Gampel update

[shizzle787]

They definitely need to increase the seating capacity to bring more fans in, and to increase the overall revenue.

Has anyone seen the overview of the renovation plan? Is there any plan to increase seating capacity?

Not by much though. A capacity of 11k for a relatively rural part of the state is not bad. If they went to 12k, it will probably be fine. Anything more than that is getting greedy.

 

[WrenchFan69]

I absolutely love the size and atmosphere of Gampel and despite the building being a circle, the seating bowl is rectangular and just fine IMO.

The big thing they need to do is put on a big addition to house concessions, beer garden, bathrooms, gathering space and other amenities. I was recently at Crisler Arena in Michigan and they have an old building with a concrete perimeter, no windows etc. What they did was added a whole structure right off the side of it with atrium spaces, more concessions. etc. Before and after pics:

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The big thing with Gampel would be where to get the land to build it. Could they take that diagonal connector building between Gampel and the fieldhouse down and build something there that extends all the way out to Hillside and the Jonathan the Husky Statue?

I've long said something like this is our best option.

Within the red lined polygon: That street parking really isn't necessary with the garage right next door. Use that space to expand sidewalks. Then enclose the corners and take over the no-longer-necessary athletic department offices (accommodated in Werth, Shenkman, or the updated field house) at the concourse level for expanded concessions.

Yellow polygon: if and when we cut the women's swim and dive team (I'm expecting further pressure to ditch non-rev sports with the NCAA eventually lowering their D1 minimum rules, though Title IX considerations will persist), it could be an option to take over the Natatorium for concessions and bathrooms and possibly a dedicated production studio, considering they bring in a truck still for Gampel games.

 

[Chief00]

The problem with your numbers here is most you’ve posted numbers on are their alternate, not on campus arenas, true some teams mostly do not use these arenas, but UConn has a 16k+ capacity alternate as well. So using these to compare primarily to Gampel vs them doesn’t make sense. So for that reference:

Creighton 18k, DJ Sokol Arena on campus 3000
Georgetown 20k, McDonough Arena on campus 2500
Marquette 19k, Al Maguire Center on campus 3700
SHU 19k, Walsh Gymnasium on campus 1316
SJU 20k, Carnasecca Arena on campus 5260
Nova 20k, Finneran Pavilion on campus 6501

So in other words UConn has a larger on campus arena than EVERY team you used to make your point.

I think we need to be realistic. When the President of UConn last threaten to play more games on campus, the Hartford politicians sent her a message about funding UConn overall and she immediately reversed course. This is a political reality.

 

[Chief00]

It's those two to three rows behind the UConn bench that are never filled at tip off. I assume those are athletic department big wigs and university controlled seats and those people are too important to get to their seats before the first TV timeout. Almost every game that section behind the UConn bench has 15-20 seats empty at tip off.

Many prime seats come with the buffet and bar access/exited thru the nearby tunnel entrance.

 

[jdb50]

They definitely need to increase the seating capacity to bring more fans in, and to increase the overall revenue.

Has anyone seen the overview of the renovation plan? Is there any plan to increase seating capacity?

I tried to find info on what actually is planned with all the spending last night but came up empty. Maybe better minds can find the job proposal.

 

[Chief00]

I get some are much more expensive but for what you get with Gampel, it shouldn't compare. No fancy metal or brick design, no windows, no amenities, nothing. Just a concrete silo.

It is true whatever political donors who got The Rent and Gampel design jobs surely loved basic concrete at the expense of any other design thought.

 

[Chief00]

I tried to find info on what actually is planned with all the spending last night but came up empty. Maybe better minds can find the job proposal.

We spend a lot of money to put in club type seating. In Hartford that produces $12,500 per seat each season. The rest of the stuff is lip stick on the pig stuff and pretend it’s for the average fan. Not faulting UConn for doing it that way, since politically that’s how you get the votes for the funding.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I absolutely love the size and atmosphere of Gampel and despite the building being a circle, the seating bowl is rectangular and just fine IMO.

The big thing they need to do is put on a big addition to house concessions, beer garden, bathrooms, gathering space and other amenities. I was recently at Crisler Arena in Michigan and they have an old building with a concrete perimeter, no windows etc. What they did was added a whole structure right off the side of it with atrium spaces, more concessions. etc. Before and after pics:

The big thing with Gampel would be where to get the land to build it. Could they take that diagonal connector building between Gampel and the fieldhouse down and build something there that extends all the way out to Hillside and the Jonathan the Husky Statue?

Agreed with pretty much everything.

Especially repurposing the space between Gampel and the old gym as you said. It’s already contiguous to Gampel, and beer gardens and such need to be physically separate from the arena itself. I believe there is also all the space under the arena where the players used to work out and the kinesiology department was located; can we not convert that?

Take the traffic away from the concourse in the arena. Adding a significant volume of seats to the arena is a non sequitur; the space has been maximized, and as noted in this thread, 9k for an on-campus stadium isn’t awful. Also, imagine 6k more cars coming in and out of campus lol

I too like the vibe of Gampel. I wish more students could be closer to the floor, but that’s a whole other debate.

 

[temery]

$55 million in 1976 is the equivalent to $312 million today.

They spent an additional $326 million in recent years renovating Rupp.

That's just the money. Construction costs have risen faster than inflation.

 

[Vancat]

I think at Texas, if you dont show up to your lower level seat by the ten minute mark of the first half, then that seat is available for someone to come down and take.

Love that idea, but what happens when the people who couldn't manage to get there on time show up? Do they sit elsewhere? or is there chaotic seat changing?

 

[Rocktheworld]

Love that idea, but what happens when the people who couldn't manage to get there on time show up? Do they sit elsewhere? or is there chaotic seat changing?

