CONFIRMED: Lakefront Temporary Stadium is a GO

[NJcatsfan]

NU just put this out. Whoa. Most football games will be on the lakefront for the next two seasons. Details still scant:

Northwestern football ‘staying home’ with temporary enhancements to the Lanny and Sharon Martin facility on lakefront

Northwestern football will play a majority of its games this season at the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility near Lake Michigan on the University’s Evanston campus, keeping the team close to home as it seeks to build on its bowl-winning 2023 season.

news.northwestern.edu

 

[lunker35]

Thank you to LTP for making this happen!

 

[Skunkpilot]

LFG!!!

 

[NJCat]

I wonder if this will allow NU to host the Women's Lacrosse finals......

 

[MickeyCat]

Excited for the players, coaches, recruits, and fans. Go Cats.

 

[its_the_sauce]

I wonder if this will allow NU to host the Women's Lacrosse finals......

2025/2026 already scheduled for Foxboro

 

[NUCat320]

Cool. Very cool. I hope it works.

 

[lou v]

NU just put this out. Whoa. Most football games will be on the lakefront for the next two seasons. Details still scant:

Northwestern football ‘staying home’ with temporary enhancements to the Lanny and Sharon Martin facility on lakefront

Northwestern football will play a majority of its games this season at the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility near Lake Michigan on the University’s Evanston campus, keeping the team close to home as it seeks to build on its bowl-winning 2023 season.

news.northwestern.edu

The quickie story from @mshelton33 ..

WildcatReport - Northwestern to build temporary lakefront stadium for 2024-25 seasons

Home games will be played at a temporary facility constructed at the univeristy's soccer and practice fields.

northwestern.rivals.com

 

[cattul]

There may come a time, when the wind catches the nearby armada of porta potties just right, when the bloom may fall from the rose for some attendees of the lakefront games. But not for true football fans.

The lakeside stadium is a throwback to a different era of Northwestern football. Strolling a short ways across campus to sit in small bleachers for a football game? That is Fighting Methodist stuff.

I’m excited that they are moving forward with the idea.

 

[elgatoloco]

If they pull it off I love it and I bet the players and students will, too. Whether to try to mitigate the wicked wind will be a strategic decision.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

It will be interesting to see what impact the lake breezes will have on passing and kicking. I remember attending a bowl game in Vegas years ago featuring San Diego State and North Carolina (?) and the winds whipping over the field were just crazy. Also remember a basketball game with SDSU and other teams on an aircraft carrier off Coronado. There weren’t too many 3 pointers in those games either with the high breezes blowing across the deck of the carrier. Those games while well-intentioned and good PR for the Navy were definitely a failed experiment. Yes, high winds can impact the competition.

 

[phatcat]

Pretty excited about this. Better than some decrepit pro stadium with no fans

 

[rmndcat]

Seems like a very cool idea and should only bolster student attendance. I am curious what the capacity will be and how parking/tailgating would be handled. I'm not a STH, but I have to imagine that will get pretty complicated. But, as a student, having games right on campus would be a huge draw. I am cautiously excited.

 

[WestCoastWildcat]

Seems like a very cool idea and should only bolster student attendance. I am curious what the capacity will be and how parking/tailgating would be handled. I'm not a STH, but I have to imagine that will get pretty complicated. But, as a student, having games right on campus would be a huge draw. I am cautiously excited.

I was wondering about seating capacity as well. I’m thinking high school sized (excluding Texas hs’s which draw crowds larger than we’ve had at NU). Logistics for home games in this environment will be “interesting” though it will be a great experience to have games on the campus. So cool!

 

[stpaulcat]

NU will be the Big Ten's Mini-me for 2 years. The games in large venues will help. Tickets should go to NU faithful. A challenge for Braun, but he is no doubt building for the future. Overall, better solution than vacuous stadiums.

 

[CMcCat]

I have received no email from the ticket office on this news. Has any other season ticket holder?

