The Rent Can Be Expanded to 60,000

[Patman]

And the big program contributors like it right where it is. All the conferences care about are $$$.

Because at some level we keep telling people to put more money and resources into the sport. I'm sure you're familiar with your pogo "we have seen the enemy and he is us"

 

[Palatine]

Think we should work on filling the stadium first with 40K. Big 12 probably wants to see that first IMO

Wrong. Rutgers expanded years before the going to the B10.

 

[RSTuthill]

Wrong. Rutgers expanded years before the going to the B10.

I doubt it.

 

[CL82]

Wrong. Rutgers expanded years before the going to the B10.

Rutty was in low-key talks with the Big Ten about what they needed to do to make themselves a viable candidate. No promises were made, and it was very much a "don't talk about fight club" situation but they were targeted and groomed before getting the nod.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

How much would a 60,000 seat stadium cost? How many years to build it? It’s impossible to get out of the Gampel pavilion after a basketball game. I think Gampel only holds 10,000 people. This would be 5 or 6 times the crowd for the Gampel. It would take 4 or 5 hours to clear out the parking. Kind of hard to envision. Also what happens to the rent?

How do other programs manage? Getting out after a game? Really? Maybe go see a game at a Big Ten school or an SEC school.

 

[UConnRock]

Not sure of exact price. 35,000 seat stadium at USF 340M. Only four B12 teams have seating for 60,000 or above. Other people here have pointed out there is not an exact time when people come and go for FB game. Some tailgate mornings, afternoons or into the evening. By putting it on Discovery Drive, a bunch of traffic will go through Route 44 and not on 195 through Mansfield Center. The Rent can be used by Central CT football. Their campus is closer to it than UConn's.

Building a stadium in CT would be double the cost of construction in Florida. That is just the way it works. Toscano hockey arena came in at $70M which just seems outrageous. No need to build anything as the Rent at $40K is more than Cincy and the same as Houston and Kansas. Build a team and a following first. FYI, Northwestern is building a new $35K stadium for about $500M. All from one donation.

 

[Waquoit]

How do other programs manage? Getting out after a game? Really? Maybe go see a game at a Big Ten school or an SEC school.

They have 10 lanes leaving the game. UConn would have 1. Makes a difference. Not to people that don't go to games, I know.

 

[Palatine]

I doubt it.

look it up.

 

[Nostical]

Given that the announced entry date for our football program to join the BIG XII conference is 2031, that 7 year itch gives us the time we need to scratch it. We will have an on campus stadium because UConn's campus is an exceptional jewel in the fall and will become the showplace for prospective students/parents coming to games or watching the game-day atmosphere on TV. The State poured almost $5 Billion into that campus over the past 30 years. There's no way our boosters (or the State) will want to throw big money into a" bus the students to an off-site venue rehab expansion" that does nothing to enhance the image of UConn's incredible campus and quintessential New England collegiate experience.

Meanwhile, the Rent is currently the farthest stadium from campus of any major college in the nation. That should never be a point of pride! The BIG XII will prefer it on campus. Show me any school spending huge dollars putting up a new (or spending huge dollars to enhance) a stadium....far from campus. It isn't happening. (At least when UCLA students head 17 miles from campus they reach the iconic Rose Bowl) UConn is 19 miles away from PAWSARF.

The 5 universities with the longest distances to their off-campus football stadiums are:

1. UConn: Pratt & Whitney Stadium 19 miles from campus.
2. Miami (FL): Hard Rock Stadium 17 miles
3. UCLA: Rose Bowl 17 miles.
4. Texas San Antonio: Alamodome 15 miles
5. South Florida: Raymond James Stadium 8 miles. Note USF begins building a 35,000 seat on-campus stadium this fall at cost of $340M. It opens in 3 years 2027

All universities with off-campus stadiums can face unique challenges:

1. Transportation and Accessibility: Students and fans need reliable transportation to reach the stadium, which can be costly and time-consuming. Distance from campus, when converted to time to get to the venue, can be a buzz-kill for many students.

2. Atmosphere and Attendance: The distance can negatively impact the game-day atmosphere and attendance, as fewer students may be willing to travel. And the logistics of catching pre-scheduled transportation is a pain.

