Southern Miss Game

[APPARJ]

Southern Miss and ODU on the schedule the next two years. Next year we get Southern Miss, ULL, Ark St., Troy, and GSU, what will the excuse be next season?

I think it is unreasonable to spend money you don't have.

If I'm Charlie I'd come up with a stadium plan to do it right, add north end zone seats over the track to connect to both lower sides with club seats at the top. Then present it to the fans and say as soon as we raise 50% of the costs we'll build it, the rest will be paid by the ticket sales of this area.

No doubt the athletic department needs to put together and actual expansion plan which includes removal of the track. So far all of the expansion projects at KBS have been individual projects that didn't match the previous projects. The illustration released a few years ago was little more than a Photoshop mockup done in house. We need an architect to make a master plan including stages of seating to go from 21,500 we have now to 30,000, and then to 40,000+.

I can see the need for 30,000 seats. But 40,000?

I'd rather see a stadium bursting at the seams with rabid fans than aluminum bleachers shining in the sun.

App State has had great fan support for any program, no doubt. But we would be kidding ourselves if we said there was a legitimate demand for a 40,000 seat stadium. If a school like ECU ever comes up the mountain to play I can see over 40,000 pack KBS regardless of seating capacity.

But we want to double seating capacity when the seats aren't full today at 21,500?

No thanks.

I'm not talking about putting 40,000 seats up next year, but we do need a master plan for the stadium to get to that at some point. We have had over 31,000 people for games against FCS teams that brought maybe 500 fans. If we are playing a good regional FBS team that will actually bring it's own fans then we could easily fill up 35-000 to 40,000 seats. You have to think long term not just 1 or 2 years down the road.

I'm actually thinking 10-15 years down the road. It is my opinion that expanding App State's capacity to 40,000 seats would be a bad move. We have experienced unparralled success from 2005 - 2009 with a 21,000 seat stadium and regional FBS opponents in the Sun Belt are going to cause us to need literally double the seating capacity?

Sorry, but I don't buy it. I can see the need for 30,000 seats eventually (including general admission that can lead to an attendence of 40,000+) but not 40,000.

This is not a commentary on App State fans not wanting to show up. Rather it's simply what I believe our sweet spot to be. I can see App State's program routinely drawing between 35,000 - 40,000 one day.

But no matter how many seats KBS has, I'll always have tickets! That's really all I care about.

[bcoach]

The increase was due to the removal of Laney, and Cobb using common sense to communicate down the mountain and enhance the tailgate experience. And of course excellent weather.

I know many alumni football fans who didn't even know who Laney or Cobb were.

That's not a bad thing at all. They are probably happier fans

[NewApp]

The increase was due to the removal of Laney, and Cobb using common sense to communicate down the mountain and enhance the tailgate experience. And of course excellent weather.

I know many alumni football fans who didn't even know who Laney or Cobb were.

That's not a bad thing at all. They are probably happier fans

Yep.

[GoApps70]

We need more seats now just so we can book home and homes with good teams.
With decent teams we have run over capacity for years, up to 149% capacity I believe.
You cannot count the bank seats when some good team is taking into consideration if they
want to do a home and home with you. Simple also, more seats, more money.
Believe we now have the smallest stadium in the Sun Belt, wouldn't hurt with recruiting
also.

[Saint3333]

70 you continue to beat that drum with no solution of how to pay for it.

[ASUMountaineer]

Southern Miss and ODU on the schedule the next two years. Next year we get Southern Miss, ULL, Ark St., Troy, and GSU, what will the excuse be next season?

I think it is unreasonable to spend money you don't have.

If I'm Charlie I'd come up with a stadium plan to do it right, add north end zone seats over the track to connect to both lower sides with club seats at the top. Then present it to the fans and say as soon as we raise 50% of the costs we'll build it, the rest will be paid by the ticket sales of this area.

