which should help current students park.
5. Have the UConn busses run constantly from these parking lots to the stadium every 10/15 minutes starting three hours or so before the game. Fans can utilize these busses to go to the downtown Storrs Center or get to the stadium early and watch warmups. This way you don't have the congestion in the middle of campus with cars but people can easily access the area by foot and by bus. As far as I know there are already 4 entrances to the campus, and this would be the best option as trying to have people park and drive through the middle of campus would be hectic and would not work.


Problems regarding the stadium being on campus:

1. There ABSOLUTELY needs to be a hotel in or near enough to Storrs for the opposing teams to stay in. This actually needs to happen asap irregardless of the football stadium situation. Offering the Nathan Hale Inn just isn't going to work. Doesn't need to be an over the top nice place, a simple Holiday Inn with 500 or so rooms would do just fine.

2. The transportation issue is tough yes, but if you're building a 32,000 seat stadium (what the stadium capacity was going to be had we built it in Storrs the first go round) and you're more than likely getting anywhere from 20-28k per game depending on the opponent, its not impossible to get around by using the parking lot/bus idea. People have found ways to get many more humans into more difficult areas.

3. This stadium couldn't/wouldn't be built for at least another 20 years. Nobody is going to just "give up" on the Rent after 10/15 years. Once its time to talk about renovations and expanding, then it makes sense to look into an on-campus option.

4. It's a political death trap for anyone in office who brings it up. It is truly a shame however that with the billions of dollars being pumped into UConn some of that couldn't be used for an on campus stadium.



One other thing that bothers me is when people say we need to "build a fan base". Does nobody understand that you don't build a fan base through 45/50 year olds? While the university should continue to market to them and do everything in their power to have them bring their families to game, a fan base should be built through connecting with the current students who are on the campus, creating jobs/living situations that are attractive to current students near the campus (have any of you seen the current housing situation in and around Storrs? There needs to be some life pumped into a lot of these properties badly) and making the games affordable to the recent/young graduates so they keep coming and ultimately bring their families to the games one day. The problem with putting the games in Hartford for football and basketball is that while it may give you some money now it doesn't maximize your capital in the long run because you don't get as many students (potential buyers) involved not only financially but emotionally. I've been at UConn for two years now and I've never been to a game at XL Center, and I probably won't venture down there in my last two years either. Bussing students to games is a joke. Nobody wants to get on a yellow schoolbus and ride with strangers 35 minutes to the stadium and watch UConn/Buffalo dead sober (can't wait to see the student crowd for UConn/Memphis in December).

One last point and I'm done- moving start times back from 12 pm would help with traffic a lot. Playing games at 1,2,3:30 means people arrive at different times, and not all at once. I know the start times have a lot to do with TV contracts but those can easily be negotiated as Networks like SNY need programing like UConn football. If you don't come to a 2 or 3:30 kickoff in Storrs because you're "worried about the traffic" then in my opinion you're just lazy and making excuses. Especially now that the new Storrs Center is being developed downtown there are plenty of things to do throughout the day to make UConn football a special event.

 

[Drew]

Sorry for the long post, I've got a lot of passion on this (as do most on here)

 

[minidarren]

F Penn State

 

[Dann]

F Penn State

yea!!!! because they have a on campus stadium and built roads and give a crap........

 

[minidarren]

Go drink Dan.

 

[Dann]

Go drink Dan.

been since the puck dropped earlier

 

[minidarren]

F puck too

 

[Dann]

F puck too

its the only sport we play at a high level at right now. how does that taste?????? thats what i thought. and btw, warde had a home run hire whos going to end up in alabama and didn't get him then to only soften the blow he hired a bc guy(looks like a quality guy/coach) but none the less a bc guy and 2nd pick who couldnt get umass to s his d.

the sooner all the clowns here wake up the better. uconn is dying by the minute.

tulane
memphis
smu
houston
ecu
ucf

are the future of uconns schedule. let it sink in. slowly. because i don't want to rush any of you to wake up quickly and realize uconn needs change. slowly......

