For Sale. College Football Stadium on Old Airstrip

[BlueMAB]

kids leave early now becuase its possible which is another story that uconn and the bus sytem shoudl fix but im not going to rant that up right now. i think u know of that issue.

fans who leave early are casual. uconn nees to leave the rent open for hours after not 1 and the whole time be pushing ppl out anyway. there nothing to do after the game at the rent. on campus u could have fans going to dts(once u develope it with a stadium) the bookstore to uy gear, the building to check out the cafe or revisit a old memory and other things. have post game events and other things. on campus bring many new iseas and event possibilities to the table to keep ppl around longer. right now the ren tis tailgate-game-go home or just game-go home. on campus opens a ton of new doors. its a culture thing that i keep saying but its true.

Your argument is:

Don't put anything else to do around the rent, because it won't attract people to go games.

Put the stadium on campus, and people will go to the bookstore which will attract more fans. Eventually, when there's something else to do, even more people will come, because now there's something else to do.

Oh, and they'll have no problem dealing with an extra hour or two of traffic, despite the fact many show up late and leave early from a location that is extremely convenient.

Sure, that makes a lot of sense.

 

[Husky25]

im sorry but the crowd does not have a huge number oif little girls. and guess what those little girls dont pay for drinks or buy tshirts of talk on message boards or watch games late at night or wear uconn stuff pround 24/7 or so much more. there dads do.

i have never met a fan(besides red) who went to more uconn stuff or rooted for them more than me considering i didnt go to uconn. keep chipping away, your not getting anywhere. you want to mold a culture of little girls as fans at the rent? brillant! call up susan and the govt and lets make sure we get a toy r us and a build a baear sotre in this plazza they are building at the rent. have special packages for little girls to host birthday parties on game weekends. this is going to double the fanbase easily...

What's a baear? What's a sotre? I get plazza, you just added an extra z but still...

Oh, And what don't I get? The little girl will wear whatever Daddy buys her to wear. She's the one pulling on his shirt tails begging for the pink husky shirt. Legal tender is still being spent!!!! But because it's not at Ted's or Huskies or the Civic Pub (or whatever it's called now), it becomes Monopoly money??

What else is there to do in those towns that support those other schools you keep listing? Aside from Pittsburgh, which is right downtown, there is NOTHING ELSE around. We live in the most affluent state per capita in the nation. Rentschler field is just over 100 miles from two top 5 media markets. Hartford-New Haven itself is the 30th largest media market. What's Tuskaloosa? What's Columbia? What's College Station, or College Park? The counties where they reside are larger than Southern New England, let alone the entirety of Connecticut!!! Do you know what that means? There is more to do in this state and more people have the means to do it than anywhere else on average in the Country. UConn HAS to be that much more in the forefront and that DOES NOT OCCUR by tucking the football team back deep in the woods of Toland County.

 

[Husky25]

kids leave early now becuase its possible which is another story that uconn and the bus sytem shoudl fix but im not going to rant that up right now. i think u know of that issue.

fans who leave early are casual. uconn nees to leave the rent open for hours after not 1 and the whole time be pushing ppl out anyway. there nothing to do after the game at the rent. on campus u could have fans going to dts(once u develope it with a stadium) the bookstore to uy gear, the building to check out the cafe or revisit a old memory and other things. have post game events and other things. on campus bring many new iseas and event possibilities to the table to keep ppl around longer. right now the ren tis tailgate-game-go home or just game-go home. on campus opens a ton of new doors. its a culture thing that i keep saying but its true.

1. I don't know where you park(ed), but security rarely enforced the 1 hour rule unless there is no one on the access roads leading out.

#2, Well I've already addressed the on-campus dive bar and book stores fallacy. There are fewer and fewer "old memories" at UConn because of UConn 2000 and the new buildings. If one was to walk around campus to see how it has changed, they'll do it once, not before all 7 games. The last thing I want to do is go back to AS-55 6 times a year to show my son where I once got a B on a psych exam...Do you really want to go see what Ryan Refectory looks like now? I tend to doubt it.