No doubt the athletic department needs to put together and actual expansion plan which includes removal of the track. So far all of the expansion projects at KBS have been individual projects that didn't match the previous projects. The illustration released a few years ago was little more than a Photoshop mockup done in house. We need an architect to make a master plan including stages of seating to go from 21,500 we have now to 30,000, and then to 40,000+.

I can see the need for 30,000 seats. But 40,000?

I'd rather see a stadium bursting at the seams with rabid fans than aluminum bleachers shining in the sun.

App State has had great fan support for any program, no doubt. But we would be kidding ourselves if we said there was a legitimate demand for a 40,000 seat stadium. If a school like ECU ever comes up the mountain to play I can see over 40,000 pack KBS regardless of seating capacity.

But we want to double seating capacity when the seats aren't full today at 21,500?

No thanks.

I'm not talking about putting 40,000 seats up next year, but we do need a master plan for the stadium to get to that at some point. We have had over 31,000 people for games against FCS teams that brought maybe 500 fans. If we are playing a good regional FBS team that will actually bring it's own fans then we could easily fill up 35-000 to 40,000 seats. You have to think long term not just 1 or 2 years down the road.

I'm actually thinking 10-15 years down the road. It is my opinion that expanding App State's capacity to 40,000 seats would be a bad move. We have experienced unparralled success from 2005 - 2009 with a 21,000 seat stadium and regional FBS opponents in the Sun Belt are going to cause us to need literally double the seating capacity?

Sorry, but I don't buy it. I can see the need for 30,000 seats eventually (including general admission that can lead to an attendence of 40,000+) but not 40,000.

This is not a commentary on App State fans not wanting to show up. Rather it's simply what I believe our sweet spot to be. I can see App State's program routinely drawing between 35,000 - 40,000 one day.

But no matter how many seats KBS has, I'll always have tickets! That's really all I care about.

So, you're against developing a master plan for potentially expanding to 30,000 seats and does so in way that provides the opportunity to expand to 40,000 if needed? Odd.

[bcoach]

70 you continue to beat that drum with no solution of how to pay for it.

Have we paid off the last expansion yet?

[Saint3333]

No we have not.

[bcoach]

No we have not.

Well then you know what my vote is.

[Dmanuhone]

So how much is still owed?

[NewApp]

So how much is still owed?

Interesting. I've asked that very same question several times and no one seems to know. I even sent the A.D. an e-mail and have yet to receive a reply.

[JTApps1]

Southern Miss and ODU on the schedule the next two years. Next year we get Southern Miss, ULL, Ark St., Troy, and GSU, what will the excuse be next season?

I think it is unreasonable to spend money you don't have.

If I'm Charlie I'd come up with a stadium plan to do it right, add north end zone seats over the track to connect to both lower sides with club seats at the top. Then present it to the fans and say as soon as we raise 50% of the costs we'll build it, the rest will be paid by the ticket sales of this area.

No doubt the athletic department needs to put together and actual expansion plan which includes removal of the track. So far all of the expansion projects at KBS have been individual projects that didn't match the previous projects. The illustration released a few years ago was little more than a Photoshop mockup done in house. We need an architect to make a master plan including stages of seating to go from 21,500 we have now to 30,000, and then to 40,000+.

I can see the need for 30,000 seats. But 40,000?

I'd rather see a stadium bursting at the seams with rabid fans than aluminum bleachers shining in the sun.

App State has had great fan support for any program, no doubt. But we would be kidding ourselves if we said there was a legitimate demand for a 40,000 seat stadium. If a school like ECU ever comes up the mountain to play I can see over 40,000 pack KBS regardless of seating capacity.

But we want to double seating capacity when the seats aren't full today at 21,500?

No thanks.

I'm not talking about putting 40,000 seats up next year, but we do need a master plan for the stadium to get to that at some point. We have had over 31,000 people for games against FCS teams that brought maybe 500 fans. If we are playing a good regional FBS team that will actually bring it's own fans then we could easily fill up 35-000 to 40,000 seats. You have to think long term not just 1 or 2 years down the road.

