Stadium Expansions

[rolltide83]

Bryant-Denny Stadium is having the North end-zone bowled in to bring the seating capacity up to 93,000+

Was curious to hear some news of other projects going on around the SEC and hear any speculation as to whose house is the loudest, most intimidating, most fan friendly..

Admittedly, Neyland Stadium has to be the loudest... probably the most intimidating, but it may share that honor with the Swamp..

I'll vote for Vandy's stadium (name?) as being the most underused...

And lastly...

Vaught-Hemingway is the most fan-friendly. Ole Miss gets this vote mostly because of a friend of mine who gets me the hook-up with skybox tickets with he and his family. Pretty stinking awesome. Highly recommend it.

So let's hear it... Any expansions in the future with your football programs, and what do you think the impact will be? What do you think of the facilities currently in the SEC?

[pc72687]

USC has been talking about increasing to the 90,000 to 95,000 for some years. Seriously after the 9-2 season, but since two 5-7 seasons followed the plan was put on the backburner. Now if Spurrier increases the win total it might be put back on the frontburner.

[BeeDee]

Ole Miss is in the planning stages of bowling in our North End Zone of VHS to bring us to the 80-85K range.

[UM_REBELS]

Nothing carved in stone yet, but Ole Miss sent questionaires to all Loyalty Foundation members and alumni to guage the amount of donations they would receive to bowl in the final endzone. I think this would increase the capacity to around 80,000. Apparently the idea was a hit and the alumni is solidly on board, so it should happen in the next 2 years. I understand that Pete Boone has plans to match both sides of the stadium as well, so I guess they would add some seats there too.

[pc72687]

That would be a great idea. Especially with all the new excitment around Ole Miss.

[OmahaBound]

USC has been talking about increasing to the 90,000 to 95,000 for some years. Seriously after the 9-2 season, but since two 5-7 seasons followed the plan was put on the backburner. Now if Spurrier increases the win total it might be put back on the frontburner.

that's pretty nutty if that's the real reason expansion was put on hold for williams-brice. if we can sellout every game when we were 0-11, i think we can sell an extra 10,000 tickets each week when we're going to be at least decent each year.

[pc72687]

I totally agree. With all the people they are turning down every year for season tickets you think they would make the stadium hold 200,000 in order to fit all the fans. If not at least make it the biggest stadium in the nation. If for nothing else just to have the best at something and it could be great for recruiting.

[Neo]

I totally agree. With all the people they are turning down every year for season tickets you think they would make the stadium hold 200,000 in order to fit all the fans. If not at least make it the biggest stadium in the nation. If for nothing else just to have the best at something and it could be great for recruiting.



Yeah, but is that really possible? 200k? :cool:

[OmahaBound]

I totally agree. With all the people they are turning down every year for season tickets you think they would make the stadium hold 200,000 in order to fit all the fans. If not at least make it the biggest stadium in the nation. If for nothing else just to have the best at something and it could be great for recruiting.

couldn't agree more....it would be well worth the cost.

[pc72687]

Yeah, but is that really possible? 200k? :cool:

Probably not, it was an exaggeration. :D But I think if it was accomplished then it would take decades before another school tried to beat that! :rolleyes:

[SilverBritches]

We just added an upper-upper deck, which is also known as the Tech deck because we put all the Tech fans up there. The upper-upper deck is only on one sideline. There is talk that the third deck will eventually wrap around the whole way. We will see.

[Jordan]

There's a thread around here somewhere with some LSU stadium construction pics in it.... supposed to be finished by THIS season, but looks like they'll be cutting it pretty close! Very nice looking though.

[fernandomike]

It is hard to compare your own stadium to others as far as noise is concerned. A few years ago, I was sitting in the student section of the Swamp looking like a wuss because I was covering my ears due to the noise level. From where I was sitting, it seemed louder than Neyland. I guess UF, LSU, Auburn, and UT are supposed to be the loudest in no particular order. Hard to imagine anything louder than the Swamp was that day though I am anxious to go to Baton Rouge to compare. I would say that the loudest ones in the conference are also the loudest in the country since the stadiums in our league are huge and the fans rabid.