Tell me if you'd like this as a student:
At UConn, buses for students attending football games at the Rent begin leaving the Storrs campus 2.5 hours before the game, with the last bus departing 1.5 hours prior to kickoff. It can take 30 to 40 minutes to make those trips.The return journeys begin at the start of the third quarter. The buses don't depart until they're full, and the last bus departs 30 minutes after the game ends. The stands empty early and Lord help us if there's a great ending and you want to celebrate, Now, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and try to picture what a campus stadium scene might be like for those thousands of students who have no bus to catch!

 

[Waquoit]

Now, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and try to picture what a campus stadium scene might be like for those thousands of students who have no bus to catch!

Not worth $400M+ imo.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

The last time UConn was accepted to a Px conference, it took them only 6 years to win a conference championship.

The most under appreciated and discussed aspect of our football history. We won a conference title, albeit shared, in a good conference in less than 10 years. We still haven't been at this level 30 years. That was a helluva run. We can do it again.

 

[RSTuthill]

The most under appreciated and discussed aspect of our football history. We won a conference title, albeit shared, in a good conference in less than 10 years. We still haven't been at this level 30 years. That was a helluva run. We can do it again.

14 years, right?

 

[huskidork]

expand the stadium! move the stadium to storrs so fans can go easier! these things would come if we actually start winning games again, and play good competition while doing it, the Rent is good as is for now we need to put investment in more important things (recruiting and the transfer portal)

 

[HuskiesFan1014]

Building a stadium in CT would be double the cost of construction in Florida. That is just the way it works. Toscano hockey arena came in at $70M which just seems outrageous. No need to build anything as the Rent at $40K is more than Cincy and the same as Houston and Kansas. Build a team and a following first. FYI, Northwestern is building a new $35K stadium for about $500M. All from one donation.

The dollar signs in front of the capacity numbers are very confusing.

 

[Uconnalliance]

I'm posting this here because the question always comes up.

According to Gilbane, the contractor, the Rent can be expanded to 60,000.

Accelerated project schedule delivers this state-of-the-art stadium three months early and on budget

The state of Connecticut selected the joint venture team of Gilbane Building Company and Hunt Construction Group as their construction manager for a new 16-acre open-air college football stadium. Rentschler Field serves as the home field for University of Connecticut’s Huskies. The new stadium seats 40,000 fans, with the ability for expansion to 60,000. Patrons of the stadium enjoy specialty areas including 700 indoor club seats, 4,000 outdoor club seats and 36 luxury suites. Rentschler Field features a natural Kentucky bluegrass playing field, obtained from a specified sod farm to ensure quality.

University of Connecticut Rentschler Field Football Stadium | Gilbane

Accelerated project schedule delivers this state-of-the-art stadium three months early and on budget The state of Connecticut selected the joint venture

www.gilbaneco.com

Problem is we only have 15,000 fans left because we play these teams that are favored by 25 and beat us by 50!

 

[RSTuthill]

We can wind this discussion up. Big12 not happening. Presidents met yesterday.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

How do other programs manage? Getting out after a game? Really? Maybe go see a game at a Big Ten school or an SEC school.

They have 10 lanes leaving the game. UConn would have 1. Makes a difference. Not to people that don't go to games, I know.

Oh, my bad. Car lanes! Every other major program can handle this "infrastructure" dilemma but UConn.

 

[Waquoit]

Oh, my bad. Car lanes! Every other major program can handle this "infrastructure" dilemma but UConn.

UConn did handle it. By building a perfectly good stadium next to a highway.

 

[ConnMotors]

50k would be perfect. We would never be able to get 60k to a uconn football game.

Not without fixing I91 and I84 first

 

[CL82]

UConn did handle it. By building a perfectly good stadium next to a highway.

30 minutes too far west.

 

[Bomber36]

30 minutes too far west.

I live 15 minutes from the rent. I’m very spoiled.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

30 minutes too far west.

Absofrigginlutely. The stadium needs to be on campus.

 

[uconnbill]

50k would be perfect. We would never be able to get 60k to a uconn football game.

That is an opinion, not a fact. I remember seeing 42200 fans and they could have sold many more tickets. Winning and playing some schools like Colorado, Oklahoma St, West Virginia, and others.

 

[metsfan2323]

Not worth $400M+ imo.

Especially when it will likely be twice that amount. LOL at the thought that 19 miles is far away when we are talking just 6 games per year.

 

[JoeyBuckets]

That is an opinion, not a fact. I remember seeing 42200 fans and they could have sold many more tickets. Winning and playing some schools like Colorado, Oklahoma St, West Virginia, and others.

Let’s start by having a winning season this year.