Size of new stadium -

[Eurocat]

A friend is having a wedding anniversary next spring. 30 years! Impressive!

He has always lived down South but recently moved to Birmingham. He told me "if you can join us, why not stay an extra day or two and let's go watch the USFL at the UAB football stadium".

I had forgotten quite frankly that the USFL played all its games last year in Birmingham. It was essentially a "TV League" but frankly, maybe that wasn't a bad way to start in the year one of its existence.

I looked up the new UAB stadium just now. It really is pretty much brand new. Built for four to five times less than what we want to pay. And it seats just under 50,000 people.

I truly don't understand why we as a program want to build a stadium that seats less than what our average attendance is now (and 10,000 less than our average attendance was in the Gary Barnett post Rose Bowl years when we averaged close to 45.000 or so). For the love of goodness, stop the madness and don't build something the size of a MAC stadium! It will be too small on the day it opens!

No normal fan will ever be able to afford tickets and because football pretty much pays for everything regarding sports at Northwestern, can you imagine what the price for munchies and drinks will be? For parking?

Save 600,000,0000 and spend it on NIL for goodness sakes, that is the way college football is heading!

UAB - Built for four-five times less than what we want to spend.

Mission Complete: Protective Stadium Punctuates UAB’s Incredible Comeback Story

UAB’s new stadium in downtown Birmingham is both a dream realized & instant candidate for best G5 stadium

www.underdogdynasty.com

Note, I DO understand the desire to "fit the footprint" of where we are currently at - otherwise Evanston won't allow the new facility. But I am sure architects can figure something out by building down a bit into the ground (is the water table too high that near the lake?) or by doing other things.

 

[julescat]

No normal fan will ever be able to afford tickets and because football pretty much pays for everything regarding sports at Northwestern, can you imagine what the price for munchies and drinks will be? For parking?

Who cares? The empowered decision makers at NU don't care. I'm watching on tv now sometimes, going to a few games and not worrying about arranging a schedule around our home and away games. It's a better life. All good. Go 'Cats!

 

[FeralFelidae]

I truly don't understand why we as a program want to build a stadium that seats less than what our average attendance is now (and 10,000 less than our average attendance was in the Gary Barnett post Rose Bowl years when we averaged close to 45.000 or so). For the love of goodness, stop the madness and don't build something the size of a MAC stadium! It will be too small on the day it opens!

"Average" attendance now is inflated by opponents' fans for Big Ten games. Is a smaller, but purple, crowd such a bad thing? I think our stadium will still be larger than Wake Forest's.

"Suites" must indeed generate big bucks, because it seems to be a trend across the board to reduce capacity to add suites. It must rake in the dough.

Prior to this new stadium, UAB used to play in Legion Field, which has a capacity greater than 70,000, so UAB downsized their capacity by over 20,000. Also, it seems UAB doesn't own the stadium? UAB has never had a crowd over 40,000 in this new stadium. Crowds under 25,000 are typical.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

A friend is having a wedding anniversary next spring. 30 years! Impressive!

He has always lived down South but recently moved to Birmingham. He told me "if you can join us, why not stay an extra day or two and let's go watch the USFL at the UAB football stadium".

I had forgotten quite frankly that the USFL played all its games last year in Birmingham. It was essentially a "TV League" but frankly, maybe that wasn't a bad way to start in the year one of its existence.

I looked up the new UAB stadium just now. It really is pretty much brand new. Built for four to five times less than what we want to pay. And it seats just under 50,000 people.

I truly don't understand why we as a program want to build a stadium that seats less than what our average attendance is now (and 10,000 less than our average attendance was in the Gary Barnett post Rose Bowl years when we averaged close to 45.000 or so). For the love of goodness, stop the madness and don't build something the size of a MAC stadium! It will be too small on the day it opens!

No normal fan will ever be able to afford tickets and because football pretty much pays for everything regarding sports at Northwestern, can you imagine what the price for munchies and drinks will be? For parking?