Did you go to the Michigan game in Ann Arbor? What did the fans do afterward? They went back to their car, had a beer, and went to dinner...at an off campus restaurant...the students went back to campus for on-campus events, but they were for students.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I'm also not sure in all of this, how even with the storrs center project, the restaurants/bars/etc. are going to be able to support a day's worth for 15-20k fans. Storrs is getting better, but aside from BBall games, there really isn't much to do unless you're in to bars where your feet stick to the floor and jack daniels is considered top shelf liquor.

 

[Husky25]

I'm also not sure in all of this, how even with the storrs center project, the restaurants/bars/etc. are going to be able to support a day's worth for 15-20k fans. Storrs is getting better, but aside from BBall games, there really isn't much to do unless you're in to bars where your feet stick to the floor and jack daniels is considered top shelf liquor.

In all fairness, I haven't had a Dough in 14 years. Do they still make the Drop Zone?

 

[WhereistheDove?]

In all fairness, I haven't had a Dough in 14 years. Do they still make the Drop Zone?

I was never a fan. I'll be honest, eating any of the food options around UConn when you're sober and there are alternatives other than dining hall food... it's awful.

 

[Husky25]

I was never a fan. I'll be honest, eating any of the food options around UConn when you're sober and there are alternatives other than dining hall food... it's awful.

Never said I was sober, which brings me to another anti-nostalgia jag...

We used to drink Icehouse because it was cheap and we considered it a "dark" beer. I had an Icehouse at friend's house about 7 years ago (Yes, I was playing A, but it's okay. I was still in my 20's)...Do I really need to explain that I haven't had an Icehouse since and probably won't ever again? Some memories are such merely due to how much change you have in your pocket. Heck, we went through two 30 packs of Red Dog on National Championship night in April '99!!!

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Never said I was sober, which brings me to another anti-nostalgia jag...

We used to drink Icehouse because it was cheap and we considered it a "dark" beer. I had an Icehouse at friend's house about 7 years ago (Yes, I was playing A, but it's okay. I was still in my 20's)...Do I really need to explain that I haven't had an Icehouse since and probably won't ever again? Some memories are such merely due to how much change you have in your pocket. Heck, we went through two 30 packs of Red Dog on National Championship night in April '99!!!

Once you have a little extra change in your pocket, there is no going back. The stuff I ate and drank in college, I just can't even imagine doing that again... and I graduated in May.

 

[Husky25]

Your just a pup!!! Do you even know what Icehouse is? I feel really old now...

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Your just a pup!!! Do you even know what Icehouse is? I feel really old now...

I've seen it a couple times. Never drank it and it's definitely not one of the beers of choice in Storrs anymore.

 

[hexlub]

Your just a pup!!! Do you even know what Icehouse is? I feel really old now...

Ah. Remember the Ice Age? Ice House? Bud Ice? Genny Ice? Those were bad times.

 

[junglehusky]

Never said I was sober, which brings me to another anti-nostalgia jag...

We used to drink Icehouse because it was cheap and we considered it a "dark" beer. I had an Icehouse at friend's house about 7 years ago (Yes, I was playing A, but it's okay. I was still in my 20's)...Do I really need to explain that I haven't had an Icehouse since and probably won't ever again? Some memories are such merely due to how much change you have in your pocket. Heck, we went through two 30 packs of Red Dog on National Championship night in April '99!!!

I graduated in 98. Definitely had my share of Icehouse and Red Dog back then. I think I may have had some first year of grad school but never after that. I honestly don't remember what they taste like. Though once in a while I do get cheapo beers, Pabs, High Life, Miller Lite.

 

[huskymedic]

Clearly based on sportsart's comment earlier in the thread suggesting UConn should hire a new hockey coach and reference to Quinnipiac's recent hockey success. Of course, some schools recruit older players. Pecknold's noted for it more than the averages ...
'

Sorry... I meant original Sportarts post.

 

[upstater]

I don't know why I bother trying to introduce reality and logic to someone who insists on comparing the culture of Penn State to the culture of CT.

Enjoy your delusional alternative reality where unicorn blood cures cancer, and people who show up late, and leave early are going to spend all day on campus.

What a loser.

 

[pablos990411]

In the event any NASCAR or MLS officials are checking the message boards, I wanted to let them know we have a PERFECT stadium for either of their needs available ASAP.

