The On-Campus Stadium Debate

[Drew]

Drew. Here it is. This school has yet to make a forward thinking decision since the 1970s. Everything is to small or lacks vision. It will continue to be that way for life because the school has many enablers who keep the train rolling this way.

You said you were from down south. What ever school you grew up watching I suggest you root for them and uconn so when your done at uconn school wise you can have a big time team to root for as well as uconn because we will 247 break your heart with crappy decisions and never reach the top because we love idiots and fools to be picked as our leaders. We're going to have a good bball program you can hang you fan card on and go root for Uga or who ever down south back home football wise it will save yourself many nights and dreams and what ifs because this area of the county just doesn't get it.

as weird as it may seem I'm actually a Nebraska fan. Always have been. I admire their fan base (360+ consecutive sellouts, every game since the 1960's) and the way they run their program. I do follow closely the SEC schools however and I've been on campus at a bunch of them. Most of these towns/places have no business hosting a state university but they do and the state goes nuts for their schools. Lots of pride.

 

[Adios]

Summary: an MLS team is not coming to Connecticut. Period.

The Revolution would be wise to let an MLS team in Rentschler exist. Two teams in New England cannot hurt. New York City has the chance to establish their own fan base in the city itself and can do it. But price is now at least $100 million.

 

[whaler11]

I never said they "magically" get moved to 3:30. In fact in my first long post I stated that the start times have to do with (mostly) what SNY wants since they televise the "Big East Game of the Week" and we were usually on it. I said the university would have to work with the TV Network to move their game back. If you don't want to compete with the ABC 3:30 game why not create their own primetime slot? 1:30 on SNY. Game ends by 4:30/5. I say you can move the start times cause this stadium like I said is a minimum of 20 years out, and I would assume there will be one or two more TV contracts by then.

I would also like to see the American Athletic Conference make a deal with Fox's new all sports network (national network) FoxSports1 to have their games televised on there in the 12, 3:30, and 8 pm time slots (or whatever primetime slots they might have).

Not that it matters but the Big East Game of the Week was a syndicated game that was sold to many outlets. SNY nor any of the other stations had any say in when that game was played.

They signed up to carry a Big East game specifically at noon.

You've got some good ideas but don't understand Connecticut and don't get some of the details.

 

[BoatShow]

Have they ever run shuttles from the commuter lot at exit 68 to Gampel on game days? If not? Why not? Kind of off topic for this thread but it's just an idea I just had.

 

[auggie22]

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.

Re point 1, ask and you shall receive. Fairfield Inn is opening in Storrs Center in 2015. You would need a few more hotels ( four corners? ) to give a campus stadium a go, though.

 

[BoatShow]

Re point 1, ask and you shall receive. Fairfield Inn is opening in Storrs Center in 2015. You would need a few more hotels ( four corners? ) to give a campus stadium a go, though.

Has something gone into the old Kathy John's yet? That'd be a decent spot.

 

[BoatShow]

Has something gone into the old Kathy John's yet? That'd be a decent spot.

560 on Main is a really nice apt complex right on the Willi river across from Eastern. It's kind of dumb though, really expensive and although it's a lot nicer you can rent a 4 bedroom house in Willi for the price a studio there. That could have worked better as a hotel IMO. A lot of the old mills have been re-purposed around there or those could be nice.

 

[hthusky74]

Mansfield had nothing to do with it. The on-campus stadium was a victim of state politics. It was practically a done deal, but it was an election year, and the challenging candidate for governor questioned building the stadium, and with that any member of her party that previously supported it flipped, and the idea died. I think most people have no idea how close it was to happening. But the stadium would have been even more bare bones than the Rent, and it would have seated about 32,000.

There was never any serious discussion about builsing the stadium on campus. Except for the Rent, all the serious talk was in Hartford. There was the Patriot Stadium which was never built. There was talk of a Carrier Dome type facility also on/near the site where the Patriot Stadium was planned. There also was talk of a stadium on a site on the north side of I84 on the vacant land there. Talk of a stadium on campus, which is where I would like to see one for the students sake, has always been quashed immediately. The locals don't want it, there would be major traffic issues (and they aren't building a highway there), there were environmental concerns, etc. etc. Maybe if we are in the B1G for 30-40 years and pulling sellouts in an expanded Rent every Saturday, it might happen. Otherwise, in the words of the late, great Tony Soprano, fugged about it!

 

[hthusky74]

thank you excalibur, I hope before I die to see a football stadium in Storrs with stores and restaurants and shops and apartments surrounding the area. I could see Storrs becoming a lot like Athens, GA. Makes me sick that this whole thing ended up falling apart for essentially no reason.

This is the reason: $$$$$$. It doesn't make sense in Storrs.