[GeauxTo]

We just added an upper-upper deck, which is also known as the Tech deck because we put all the Tech fans up there. The upper-upper deck is only on one sideline. There is talk that the third deck will eventually wrap around the whole way. We will see.
We just added an upper-upper-upper-upper dick, err, make that deck, and it is known as the "way up yonder" deck because we put the way up yonder fans there. And besides, our upper-upper deck is bigger than yours; so there!
:D

[GATA_Rob01]

We just added an upper-upper-upper-upper dick, err, make that deck, and it is known as the "way up yonder" deck because we put the way up yonder fans there. And besides, our upper-upper deck is bigger than yours; so there!
:D


Tiger Stadium doesn't have 5 decks....Maybe you just mean is was up there...Sanford Stadium does have two upper decks though...There is the may level, the 2nd level and then the third level or the upper upper deck or Tech deck.

In my opinion auburn has the loudest stadium I haev been in.

[woo_pig_sooie]

I'm pretty sure that Arkansas is going to add about 8,000 seats above the south endzone to bring the total capacity to about 80,000. It should happen in the next couple of years.

[Jordan]

I'm pretty sure that Arkansas is going to add about 8,000 seats above the south endzone to bring the total capacity to about 80,000. It should happen in the next couple of years.
Is the south endzone the one with the facilities building at the endzone? That was one thing that seemed very different about Arkansas' stadium when I saw it, just that it didn't seem to have much room to add seats down there. Also something I was wondering, do they rope off the parking lot area at that endzone during games? If not, I'd imagine there's a ton of people that grab a lawn chair and set up camp there.... if they didn't mind not seeing one endzone anyhow. :p

[HSVTider]

Yeah, but is that really possible? 200k? :cool:

Its possible to build one that big. You could take Michigans stadium and put UT's seats in there and hold 140,000. :) j/k. I have no idea, but i have read numerous places that UT made the seats smaller to hold more people.

However, I am sure that it is possible, some of the nascar places seat 300,000+. Now the track is a whole lot bigger than a football field, but the stands aren't really that tall and they're not all squished together. I gotta think its do-able.

[uscrebel]

Its possible to build one that big. You could take Michigans stadium and put UT's seats in there and hold 140,000. :) j/k. I have no idea, but i have read numerous places that UT made the seats smaller to hold more people.

However, I am sure that it is possible, some of the nascar places seat 300,000+. Now the track is a whole lot bigger than a football field, but the stands aren't really that tall and they're not all squished together. I gotta think its do-able.

There are several issues involved here.

The first is a "tipping point" invoked by TV coverage. Significant percentage of the fanbase will consistantly choose watching a game in the comfort of their home to going to the stadium. In bigger stadiums the nosebleed seats are still quite expensive. (the Rose Bowl and the Colesium are anywhere between $75 and $95...they can be $350 for the Crosstown Rivalry) Almost all USC and UCLA games are televised and even those on "season ticket" from ESPN cost only $10, so people begin to ask themselves if it is worth it to schlep downtown or to the arroyo when they can viddie it on the tube. So, if you expand and put me too far away from the action, I may choose to watch it on the tube.

If I begin to believe that the ONLY seat available are those in the stratosphere, I may stop trying to get seats at all. So, a stadium seating 80,000 that was routinely sold out may expand to 100,000 and find that it cannot sell 75,000 because the perception is that the "good seats" are already taken.

There is also the entertainment factor in a region. I live 9 miles from the Pacific Ocean, 10 miles from Silverado Canyon, 12 miles from Disneyland, 39 miles from the Colesium, 40 miles from Universal Studios, 45 miles from the Rose Bowl, 60 miles from the San Bernardino Mtns., 70 miles from the Temecula Wine Country, 88 miles from the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It's not like living in Selma, AL where the only options on Saturday are the game in Tuscaloosa or the Casino in Philadelphia, MS. While I generally choose to go to a college football game on Saturday, there is a lot to interfere with that choice.

I would imagine that as Atlanta has gotten to be a big, world-class city that both UGA and GaTech have discovered that their fan at home games has not grown proportionally and that it is still the fans and alums from Milledgeville and Gainesville and Clarkesville that show up week in and week out. (I sometimes believe that the entire city of Bakersfield empties on Saturdays and shows up at either USC or UCLA games.)

