Warde on Record: 10,000 More Seats (Hartford Business Journal) | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Warde on Record: 10,000 More Seats (Hartford Business Journal)

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We don't have 10 years...we need to build in 5 years time minimal. I like to numbers of the stadium it talks B1G, if we would be heading ACC we would not have to expand at all. It sounds like Dooley is flipping the bill LOL!!!
 
I want to know why the word H E A T was changed to law by the profanity filter.
 
Schellenberger got new Cardinal stadium built with private funds by winning. Petrino got that stadium expanded by averaging 10+wins a year before he left.
 
Nostical said:
Whoever said the number of chairbacks was reduced to accomodate the higher than planned cost for an upgraded audio/visual system, etc. is correct. I was told exactly that by the stadium's head construction project manager. He never mentioned the "soft concrete". He also said the structure is ready for expansion and it would not be a huge effort to get it done.
I have a feeling that WM's comments about how the team's performance will trigger any stadium expansion means we are moving rather quickly toward expansion. Look for an announcement much sooner than his comments may immediately imply. It's just a feeling on my part but it feels right. WM and especially SH know how high the stakes are.
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OK ... CornHuskBask ...

This guy is projecting something here. You would discount this. But, I know ... he knows ... that this is how it works. Rutgers - got a hint that they were a candidate to be B1G - they put together an awful structure to finance the expansion. Not backed by the legislature; said they were going to raise money from Private sources; then, it all collapses. In the end, Corzine found money for it. Why? Because someone whispered in their ear that it was a pre-requisite to moving forward.

No one is going to whisper in my ear. But, I believe Warde Manuel gives out smoke signals here. This, he believes, is a first step to the next level. He knows that we won't automatically project to fill it.

But ... to be clear ... given the Debt Service Coverage Ratios from 2003 & the fact that interest rates are lower, I believe a 10,000 seat expansion can easily be financed (with current Revenue projection of a decent year - 35,000 attendance at normal prices) by collapsing the existing and restructuring the bonds. $50m is easily available in Authority bonding.

So ... go worry how to fill the seats. MOI? I think that is that slick guy Diaco's problem.
 
I'm with Pudge. The failed to strike while the iron was hot sort of speak. Waiting for the demand to fill it was stupid. RU created a smoke and mirrors "waiting list" for tickets while they were giving tickets away. A bigger stadium would have made it easier to draw better teams here. We will see how long they wait to expand.
 
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There is what, like a $400 mill + surplus in the state, that our Gov Dan was thinking about giving out in the form of $55 checks (thank God it ain't happening)

Our incompetent state government is going to blow it anyways. Why not roll the dice with a "build it and they will come" attitude? Throw $150 mill towards the stadium with the hopes it shows a "big time" mentality. Throw in the assumption Diaco is the man and what you have is a terrific football program with a big boy stadium.

We are so screwed if we just sit back and if it doesn't work, so what's $150 mill in the scheme of things. If we don't do anything, we are just living on a prayer.
 
There are ways to fill the building if it comes to that. I don't think this year is the time to expand, with the P era and it's record low attendances still fresh.

Let's win some games, book a few marquee opponents before building. WM statement is perfectly timed.
 
Jimmy Serrano said:
Eh, this is more of the same we heard from Hathaway. It has to be demand based. Neither Rutgers or Ville had the ticket demand to expand their stadiums. But this is CT.
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Yeah and look how that "ticket demand/stadium expand" thing worked out for those schools. The BiG? The ACC? Ahhhh . . . oh wait . . . . never mind. We're talking big time college football and as you point out . . . . "This is CT".
 
ConnHuskBask said:
Holding everything else static in the past few years, the stadium capacity was a none issue.

Rutgers/Maryland were added for cable boxes and access to recruits.

Ville as added because we were in the midst of the P era and they were on their way to winning the league.

If the B1G called and said expand the stadium and you're in - we'd do it in a second.

There's no sense in expanding when demand doesn't necessitate it and were already up against financial hurdles.

Do people want 20,000 empty seats or 10,000 for Memphis, Tulane etc or more money to retain coaches etc.
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Not gonna go into all the marketing reasons for expanding Rentschler, but toquote from the movie Field of Dreams . . . "IF YOU BUILD IT, they will come". Simply put, nobody - particular not the stud recruits UConn is gonna need to get this done - wants to play in the smallest stadium in big time college football.
 
TouchdownHusky said:
Not gonna go into all the marketing reasons for expanding Rentschler, but toquote from the movie Field of Dreams . . . "IF YOU BUILD IT, they will come". Simply put, nobody - particular not the stud recruits UConn is gonna need to get this done - wants to play in the smallest stadium in big time college football.
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Not going to go in to the marketing reasons (or any other reasons), but you rest your case on a movie quote? Well if that doesn't get this state going nothing will! :)

I've always been in favor of expanding the Rent but it will be a lot easier to swallow with just one winning season under our belt. Let people know that the ship has been righted and they'll be more accepting of the vision us die hards already have. If a year from now we've gone to a bowl game (and maybe even won!) that's such an easier sell.
 
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CTMike said:
Not going to go in to the marketing reasons (or any other reasons), but you rest your case on a movie quote? Well if that doesn't get this state going nothing will! :)

I've always been in favor of expanding the Rent but it will be a lot easier to swallow with just one winning season under our belt. Let people know that the ship has been righted and they'll be more accepting of the vision us die hards already have. If a year from now we've gone to a bowl game (and maybe even won!) that's such an easier sell.
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No argument from me. Winning - and getting back on the track UConn was on - will go a long way. However, the expansion needs to take place win, lose or draw.
 