 

[hthusky74]

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.

The only thing workable hear are the shuttle buses. Most of the rest of the stuff won't work or would be too objectionable to too many to ever be enacted.

 

[RS9999X]

As far as UConn being a summer destination spot for residents so they can buy merchandise......nutty stuff. UConn would need some low priced Summer Camps for kids. Didn't they close the merchandise store in Hartford now that online is killing them?

 

[RS9999X]

The entire timeline of events is here. Note that the 3 Storrs proposals never got the necessary backing to ever get consideration by Weicker, Rowland, Murray, Kraft, Clancy, etc. They were non starters


http://articles.courant.com/2012-08...d-uconn-and-villanova-uconn-athletic-director

 

[CL82]

I've asked HFD this with no response (typical). How often do you think people are going to the Co-Op, taking tours, etc.? Once a year? Once every two? It was said earlier (I'm not sure how true it is, but certainly possible), that tailgating came about by people wanting to beat the traffic and passing the time prior to games. Now the problem is everyone is tailgating. So traffic is a direct result of the activity intent on avoiding it. Catch-22, wouldn't you say? No, I wouldn't. A fixed start and end time creates a glut of traffic. Having 50,000 individuals decide when they are done is going to feather the traffic.

Yes, security shooing out patrons after a half hour is an argument against Rentschler, but what makes you think it will be any different on campus? I can tell you with at least some degree of certainty that it wouldn't. Anectdote: My folks used to come up to school on Parents Weekend and my father, uncle, & cousins would come on a different weekend as well. We tailgated in D-lot behind Memorial and the cops would barely let us fire up the grill after the games. Because virtually every school in the nation somehow manages it. (W)hat makes you think it will be any different on (our) campus?

UConn Cops are state police too, and they will have to deal with drunk 20-somethings for the rest of the night. Presumably, the staties at Rentschler get to go home after their shift. Not sure of your point.

If they decide to put a stadium on campus, Great. I'll go. But, I was in school when the decision came down from Big Lou to upgrade to D1A. I don't know how they acquired it, but the residents and town gov'ts. of Mansfield and Storrs have a lot of pull. Virtually nothing of significance happens on the outskirts of campus (even if it's still on campus) without their tacit buy in... Agree. I think a better administration, and make no mistake about it the administration has been significantly upgraded, could manage the process far more successfully.

 

[Husky25]

No, I wouldn't. A fixed start and end time creates a glut of traffic. Having 50,000 individuals decide when they are done is going to feather the traffic.

Are you saying that there would be no set time the gates open? I'm fine with that, except for the fact that for a game a 12:00, many ticket holders are conditioned to arrive at or around 8:00. It would work better if games started later, but then UConn is playing opposite the SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten.

Because virtually every school in the nation somehow manages it.

I don't know if you understood my point. There was no loitering (including tailgating) after games at Memorial, Loitering is held to a minimum at Rentschler. What makes you think policy will change if games return to campus? Especially if Cops and security have to direct 50,000+ fans off campus prior to the evenings' festivities. At least at Rentschler, nothing else is going on after the games except for clean up.

Not sure of your point.

The UConn State Police have other and additional responsibilities for the student body that those patrolling Rentschler generally do not. It might be a broad assumption on my part but the responsibility for the crowd ends for Staties at Rentschler at the Pratt and Whitney gate.

I said it before, I really wouldn't mind going to games on campus, but there are numerous and real issues to overcome, including traffic. I'm just trying to be a realist about it instead of speculating how easy it is and screaming about how people, "just don't get it."

 

[Mr.Phat]

What is SC? State College? I already answered that. It was 15 miles away of tiny one lane roads and through a Colonial burg that hasn't changed since the Huguenots founded it.

I lived in Ann Arbor too. My friend who bought a home that first year woke up at 7 am to find 40 cars parked on his grass lawn (front and back yard) with people frying eggs and bacon by their cars. They smacked $50 each into his hands and then told him the history of the house going back 30 years.

SC - Southern Cal.

Yes there might be exceptions but generally the rule holds. Most big time venues are very close to a major interstate. I can't even begin to conceive of the time it would take to get cars to and from a campus stadium 40K + in capacity. It was a major factor in not building a facility in Storrs.

Also how much free land does UConn have? If the stadium got built maybe the technology park under construction would not have. I'd rather have a world-class technology park a la Research Triangle to burnish the school's academic and research rep than an on-campus stadium.

 

[Excalibur]

The entire timeline of events is here. Note that the 3 Storrs proposals never got the necessary backing to ever get consideration by Weicker, Rowland, Murray, Kraft, Clancy, etc. They were non starters


http://articles.courant.com/2012-08...d-uconn-and-villanova-uconn-athletic-director

The story of the Oct. - Nov. 1997 dates is explained in the NY Times article I linked. Heck, the timeline basically admits that Rowland was behind a Storrs site and assumed it was a done deal.