Put the casuals in the nosebleeds if they can’t move heaven and earth to be there within the first quarter of the game 😉

 

[huskyjawz]

Love that idea, but what happens when the people who couldn't manage to get there on time show up? Do they sit elsewhere? or is there chaotic seat changing?

Everyone knows what the policy is, that if you don't get there by the designated time, then you lose the right to your seat.

In reality how many people is that actually going to be. A lot less than the amount of seats that go unused.

 

[Vancat]

Put the casuals in the nosebleeds if they can’t move heaven and earth to be there within the first quarter of the game 😉

Everyone knows what the policy is, that if you don't get there by the designated time, then you lose the right to your seat.

In reality how many people is that actually going to be. A lot less than the amount of seats that go unused.

I totally agree! I just don't see it happening.

 

[UConnDad]

To compare Kansas gives 26% of the arena to students, UConn (with 2,600 student seats) gives 25% so essentially identical for the size.

Also, I just gotta say this thread is insane. Have you all been to Gampel? It's incredible with an awesome design (the dome is so unique and gleams in the Storrs skyline, especially in the snow) with seats right on the floor. The place is nuts for all big games; I love it.

Do the concessions and bathrooms suck? Sure but this is what this renovation will address. 95% of schools who have a soulless brown box of an arena would kill for Gampel.

Was just there yesterday. I forgot how bad the bleacher seating is. Literally kid sized seating. Hopefully the renovation includes actual seats.

 

[uconnfan68]

Agreed with pretty much everything.

Especially repurposing the space between Gampel and the old gym as you said. It’s already contiguous to Gampel, and beer gardens and such need to be physically separate from the arena itself. I believe there is also all the space under the arena where the players used to work out and the kinesiology department was located; can we not convert that?

Take the traffic away from the concourse in the arena. Adding a significant volume of seats to the arena is a non sequitur; the space has been maximized, and as noted in this thread, 9k for an on-campus stadium isn’t awful. Also, imagine 6k more cars coming in and out of campus lol

I too like the vibe of Gampel. I wish more students could be closer to the floor, but that’s a whole other debate.

I get tired of seeing empty seats behind the team's bench, especially after watching games from MSU, KU, and Duke.

 

[Vancat]

I get tired of seeing empty seats behind the team's bench, especially after watching games from MSU, KU, and Duke.

They should have the PacMan group run through there.

 

[CL82]

I get tired of seeing empty seats behind the team's bench, especially after watching games from MSU, KU, and Duke.

I'd love to see the university implement a user-friendly system whereby season ticket holders could make their seats available and receive a credit for say $.50 on the dollar for future tickets. That way, the seats don't go empty, season tickets become more affordable, in the university gets to make a little more profit. Everyone wins.

 

[Stew Crew]

I get tired of seeing empty seats behind the team's bench, especially after watching games from MSU, KU, and Duke.

Complain to Danny. Those seats belong primarily to the team. Hurley get 20 tickets/game. The assistant coaches also get tickets. Some tickets are reserved for program VIPs like recruits or basketball alums.

 

[Stew Crew]

I'd love to see the university implement a user-friendly system whereby season ticket holders could make their seats available and receive a credit for say $.50 on the dollar for future tickets. That way, the seats don't go empty, season tickets become more affordable, in the university gets to make a little more profit. Everyone wins.

Season ticket holders can sell tickets through SeatGeek. There is a link in everyone's online ticket account. They are the official reseller outlet of UConn Athletics. I am sure UConn gets a cut of every ticket sold on SeatGeek.

Interestingly enough, most of the tickets for sale on SeatGeek are typically in the upper level bleachers or corners (by a lot). It debunks the assertion of some on this site regarding who the loyal fans are.

 

[CL82]

Season ticket holders can sell tickets through SeatGeek. There is a link in everyone's online ticket account. They are the official reseller outlet of UConn Athletics. I am sure UConn gets a cut of every ticket sold on SeatGeek.

Interestingly enough, most of the tickets for sale on SeatGeek are typically in the upper level bleachers or corners (by a lot). It debunks the assertion of some on this site regarding who the loyal fans are.

View attachment 114405

I wasn't aware of that. I was envisioning a system where they would just get pledged back to the ticket office for resale, with a higher percentage going to the university, but I could see how this would be more efficient in terms of athletic department resources.

 

[Stew Crew]

I wasn't aware of that. I was envisioning a system where they would just get pledged back to the ticket office for resale, with a higher percentage going to the university, but I could see how this would be more efficient in terms of athletic department resources.

At one point, I think they had a program where you could donate your tickets back to the Athletic Dept and they would donate the tickets to local charities. I don't think they do that anymore.

 

[upstater]

I absolutely love the size and atmosphere of Gampel and despite the building being a circle, the seating bowl is rectangular and just fine IMO.

The big thing they need to do is put on a big addition to house concessions, beer garden, bathrooms, gathering space and other amenities. I was recently at Crisler Arena in Michigan and they have an old building with a concrete perimeter, no windows etc. What they did was added a whole structure right off the side of it with atrium spaces, more concessions. etc. Before and after pics:

View attachment 114237

View attachment 114238

The big thing with Gampel would be where to get the land to build it. Could they take that diagonal connector building between Gampel and the fieldhouse down and build something there that extends all the way out to Hillside and the Jonathan the Husky Statue?

That was a $400m reboot of Criswell. The university funded the jumbo loan on it. UM at one point had to turn down a research grant in the hundreds of millions because it couldn't fund the jumbo loan needed to build the required building for the project. I forget which other university the grant went to, but it was a fiasco. They went to the state legislature to ask for the building funds but they were nixed.