Save 600,000,0000 and spend it on NIL for goodness sakes, that is the way college football is heading!

UAB - Built for four-five times less than what we want to spend.

Mission Complete: Protective Stadium Punctuates UAB’s Incredible Comeback Story

UAB’s new stadium in downtown Birmingham is both a dream realized & instant candidate for best G5 stadium

www.underdogdynasty.com

Note, I DO understand the desire to "fit the footprint" of where we are currently at - otherwise Evanston won't allow the new facility. But I am sure architects can figure something out by building down a bit into the ground (is the water table too high that near the lake?) or by doing other things.

How many times do we need to spell this out for you? Our athletic department looked at the average numbers of tickets sold (including students, etc) for games over the last seven years prior to COVID. 60% of home football games at Ryan Field averaged higher than 35k (not coincidentally, 57% of our home games were Big Ten games); 44% of home football games at Ryan Field averaged in the 40k range. While we may be giving up some ticket sales based on the data above, as we all know those incremental fans were typically rooting for the other team so this plan should improve our home field advantage. The idea is to build the crown jewel of stadiums and fill it with PURPLE. Not that hard to figure out.

 

[willycat]

How many times do we need to spell this out for you? Our athletic department looked at the average numbers of tickets sold (including students, etc) for games over the last seven years prior to COVID. 60% of home football games at Ryan Field averaged higher than 35k (not coincidentally, 57% of our home games were Big Ten games); 44% of home football games at Ryan Field averaged in the 40k range. While we may be giving up some ticket sales based on the data above, as we all know those incremental fans were typically rooting for the other team so this plan should improve our home field advantage. The idea is to build the crown jewel of stadiums and fill it with PURPLE. Not that hard to figure out.

Why do you think they will fill it with purple. Maybe a past president of NU was right, build a MAC size stadium for a team that plays in the MAC or the Ivy League. Bragging that you seat more than Wake Forest, is a joke.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Why do you think they will fill it with purple. Maybe a past president of NU was right, build a MAC size stadium for a team that plays in the MAC or the Ivy League. Bragging that you seat more than Wake Forest, is a joke.

Wake Forest football is ranked #10 in the country right now. That's a funny joke.

They had just 28,500 in attendance for their last home victory over Boston College. I'll bet it was a pretty electric crowd.

 

[Hungry Jack]

I love the new stadium concept. The sight lines will be fantastic, the amenities first-rate, and the purple everywhere. Imagine seats with seat backs, no lines to pee, excellent food, and an electric atmosphere inside a gleaming edifice with all the potholes removed.

All hyberbole aside, I love the "quality over quantity" approach that is also consistent with the community desires. This is a long-term play on alumni engagement, and the right strategy to keep the NU diaspora engaged. Gotta fix the product on the field, but that's a separate issue.

 

[Eurocat]

"Average" attendance now is inflated by opponents' fans for Big Ten games. Is a smaller, but purple, crowd such a bad thing? I think our stadium will still be larger than Wake Forest's.

Yes. Why wouldn't we want 20,000 more people in the stands making noise, having a good time, and spending money that goes into the Athletic Department coffers? So what that many are rooting for the other team. If it's loud and boisterous, it's fun in any event.

"Suites" must indeed generate big bucks, because it seems to be a trend across the board to reduce capacity to add suites. It must rake in the dough.

Suites will quiet down the crowd a lot. Less fun.

Prior to this new stadium, UAB used to play in Legion Field, which has a capacity greater than 70,000, so UAB downsized their capacity by over 20,000. Also, it seems UAB doesn't own the stadium? UAB has never had a crowd over 40,000 in this new stadium. Crowds under 25,000 are typical.