 

[FanatiCat]

Thank you to LTP for making this happen!

It will definitely be easier to Lake The Posts!

 

[Darren72]

I have received no email from the ticket office on this news. Has any other season ticket holder?

Not yet, but here’s what they said:

Capacity for the temporary facility will be considerably less than either the old Ryan Field or the new Ryan Field that is under construction. 2023 season ticket holders will get the first opportunity to purchase season tickets at the lakeside venue; there also will be seats reserved for Northwestern students. In the coming weeks, 2023 season ticket holders will receive communications from Northwestern Athletics with more information on the season ticket timeline, seat selection process, seating options and parking.

Source: https://news.northwestern.edu/stori...-on-lakefront-during-ryan-field-construction/

 

[BosCat]

Here is the first FAQs: https://supportthecats.com/assets/pdf/2024/fb-lakeside-venue-faq.pdf
One conf game at this place

Where will Northwestern Football play their home football games for the 2024 and 2025
seasons?
On April 10, Northwestern University announced that Northwestern Football will play a majority of their home football games on campus, at a temporary facility. Over the next few months, we will construct temporary seating, keeping the team close to home as it seeks to build on its bowl-winning 2023 season. This temporary facility is the best option for our student-athletes, alumni, season ticket holders (STH), and gives us an opportunity to activate areas of campus and bring the university community together.

How many games will be played at the temporary facility?
Northwestern football will host a select number of home games beginning in 2024 on the university’s campus. Additional games may be added to the temporary facility and are subject to change.

Which opponents will Northwestern host at the temporary facility?
Those details are still being finalized but we will likely host all non-conference games plus at least one conference game at the temporary facility.

What time will Northwestern home games be played?
Game times will be determined by the Big Ten Conference at a later date.

How many tickets will be available to purchase?
That exact number is still being determined but we will still accommodate football student-athlete and coaches’ families, recruits, sponsors and still be required to provide a limited amount of tickets to the visiting school.

Who will have access to purchase tickets for home games?
2023 Football STH will receive the first opportunity to purchase season tickets in the temporary facility. More information on seat selection process, timeline, seating options, and parking will be communicated directly to 2023 football season ticket holders in the coming weeks.

How will priority for 2023 STH holders be determined?
Seat selection priority for 2023 STH will be based on longevity as a Football Season Ticket Holder or current year Wildcat Fund giving level, with Purple Points determining priority within selection groups. To increase your priority for the selection process, please visit supporthecats.com or call 847-467-4321.

What are the next steps for 2023 football STH and what can I expect in the next communication?
Be on the lookout in the coming weeks for communications from the Northwestern Athletics ticket office along with your account representative for more information on the timeline, seat selection process, seating options, and parking. Determining if you’ll want to purchase season tickets in this temporary facility will be the first step in this process.

Will non-season ticket holders have access to purchase tickets in the temporary facility?
TBD. Non-STH should fill out our waitlist here. Once seating capacity is finalized and 2023 STH purchase seats in the temporary facility, any remaining inventory will be made available to those on the waitlist with priority given to Wildcat Fund members. Please call 888-467-8775.

How will seating at off-campus venues for additional games be handled?
Again, 2023 STH will be prioritized before we open sales to Wildcat Fund members, alumni, and then the public.

What games will be played at off-campus venue(s) and will those be apart for the season
ticket package?
That is still being determined but we believe at least one game each season will be played off campus. Any games played at venues off-campus will not be included in a season ticket package and will be sold as add-ons.

What is the price of season tickets in the temporary facility?
Season ticket pricing is still being determined and will be based on the number of games played at the temporary facility.

Will premium seating be available at the temporary facility?
Yes. A limited amount of premium seating that includes food, beverage, and amenities will be available to purchase based on inventory.

Where will seats be located within the temporary facility?
Those details are still being determined and will be finalized in time for the seat selection process but capacity will be considerably less than either the old Ryan Field or the new Ryan Field

Will ADA seating and parking options be available?
Yes.