I'm actually thinking 10-15 years down the road. It is my opinion that expanding App State's capacity to 40,000 seats would be a bad move. We have experienced unparralled success from 2005 - 2009 with a 21,000 seat stadium and regional FBS opponents in the Sun Belt are going to cause us to need literally double the seating capacity?

Sorry, but I don't buy it. I can see the need for 30,000 seats eventually (including general admission that can lead to an attendence of 40,000+) but not 40,000.

This is not a commentary on App State fans not wanting to show up. Rather it's simply what I believe our sweet spot to be. I can see App State's program routinely drawing between 35,000 - 40,000 one day.

But no matter how many seats KBS has, I'll always have tickets! That's really all I care about.

The thing is we wouldn't be doubling the demand for tickets. Even last year we averaged 25,000 with over 29,000 for the CSU game. We need 30,000 seats as soon as we can possibly afford to build them. Considering we can currently get 29,000 of our own for CSU don't you think we could get 35,000 for ODU or UNCC when they come?

Either way you're missing the point here. I'm not saying we need 40,000 in the next few years, but we need a well thought out plan to eventually get us there when the time comes. I don't want to keep adding one section at a time just to fill an immediate need then end up with a mismatch stadium.

[Kgfish]

[quote="Saint3333"]70 you continue to beat that drum with no solution of how to pay for it.[/quote

Had the money collected for the bank tickets all these years been put into a stadium expansion account there would be plenty of money available. The athletics department has been making money on that bank for years and that is pure gravy considering not one dollar had to be spent on construction.

[WVAPPeer]

We need more seats now just so we can book home and homes with good teams.
With decent teams we have run over capacity for years, up to 149% capacity I believe.
You cannot count the bank seats when some good team is taking into consideration if they
want to do a home and home with you. Simple also, more seats, more money.
Believe we now have the smallest stadium in the Sun Belt, wouldn't hurt with recruiting
also.

Not sure what relevance our number of seats has to do with scheduling a home and home with "some good team" (other than the allotment required for the visitors) - Doesn't home and home mean the home team keeps 100%?

[bcoach]

That is exactly right. We need a well thought out plan but the key is well though out. My fear is I keep hearing about UNC or State or some other big boy. We don't need expansion for one game a year. If we need expansion we need it for a season. In other words we need expansion that pays for it's self. Expansion for one game a years does not sound like a great plan to me.

[Kgfish]

We need more seats now just so we can book home and homes with good teams.
With decent teams we have run over capacity for years, up to 149% capacity I believe.
You cannot count the bank seats when some good team is taking into consideration if they
want to do a home and home with you. Simple also, more seats, more money.
Believe we now have the smallest stadium in the Sun Belt, wouldn't hurt with recruiting
also.

Not sure what relevance our number of seats has to do with scheduling a home and home with "some good team" (other than the allotment required for the visitors) - Doesn't home and home mean the home team keeps 100%?

Yep. And more seats means we keep more dollars.

[WVAPPeer]

We need more seats now just so we can book home and homes with good teams.
With decent teams we have run over capacity for years, up to 149% capacity I believe.
You cannot count the bank seats when some good team is taking into consideration if they
want to do a home and home with you. Simple also, more seats, more money.
Believe we now have the smallest stadium in the Sun Belt, wouldn't hurt with recruiting
also.

Not sure what relevance our number of seats has to do with scheduling a home and home with "some good team" (other than the allotment required for the visitors) - Doesn't home and home mean the home team keeps 100%?

Yep. And more seats means we keep more dollars.

Oh, I agree - I'm was just questioning the philosophy of us having to have more seats to attract a home and home against a "good team"

[Kgfish]

We need more seats now just so we can book home and homes with good teams.
With decent teams we have run over capacity for years, up to 149% capacity I believe.
You cannot count the bank seats when some good team is taking into consideration if they
want to do a home and home with you. Simple also, more seats, more money.
Believe we now have the smallest stadium in the Sun Belt, wouldn't hurt with recruiting
also.