Legion Field tore down it's "balcony level" about a decade ago, it was not 70,000 for quite a few years but 50k. And saying UAB has not gotten over 40k there isn't quite fair. There are FIVE FBS teams in the state of Alabama and UAB competes with them all for Saturday eyeballs. UAB isn't trying to present itself as "Birminghams College Football Team" (let alone SEC team). If we are in Chicago and call ourselves "Chicago's Big Ten team" how can we get by with a small stadium?

 

[Eurocat]

I love the new stadium concept. The sight lines will be fantastic, the amenities first-rate, and the purple everywhere. Imagine seats with seat backs, no lines to pee, excellent food, and an electric atmosphere inside a gleaming edifice with all the potholes removed.All hyberbole aside, I love the "quality over quantity" approach that is also consistent with the community desires. This is a long-term play on alumni engagement, and the right strategy to keep the NU diaspora engaged. Gotta fix the product on the field, but that's a separate issue.

More comfortable? Yes, but less fun. I don't think people go to stadiums to be super comfortable but to have an experience that is rambunctious and fun. I cannot believe the designers cannot find a way to add 10 or so more seats in there, more if possible, while keeping the overall vision.

 

[wildcatpn]

Yes. Why wouldn't we want 20,000 more people in the stands making noise, having a good time, and spending money that goes into the Athletic Department coffers? So what that many are rooting for the other team. If it's loud and boisterous, it's fun in any event.


Suites will quiet down the crowd a lot. Less fun.



Legion Field tore down it's "balcony level" about a decade ago, it was not 70,000 for quite a few years but 50k. And saying UAB has not gotten over 40k there isn't quite fair. There are FIVE FBS teams in the state of Alabama and UAB competes with them all for Saturday eyeballs. UAB isn't trying to present itself as "Birminghams College Football Team" (let alone SEC team). If we are in Chicago and call ourselves "Chicago's Big Ten team" how can we get by with a small stadium?

It’s fun having 20k fans of the opposing team going crazy in our stadium? It’s embarrassing and not one ounce of fun.

 

[KappaKat]

The planned stadium size is in line with the forecast for constantly declining sports attendance. Some models predict a 20-30% drop in gate volumes. The industry is betting revenue futures on luxury amenities yielding same dollars from fewer people. The Raiders' new stadium is the model. Last year they were 25th in NFL attendance but first in ticketing revenue.

The new stadium should probably include a temperature-controlled environment, with reclining seats, each with it own 12" tv, and delivered hand-made cocktails.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Yes. Why wouldn't we want 20,000 more people in the stands making noise, having a good time, and spending money that goes into the Athletic Department coffers? So what that many are rooting for the other team. If it's loud and boisterous, it's fun in any event.


Suites will quiet down the crowd a lot. Less fun.



Legion Field tore down it's "balcony level" about a decade ago, it was not 70,000 for quite a few years but 50k. And saying UAB has not gotten over 40k there isn't quite fair. There are FIVE FBS teams in the state of Alabama and UAB competes with them all for Saturday eyeballs. UAB isn't trying to present itself as "Birminghams College Football Team" (let alone SEC team). If we are in Chicago and call ourselves "Chicago's Big Ten team" how can we get by with a small stadium?

Wikipedia lists the current capacity of Legion Field as 71,594. This is down from a high of 83,091 in 1991. The upper deck was removed in 2005, but the upper deck reportedly had 9,000 seats, not 20,000 or even 30,000 that would bring capacity down to 50,000 as you claim. Removing of the upper deck would seem to put the capacity at about 70,000 capacity that it has today.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_Field#Stadium_history

"
In 1970, the natural grass turf was replaced with Poly-Turf, which was in turn replaced by AstroTurf in 1975. Seating capacity was increased to 75,808 in 1977 and further increased to 83,091 in 1991. The turf was changed back to a natural Bermuda grass surface in 1995 in order to host soccer events for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.[6] In 2006, the field went back to an artificial surface with infilled FieldTurf. The field has a conventional north–south alignment at an approximate elevation of 570 feet (170 m) above sea level.

