05-15-2017, 10:20 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Bluffton, SC
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Originally Posted by UACFlyer
UD just announced plans for a $70+ million renovation of the Arena for BB...men's BB being the only revenue-producing sport.
All other UD sports are subsidized,....incl, of course, football. Apparently UD decided long ago to buck the trend and keep playing Ivy-league style non-schollie FB. And, since we have been very good at it, I suppose the intent is to keep going.
At present we play in a facility that seats about 11,000....and which is only about 1/3 filled for a typical game, e.g., ~ 3500 fannies in seats. If we had a stadium seating 4000-4500, the atmosphere with those 3500 in attendance would be mighty different.
Fairfield U has a nationally ranked lacrosse team...that is one of their "Tier 1" sports. The attached link shows a video of FU's new lacrosse stadium. It seats 3500 and is beautiful...more impressive than the video. As one watches the video it's clear that the FU stadium could easily be adjusted upwards to the 4000-4500 range with no significant design change or cost.
The FU stadium, Rafferty Stadium, was built at a cost of $16 million on ground owned by the university. Construction costs in CT are higher than in OH by quite a bit. I think we could build the same thing for under $15 million. In view of the $70 million Arena upgrade, $15 million doesn't sound bad at all....the Chapel renovation was over $12 million.
Whatever, have a look at FU's stadium...it shows what a ~ 4000 seat college facility could look like. It's quite nice.
http://www.fairfieldstags.com/ViewAr...CLID=209369274
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People keep forgetting that Welcome is not owned by UD. Would high schools want only 4,000 seats? Probably not, as it eliminates bigger game crowds and all playoff games. Where would it be built? The soccer field is not an option, as it would ruin soccer.
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