Will parking and tailgating be available and allowed?
Yes. A limited amount of parking will be available to purchase on a season basis on or around campus, including several campus parking garages. More information on available parking options will be shared with season ticket information soon. Tailgating will be allowed in most surface lots but not in the parking garages. As in past years, lot assignments will be allocated based on Wildcat Fund current year giving level and Purple Points.

Will 2023 season ticket holders lose their consecutive years of purchase if they do not
purchase season tickets in the temporary facility?
No. Season ticket holders will not be penalized if they do not purchase season tickets for the 2024 or 2025 seasons. Consecutive years of season tickets will carry over to the selection process for New Ryan Field.

Will student tickets be available?
Yes. A generous number of tickets will be set aside for students, similar to past Northwestern men’s basketball and football games.

Will there be any Northwestern events leading up to the games at the temporary facility?
Yes. Northwestern will look to activate multiple buildings, venues, and areas for season ticket holders and students.

Will other Northwestern sports be impacted?
All sports that practice and compete (field hockey, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and lacrosse) at or around Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium will still do so. All sports will have to compromise on some aspects of practice time and the typical home gameday experience.

 

[AdamOnFirst]

Let’s goooooo

 

[DrillCat]

Temporary wind barrier walls will be nice.

 

[PurpleFaze]

Assuming they will likely play the 3 non conf opponent home games on campus plus probably Indiana. Wisky, Ohio St and Illinois elsewhere. So 4 on campus and 3 off.

 

[AcademicsMatter]

Did the University check with gocatsgo before announcing this plan? He is certain it won’t work. I hope they checked with him…

 

[BosCat]

And the residents of Evanston are enthusiastic about it....
(Comment in Evanston Roundtable story LINK)

"I sincerely hope not a single evanston police or fire department member will be asked to work these events on NU’s campus. They have made it clear that Evanston has zero jurisdiction over NU property and Cynthia Vargas of Evanston is way too fast to agree. [City spokesperson Cynthia Vargas]

Let no one be fooled who really runs this town now that the mayor and majority of the council are puppets of NU.

Let’s please wake up as a community and demand a sensible PILOT agreement asap!"

 

[SmellyCat]

Also remember a basketball game with SDSU and other teams on an aircraft carrier off Coronado. There weren’t too many 3 pointers in those games either with the high breezes blowing across the deck of the carrier. Those games while well-intentioned and good PR for the Navy were definitely a failed experiment. Yes, high winds can impact the competition.

Now I'm thinking it might be fun to have a hoops game there too. </onlypartlykidding.

 

[Sheffielder]

My questions, not that anyone here necessarily has answers:

1. After NU did its own feasibility study, why was this option unpalatable to them on the first go-around? Was it simply due to lower capacity and revenue? My fear was about structural feasibility, i.e. the grounds around the facilities couldn't support the weight of such structures. Glad to see that is not the case.

2. Not that we will ever get the answer to this, but why wasn't there simply more transparency about this process? We're not the University of Texas or Ohio State where you literally have 100,000 people seeking tickets every week. Just seems like Gragg & Co. chose to create friction where there didn't need to be any; I feel like with the most basic level of forethought he could have parlayed this into a "we're rooting for you Gragg!" kind of "we're in this together," but instead...

3. Have we seen NU comment on capacity anywhere up to this point? I feel like I saw message board wild ass guesses in the ballpark of 15,000? I guess if SeatGeek was 20K, then this really is a very sensible alternative.

4. How many season ticket holders do we have? Because, I'm thinking not everyone is gonna get their hands on tickets. And also, will this drive ticket prices up, and by how much?

 

[Figrating]

The campus PR will be out of this world.

Light attendance has been a problem, but this venue will likely burst at times. A lot more pleasant walk here than to Dyche-Ryan - surely will bring a better student section. Visitors will LOVE the opportunity to watch games here. It is a REAL home field. Braun must be elated.

