South end zone expansion question

[travis.sixpack]

Is demolishing the M-Club off the table? It seems like a major impediment to fully bowling in DWS. It’s not like it’s a major revenue generator. Also, it’s ugly as hell - new paint or no.

I think the video board is structurally separate from the M-Club bldg, so maybe you could build around it. A new M-Club facility could be incorporated into the end zone expansion.

What do y’all think happens with the south end zone?

ETA: Looking st the location of the south video board, I’m thinking it will have to go as well.

 

[dawgstudent]

Is demolishing the M-Club off the table? It seems like a major impediment to fully bowling in DWS. It’s not like it’s a major revenue generator. Also, it’s ugly as hell - new paint or no.

I think the video board is structurally separate from the M-Club bldg, so maybe you could build around it. A new M-Club facility could be incorporated into the end zone expansion.

What do y’all think happens with the south end zone?

ETA: Looking st the location of the south video board, I’m thinking it will have to go as well.

I think it all goes.

 

[Cooterpoot]

MClub supposedly is staying but will be upgraded. And supposedly they aren't going to bowl it in either. Going to be mostly premium seating. Things change with time and that's going to be a couple years down the road following the west side reno.

 

[Dawgpile]

MClub supposedly is staying but will be upgraded. And supposedly they aren't going to bowl it in either. Going to be mostly premium seating. Things change with time and that's going to be a couple years down the road following the west side reno.

Disappointing if true. If you are of age to remember what lies beneath the MClub, is literally lipstick on a pig. It would be a shame IMO to waste more lipstick.

 

[CoastTrash]

Disappointing if true. If you are of age to remember what lies beneath the MClub, is literally lipstick on a pig. It would be a shame IMO to waste more lipstick.

LITERALLY???

 

[Maroonthirteen]

Yeah I can remember when the "field house" was a two story building with ac units in the windows. Then they built the current top level over the field house. However they did renovate and rebuild the interior of the field house around 2001.

use to be funny to watch State tip toe down one side of the frog legs and the opponent down the other side of the frog legs.

 

[047Dog]

We will struggle to ever have a capacity crowd again. So why do we need a bowl with more seats that would be empty?

 

[aTotal360]

Because a 70% empty bowled-in stadium looks better than a 80% empty horseshoe. ***

 

[Drebin]

Cohen has gone on the record that the stadium will not be bowled in and there will be some updated/upgraded version of the M Club over there. Now, they can go a lot of different directions with that, but it's still a little disappointing to me.

 

[GloryDawg]

I wish they would just chair back the entire stadium.

 

[Mobile Bay]

Disappointing if true. If you are of age to remember what lies beneath the MClub, is literally lipstick on a pig. It would be a shame IMO to waste more lipstick.

Is that where the cursed Indian burial ground is?

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

That would be nice.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

I think they are looking long term that crowd size is going to steadily decrease no matter what and they aren’t going to bowl it in because of that. You could go the route of bowling it in with an emphasis on premium seating but I think even that cost to benefit doesn’t pencil out either.

 

[Drebin]

I think they are looking long term that crowd size is going to steadily decrease no matter what and they aren’t going to bowl it in because of that. You could go the route of bowling it in with an emphasis on premium seating but I think even that cost to benefit doesn’t pencil out either.

I don't mind having a structure in the south endzone vs bowling it in. I just think the M Club in its current iteration is horrendous (although slightly less of one since it's been painted). If they built a new structure with a nice brick facade that covered more of the space from west to east and incorporated some premium seating/club levels, I think that would look great. And as stated elsewhere, seatbacks in the entire stadium.

I think there's a floor for attendance for SEC home games. It has been declining but overall, we're always going to have at least 45-50k in there for big SEC games.

 

[Go Budaw]

I think they are looking long term that crowd size is going to steadily decrease no matter what and they aren’t going to bowl it in because of that. You could go the route of bowling it in with an emphasis on premium seating but I think even that cost to benefit doesn’t pencil out either.

The fact is that we just dumped $2.5 million into a project on the West Side upper deck that has, at best, a 10-year payback period (and more likely a 12-15 year payback period). Maybe that’s not so important for only a $2.5 million project, but its still a horrible cost / benefit.

Overall, cost / benefit is nice, but the money we rake in from SEC Network, etc. will be spent one way or another each year. That’s how you have dumb **** like $80 million for a practice facility at UGA. What’s the cost / benefit from building that?