In 2004, a structural evaluation determined that the 9,000 seat upper deck would need major remediation to meet modern building codes. With little prospect of adequate repairs on the way, the University of Alabama withdrew the few home games it still scheduled for Birmingham.[7] The city removed the upper deck in 2005 since the capacity was greater than the need for its tenants. In 2015, renovations took place including general improvements and overall renovations including a new and larger video scoreboard along with a new and improved sound system."

 

[Eurocat]

It’s fun having 20k fans of the opposing team going crazy in our stadium? It’s embarrassing and not one ounce of fun.

Then we should sell it out and we can. We did back in the day. I don't know about you but some of the sellout games - even with opposing fans out in force - have been electric. The 54-51 Michigan game and the OSU win come to mind. Those were wild games precisely because nearly 50,000 people were out there having a good time.

 

[wildcatpn]

Then we should sell it out and we can. We did back in the day. I don't know about you but some of the sellout games - even with opposing fans out in force - have been electric. The 54-51 Michigan game and the OSU win come to mind. Those were wild games precisely because nearly 50,000 people were out there having a good time.

I would much rather have 30k Wildcat fans and 5k opposing fans in a brand new stadium that is designed to hold noise in and creates a real home field advantage. A crowd of 35k in an enclosed stadium can be really loud.

My only concern is seeing it become 20k Cat fans and 15k opposing.

 

[zeek55]

I'm struggling to understand the opposition to this.

As @CoralSpringsCat and @wildcatpn stated, this is entirely about building a home field advantage. This new stadium concept will be way better for trying to build a consistently full purple stadium.

It's probably not possible in the modern day with all the other activities/sports as well as non-college grads trending towards the NFL for us to really build a 45k+ purple crowd like the 90s.

But we can absolutely have great crowds of 35k where the vast majority is purple for big games. It will also feel and sound great with how steep the stands are and the covering overhead to contain sound.

I'd bet that a 35k sellout will sound much louder to the fans in the seats than 47k in the current stadium. It should generate the atmosphere of a stadium well over 50k.

This in my mind is exactly what we need. I used to think we should leave it above 40k, but based on the renderings we've seen, this is actually a well thought through plan.

 

[Eurocat]

Make it seat the same as now, improve the team and the purple will fill the stands.

Three seasons in a row like we have now and we will be outnumbered even in our 30,000k stadium.

Anything under the approximate 45-50k figure is, in my time, not big time and not worthy of a team that plays in the Big Ten and calls itself "Chicago's Big Ten Team".

 

[stpaulcat]

At the moment, just big enough to hold a wake.

 

[Purple Pile Driver]

It’s fun having 20k fans of the opposing team going crazy in our stadium? It’s embarrassing and not one ounce of fun.

I suspect he doesn’t go to every game, because I can confirm the having opposing fans whooping it up in prime Seats while they kick your ass is a misery.

 

[CoralSpringsCat]

I'm struggling to understand the opposition to this.

As @CoralSpringsCat and @wildcatpn stated, this is entirely about building a home field advantage. This new stadium concept will be way better for trying to build a consistently full purple stadium.

It's probably not possible in the modern day with all the other activities/sports as well as non-college grads trending towards the NFL for us to really build a 45k+ purple crowd like the 90s.

But we can absolutely have great crowds of 35k where the vast majority is purple for big games. It will also feel and sound great with how steep the stands are and the covering overhead to contain sound.

I'd bet that a 35k sellout will sound much louder to the fans in the seats than 47k in the current stadium. It should generate the atmosphere of a stadium well over 50k.

This in my mind is exactly what we need. I used to think we should leave it above 40k, but based on the renderings we've seen, this is actually a well thought through plan.

Think Baylor (the last new power 5 stadium built) which has a canopy - it’s known amongst coaches as one of the toughest places to play even though the capacity is only 45k. Why? The canopy holds in and accentuates the crowd noise making it intimidating in ways massive open air bowls (like Michigan) don’t despite more than 2x as many fans. The overhead canopy at Hard Rock Stadium works in a similar fashion for the Dolphins. Eurocat is so in the minority here; time to take the L and move on as the capacity decision has been made quite a while ago.

