Any news on Michigan start time?

[Waquoit]

With 2 of my kids at wvu and tosu I am able to attend at least 1 game at each campus yearly. Football games are a weekend long event with a large majority of fans. These fan bases are multi-generational and if staying in an rv or in a hotel, they get there the day before. It is hard enough that we have an off campus stadium but the inability have extended rv and tailgaiting makes us look small time to other large universities. This is a problem we need to address asap.

What's the problem? I don't get it. "The inability have extended rv and tailgaiting makes us look small time to other large universities". It does? Why? We are not a southern or midwest school. Our fanbase doesn't live in areas where a 100 mile round trip to the Walmart is the highlight of the week. It doesn't make sense for us to compare ourselves to that. If gates opened x-number of hours earlier it wouldn't sell one extra ticket. It would be added cost without added benefit. I get there when the gates open and it's not like there are a ton of people with me. Can't we move on from this issue?

 

[Rumrunner]

How rich with irony that some of the same posters arguing uconn's georaphically small size and majority fan base's proximity to the stadium indicates there is no need to change tailgating rules.

Yet when mention is made of an on campus stadium, that extra 25 miles to storrs is made to sound like it's a million miles over the world's tallest mountains and deepest oceans.

 

[Husky25]

How rich with irony that some of the same posters arguing uconn's georaphically small size and majority fan base's proximity to the stadium indicates there is no need to change tailgating rules.

Yet when mention is made of an on campus stadium, that extra 25 miles to storrs is made to sound like it's a million miles over the world's tallest mountains and deepest oceans.

One has nothing to do with the other.

The argument against on campus stadium is the realization that the appropriate infrastructure is not in place and would cost $$hundreds of millions that the state does not have, on top of the ($125 million, minimum) cost for a new stadium.

 

[Waquoit]

How rich with irony that some of the same posters arguing uconn's georaphically small size and majority fan base's proximity to the stadium indicates there is no need to change tailgating rules.

Yet when mention is made of an on campus stadium, that extra 25 miles to storrs is made to sound like it's a million miles over the world's tallest mountains and deepest oceans.

Support your point. What tailgating rules need to be changed and what are the tangible benefits? I'm being honest, I don't see any. At best a few meet the standard of nice to have.

Your second point is just silliness since you left off the $1B (OK, maybe $750M) it would cost. Might as well be a million miles.

 

[whaler11]

How rich with irony that some of the same posters arguing uconn's georaphically small size and majority fan base's proximity to the stadium indicates there is no need to change tailgating rules.

Yet when mention is made of an on campus stadium, that extra 25 miles to storrs is made to sound like it's a million miles over the world's tallest mountains and deepest oceans.

I'm just saying you don't need to worry about RVs. By all means open the lots longer.

 

[Rumrunner]

I don't want this discussion to devolve into a campus/off campus stadium debate.

I think we all feel game day atmosphere can be improved. So f the ideal is a beautiful fall afternoon, centered around a football game, is it possible for uconn to have the rv-like, multi-day atmosphere of a big program? There are only 6 or 7 home games. UConn needs each game to be a must see event. Obviously the quality of the game is paramount, but if a lot was opened up turs or fri afternoon for tailgating thru saturday, would there be interest? Short answer most likely would be, "no", for most games, but how about announcing it for the michigan game? let that week be one huge tailgating/party. let the high school kids do stupid stuff, let middle aged guys party like it's 1990. Build it up as the most fun in all of connecticut.

baby steps. learn from the experience.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

U mean like a normal college football school? Keep dreamin

With all the talk about UConn's status vis-à-vis the major conferences and their members, this would be a simple thing to do to improve the game day atmosphere. Start acting big time UConn, it'll help. Really.

 

[CTMike]

What Rumrunner said. Michigan warrants an exception. In future years, maybe it's Tennessee. Pick the biggest game of the year - that's your tailgating exception- allow RVs 24 hours prior to kickoff, allow tailgating all day the day of. There's a cost in staffing, police OT- but I would argue that's minimal. It's worth the investment to treat the biggest game of the year like an event. It's a celebration, btches!

 

[Carl Spackler]

What Rumrunner said. Michigan warrants an exception. In future years, maybe it's Tennessee. Pick the biggest game of the year - that's your tailgating exception- allow RVs 24 hours prior to kickoff, allow tailgating all day the day of. There's a cost in staffing, police OT- but I would argue that's minimal. It's worth the investment to treat the biggest game of the year like an event. It's a celebration, btches!