God knows what hellish venues were under consideration, but this is the best by far.

 

[Sheffielder]

The campus PR will be out of this world.

Light attendance has been a problem, but this venue will likely burst at times. A lot more pleasant walk here than to Dyche-Ryan - surely will bring a better student section. Visitors will LOVE the opportunity to watch games here. It is a REAL home field. Braun must be elated.

God knows what hellish venues were under consideration, but this is the best by far.

I definitely think it will be an AWESOME, intimate, special venue; it won't be in play long enough for the shine to wear off too much, and I'm cautiously optimistic the overhead shots will look great on tv.

 

[ParisCat]

On Sheffielder's question #3: NU sought approval from the City of Evanston for a facility with "up to 15,000 seats," and I'm told the actual number is closer to 14,200.

 

[wildcatcoaster]

This will actually make the stink NC games and our 100th game against Duke INTERESTING.

 

[pschatz25]

I would guess 10k-12k season-ticket-holders as of last season. Our lowest attendance was just under 15k for UTEP. So subtract a few thousand for students (this was before Fall Quarter started so minimal student attendance), visiting fans, and single game sales.

They'll still need to allocate seats for students and visiting teams in the temporary stadium. If capacity is 14k then there will be maybe 10k tickets available. Sounds like it could be a tough ticket. They're giving priority to 2023 STH, which I appreciate.

 

[NJCat]

I would guess 10k-12k season-ticket-holders as of last season. Our lowest attendance was just under 15k for UTEP. So subtract a few thousand for students (this was before Fall Quarter started so minimal student attendance), visiting fans, and single game sales.

They'll still need to allocate seats for students and visiting teams in the temporary stadium. If capacity is 14k then there will be maybe 10k tickets available. Sounds like it could be a tough ticket. They're giving priority to 2023 STH, which I appreciate.

The B1G has a policy of home teams giving the visiting team a payment, on a sliding scale of $300,000 to $1 million/game. So NU will be on the hook for $300,000 to the visitor for B1G games at the Lakefront. Just to break even NU will need to change $30/ticket (10,000 fans), before paying for the costs of staffing the event and rental of the bleachers......

 

[NUCat320]

My questions, not that anyone here necessarily has answers:


2. Not that we will ever get the answer to this, but why wasn't there simply more transparency about this process? We're not the University of Texas or Ohio State where you literally have 100,000 people seeking tickets every week. Just seems like Gragg & Co. chose to create friction where there didn't need to be any; I feel like with the most basic level of forethought he could have parlayed this into a "we're rooting for you Gragg!" kind of "we're in this together," but instead...

I suspect that there wasn’t much delay between when Gragg and the AD knew things, and when fans learned things.

I suspect that there were enough challenges in the initial analysis that it was considered not ideal. As NU began (seriously, began) pursuing off-campus options in the past six months, they determined that not having anywhere to play for some home dates was worse.

If there had been any vision, NU would have this plan in place and announced it the same day that deconstruction/demolition began.

Still, if NU pulls it off, it’ll be awesome. I’m really excited for the students who won’t have to trek across the state.

 

[DonatelloCat]

I suspect that there wasn’t much delay between when Gragg and the AD knew things, and when fans learned things.

I suspect that there were enough challenges in the initial analysis that it was considered not ideal. As NU began (seriously, began) pursuing off-campus options in the past six months, they determined that not having anywhere to play for some home dates was worse.

If there had been any vision, NU would have this plan in place and announced it the same day that deconstruction/demolition began.

Still, if NU pulls it off, it’ll be awesome. I’m really excited for the students who won’t have to trek across the state.

Why announce now, before the "what games will actually be played here?" piece is finalized?

I assume part of it is just to try to show that there's a plan in place. But is part of it also to get better leverage in negotiations with other venues? ie - yes, we DO have another option, so you do need to negotiate with us on terms / price.