Reasons why it is perfect:
1. It seats 40,000 people. This is ideal for MLS, where the average stadium built over the last 5 years seats between 18,000-24,000. Nothing screams big time soccer like a half empty stadium every week.
2. It seats 40,000 people. Average NASCAR attendance is nearly 100,000. We promise that even though 35-38k create mass chaos on the roadways leading into your track, 100,000 will fit quite nicely.
3. Geographic proximity. Ideal for MLS, as they ONLY have teams in Boston and New Jersey. If we learned nothing from the UFL, that market between the two is perfection personified.
4. Geographic proximity. NASCAR has Sprint Cup events in New Hampshire (Loudon), New York (Watkins Glen) and Pennsylvania (Poconos). We all know that the Northeast is the biggest target market for NASCAR. Insert solution.
5. Cost of renovations. For NASCAR, the stadium is far too small at this time. However, look at this as an opportunity to spend a ton of money to renovate nearly the entire stadium to add the track configuration and seating you'd need to make the track profitable.
6. Connecticut's history of selling-out sporting events. Ok, Ok, you've got us there, but we come pretty close! We rarely, if ever, sell out one of the smaller BCS Football stadiums in the country. Attendance for the most dominant Women's Basketball and one of the most dominant Men's Basketball teams have been in a steady decline as well. And the one professional team we've had? We had our diehards, but for the last decade, didn't eclipse averaging 12,000 fans until the final season, when a phony season ticket minimum was announced to keep the team. But we can assure you this is worth your significant investment! Both of you!

Please contact HFD with your offer. He's just looking to get out of the deal, so he'd prefer an offer in writing ASAP.

This is right on. Just a little effort and we can sell this stadium

 

[whaler11]

1. I don't know where you park(ed), but security rarely enforced the 1 hour rule unless there is no one on the access roads leading out.

#2, Well I've already addressed the on-campus dive bar and book stores fallacy. There are fewer and fewer "old memories" at UConn because of UConn 2000 and the new buildings. If one was to walk around campus to see how it has changed, they'll do it once, not before all 7 games. The last thing I want to do is go back to AS-55 6 times a year to show my son where I once got a B on a psych exam...Do you really want to go see what Ryan Refectory looks like now? I tend to doubt it.

Did you go to the Michigan game in Ann Arbor? What did the fans do afterward? They went back to their car, had a beer, and went to dinner...at an off campus restaurant...the students went back to campus for on-campus events, but they were for students.

After the Michigan game I sat in traffic for hours to get back to the hotel.

 

[Husky25]

We parked at the lumber yard...easy out. Went to dinner at a local off campus burger joint. Michigan fans were very gracious in victory. In hindsight it may have been more like, "Aaawww, look how cute. They think they can hang with us on the field."

 

[FfldCntyFan]

thanks. i like the idea i guess. im just not sold on the way the system is setup. i guess my question is how much exposure can uconn sports get from it as i dont see the connection really being made. but overall a + for the school.

This is purely a guess on my part but I see this as step one in a move towards turning all satellite branches into stand alone schools (eventually UConn-Stamford to UConn will be similar UNC-Charlotte to UNC or Nebraska-Omaha to Nebraska). This (removal of the satellite branches from UConn's overall academic rating) will significantly improve our rankings when compared to other major public universities.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

You assume everyone just wants to come for the game. People make a day of it.

Bingo.

One of the biggest problems with our current situation is that (with for a stadium the size of ours) a football game is an all day event (if you live close enough, it would be a nearly all day event). A very large part of our attendees see it as something that should be only a slighter longer time investment than a basketball game in Hartford. The number of hours the parking lots are open do not help this as it would be far easier for our ticket holders to make this an all day event if they could begin their tailgating (as many other schools allow) a couple of hours earlier than we are allowed and to remain after the game a few hours longer than the Rent currently permits.

If we do become as large as many of us aspire to (needing a stadium nearly double the Rent's current capacity, regardless of where this venue is located), a contingent ~ 150% the size of the current ticket holders will need to view it as an even longer all day event (there are lots at WVU that start receiving tailgaters at 5:00 am for noon kickoffs, allowing those willing to hit the road very early in the morning the benefit of avoiding at least some of the traffic) while the remaing continget (~ 50% of what we currently have) would need to view it aas more than a one day event (this would requre RV lots that allow two or three day utilization and better hotel presence in the vicinity of the stadium).