What strikes me profoundly sad about this discussion, is that everything y'all talking about should be the homecoming game every year. That's the game that's supposed to be what this stuff happens around and everyone is geared for. Homecoming against a conference rival. Our path through intercollegiate athletics from the 1970s to the 2010s around basketball, has left us with no football homecoming game that matters. We need to schedule a non-conference game every year that matters for the foreseeable future. Sad.

It is what it is though. Bring on Michigan. Bring on Tennessee. Bring on BYU. Bring on Boston College. We need more of those types of opponents Mr. Warde Manuel.

We also need to win, and win big, win like the football has never done yet at the 1A level.

Winning....that will really help the game day experience, making the stadium the place to be in CT on a Saturday, more than anything else. Winning.

 

[Husky25]

I second the RV admittance for a big game yearly. Has Global Spectrum taken over yet?

Let's move on to something that affects more than a handful of patrons. Where can we have a football catch in the Blue Lot without getting hassled by a 14 year old in a yellow windbreaker? This is an even easier fix than the RV situation.

 

[Waquoit]

Start acting big time UConn, it'll help. Really.

I've been to Big 10, SEC and ACC tailgates. None of them has anything on what I experience at The Rent. Visitors have commented to me and my brothers on how good the tailgating is. Much of what I'm reading here seems to be a solution in search of a problem.

 

[SubbaBub]

Problem as it relates to tailgating is twofold. 3.5 hrs is not enough time to arrive set up, cook, eat, drink, chillax, eat, drink, cleanup, and get into the stadium by 11:30. It feels rushed.

If we had an extra hour that may lead to.more elaborate tailgate experiences which will sell more tickets.

Better gameday atmosphere and perception as a fanbase serious about football saturdays. I see it as huge benefit for meager cost.

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[Husky25]

Problem as it relates to tailgating is twofold. 3.5 hrs is not enough time to arrive set up, cook, eat, drink, chillax, eat, drink, cleanup, and get into the stadium by 11:30. It feels rushed.

If we had an extra hour that may lead to.more elaborate tailgate experiences which will sell more tickets.

Better gameday atmosphere and perception as a fanbase serious about football saturdays. I see it as huge benefit for meager cost.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Time for assignments and lots practice. I brought my neighbor to our last home game against WVU a few years ago. He asked what he could do to help set up (we were in the parking lot before 8:00 BTW). I told him to stand by the front of the SUV. 4 of us can go from putting the shifter in Park to pushing the ignition button in about 7-8 minutes. Drinks are flowing while the grill is preheating and we are on our way. Clean up is a little longer, but it is certainly doable to get into the building by kick-off.

I want the football catch issue solved before my son turns 6. That gives LAZ and GS 5 years to work on a solution.

 

[huskymedic]

I second the RV admittance for a big game yearly. Has Global Spectrum taken over yet?

Let's move on to something that affects more than a handful of patrons. Where can we have a football catch in the Blue Lot without getting hassled by a 14 year old in a yellow windbreaker? This is an even easier fix than the RV situation.

Off to a side where there are no cars parked side to side/back to back... never been bothered there. Trying to throw between cars and tailgate set-ups is a recipe for disaster. Much more lenient across the access road as opposed to lots right next to stadium.

 

[Husky25]

Off to a side where there are no cars parked... never been bothered there. Trying to throw between cars and tailgate set-ups is a recipe for disaster. Much more lenient across the access road as opposed to lots right next to stadium.

It is virtually impossible to walk a clear line between the cars, let alone have a meaningful catch (or watch after a couple kids play catch) Off to the side is where LAZ is more apt to "Scold" because they are going to fill up that side of the parking lot...in 2 hours...

Going across the street is a double edge sword. As you say, much more lenient, but if a couple kids want to play, its tough to look after them from the third row from the stadium, believe me, we've done it all (not with my son, but kids of guys in the group) and there is no real ideal situation.

In the end, the rows are far too narrow and there should be more to do in the lots than grill, eat, and drink, without going to the one fanfest site, or else kids will continue just to play PSP and smartphones under the tent. Just my opinion.

 

[SubbaBub]

Time for assignments and lots practice. I brought my neighbor to our last home game against WVU a few years ago. He asked what he could do to help set up (we were in the parking lot before 8:00 BTW). I told him to stand by the front of the SUV. 4 of us can go from putting the shifter in Park to pushing the ignition button in about 7-8 minutes. Drinks are flowing while the grill is preheating and we are on our way. Clean up is a little longer, but it is certainly doable to get into the building by kick-off.

I want the football catch issue solved before my son turns 6. That gives LAZ and GS 5 years to work on a solution.

Oh, we have our system down (right down to packing the vehicle with the full complement of gear) and are in our seats by 11:30. I said it feels rushed.

