OT: 11/6 CRDA Meeting Minutes

[ct06111]

http://www.crdact.net/data/Unsorted/11-6-2015-DRAFT_VenueCmte-Minutes-73286-1.pdf

1. "UConn Football Update – Mr. Lawrence reported that with one game left in the season, attendance numbers remain a serious concern and are expected to hurt the Stadium financially. A discussion followed as to whether UConn was doing all it could to promote the games and what steps Board members might take to help.
2. Minor League Football Update - Mr. Freimuth reported that Chairman Bessette, Mr. Jorgensen, Mr. Lawrence and CRDA staff met with officials from the MLF to discuss the possibility of bringing a team to Pratt & Whitney Stadium in the Spring. The League seems very interested in this market and Spectra has provided them with expense estimates for playing in the building".

 

[huskypantz]

Some genius budgeted for 35k per game.

 

[FartMan69]

Minor League football? Sounds like a flawless endeavor

 

[huskypantz]

Minor League football? Sounds like a flawless endeavor

This town needs a monorail.

 

[Nostical]

A discussion followed as to whether UConn was doing all it could to promote the games (at the Rent) and what steps Board members might take to help.

That's a discussion that should be taking place in earnest.

 

[BoatShow]

This town needs a monorail.

Worked for Ogdenville and North Haverbrook?

 

[Dooley]

There will need to be an "all-in" effort in the offseason to restore the season ticket base back to pre-Pasqualoni levels. 2016 will come with raised expectations on the field and in the stands.

 

[Adesmar123]

http://www.crdact.net/data/Unsorted/11-6-2015-DRAFT_VenueCmte-Minutes-73286-1.pdf

1. "UConn Football Update – Mr. Lawrence reported that with one game left in the season, attendance numbers remain a serious concern and are expected to hurt the Stadium financially. A discussion followed as to whether UConn was doing all it could to promote the games and what steps Board members might take to help.
2. Minor League Football Update - Mr. Freimuth reported that Chairman Bessette, Mr. Jorgensen, Mr. Lawrence and CRDA staff met with officials from the MLF to discuss the possibility of bringing a team to Pratt & Whitney Stadium in the Spring. The League seems very interested in this market and Spectra has provided them with expense estimates for playing in the building".

Are they suggesting there is money involved in college football?

 

[J187Money]

That's a discussion that should be taking place in earnest.

Maybe they could run an ad campaign explaining that the team deserves a full stadium and shame everyone into coming.

 

[FartMan69]

Worked for Ogdenville and North Haverbrook?

By gum it put them on the map!

 

[junglehusky]

I call the big one Bitey.

 

[BlueandOG]

Worked for Ogdenville and North Haverbrook?

The lid came off my pudding can...

 

[MASSconn]

Attendance isn't reaching their expectation levels...Maybe they should look at our sweet conference. Because our opponents are so attractive to everyday fans.

Help us get out of hell guys

 

[noeynox]

Attendance isn't reaching their expectation levels...Maybe they should look at our sweet conference. Because our opponents are so attractive to everyday fans.

Help us get out of hell guys

The conference is what it is. Who exactly do you want to help us. We may be here a long while so improving attendance better not hinge on better conference opponents. Uconn dropped the ball on marketing football under Hathaway. Winning will help, but they better improve how they go about selling tickets even if they're sacrificing by reducing prices.

 

[Alum86]

"Hello, Black Diamond Consulting please. I'd like to speak to Mr Duckett about putting a roof on Rentschler Field. What? Why certainly we can pay in advance. You accept PayPal"

 

[Pudge]

There is no way - at Opening in 2003 - that anyone internal to UConn or with the Authority budgeted 35,000 a game. That would be far too optimistic for a start-up FBS/BCS/D1 Program. They beat the budget regularly from 2003-2009. So, my question is: at what point did they need to raise the BUDGETED attendance (it's not like we have seen a massive capital expenditure) for their model.

Are they sitting there with different hands getting shares?

Did they collapse and re-finance the original bonds?

(HOW that matters: they built this Rent for $91m and interest rates today and for most of the last 6 years have been far lower. It's possible that they re-financed and diverted additional proceeds to something else Authority related. Yeah, I am suspicious about Authority purview.)

 

[freescooter]

Actually Pudge the Authority didn't issue bonds for financing the stadium. It was built by the State, not a quasi public authority. They might be operating it under some kind of agreement with OPM or some operating agreement or other but the owner remains OPM a direct state agency.

 

[Pudge]

Actually Pudge the Authority didn't issue bonds for financing the stadium. It was built by the State, not a quasi public authority. They might be operating it under some kind of agreement with OPM or some operating agreement or other but the owner remains OPM a direct state agency.

I just googled the Adrien's Landing/Rentschler financial report (2008). It states a March 3, 2000 Bond issuance of $91.2m. I never saw anything that refutes that.

 

[SubbaBub]

There will need to be an "all-in" effort in the offseason to restore the season ticket base back to pre-Pasqualoni levels. 2016 will come with raised expectations on the field and in the stands.

Schedule, Schedule, Schedule. Winning gets people to pay attention, an event game gets them to show up. The BB hate that fueled general and BB fan interest in games vs. Pitt, Cuse, UL is absent in the AAC and will be for a long time. Good OOC home games and winning is the best recipe, but even that will take time.