 

[TheC]

Think Baylor (the last new power 5 stadium built) which has a canopy - it’s known amongst coaches as one of the toughest places to play even though the capacity is only 45k. Why? The canopy holds in and accentuates the crowd noise making it intimidating in ways massive open air bowls (like Michigan) don’t despite more than 2x as many fans. The overhead canopy at Hard Rock Stadium works in a similar fashion for the Dolphins. Eurocat is so in the minority here; time to take the L and move on as the capacity decision has been made quite a while ago.

It shocked me how quiet the Big House actually is when attending a game there in person.

 

[zeek55]

It shocked me how quiet the Big House actually is when attending a game there in person.

Yeah I attended 2 games there a while ago, and while the place is enormous in the sense of a giant sea of humanity, the noise generally just dissipates upward.

Bowl shaped stadiums sound much quieter than stadiums with steeper stands, noticeably so. Autzen with a half the people is a fair bit louder than the Big House because of how aggressively shaped it is for generating/containing noise.

Our fans will be pleasantly surprised at how great the atmosphere is at this new Ryan Field; this is one of the steepest structures I've seen at this level where most of the fans will be within 200 feet of the field. And the big canopy overhead will keep noise in; it's going to be a game changer in my opinion.

I also think it's going to be unique in the sense that while it's much smaller than the rest of the stadiums, it's going to be the most NFL-quality/like of the stadiums in the conference.

I've come around to the notion that we should lean into building a unique experience. It may be more of a soccer style of experience in terms of the closeness of the fans compared to everywhere else in the conference, but that over time will be a great thing.

 

[Eurocat]

We will come to regret it when five years from now ticket prices will be so high no average fan will be able to afford to attend. I have no doubt the roof keeps the sound in, I have been to games in domes and half-covered stadiums, but we need to get more people in there to build the fan base and to make the games a far bigger event.

 

[CappyNU]

We will come to regret it when five years from now ticket prices will be so high no average fan will be able to afford to attend. I have no doubt the roof keeps the sound in, I have been to games in domes and half-covered stadiums, but we need to get more people in there to build the fan base and to make the games a far bigger event.

Honestly I don't think so. The TV money coming in will alleviate any of this "lost revenue" from reduced seating and then some, the trends are towards declining in-person attendance, FBS attendance has dropped seven years in a row now and only the B1G has shown attendance growth out of the P5 conferences.

I don't enjoy when an opposing team fills our stadium with red, black, yellow, etc and makes our QB need to use a silent count, it's embarrassing. If our season ticket base is, what, 27,000, and we will likely be able to draw additional season ticket holders due to the immensely improved gameday experience with the new stadium amenities, then we will have an actual home crowd that makes far more noise than we've ever experienced at the current stadium.

The new Welsh-Ryan dropped 1,000 seats and also has the ability to be significantly louder with far fewer people, we've just never seen it come to fruition because the team has been so awful for the 3 seasons in which it has been open.

 

[willycat]

I'm struggling to understand the opposition to this.

As @CoralSpringsCat and @wildcatpn stated, this is entirely about building a home field advantage. This new stadium concept will be way better for trying to build a consistently full purple stadium.

It's probably not possible in the modern day with all the other activities/sports as well as non-college grads trending towards the NFL for us to really build a 45k+ purple crowd like the 90s.

But we can absolutely have great crowds of 35k where the vast majority is purple for big games. It will also feel and sound great with how steep the stands are and the covering overhead to contain sound.

I'd bet that a 35k sellout will sound much louder to the fans in the seats than 47k in the current stadium. It should generate the atmosphere of a stadium well over 50k.

This in my mind is exactly what we need. I used to think we should leave it above 40k, but based on the renderings we've seen, this is actually a well thought through plan.