Under the right conditions I would have no issues with an on-campus, 70K+ seat stadium (which ideally should be our ultimate goal, for when our football program approaches the level of relevance our basketball programs have reached) but we are a generation (if not more) from being in a position where this would make any sense. We would need to have ~ 20k people (I would be one of them) willing to take Fridays off to drive up to Storrs for the weekend to attend a saturday game. We would need another ~25K willing to depart between 2:00 am - 3:00 am to get to their parking lots before too much traffic hit and the remaining ~ 20k (other seats filled by students & visitors) willing and able to depart ~5:00 am - 6:00 am (depending on their distance from campus) and endure the heavy traffic in order to get to the game with enough time for a small tailgate before kickoff and a larger one afterwards. Today, a situation such as this would cost us about half of those who attend games in East Hartford as too many would view what they get out of the time investment as being not worth the effort.

 

[upstater]

After the Michigan game I sat in traffic for hours to get back to the hotel.

I lived in Ann Arbor for two years. You can't compare it to Storrs, since the on-campus/off-capus divide doesn't exist. City roads cut through the middle of campus. It's urban in that sense. You're sitting in a private establishment next to campus buildings. But yes, though there are big traffic problems on gameday, people hang out at restaurants, etc.

 

[upstater]

Bingo.

One of the biggest problems with our current situation is that (with for a stadium the size of ours) a football game is an all day event (if you live close enough, it would be a nearly all day event). A very large part of our attendees see it as something that should be only a slighter longer time investment than a basketball game in Hartford. The number of hours the parking lots are open do not help this as it would be far easier for our ticket holders to make this an all day event if they could begin their tailgating (as many other schools allow) a couple of hours earlier than we are allowed and to remain after the game a few hours longer than the Rent currently permits.

If we do become as large as many of us aspire to (needing a stadium nearly double the Rent's current capacity, regardless of where this venue is located), a contingent ~ 150% the size of the current ticket holders will need to view it as an even longer all day event (there are lots at WVU that start receiving tailgaters at 5:00 am for noon kickoffs, allowing those willing to hit the road very early in the morning the benefit of avoiding at least some of the traffic) while the remaing continget (~ 50% of what we currently have) would need to view it aas more than a one day event (this would requre RV lots that allow two or three day utilization and better hotel presence in the vicinity of the stadium).

Under the right conditions I would have no issues with an on-campus, 70K+ seat stadium (which ideally should be our ultimate goal, for when our football program approaches the level of relevance our basketball programs have reached) but we are a generation (if not more) from being in a position where this would make any sense. We would need to have ~ 20k people (I would be one of them) willing to take Fridays off to drive up to Storrs for the weekend to attend a saturday game. We would need another ~25K willing to depart between 2:00 am - 3:00 am to get to their parking lots before too much traffic hit and the remaining ~ 20k (other seats filled by students & visitors) willing and able to depart ~5:00 am - 6:00 am (depending on their distance from campus) and endure the heavy traffic in order to get to the game with enough time for a small tailgate before kickoff and a larger one afterwards. Today, a situation such as this would cost us about half of those who attend games in East Hartford as too many would view what they get out of the time investment as being not worth the effort.

I agree with most of this but would point out where Connecticut has an advantage. People in PA and other states need to drive 3.5 hours for a PSU game, so they do need to take Friday off to enjoy the night's festivities. But in Connecticut, you can arrive at 8 pm and still get dinner and drinks. You don't need to leave work. Also, with an on-campus stadium, it's likely that half the student body shows up, and if the projections are for 30-35k undergrads, you'll have 15-17k students in the stands.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I agree with most of this but would point out where Connecticut has an advantage. People in PA and other states need to drive 3.5 hours for a PSU game, so they do need to take Friday off to enjoy the night's festivities. But in Connecticut, you can arrive at 8 pm and still get dinner and drinks. You don't need to leave work. Also, with an on-campus stadium, it's likely that half the student body shows up, and if the projections are for 30-35k undergrads, you'll have 15-17k students in the stands.