 

[RS9999X]

Rowland was already meeting with Kraft and the support for a tiny 30,000 seat stadium in Storrs wasn't getting support. Lip service maybe.

http://articles.courant.com/1998-12...er-peter-karmanos-hockey-arena-john-g-rowland

 

[CL82]

Whatever the cost of the stadium might supposedly be, double it. Then add hundreds of millions for access road improvements from I84 and Willy. Great to think about. Ain't gonna happen.

Been posted a lot. There's no need to upgrade the surround infra-structure. It be nice, but it's not mandatory.

 

[CL82]

Are you saying that there would be no set time the gates open? I'm fine with that, except for the fact that for a game a 12:00, many ticket holders are conditioned to arrive at or around 8:00. It would work better if games started later, but then UConn is playing opposite the SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten.



I don't know if you understood my point. There was no loitering (including tailgating) after games at Memorial, Loitering is held to a minimum at Rentschler. What makes you think policy will change if games return to campus? Especially if Cops and security have to direct 50,000+ fans off campus prior to the evenings' festivities. At least at Rentschler, nothing else is going on after the games except for clean up. I go back the example of West Point. Getting out there is very, very reasonable. If they can do it, we can do it. It really is that simple. I've also been at night games at RU where everyone is leaving at the same time in an area that is far, far more heavily trafficked. That's the worse case scenario, yet traffic gets out of there pretty reasonably. Again, it is clear that they aren't doing anything we can't.

The UConn State Police have other and additional responsibilities for the student body that those patrolling Rentschler generally do not. It might be a broad assumption on my part but the responsibility for the crowd ends for Staties at Rentschler at the Pratt and Whitney gate. Somehow every campus in America manages this, why do you believe that it would be impossible in Storrs?

I said it before, I really wouldn't mind going to games on campus, but there are numerous and real issues to overcome, including traffic. I'm just trying to be a realist about it instead of speculating how easy it is and screaming about how people, "just don't get it." I guess that sometimes it is intellectually easier to say well things just won't work, then to think through the issues and realize that are manageable. Regardless, it isn't happening in the near term.

 

[CTBasketball]

This thread has me laughing. We went 5-7 the last two seasons and didn't come close to selling out the Rent for even the biggest games. Building a 65k stadium on campus would be the biggest financial debacle this state has ever seen, especially when you put into consideration the current financial status of the state.

 

[whaler11]

Been posted a lot. There's no need to upgrade the surround infra-structure. It be nice, but it's not mandatory.

Yeah no need. Tens of thousands of cars converging on a single lane will certainly bring the casual fan back the following week.

One of the best things the program has for it is the access to the stadium and the relative lack of traffic compared to other sporting events.

 

[CTBasketball]

Yeah no need. Tens of thousands of cars converging on a single lane will certainly bring the casual fan back the following week.

One of the best things the program has for it is the access to the stadium and the relative lack of traffic compared to other sporting events.

The stadium is in a location where all of central Connecticut can migrate to very easily. Even people in Fairfield county can drive up relatively quickly (depending on 15 or 95, especially for Fri./Thurs. games). The average fan does not want to sit in traffic in northeast CT for 45 minutes to see a 5-7 team. Bottom line is, if you win they will come.

 

[whaler11]

The stadium is in a location where all of central Connecticut can migrate to very easily. Even people in Fairfield county can drive up relatively quickly (depending on 15 or 95, especially for Fri./Thurs. games). The average fan does not want to sit in traffic in northeast CT for 45 minutes to see a 5-7 team. Bottom line is, if you win they will come.

Yes the people who go to the games understand the location is a positive.

The casual people who go to Rentschler wouldn't think of going to Storrs.

The pro-campus crowd does not seem to understand the mentality of the crowd. So many squeeze in games between kid's sports and other activities. They go off the board with an extra 90 minutes of commute and forget the money in Fairfield County. You may as well play on the moon in their eyes.

 

[CTBasketball]

Yes the people who go to the games understand the location is a positive.

The casual people who go to Rentschler wouldn't think of going to Storrs.

The pro-campus crowd does not seem to understand the mentality of the crowd. So many squeeze in games between kid's sports and other activities. They go off the board with an extra 90 minutes of commute and forget the money in Fairfield County. You may as well play on the moon in their eyes.

So true. There isn't a large UConn following in Fairfield County. They're much more Knicks/Nets/Giants/Jets superfans and only take recognize themselves as UConn fans is when we win championships. Of course there are exceptions.

 

[J187Money]

Just like most Yankees fans. Only see them on the train when there is a parade.