 

[phatcat]

Why announce now, before the "what games will actually be played here?" piece is finalized?

I assume part of it is just to try to show that there's a plan in place. But is part of it also to get better leverage in negotiations with other venues? ie - yes, we DO have another option, so you do need to negotiate with us on terms / price.

"Majority" of games means the first three plus IU. We can probably sell out season tix even with that motley crew. OSU is Wrigley. Probably they will try a larger place for IL after Thanksgiving (maybe also Wrigley). Wisconsin is really the only open one

 

[CMcCat]

I suspect that there wasn’t much delay between when Gragg and the AD knew things, and when fans learned things.

I suspect that there were enough challenges in the initial analysis that it was considered not ideal. As NU began (seriously, began) pursuing off-campus options in the past six months, they determined that not having anywhere to play for some home dates was worse.

If there had been any vision, NU would have this plan in place and announced it the same day that deconstruction/demolition began.

Still, if NU pulls it off, it’ll be awesome. I’m really excited for the students who won’t have to trek across the state.

The students won’t be on campus for Miami or Duke. And the next game is Eastern IL (who dat?!?).

I’ll be the first to bet those three games may sell out through STH sales but there will be empty seats.

This is going to be like a high school stadium experience. And maybe good practice for our Patriot League future. Also, as hard as this may be to believe, the concessions will be worse than at Ryan Field.

There do apppear to be 300+ seat backs remaining on Rebuild Exchamge so perhaps NU should buy those and install at the Welsh Ryan East Coast Kibbutz (W.R.E.C.K.).

Incidentally, I do plan to re-up unless they raise the ticket prices.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

The students won’t be on campus for Miami or Duke. And the next game is Eastern IL (who dat?!?).

I’ll be the first to bet those three games may sell out through STH sales but there will be empty seats.

This is going to be like a high school stadium experience. And maybe good practice for our Patriot League future. Also, as hard as this may be to believe, the concessions will be worse than at Ryan Field.

There do apppear to be 300+ seat backs remaining on Rebuild Exchamge so perhaps NU should buy those and install at the Welsh Ryan East Coast Kibbutz (W.R.E.C.K.).

Incidentally, I do plan to re-up unless they raise the ticket prices.

Empty seats my ass. Stop trolling. You know damn well that place is going to be packed for each game.

 

[jne381]

Empty seats my ass. Stop trolling. You know damn well that place is going to be packed for each game.

Agreed! I am likely to go to all of those games. I can't think of a more pleasant experience at a game on the lake during the last warm days of the year.

ow if you tell me they are going to play the late season games there, I might have a different opinion.

 

[phatcat]

Empty seats my ass. Stop trolling. You know damn well that place is going to be packed for each game.

You are right. Intentional or not, Gagg Has created an artificial scarcity. The combination of so many factors will drive demand:

1. Novelty location
2. Small capacity overall and for STHs
3. Uncertainty/late decisions
4. Three opponents that travel well.
5. To a lesser extent, last year's feel-good success story, though there are surely enough people still butt-hurt about the former coach to offset that.

Yeah, Mr Fail-Upward is going to look like a genius, and we're gonna help. Bottom-feeders like me (non STH/secondary market) will have to watch at home. I planned on STH this year but will likely be shut out. Might be going to away games

 

[Gatabowl]

I

You are right. Intentional or not, Gagg Has created an artificial scarcity. The combination of so many factors will drive demand:

1. Novelty location
2. Small capacity overall and for STHs
3. Uncertainty/late decisions
4. Three opponents that travel well.
5. To a lesser extent, last year's feel-good success story, though there are surely enough people still butt-hurt about the former coach to offset that.

Yeah, Mr Fail-Upward is going to look like a genius, and we're gonna help. Bottom-feeders like me (non STH/secondary market) will have to watch at home. I planned on STH this year but will likely be shut out. Might be going to away games

It’s literally real scarcity. Limited games, limited supply, limited time.