I'll bet you are wrong.

 

[willycat]

I'm struggling to understand the opposition to this.

As @CoralSpringsCat and @wildcatpn stated, this is entirely about building a home field advantage. This new stadium concept will be way better for trying to build a consistently full purple stadium.

It's probably not possible in the modern day with all the other activities/sports as well as non-college grads trending towards the NFL for us to really build a 45k+ purple crowd like the 90s.

But we can absolutely have great crowds of 35k where the vast majority is purple for big games. It will also feel and sound great with how steep the stands are and the covering overhead to contain sound.

I'd bet that a 35k sellout will sound much louder to the fans in the seats than 47k in the current stadium. It should generate the atmosphere of a stadium well over 50k.

This in my mind is exactly what we need. I used to think we should leave it above 40k, but based on the renderings we've seen, this is actually a well thought through plan.

well, a stadium that seats just 35,00 belongs in the MAC. And the current team and coaches look like they do as well.

 

[Hungry Jack]

We will come to regret it when five years from now ticket prices will be so high no average fan will be able to afford to attend. I have no doubt the roof keeps the sound in, I have been to games in domes and half-covered stadiums, but we need to get more people in there to build the fan base and to make the games a far bigger event.

EuroCat, I love your posts but you are using the wrong paradigm here.

 

[Williesfan]

It’s fun having 20k fans of the opposing team going crazy in our stadium? It’s embarrassing and not one ounce of fun.

You left out with regularity.

 

[IGNORE2]

Honestly I don't think so. The TV money coming in will alleviate any of this "lost revenue" from reduced seating and then some, the trends are towards declining in-person attendance, FBS attendance has dropped seven years in a row now and only the B1G has shown attendance growth out of the P5 conferences.

I don't enjoy when an opposing team fills our stadium with red, black, yellow, etc and makes our QB need to use a silent count, it's embarrassing. If our season ticket base is, what, 27,000, and we will likely be able to draw additional season ticket holders due to the immensely improved gameday experience with the new stadium amenities, then we will have an actual home crowd that makes far more noise than we've ever experienced at the current stadium.

The new Welsh-Ryan dropped 1,000 seats and also has the ability to be significantly louder with far fewer people, we've just never seen it come to fruition because the team has been so awful for the 3 seasons in which it has been open.

And I think the new stadium will have similar issues. Bad team plus higher prices…I think there will be more Chicago area co-workers going in on season tickets to see their teams. Lot easier to cough up the money for season tickets across four guys and plan to sell half the tickets.

 

[docrugby1]

The planned stadium size is in line with the forecast for constantly declining sports attendance. Some models predict a 20-30% drop in gate volumes. The industry is betting revenue futures on luxury amenities yielding same dollars from fewer people. The Raiders' new stadium is the model. Last year they were 25th in NFL attendance but first in ticketing revenue.

The new stadium should probably include a temperature-controlled environment, with reclining seats, each with it own 12" tv, and delivered hand-made cocktails.

You just presented the problem with the new stadium proposal. 2-3 years off campus for the Northwestern Nomads then significantly higher ticket prices for a fragile fan base. The smaller stadium will still be filled by opposing fans

 

[HawkCat]

A friend is having a wedding anniversary next spring. 30 years! Impressive!

He has always lived down South but recently moved to Birmingham. He told me "if you can join us, why not stay an extra day or two and let's go watch the USFL at the UAB football stadium".

I had forgotten quite frankly that the USFL played all its games last year in Birmingham. It was essentially a "TV League" but frankly, maybe that wasn't a bad way to start in the year one of its existence.

I looked up the new UAB stadium just now. It really is pretty much brand new. Built for four to five times less than what we want to pay. And it seats just under 50,000 people.

I truly don't understand why we as a program want to build a stadium that seats less than what our average attendance is now (and 10,000 less than our average attendance was in the Gary Barnett post Rose Bowl years when we averaged close to 45.000 or so). For the love of goodness, stop the madness and don't build something the size of a MAC stadium! It will be too small on the day it opens!

