5000 FSLs provide a small minute amount of the $$ needed to do this but it provides a HUGE look at the real potential for attendance and support.
I think that you make a good point, but I believe with the Green/Gold seating tier program they will now raise $10 million. This is a good start.
[QUOTE=LeftyNiner;409455]Money would have to be invested by the city/county and most likely a portion by the University to improve it. I know there was concern with spending money and only using it for a few years and ALSO with taking it off-campus when student fees will be used to cover the 3-5 million to run the program.
[/QUOTE]
I would shocked if the city/county would do any better than possibly matching what the University contributed. Would much rather see the money go towards a temporary solution on campus, even if the start of the team would have to be delayed.
Cleaning up the mess that is Memorial Stadium would be a waste of money that the AD is already struggling to get.
Memorial stadium was definitely an option and talked about by the Chancellor. They toured it, talked to public officials, pursued it. Money would have to be invested by the city/county and most likely a portion by the University to improve it. I know there was concern with spending money and only using it for a few years and ALSO with taking it off-campus when student fees will be used to cover the 3-5 million to run the program.Plan B (the current plan) is upfitting the existing Track and Field/soccer complex and building a more basic fieldhouse/training and practice facility to just get started. Thatâs where the 5 million from individuals through FSLâs comes into play.
I do remember the chancellor mentioning that Memorial Stadium was looked at. But I guess I just didnât accept the answer of it being a serious option. Does âlooked atâ mean looking at ways to make it work? Or looking for ways to not make it work.
[QUOTE=Normmm;409475]I do remember the chancellor mentioning that Memorial Stadium was looked at. But I guess I just didnât accept the answer of it being a serious option. Does âlooked atâ mean looking at ways to make it work? Or looking for ways to not make it work.[/QUOTE]
To see what it would take to make it work. It was definitely headed in that direction and I think the Chancellor liked the idea. But the decision was made to do it on campus because didnât want to waste money on Memorial and wanted to keep it on campus.
This is just a guess, but I canât see the county spending anything on Memorial Stadium right now unless there was Federal Stimulus money for it. Nobody is going to vote for that when they are laying off teachers. In a couple of years everything may be different.
In my opinion the FSL target quota is not a deal breaker from a $$ standpoint as it is from a "show of support" standpoint.5000 FSLs provide a small minute amount of the $$ needed to do this but it provides a HUGE look at the real potential for attendance and support.
Remember, attendance will generate additional $$ (parking, concessions, etc) PLUS certain attendance figures are required by the NCAA to make the jump to Div 1 (which is the ultimate goal as stated by the committee).
SoâŚthe FSLs arenât needed as much for $$ as it is to prove there will be enough support to make it work and get us to Div. 1.
In my opinion.
I do get that about showing a commitment level. But as has been brought up a lot, one of the main reasons for getting football is to hypothetically increase school morale, donations, etc. However, with the 5,000 target, we canât get football because we donât have enough support and donations. The whole chicken/egg scenario.
As for getting to Div 1, so if we get to say 4,500, does that mean the football initiative will stop? We have to start at FCS regardless. So if we get 2,000 or 8,000 FSLs, we still have to start at FCS. But if the 5,000 is a gauge as to whether we can reach FBS, and if we donât reach the 5,000 we stop the initiative, then we definitely wonât reach FBS.
To see what it would take to make it work. It was definitely headed in that direction and I think the Chancellor liked the idea. But the decision was made to do it on campus because didn't want to waste money on Memorial and wanted to keep it on campus.
So instead waste money by building a temporary stadium on campus that will cost more than Memorial would have?
I hope not, but it could be 20 years or more before we ever move to FBS. Would you rather spend 20 years playing on campus or at Memorial?
[QUOTE=Normmm;409492]So instead waste money by building a temporary stadium on campus that will cost more than Memorial would have?[/QUOTE]
We canât afford to drop $10 million on Memorial Stadium upgrades for the NCAA to allow us to play there just to turn around and hand that investment over to the city for free. The city doesnât want to invest anything in the stadium and will own anything we do to it at the end of the day. We arenât staying there long enough to justify that kind of a give away. If the city wanted to kick in half Iâd listen but otherwise we should play at Belk Track and you all know how I hate that idea.
[QUOTE=metro;409255]âŚthey need a RENDERING to offer what you are actually buying - they should carbon copy what Akron did[/QUOTE]
Pretty insteresting dated (2007) article on the design of the Akron stadium. Article Highlights:
I know a rendering will go along way and I cannot wait to see one, but someone has to be compensated for the rendering. I know it will not be $2 million, but will be some significant amount for what little money we currently have available.
Does anybody know who was awarded the contract for the stadium design that was floating around on here during the February/March time frame? Should that not be public knowlegde?
[QUOTE=bigb62084;409498]http://media.www.buchtelite.com/media/storage/paper1203/news/2007/07/17/News/New-Stadium.Design.A.KnockOut-2924463.shtml
Does anybody know who was awarded the contract for the stadium design that was floating around on here during the February/March time frame? Should that not be public knowlegde?[/QUOTE]
No one. The contract has yet to be awarded. Which is one of the reasons we have no stadium rendering.
In my opinion the FSL target quota is not a deal breaker from a $$ standpoint as it is from a "show of support" standpoint.5000 FSLs provide a small minute amount of the $$ needed to do this but it provides a HUGE look at the real potential for attendance and support.