 

[J187Money]

Oh, we have our system down (right down to packing the vehicle with the full complement of gear) and are in our seats by 11:30. I said it feels rushed.

That's mostly a function of the games being at noon. If the lots opened at 7 you'd have maybe 2-3 rows of cars in blue lot that early but it wouldn't change the behavior of everyone else. And the early crew is buying tickets regardless.

And the people that don't get to the stadium by kickoff may use that as an excuse, but I remember rushing to a game last year only to park right at kickoff. The car that pulled in after me started unpacking a grill to cook. Unreal.

If we had later games the lots should definitely open more than 4 hours prior. But mostly I wish games weren't at noon.

 

[Husky25]

Oh, we have our system down (right down to packing the vehicle with the full complement of gear) and are in our seats by 11:30. I said it feels rushed.

Since we are generally close to the stadium. We generally start packing up around 11:30, but are almost always to our seat by kickoff, and always in the stadium by then.

 

[BoatShow]

I never usually do a big tailgate. Just to drink beers in the Silva's parking lot so I usually just show up about an hour ahead of kickoff and make it just fine. Once a year my friend's dad's group throws a massive tailgate though and it IS AWESOME. I'd love to do it more often. But...noon games suck.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

What's the problem? I don't get it. "The inability have extended rv and tailgaiting makes us look small time to other large universities". It does? Why? We are not a southern or midwest school. Our fanbase doesn't live in areas where a 100 mile round trip to the Walmart is the highlight of the week. It doesn't make sense for us to compare ourselves to that. If gates opened x-number of hours earlier it wouldn't sell one extra ticket. It would be added cost without added benefit. I get there when the gates open and it's not like there are a ton of people with me. Can't we move on from this issue?

I agree. I am there when the gates open too. I do wish the gates would open earlier for later kick-off times but ticket prices would have to increase to cover costs. If this happens HFD's head might explode.

 

[minidarren]

I get to Silvas around 630am for noontime starts. Around 8a for afternoon starts. And around 2p for night games.

I also cook on charcoal and throw the out of the football.

Other options are available. Oh, the state police have never kicked me out after a night game. I always get to enjoy a meal afterwards.

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[UConn9604]

I agree. I am there when the gates open too. I do wish the gates would open earlier for later kick-off times but ticket prices would have to increase to cover costs. If this happens HFD's head might explode.

I think the increase would come on the parking side. Parking passes are usually about $15 per game. If they were to charge $150 for RVs to park in a subset of the Blue Lot, and allow you to stay overnight (say, start after the Pratt rush hour leaves -- 6 pm on a Friday?), how many people would take them up on the offer?

I'd say a group of die-hards -- many from this board -- and visitors from well-established tailgating fan bases like WVU (if they ever come back), Michigan, Navy, Tennessee, etc.

Say 100 people take them up on the offer -- is $15,000 per game enough to cover parking, security and the additional infrastructure (more porta-potties, running water, etc.)? I don't know the answer.

 

[jackl]

I don't want this discussion to devolve into a campus/off campus stadium debate.

I think we all feel game day atmosphere can be improved. So f the ideal is a beautiful fall afternoon, centered around a football game, is it possible for uconn to have the rv-like, multi-day atmosphere of a big program? There are only 6 or 7 home games. UConn needs each game to be a must see event. Obviously the quality of the game is paramount, but if a lot was opened up turs or fri afternoon for tailgating thru saturday, would there be interest? Short answer most likely would be, "no", for most games, but how about announcing it for the michigan game? let that week be one huge tailgating/party. let the high school kids do stupid stuff, let middle aged guys party like it's 1990. Build it up as the most fun in all of connecticut.

baby steps. learn from the experience.

But would we make it to the GAME. Partying like it's 1990 would do me in. I see people waiting till the last possible moment or even past to go in to the Rent while they suck down that last beer trying to get a good buzz on before they have to shell out way too much for a beer or a $4 water with no cap. What's up with that?

 

[whaler11]

But would we make it to the GAME. Partying like it's 1990 would do me in. I see people waiting till the last possible moment or even past to go in to the Rent while they suck down that last beer trying to get a good buzz on before they have to shell out way too much for a beer or a $4 water with no cap. What's up with that?

They don't give you the cap so you can't throw it effectively.

 

[Waquoit]

I see people waiting till the last possible moment or even past to go in to the Rent while they suck down that last beer trying to get a good buzz on before they have to shell out way too much for a beer or a $4 water with no cap.

Is that wrong? I don't think it's realistic to expect someone to walk those 5 or 10 rows to the gate without a beer. And if you get there with half left, you can meet some nice folks doing that last chug over the dumpster.