I had to drive from Stamford (where I live and work) to Bradley Airport last night to pick my son up (he spent the week off from school with my former in-laws). I left work ~ 3:40 in an attempt to avoid at least a small amount of traffic and and to arrive a bit early (they were scheduled to land @ 6:35). I-95 was a parking lot through Milford (where i crossed over to the parkway) and the parkway was worse (for the record, the radio claimed that the worst traffic was approaching New Haven, which was why I decided to switch over when I had the opportunity). Save a stretch on I-91 before Hartford traffic and after passing Hartford (in each case I was forced to hit 80 to keep with the traffic flow and a few cars passed me (while 8 was doing 80) as if I were standing still.


I spent ~ 65% of the drive (distance wise, time wise closer to 90%) in second gear and barely made it in three hours. If I were to leave for Storrs on a Friday from down here it would either be timed so I was past Hartford by 3:00 pm or I wouldn't consider departing until at least 8:00 pm (hoping the traffic has died down enough that it would not be an issue.

 

[upstater]

I had to drive from Stamford (where I live and work) to Bradley Airport last night to pick my son up (he spent the week off from school with my former in-laws). I left work ~ 3:40 in an attempt to avoid at least a small amount of traffic and and to arrive a bit early (they were scheduled to land @ 6:35). I-95 was a parking lot through Milford (where i crossed over to the parkway) and the parkway was worse (for the record, the radio claimed that the worst traffic was approaching New Haven, which was why I decided to switch over when I had the opportunity). Save a stretch on I-91 before Hartford traffic and after passing Hartford (in each case I was forced to hit 80 to keep with the traffic flow and a few cars passed me (while 8 was doing 80) as if I were standing still.


I spent ~ 65% of the drive (distance wise, time wise closer to 90%) in second gear and barely made it in three hours. If I were to leave for Storrs on a Friday from down here it would either be timed so I was past Hartford by 3:00 pm or I wouldn't consider departing until at least 8:00 pm (hoping the traffic has died down enough that it would not be an issue.

I admit, much of my experience in Ct. is colored from living off Rt. 80 and exit 8, so driving north was never a problem until Hartford.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Once you are beyond New Haven the only real issue is approaching Hartford (unfortunately entering Hartford from any direction is normally a log jam). Getting from lower Fairfield county to New Haven however can be a nightmare.

 

[pj]

The over-arching point is that UConn should be planning for an on campus stadium, now, even if the stadium isn't built for 30 years.

The Rent won't be new forever. UConn has the land. Lots of land. It's the Land of Land up there. Infrastructure to accommodate 8-10 events a years is not insurmountable, to suggest otherwise is like saying that we have forgotten how to build roads and bridges.

I don't think people realize that a football game at major schools is, as has been mentioned, an all day event. Tailgating, pre game, post game. It's an entire day commitment. Now it's one thing to say that the appetite for that type of commitment is not supported by the populace and hence it's silly to plan UConn football around that premise, but it's another to just say, "sitting in traffic is a deal breaker." And there is no better game day experience than at stadium where soon to be 24,000 undergrads can walk to. Atmosphere is huge at these types of events.

Minnesota was forced to build an on-campus stadium by the Big Ten.

Colorado State is moving to an on-campus stadium.

UNLV is planning to build an on-campus stadium.

Having a stadium in East Hartford that is owned by the state is not in UConn's best interest. The State of Connecticut has now gotten 10 years of rent from UConn, and conservatively, will get at least 5 years more. At what point has UConn fulfilled its commitment to the state of Connecticut?

Look at a school like Arkansas. It ;plays some games in Little Rock. There is no reason that UConn can't do something similar.

This is right. A good first step would be building a highway to campus.

At $5 mn per lane-mile (and it can be done for half that in rural areas if you're not choosy about which land you take), a 7-mile I-84 to north campus 4-lane highway would cost $140 mn and a 10-mile I-384 to southwest campus extension would be $200 mn.

That would do a lot to make the campus feel more accessible to the rest of the state; and also to get a biotech industry to build near campus.

Acquire a large plot of land near the terminus of whatever freeway is built and set it aside for future stadiums.