 

[Fishy]

Honestly, you're so tiring.

These folks are real, live longtime UConn donors and season ticket holders.

You're a clown on a futon - you don't get to lecture them.

 

[Dann]

Honestly, you're so tiring.

These folks are real, live longtime UConn donors and season ticket holders.

You're a clown on a futon - you don't get to lecture them.

i have a couch not a futon thank you very much.

 

[minidarren]

You asked me a question and didn't even allow me to answer. You answered your own question you dipshyt. I suggest the State of Connecticut redirects their billions of dollars earmarked for UCONN towards shutting you up for the benefit of Coach Calhoun's charities and all of us on here.

 

[CTMike]

then fold up the program. why do we play football? profit? brand? what is it? for fun?

Well, I don't want to fold up the program. I'm a UConn Football fan through and through. I believe we can win and succeed at the Rent. There's plenty we can work on and improve on to make things better there that are actually doable.

Bummer that the decision 15 years ago was to build the stadium in East Hartford. But I've got better things to do than be in a sour mood the next 30 years about a decision I can't go back in time to change. Because that's the minimum realistic timeframe to get a stadium on campus - and that has nothing to do with lack of vision.

 

[CTMike]

... long post...

It's a nice vision. There's a number of practical problems to solve, but - it's not like I would be against what you are proposing if we could solve them. I think the you are right though that it's not in the card for decades at a minimum.

I'd be much more in favor of considering the idea if the B1G ever said "You are in tomorrow if you show us plans for an on campus stadium". But that would need to be a guarantee in stone. And even then, there are many hurdles to clear.

 

[whaler11]

Sorry for the long post, I've got a lot of passion on this (as do most on here)

It's a good post.

I think the piece you are missing is towards the bottom. You think people are lazy and make excuses if they don't travel to Storrs? They don't really care what you think, they just aren't making that trip as long as UConn is in the AAC. People and cars start streaming out of Rentschler in the second quarter. That sound like a fanbase willing to add another 90-120 minutes to the process of attending a game?

Maybe it happens other places but there comes a point in the second quarter where the people trickling in are equal to the people tricking out. Maybe someday if we sell enough season tickets they could market mini plans that aren't three games, but rather you have tickets for the first or second half.

 

[Waquoit]

Horsebarn Hill was targeted for a big-time research facility that eventually ended up at Purdue. If UConn coundn't get that through, how are they going to use the Hill for a project that will cost the state a billion dollars and would only be used a half dozen or so times a year?

And what does the school gain by this massive expense? Slightly more than nothing. More students I imagine. Nothing else, realistically speaking. Build it and they will come? No, they won't. Does anyone really think that there are is an untapped audience out there waiting to buy tickets once they play on campus? That thousands of folks are ready to jump into the RV and head to Storrs? There isn't, it's madness. Actually, you would actually lose support with such a move.

 

[Carl Spackler]

In the archives of this website is everything in detail.

In summation - everyone that worked for years to upgrade UCONN football to division 1A, envisioned a stadium on campus, and planned for it, and the voters in the state of CT actually approved of state dollars to fund it, and the plans were drawn up, and the ground ready to be broken....but local politics in the community around Storrs got wind of it, and went through political channels to the state, and eventually got the entire project scrapped on a horse@ legal complaint, that played to partisan politics in the state legislature. The project was dead in the water, essentially until the then state governor took it upon himself to ram a stadium plan through for a Hartford area location through the state government after a courtship with Robert Kraft patriots moving to Hartford, that obviously didn't make it to the money shot.

We've got a first class facility, who's only problem UCONN has right now, is that we lease it,and don't own it, and therefore, with any rental property/tenant agreement - the biggest issue is letting the property run down vs. upkeep.

What needs to happen, is that we need to make sure that we've got as much input and pull in the management of the facility as possible. THe potential for Rentschler to be a top notch facility in the entire country is there. There aren't many places for a sporting venue that have all the qualities that Rentschler has. Location, location, location. THe venue needs to draw more events than just UCONN football, and they're working on it.