I agree completely. Some of these comments against expansion are baffling. The numbers we've been pulling the last 7 years have been 90-95% ASU fans. One thing is certain, if we don't have the seats teams like Marshall and ECU won't even discuss a home and home series. If we EVER hope to schedule those types of teams we need a minimum of 35K seats, not bank space, SEATS. Not only will those schools bring a lot of fans to Boone but a lot more App fans will want tickets. I can't understand how someone realizes we drew 29K for Charleston Southern and not comprehend that we would draw far more for teams that actually have a fan base.

The first opportunity (currently on the schedule) for us to host an opponent who will want a lot of tickets is when Charlotte comes to Boone in a few years. If we don't expand we'll be throwing away a LOT of money by not selling the 3-4,000 seats they'll probably want. $4,000 tickets @ $50 for that one game is $300K. Getting rid of the track would make adding 5,000 seats in each end zone really simple and low cost. It would be interesting to see what the debt retirement on a 10,000 seat expansion would be.

[AppinVA]

I do wish we could make (or make public) a master plan that will address any plans we have with expansion. I would like to know what the university's vision is for a KBS build-out. Will we have the means to make it happen tomorrow? No, not likely, but we really do need to have a direction for somewhere down the line.

I have to wonder how many people have decided not to purchase tickets since 2005, because they don't want to sit on a wet grass hill, 50 yards away from the near goal line.

I believe we could add another 3,000 seats by building the East Side stands back to the light standards. Would that have paid for itself already if we had expanded to there in 2008?

Though I haven't seen anyone point to this, but what if it's decided that we need to be at 30,000 actual seats to remain in FBS (like in 1981)? How do we get there? It's easier to do so from 27,650 than 24,650.

[APPARJ]

I can see the need for 30,000 seats. But 40,000?

I'd rather see a stadium bursting at the seams with rabid fans than aluminum bleachers shining in the sun.

App State has had great fan support for any program, no doubt. But we would be kidding ourselves if we said there was a legitimate demand for a 40,000 seat stadium. If a school like ECU ever comes up the mountain to play I can see over 40,000 pack KBS regardless of seating capacity.

But we want to double seating capacity when the seats aren't full today at 21,500?

No thanks.

I'm not talking about putting 40,000 seats up next year, but we do need a master plan for the stadium to get to that at some point. We have had over 31,000 people for games against FCS teams that brought maybe 500 fans. If we are playing a good regional FBS team that will actually bring it's own fans then we could easily fill up 35-000 to 40,000 seats. You have to think long term not just 1 or 2 years down the road.

I'm actually thinking 10-15 years down the road. It is my opinion that expanding App State's capacity to 40,000 seats would be a bad move. We have experienced unparralled success from 2005 - 2009 with a 21,000 seat stadium and regional FBS opponents in the Sun Belt are going to cause us to need literally double the seating capacity?

Sorry, but I don't buy it. I can see the need for 30,000 seats eventually (including general admission that can lead to an attendence of 40,000+) but not 40,000.

This is not a commentary on App State fans not wanting to show up. Rather it's simply what I believe our sweet spot to be. I can see App State's program routinely drawing between 35,000 - 40,000 one day.

But no matter how many seats KBS has, I'll always have tickets! That's really all I care about.

So, you're against developing a master plan for potentially expanding to 30,000 seats and does so in way that provides the opportunity to expand to 40,000 if needed? Odd.

Did I not say that I can see where we may need 30,000 seats one day?

My stance on this issue is not controversial or complicated.

Kidd Brewer should have as many seats as necessary to serve the fan bases. Period. It is my opinion that there is a more realistic need of 30,000 seats (vs. 40K) over the next 10 years. It is also my opinion that there will never be a need 40,000 seats in KBS.

Now, being a capitalist, if there is a sustained increase of consumer demand over time requiring more than 30,000 seats I will happily admit my initial opinion to be incorrect. It won't be the first time I've been wrong. But it has been frustrating to see a lot of shiney aluminum on game day in the past couple of seasons.