No normal fan will ever be able to afford tickets and because football pretty much pays for everything regarding sports at Northwestern, can you imagine what the price for munchies and drinks will be? For parking?

Save 600,000,0000 and spend it on NIL for goodness sakes, that is the way college football is heading!

UAB - Built for four-five times less than what we want to spend.

Mission Complete: Protective Stadium Punctuates UAB’s Incredible Comeback Story

UAB’s new stadium in downtown Birmingham is both a dream realized & instant candidate for best G5 stadium

www.underdogdynasty.com

Note, I DO understand the desire to "fit the footprint" of where we are currently at - otherwise Evanston won't allow the new facility. But I am sure architects can figure something out by building down a bit into the ground (is the water table too high that near the lake?) or by doing other things.

Respectfully, there are some flaws in your analysis. For example:

First, it probably would cost twice as much to build UAB's stadium in Evanson as opposed to Birmingham. Things like weather, urban location, limited roadway access, close-in neighborhood, etc. really add to the cost.

Second, you cannot point to attendance post-Rose Bowl in the late 90s as justifying a belief that we can similarly fill a larger stadium today. Games are much more widely available via TV and streaming today. Moreover, overall college football attendance has been trending downward for quite some time.

Personally, I like the idea of a smaller, fuller stadium. About 80 percent of our home games over the last 20 years have featured a morgue-like atmosphere that is deadly for recruiting (and likely for ticket sales). That has not contributed to building a winning program.

 

[TheC]

Why are you guys so sure that opposing fans still won't get half the seats in a smaller stadium? Does that mean the crowd will be mostly season ticket holders? And ones who don't just turn around and stubhub their seats?

 

[NJCat]

Why are you guys so sure that opposing fans still won't get half the seats in a smaller stadium? Does that mean the crowd will be mostly season ticket holders? And ones who don't just turn around and stubhub their seats?

Say for arguments sake there are currently 27,000 NU supporters who actually attend games. In the new stadium, for half of the seats to be filed with opponent's supporters, 10,000 NU people would need to stay home. Now higher ticket prices may well cut into the number of NU fans who attend, but I find it hard to believe that over a third of the people who currently go to games in the dump that is Ryan Field will no longer attend in the new place.

 

[TheC]

Say for arguments sake there are currently 27,000 NU supporters who actually attend games. In the new stadium, for half of the seats to be filed with opponent's supporters, 10,000 NU people would need to stay home. Now higher ticket prices may well cut into the number of NU fans who attend, but I find it hard to believe that over a third of the people who currently go to games in the dump that is Ryan Field will no longer attend in the new place.

But how are they getting their tickets and why wouldn't an opposing fan beat them to it?

 

[Eurocat]

Quite honestly I think some people seem so depressed about this season that its almost like they cannot imagine a winning popular team with a good fan base.

I have that dream. I can envision the Northwestern Wildcats in the College Football National Championship game.

Does it not occur to anyone that we might get left out of the college football playoffs because the committee will say "cute little team up there, nice folks, but gee, what a small fan base, it's like a MAC team over there, let's take Oklahoma instead!".

Cannot you imagine a four or five star recruit saying "I like Fitz, school seems nice, but boy, that team, that stadium, definitely that's not the big time over there, sorry, pass."

I imagine us having a 50,000 stadium and in ten years regretting we built THAT one too small.

Why start with a size that is smaller than our attendance now?

Why not dream big? Like Gary Barnett did?

And I can virtually guarantee you the new prices will drive away middle class fans, average Chicago fans and instead attract a "corporate crowd" far more interested in talking shop than taking off their shirts and dancing on the field after the game.

 

[FeralFelidae]

Why start with a size that is smaller than our attendance now?

We haven't had a single game at Ryan Field this season with attendance that would sell out the new stadium.