 

[CL82]

Horsebarn Hill was targeted for a big-time research facility that eventually ended up at Purdue. If UConn coundn't get that through, how are they going to use the Hill for a project that will cost the state a billion dollars and would only be used a half dozen or so times a year?

And what does the school gain by this massive expense? Slightly more than nothing. More students I imagine. Nothing else, realistically speaking. Build it and they will come? No, they won't. Does anyone really think that there are is an untapped audience out there waiting to buy tickets once they play on campus? That thousands of folks are ready to jump into the RV and head to Storrs? There isn't, it's madness. Actually, you would actually lose support with such a move.

Because people learn from the past Waquoit. I don't think the 'historic cornice' argument prevails a second time. I'm not so sure about your cost prediction and I think the facility could be used for more than 6 times a year, particularly as a concert venue.

I am very, very confident that it would not be a less popular destination, as it would fit the typical college venue. Many on this board believe easy access trumps the game day on campus experience. I don't. I also think that an on campus facility will draw more of the student body which is what you need to do build a fan base. Going to games on campus for 4 years is the best tool to build life long rabid fans and life long rabid fans are active alumni who give back to the school.

Regardless, it isn't in the cards in the near term.

 

[Excalibur]

It could have happened, and was very close. One could even argue that it should have happened. I believe that had we built on campus in 1998, the culture around the games would have evolved and the logistics would not be nearly as difficult as some are making it out to be.

But the ship has sailed. There is absolutely no way that the state allows the team to leave the Rent or build on campus until the existing facility is outdated. At that point, most of us won't be able to climb (out of the ground, in some cases) to our seats, so it won't matter.

 

[Waquoit]

Because people learn from the past Waquoit. I don't think the 'historic cornice' argument prevails a second time. I'm not so sure about your cost prediction and I think the facility could be used for more than 6 times a year, particularly as a concert venue.

The billion includes all of the infrastructure needed. And what concerts are you talking about? There aren't that many stadium-level acts. The Rent only has had 4 in 11 years.

 

[upstater]

Rochester gets 5k a game for the Rhinos.
Does Hartford have a USL team?

 

[pepband99]

it needs to be a state overhaul

roads:
-build super 7 from norwalk to danbury
-rt 25 from monroe to newtown
-384 needs to continue right down 44 to the cross with 195. 195 to 84 needs to be built up.
-44 from 195 cross all the way to providence needs to be built up. u could add in 44 north of hartford getting beefed up also.

...

yea i know, this is fantasy land. im just a drunk and i dont understand english.

I'll let excalibur rip your eastern projects apart (though I do believe "384" will make it to Willimantic in my lifetime).

25 will never ever ever be extended - the right-of-way has been sold off, in some places. Trust me, nobody would love it to be extended more than me, but it will never happen. Even worse, and talk about good money after bad, the state is trying to tear down what was to be the exit for the 25 expressway off of 84 (the current 34 exit). Insane.

 

[J187Money]

Horsebarn Hill was targeted for a big-time research facility that eventually ended up at Purdue. If UConn coundn't get that through, how are they going to use the Hill for a project that will cost the state a billion dollars and would only be used a half dozen or so times a year?

And what does the school gain by this massive expense? Slightly more than nothing. More students I imagine. Nothing else, realistically speaking. Build it and they will come? No, they won't. Does anyone really think that there are is an untapped audience out there waiting to buy tickets once they play on campus? That thousands of folks are ready to jump into the RV and head to Storrs? There isn't, it's madness. Actually, you would actually lose support with such a move.

I think it would be successful as a member of the B1G. As an ACC member or an AAC member I don't think the draw would be enough. To me, if the B1G said build a stadium and you get in, I'm all for it. Otherwise I agree it would probably be a waste of money (although I'd still prefer it over the Rent atmospherically).