I generally have very good seats for USC and UCLA games and both stadiums have completely unobstructed sight lines, so there is not a seat in the house that has a barrier. There are, however, seats that I simply will not sit in. I really like to be in the same zip code as the game I am watching and I prefer to do it without the aid of binoculars.

the thing that I liked about my visit to Michigan is that the stadium is a perfect bowl, with no upper deck and still at 107K you feel like you are part of the action. To me, adding "decks" take you out of the action.

[GeauxTo]

Tiger Stadium doesn't have 5 decks....Maybe you just mean is was up there...Sanford Stadium does have two upper decks though...There is the may level, the 2nd level and then the third level or the upper upper deck or Tech deck.

In my opinion auburn has the loudest stadium I haev been in.
It's a joke, son.
:D

[GATA_Rob01]

There are several issues involved here.

The first is a "tipping point" invoked by TV coverage. Significant percentage of the fanbase will consistantly choose watching a game in the comfort of their home to going to the stadium. In bigger stadiums the nosebleed seats are still quite expensive. (the Rose Bowl and the Colesium are anywhere between $75 and $95...they can be $350 for the Crosstown Rivalry) Almost all USC and UCLA games are televised and even those on "season ticket" from ESPN cost only $10, so people begin to ask themselves if it is worth it to schlep downtown or to the arroyo when they can viddie it on the tube. So, if you expand and put me too far away from the action, I may choose to watch it on the tube.

If I begin to believe that the ONLY seat available are those in the stratosphere, I may stop trying to get seats at all. So, a stadium seating 80,000 that was routinely sold out may expand to 100,000 and find that it cannot sell 75,000 because the perception is that the "good seats" are already taken.

There is also the entertainment factor in a region. I live 9 miles from the Pacific Ocean, 10 miles from Silverado Canyon, 12 miles from Disneyland, 39 miles from the Colesium, 40 miles from Universal Studios, 45 miles from the Rose Bowl, 60 miles from the San Bernardino Mtns., 70 miles from the Temecula Wine Country, 88 miles from the San Diego Wild Animal Park. It's not like living in Selma, AL where the only options on Saturday are the game in Tuscaloosa or the Casino in Philadelphia, MS. While I generally choose to go to a college football game on Saturday, there is a lot to interfere with that choice.

I would imagine that as Atlanta has gotten to be a big, world-class city that both UGA and GaTech have discovered that their fan at home games has not grown proportionally and that it is still the fans and alums from Milledgeville and Gainesville and Clarkesville that show up week in and week out. (I sometimes believe that the entire city of Bakersfield empties on Saturdays and shows up at either USC or UCLA games.)

I generally have very good seats for USC and UCLA games and both stadiums have completely unobstructed sight lines, so there is not a seat in the house that has a barrier. There are, however, seats that I simply will not sit in. I really like to be in the same zip code as the game I am watching and I prefer to do it without the aid of binoculars.

the thing that I liked about my visit to Michigan is that the stadium is a perfect bowl, with no upper deck and still at 107K you feel like you are part of the action. To me, adding "decks" take you out of the action.


If you are in the upper seats in michigan stadium you have to use binoculars...you are just as far from the stadium as you would be in a deck.

[uscrebel]

If you are in the upper seats in michigan stadium you have to use binoculars...you are just as far from the stadium as you would be in a deck.

Yes, I am quite aware of that. My point was that because the Big House does not have "decks," you remain quite connected to the action on the field and the emotion in the stands.

The last time I was at Sanford, I was sitting about midway up the upper deck. Because of the vertical distance from the deck to field level, the it was impossible to see any thing on the sidelines closest to us without standing up. In fact, there was a sense that one had to stand up and lean over to look down on the field. The folks on the Main Level were treated to a completely different game.

While I prefer not to use binoculars, I will if I am otherwise part of the game...that does not happen in stadiums with upper decks.

[woo_pig_sooie]

Is the south endzone the one with the facilities building at the endzone? That was one thing that seemed very different about Arkansas' stadium when I saw it, just that it didn't seem to have much room to add seats down there. Also something I was wondering, do they rope off the parking lot area at that endzone during games? If not, I'd imagine there's a ton of people that grab a lawn chair and set up camp there.... if they didn't mind not seeing one endzone anyhow. :p


No, that is the north endzone with the big screen. I don't think they rope that part of the parking lot off. Also, I think the plans allow us to add seats in the north endzone all the way to the big screen, but I'm not sure. Maybe someone else knows more about it.