We’re going to lose money in the short term (and sometimes the long term) on just about any major construction of renovation project that we pursue even for football, and that goes double for all the other sports. Same deal for every other SEC school that isn’t an elite. That still doesn’t mean we should just scrap any plans that will help improve atmosphere, attendance, and the product on the field. That’s LT thinking.

 

[kired]

Chairbacks for at least all lower levels, and close in the south end with something. Whether it's normal seating or premium, I don't care. But put something there to close it in. Surely we could make the capacity pretty much equal out what we lose with chairbacks vs. what we gain with the south endzone.

 

[Drebin]

The fact is that we just dumped $2.5 million into a project on the West Side upper deck that has, at best, a 10-year payback period (and more likely a 12-15 year payback period). Maybe that’s not so important for only a $2.5 million project, but its still a horrible cost / benefit.

Overall, cost / benefit is nice, but the money we rake in from SEC Network, etc. will be spent one way or another each year. That’s how you have dumb **** like $80 million for a practice facility at UGA. What’s the cost / benefit from building that?

We’re going to lose money in the short term (and sometimes the long term) on just about any major construction of renovation project that we pursue even for football, and that goes double for all the other sports. Same deal for every other SEC school that isn’t an elite. That still doesn’t mean we should just scrap any plans that will help improve atmosphere, attendance, and the product on the field. That’s LT thinking.

Lose money, yes. But they're paid for. At least we don't have to mortgage our future by taking out loans/bonds to build things. It's great to be in the SEC.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

If you do it right, it all has to go

 

[horshack.sixpack]

They will incorporate the M-Club, hopefully in a way that looks good. Being able to start from scratch with everything around it should help.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I wish they would just chair back the entire stadium.

I think they should upgrade/chair back/whatever to work on upgrading or improving the lower levels. After that then focus on the upper levels before they do anything major on the South end. I know I live too far away to attend the games so I kinda don't have a dog in the fight but you can tell if the basic parts of the stadium are well built and people are enjoying being there to watch because usually those sections will be filled.

That's the biggest aspect that will improve the "look" of DWS in person or on television. They need to focus on keeping the basic and larger areas in the stadium filled every game and that will help fund whatever they want to do with the South end. Focus on the core and try to give the fans something other than aluminum benches and they will enjoy their experience and will invest in those season tickets.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Because they are most likely moving to more premium seating in a lot more of the stadium. Seats that don't cramp you to sit in if you are over 3' tall.

 

[Cooterpoot]

I wish they would just chair back the entire stadium.

They will after all the other projects.

 

[Dawgg]

They will incorporate the M-Club, hopefully in a way that looks good. Being able to start from scratch with everything around it should help.

It's funny. I feel like at this point, that building is just white noise behind the big screen. I don't even think about that it has some sort of functional use.

 

[philduckworth]

We will struggle to ever have a capacity crowd again. So why do we need a bowl with more seats that would be empty?

I don't think anyone wants more seats. Most just don't want our stadium to look like a high school field b/c of the South End zone. And any sort of project that doesn't include demolishing the M-Club is not a good plan. If we chairback the lower half with cup holders and more room and add premium seating to the south end zone, it will enhance the fan experience, make our stadium look legit, and wouldn't add any seats.

 

[AROB44]

I don't think anyone wants more seats. Most just don't want our stadium to look like a high school field b/c of the South End zone. And any sort of project that doesn't include demolishing the M-Club is not a good plan. If we chairback the lower half with cup holders and more room and add premium seating to the south end zone, it will enhance the fan experience, make our stadium look legit, and wouldn't add any seats.

If anyone thinks our stadium looks like a high school stadium, please tell me where these high schools are? I've never seen them, and I have seen some impressive high school stadiums in Texas.

 

[johnson86-1]

Lose money, yes. But they're paid for. At least we don't have to mortgage our future by taking out loans/bonds to build things. It's great to be in the SEC.

How much does it cost to chairback? Do we have any lower level season tickets available? To me, you definitely want to chairback until you have a completely sold out lower level with season tickets. I would think you'd easily get enough of a premium to pay fo rthe chairback, and you don't lose anything but the game to game sale of some tickets. I'd love to chairback beyond that point, but if you start pushing people out of the lower level and offer them upper deck tickets, they may just drop their season tickets and be pretty pissed off.

 

[615 Guy]

Expansion isn't needed, I'd use the term upgrade. Boone Pickens looks great and is not "bowled-in". As many posters have already mentioned, we should chair-back the entire stadium and focus on premium options which should include a new and larger facility in the south EZ similar to Boone Pickens. I'd prefer to have the nicest stadium in the country over being bowled-in.