 

[Styre]

Does it not occur to anyone that we might get left out of the college football playoffs because the committee will say "cute little team up there, nice folks, but gee, what a small fan base, it's like a MAC team over there, let's take Oklahoma instead!".

This does not and will not happen. They put Cincinnati in the CFP last year (capacity just under 38k), and that was with only 4 teams, not the 12 that will be in the playoff by the time NU gets good again.

 

[HawkCat]

Cannot you imagine a four or five star recruit saying "I like Fitz, school seems nice, but boy, that team, that stadium, definitely that's not the big time over there, sorry, pass."

I imagine us having a 50,000 stadium and in ten years regretting we built THAT one too small.

Why start with a size that is smaller than our attendance now?

Why not dream big? Like Gary Barnett did?

I would counter that nothing says "not big time" to a recruit more than visting a game in a half-empty 50,000-seat stadium. A recruit would more favorably view a game in a loud and packed 35,000-seat stadium with a cool design that is loaded with amenities.

What evidence do you have that regularly filling a 50,000-seat stadium is a viable possibility for NU in today's media market, which is VERY different than when Barnett coached at NU? The trending data at both NU and in college football overall contradicts such a notion.

 

[NUCat320]

I would counter that nothing says "not big time" to a recruit more than visting a game in a half-empty 50,000-seat stadium. A recruit would more favorably view a game in a loud and packed 35,000-seat stadium with a cool design that is loaded with amenities.

What evidence do you have that regularly filling a 50,000-seat stadium is a viable possibility for NU in today's media market, which is VERY different than when Barnett coached at NU? The trending data at both NU and in college football overall contradicts such a notion.

The SIU game hosted 23k fans, including a handful of recruits that were reportedly Saluki fans at the end of the night. That was really “little time”.

It is a shame that NU can’t just repaint the numbers closer together if demand outperforms capacity. They should have thought of that when going all chair-backs. </s>

 

[Ryanfield124]

I actually have first hand knowledge on this topic of stadium size.

To the OP, based on your theory when the 'Cats play in Soldier Field, the place should be packed. It won't (at least with purple). I suggested to NU during the survey period that we should be smaller like the pitch at the MLSs Sporting KC which is modeled after other similar sized facilities in the UK. Everything NU wants to accomplish happens with a smaller stadium:
1. Less seats adds value to the ticket
2. Sound control. The way its designed that atmosphere will be killer.
3. Footprint. With the geography of Evanston how do you make a 70K seat stadium anyway?
I want to point out that in Daytona Beach, NASCAR smartly reduced seating for the Speedway by removing the back stretch grand stands. That decision was made because with too many seats they would have to reduce ticket costs to keep it filled. People were giving away tickets to their marquee event. By halving the seats they actually increased value of the ticket because the market wasn't flooded with opportunity.

A smaller Ryan Field with a good football team playing in it more justifies ticket charges. It makes it hard to flood the place with opposing fans also.

 

[willycat]

Quite honestly I think some people seem so depressed about this season that its almost like they cannot imagine a winning popular team with a good fan base.

I have that dream. I can envision the Northwestern Wildcats in the College Football National Championship game.

Does it not occur to anyone that we might get left out of the college football playoffs because the committee will say "cute little team up there, nice folks, but gee, what a small fan base, it's like a MAC team over there, let's take Oklahoma instead!".

Cannot you imagine a four or five star recruit saying "I like Fitz, school seems nice, but boy, that team, that stadium, definitely that's not the big time over there, sorry, pass."

I imagine us having a 50,000 stadium and in ten years regretting we built THAT one too small.

Why start with a size that is smaller than our attendance now?

Why not dream big? Like Gary Barnett did?

And I can virtually guarantee you the new prices will drive away middle class fans, average Chicago fans and instead attract a "corporate crowd" far more interested in talking shop than taking off their shirts and dancing on the field after the game.

Is Barnett still available? His son? A relative? Mrs. Barnett???