I'm with Pudge and Carl on this one. The time to expand was around 2007. Consistent sellouts or near sellouts after two dreadful seasons (2005 & 2006). Pudge sounds much smarter on the bonding and financial aspect than I am, but what he's saying makes sense.

However, if we are going to stick to the "ticket demand has to be the catalyst" mantra we are doomed and will never see the Rent expanded in our lifetimes. We are not selling out the Rent in the AAC. We're just not.
 
Jimmy Serrano said:
I'm with Pudge and Carl on this one. The time to expand was around 2007. Consistent sellouts or near sellouts after two dreadful seasons (2005 & 2006). Pudge sounds much smarter on the bonding and financial aspect than I am, but what he's saying makes sense.

However, if we are going to stick to the "ticket demand has to be the catalyst" mantra we are doomed and will never see the Rent expanded in our lifetimes. We are not selling out the Rent in the AAC. We're just not.
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Jimmy - I partially agree with you, Pudge and Spackler in that 2007 was the right time to expand and we missed that window.

I also agree with CTMike in the sense that while we're never likely ( unless we're in the B1G) have the season ticket demand for the extras seats, based off the last couple of seasons were very far off from in " normal circumstances" expanding.

Ultimately, I guess it's something that needs to be done but I just hope it doesn't come at the expense of say football salaries or the ability to provide full cost of attendance, etc.

I've belabored this enough though - I'll let everyone else have the last word though I think we all agree it'll have to expanded some day.
 
Agree with most - the time to proactively expand the Rent has come and gone. Unfortunately for us, we had Jeff Hathaway at the helm when that time presented itself. Expanding proactively now is a tough sell given our attendance drop of the past few seasons. The good news is that there is a new coaching era in place with an incredible sense of attention to detail and there seems to be a raised awareness amongst most of the UCONN fanbase that we all need to support football if we ever want out of the AAC.

UCONN fans have an opportunity to make a very loud and strong statement this upcoming year if we can boost season ticket sales, average attendance and have a strong showing at Yankee Stadium despite dropping down to an AAC schedule and three years of horrendous Pasqualoni football. I think what the B1G and ACC conferences want to see most is that UCONN fans will support football the same way that we support basketball. I think it's fairly obvious that UCONN football will never get to an Alabama level and that's fine, given our recruiting territories and disparity between the way we invest in football. But there is absolutely no reason to think that UCONN can't strive for the same level of consistency of other programs like Michigan State. I'm not saying it will be easy to get there but given our athletic department's history of building successful programs, it's certainly an attainable goal OVER TIME. And a great first step towards that level would be a sold-out Rent with tremendous fan support. Bottle up some of that positive juice that we all enjoyed a few weeks ago and carry it on into the fall. Sellout crowds make it easier for Coach Diaco to recruit and that makes it easier for us to win and that paves the way towards getting out of the AAC.
 
If UConn wants to be in the P5, you expand the stadium. Currently, there are only 4 P5 stadiums that seat lower capacity than The Rent: Vanderbilt, Washington St., Duke, and Wake Forest. Do any of those schools scream big time football? The answer is no. Going to 50k, would put The Rent ahead of BC, TCU, Utah, Oregon St., Northwestern, and Syracuse and in the same neighborhood as Stanford, Baylor, Kansas St., Kansas, and Minnesota.

Expanding the stadium shows commitment to football, which is what UConn needs to prove, something all of us can agree on. Even Geno agrees! Expanding the stadium is not the only thing UConn needs to do to get a P5 invite, but it helps. And, you need to invest to grow. If it cost Connecticut $40 million to expand The Rent, an invite to the Big 10 would be worth that much every year in media rights and you would generate more money from the tickets sold!
 
UConnJim said:
Going to 50k, would put The Rent ahead of BC, TCU, Utah, Oregon St., Northwestern, and Syracuse
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Just out of curiosity, how many of those programs scream big time football?

I've been to Ryan Field at Northwestern. That place makes the Rent look like Met Life Stadium in comparison.
 
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Jimmy Serrano said:
Just out of curiosity, how many of those programs scream big time football?

I've been to Ryan Field at Northwestern. That place makes the Rent look like Met Life Stadium in comparison.
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None, but it would put The Rent ahead of 10 P5 stadiums and in the neighborhood of 5 more. Makes UConn harder to exclude.

As an FYI, there are many G5 stadiums bigger than The Rent including: BYU, Memphis, Air Force, UTEP, East Carolina, UCF, USF, UTSA, Fresno St.... UConn needs to not only bridge the gap vs the P5, we need to widen the gap with the other G5.
 
Let's buy tickets! If you already have 'em, talk a friend or family member into buying some! The rally canon aboard the USS Connecticut has been fired. Let's answer her call!
 
I'm not going to dwell too long on it but goshdarn it's another reason to hate that the P years (really, Hathaway) ever existed.

All we have ahead of us is the most important season of UConn Football ever. No biggie. In Diaco We Trust!
 
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Honest question - who is this guy? His twitter page just says he's some attorney from New Haven. Does he have a history of posting things like this or is this just some bozo against helping UCONN?
 
Dooley said:
Honest question - who is this guy? His twitter page just says he's some attorney from New Haven. Does he have a history of posting things like this or is this just some bozo against helping UCONN?
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He's the guy that prompted " not a dime back".

From accounts I heard from UConn law( where this d bag went) everyone disliked him.
 
Jimmy Serrano said:
Eh, let's not give this clown any attention.
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Agree in some respect... but I guess my point in posting it was that there are many more like him and spending the money to expand the Rent will not go unchallenged.
 
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