 

[Bullldawg78]

I've seen the renderings as of 3 months ago it was going to be closed in no higher than MClub and mostly loge seating and a bunker area similar to the opposite side. But plans change.

 

[aTotal360]

Turn the M Club into a casino.

 

[Go Budaw]

Lose money, yes. But they're paid for. At least we don't have to mortgage our future by taking out loans/bonds to build things. It's great to be in the SEC.

I highly doubt that things like UGA’s practice facility are 100% paid for. I know for sure that our $80 million baseball stadium still isn’t paid for.

Everybody in this league puts **** on the credit card. The skyrocketing TV revenues make all of us very credit-worthy….which to your point makes it great to be in the SEC. But just about every possible venture we could make to improve atmosphere, fan experience, or attendance are going to be money losers from a crude balance sheet perspective….outside of the very long term. That still doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do them….because there are so many positive benefits (financial and otherwise) that don’t show up on a spreadsheet. And we have to spend the money somewhere, regardless.

 

[Drebin]

I highly doubt that things like UGA’s practice facility are 100% paid for. I know for sure that our $80 million baseball stadium still isn’t paid for.

Everybody in this league puts **** on the credit card. The skyrocketing TV revenues make all of us very credit-worthy….which to your point makes it great to be in the SEC. But just about every possible venture we could make to improve atmosphere, fan experience, or attendance are going to be money losers from a crude balance sheet perspective….outside of the very long term. That still doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do them….because there are so many positive benefits (financial and otherwise) that don’t show up on a spreadsheet. And we have to spend the money somewhere, regardless.

My point was this....if someone like Memphis wanted a new football stadium, it would become a political football (no pun intended) with debates on allocating state and local tax dollars to finance it with escalation clauses and minimum attendance requirements. We aren't in a situation like that.

 

[philduckworth]

If anyone thinks our stadium looks like a high school stadium, please tell me where these high schools are? I've never seen them, and I have seen some impressive high school stadiums in Texas.

not having seats in the endzone is high schoolish. the view of the south endzone is high schoolish. did i really need to clarify this? I guess so.

 

[philduckworth]

I've seen the renderings as of 3 months ago it was going to be closed in no higher than MClub and mostly loge seating and a bunker area similar to the opposite side. But plans change.

i've read that Cohen wants to keep the M-Club so that's already disappointing.

 

[Go Budaw]

My point was this....if someone like Memphis wanted a new football stadium, it would become a political football (no pun intended) with debates on allocating state and local tax dollars to finance it with escalation clauses and minimum attendance requirements. We aren't in a situation like that.

That’s all certainly true.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

Honestly of things to want different, the looks of the M Club don’t bother me. I’m also an engineer with very little culture or taste…

 

[Dawgg]

Turn the M Club into a casino.

Have a Native American tribe claim the burial ground beneath the M Club is sacred Native land and bring about a lawsuit against the school to annex the M Club (and only that), then build a casino right into the stadium. Brilliant.

Not only would it make the stadium a destination again, it might also improve our chances of not blowing it we return the burial ground to the Natives.

 

[Maroonthirteen]

My point was this....if someone like Memphis wanted a new football stadium, it would become a political football (no pun intended) with debates on allocating state and local tax dollars to finance it with escalation clauses and minimum attendance requirements. We aren't in a situation like that.

some of you guys closer to the AD will have to explain what is the deal with money.

State has a bigger athletic budget than Oregon St, Texas Tech, Vandy, and Memphis. Every one of the schools have plans to do $150-300 million dollar renovations or additions to their football stadium in the next few years. Yet Mississippi state is over here doing $30 million renovations. It's frustrating.

 

[onewoof]

Look at this photo and tell me it doesn't seem out of place...

View attachment 25023

 

[Drebin]

some of you guys closer to the AD will have to explain what is the deal with money.

State has a bigger athletic budget than Oregon St, Texas Tech, Vandy, and Memphis. Every one of the schools have plans to do $150-300 million dollar renovations or additions to their football stadium in the next few years. Yet Mississippi state is over here doing $30 million renovations. It's frustrating.

Well, we have more than one project going at the same time, and most of them are fairly significant in scope. I don't have any complaints about how much we're spending today, given that we just finished the baseball stadium, we're elbow deep in the hump renovation, and we're working on football things. We've also made fairly significant investments in soccer, tennis, and softball.

 

[patdog]

It kind of does. But looking at that photo the first thing that glares out to me is had badly we need to update the lower-level seating on both the east and west sides.