Remember, attendance will generate additional $$ (parking, concessions, etc) PLUS certain attendance figures are required by the NCAA to make the jump to Div 1 (which is the ultimate goal as stated by the committee).
SoâŚthe FSLs arenât needed as much for $$ as it is to prove there will be enough support to make it work and get us to Div. 1.
In my opinion.
DOBA-----you beat me to it!
[QUOTE=Normmm;409490]
As for getting to Div 1, so if we get to say 4,500, does that mean the football initiative will stop? We have to start at FCS regardless. So if we get 2,000 or 8,000 FSLs, we still have to start at FCS. But if the 5,000 is a gauge as to whether we can reach FBS, and if we donât reach the 5,000 we stop the initiative, then we definitely wonât reach FBS.[/QUOTE]
I thought the whole âFBS or bustâ idea was wrong to start with, especially with an apathetic alumni base. I agree that we will need to be FBS someday (7,10,20, 30 years away), but we should not set any kind of timeframe. Doing that up front may scrap this whole thing. The money needed for FCS, now and later, is nowhere near the level needed for FBS. Iâm not saying that we should have set expectations low, but they sould have been set realistic, and given the current economic climate it is really setting in that this is going to be an even greater uphill climb. I donât know what kind of punter we have on staff, but I hope we have a good one and that we donât turn this thing over on downs or throw a pick six trying for a touchdown.
Yes! Letâs play FCS football indefinately! The Arena Football of college athletics! Our very own WNBA equivalent!
Guess I was the only one who read the committee report that showed Longterm FCS football would be a financial DRAIN and only FBS would work for our programâs conditions?
We could have sold 10000 FSLâs to the public by now with a published FBS commitment and timeline. But no, letâs dedicate our program to half-a55ness forever. Then we can join the 2000 other folks who would ever show up for a game not involving App St.
Charlotte is a notorious front-runner city. Even as FCS Champions we would never be a front-runner in this city as FCS.
Commit to Success People!
Diehards get exciting their program no matter what. Look at the majority of us on the board with recuriting. The average fan will not get excited until there is something tangible (i.e a coach, a stadium, or even a 100% yes we are going in this direction). We have nothing tangible. Chapel Hill Phil has been so vague about the details of the program itâs hard to find something to believe. I think thats why the majority of those pledges have backed out or are waiting.
[QUOTE=Normmm;409492]So instead waste money by building a temporary stadium on campus that will cost more than Memorial would have?[/QUOTE]
Itâs on campus and as someone else said, we could be there a while. I would think the new on-campus stadium would be built when the date is set for the move to the FBS. So itâs likely 10-15 years of FCS with App, Western, Elon, UMASS, Richmond before new stadium and FBS.
It's on campus and as someone else said, we could be there a while. I would think the new on-campus stadium would be built when the date is set for the move to the FBS. [B]So it's likely 10-15 years of FCS with App, Western, Elon, UMASS, Richmond before new stadium and FBS[/B].
I hope like hell youâre wrong about this!
I thought the whole "FBS or bust" idea was wrong to start with, especially with an apathetic alumni base. I agree that we will need to be FBS someday (7,10,20, 30 years away), but we should not set any kind of timeframe. Doing that up front may scrap this whole thing. The money needed for FCS, now and later, is nowhere near the level needed for FBS. I'm not saying that we should have set expectations low, but they sould have been set realistic, and given the current economic climate it is really setting in that this is going to be an even greater uphill climb. I don't know what kind of punter we have on staff, but I hope we have a good one and that we don't turn this thing over on downs or throw a pick six trying for a touchdown.
If this is the case, then we might as well quit now, because the SINGLE BIGGEST (not the only) reason for doing football according to our Administration is to âprotectâ our other sports (ie; make sure menâs basketball is eventually in a power conferenceâall of these are football driven) where we can be one of the âdecision-makersâ, not someone who just has to deal with decisions of other schools/leagues. FCS will do NOTHING to help put us into this position.
I hope yall get football. I will go to your games. I may even buy season tickets. But I aint buying no SFL.
I thought we were looking at the 5-year-minimum on 1-AA, unless we absolutely had to stay longer.
Maybe we could reach out through sports stars to get excitement going. Everyone likes Mint & Ruck. Do a Promo with them.
Kelly Earnhardt Elledge is a Niner Alum. She is Bus. Mgr. for her Brother, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Her step-mom owns DEI & the Kannapolis Intimidators. I know Kelley & her Step-Mom might not be on the best of terms, but they are family. If someone in the AD reached out to Kelley, they could maybe get Dale, Jr. to do a promo at the Whiskey River for Niner Football. If the Kannapolis Intimidators & Niner Baseball played a double-header 1 or 2 times a year in Kannapolis, it would be good for attention for Niner Football & all Niner Sports.
Matt Hardy of the WWE went here for a year before leaving for wrestling. Him & his brother Jeff, are superstars. Get them involved by reaching out to them. There also friends with Shane Gregory (Hurricane) Helms.
Also R. Truth the wrestler & Ray Durham the MLB star went to Harding High together, but didnât go to college. Why wouldnât the major school in town reach out to pro-stars from this town?
And everyone knows Ric Flair has bragged about living in Charlotte for 3 decades. Reach out to him.
Hell reach out to the damn Mayor.
Every big name will bring in more people wanting to be a part of the FSL Party! And I donât even have a Marketing Degree. Ta-Da! Problem solved!