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+---- Thread: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 (/thread-710296.html)
Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Kittonhead - 10-30-2014 05:19 PM
Quote:DEKALB — Northern Illinois has announced a $138 million, privately funded plan to add three new athletic facilities, upgrade amenities in others and increase capacity at football’s Huskie Stadium to as many as 42,000 seats.
The completion timeframe is open-ended for a proposal that calls for a mix of private and corporate donations and income generated from amenities and specialized seating.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-niu-athletic-facilities-upgrade-20141030-story.html
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Kittonhead - 10-30-2014 05:22 PM
The NIU AD said in the interview that they have 200,000 alumni in the Chicago area and they are demanding a better football stadium.
Also the non-conference scheduling has been aggressive to bring attractive opponents to help field that increased seating capacity.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - C2__ - 10-30-2014 05:40 PM
They are a sleeping giant, with easy access to Chicago and no true in-state power to contend with (granted NU is basically in Chicago and UI is the state flagship, if not really good most years).
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - DexterDevil - 10-30-2014 05:42 PM
Didn't they just have 11.7k at their last home game?
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Groo - 10-30-2014 05:43 PM
I look for them to lead the way for the MAC for decades to come.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - domer1978 - 10-30-2014 05:58 PM
ND does okay in Chicago..
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - goofus - 10-30-2014 06:10 PM
I have been suggesting something similar but that they should build a 60k multi-purpose dome stadium east of Dekalb close to the western suburbs. In addition to NIU games, they could host some major events like the BigTen CCG and maybe even get an NFL team.
But building a 40k stadium for NIU games only? Where are the 40k fans going to come from if they are only averaging 15-20k now?
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - ken d - 10-30-2014 06:44 PM
(10-30-2014 06:10 PM)goofus Wrote: I have been suggesting something similar but that they should build a 60k multi-purpose dome stadium east of Dekalb close to the western suburbs. In addition to NIU games, they could host some major events like the BigTen CCG and maybe even get an NFL team.
But building a 40k stadium for NIU games only? Where are the 40k fans going to come from if they are only averaging 15-20k now?
Maybe they can borrow some from Northern Iowa.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Captain Bearcat - 10-30-2014 10:51 PM
"The comprehensive plan comes with a $138 million price tag that would come largely from private and corporate donations according to athletic director Sean T. Frazier, though he declined to reveal if any of the money already has been raised."
In other words, this is a pipe dream. They hope to find funding for it. But how is a university with an endowment of $58 million going to fund a $138 million football stadium expansion?
If they had the support of their alumni, they'd have a much larger endowment. If they had deep support for their football team, they wouldn't have removed 3,000 seats from the football stadium in 2002, and another 4,000 in 2006 (dropping them to a shade under 24,000).
To wit - TCU and Cincinnati both have endowments 20 times the size of NIU's. Both were close to selling out their existing stadiums. Both were at the peak of their football performance when their stadium was announced and were hoping for invites to a P5 conference. And yet both of their stadium expansions cost less than NIU's proposed expansion.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Kittonhead - 10-30-2014 11:12 PM
(10-30-2014 10:51 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote: "The comprehensive plan comes with a $138 million price tag that would come largely from private and corporate donations according to athletic director Sean T. Frazier, though he declined to reveal if any of the money already has been raised."
In other words, this is a pipe dream. They hope to find funding for it. But how is a university with an endowment of $58 million going to fund a $138 million football stadium expansion?
If they had the support of their alumni, they'd have a much larger endowment. If they had deep support for their football team, they wouldn't have removed 3,000 seats from the football stadium in 2002, and another 4,000 in 2006 (dropping them to a shade under 24,000).
To wit - TCU and Cincinnati both have endowments 20 times the size of NIU's. Both were close to selling out their existing stadiums. Both were at the peak of their football performance when their stadium was announced and were hoping for invites to a P5 conference. And yet both of their stadium expansions cost less than NIU's proposed expansion.
-$138 million is for the entire athletic facility plan, not just the stadium.
-This is the master plan. Nothing was said about a timeline to get any of this done but having a master plan may help attract donors.
-NIU removed cheap bleacher seats in the endzone as they put up the football facilities. It was about making the stadium look better over reducing capacity as the goal.
-NIU was selling out at 28,000 back in 2003 before the seat reductions so the prospects are there to handle more with the way they are scheduling up in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Kittonhead - 10-31-2014 12:21 AM
A couple of more pictures......new endzone seating will hold 6,500. The stadium is currently 23,500 so with the bowl it should be 30,000. Club area another 2,000 seats on top of that. 35,000 might be SRO capacity. 42,000 is with a second deck to the bowl.
![[Image: J7zuvpH.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/J7zuvpH.jpg)
![[Image: pm0b5J1.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/pm0b5J1.jpg)
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - arkstfan - 10-31-2014 12:24 AM
(10-30-2014 10:51 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote: "The comprehensive plan comes with a $138 million price tag that would come largely from private and corporate donations according to athletic director Sean T. Frazier, though he declined to reveal if any of the money already has been raised."
In other words, this is a pipe dream. They hope to find funding for it. But how is a university with an endowment of $58 million going to fund a $138 million football stadium expansion?
If they had the support of their alumni, they'd have a much larger endowment. If they had deep support for their football team, they wouldn't have removed 3,000 seats from the football stadium in 2002, and another 4,000 in 2006 (dropping them to a shade under 24,000).
To wit - TCU and Cincinnati both have endowments 20 times the size of NIU's. Both were close to selling out their existing stadiums. Both were at the peak of their football performance when their stadium was announced and were hoping for invites to a P5 conference. And yet both of their stadium expansions cost less than NIU's proposed expansion.
Endowments aren't the be all end all measure of alumni support.
AState has around $41 million. For most of our history the school was very small. Our Alumni Center has 20,000 square feet and annually hosts the 50th year alumni receptions. I was on the Alumni Board and one concern was that when it opened in 2005 that we would only be able to have the 50th reception there for about 10-15 years because enrollment exploded in the late 60's.
Another issue we had was the old state higher ed funding formula. When I was a student in the mid-80's we were growing faster than anyone in the state and the funding formula paid based on four-year average enrollment, because of that we received less per student than anyone else and the emphasis on fund-raising for many years wasn't endowment but meeting immediate needs.
When you start your endowment is a huge factor. Take the same starting amount with a 5% return and compare what you have in 30 years vs 50. $1 is only going to be a bit over $4 in 30 years but $11 in 50 years. A few large gifts a long time ago can create a larger endowment than a school that is raising more per year. A school with a billion dollar endowment didn't have a billion put in they received less and invested and managed it to the billion figure.
Endowments are a factor to look at it but a small endowment doesn't mean NIU cannot raise $138 million for a master plan that doesn't seem to be calling for everything to break ground in the next 12 or 24 months. I don't know what they have in mind for their premium seating but AState already has cash for it's premium seating area that will run in the $8 million to $12 million range (hard to sort out because there are some concourse improvements involved) but has seven years of seating commitments signed that will generate around one million a year and those commitments are going to be pledged to pay part of the new operations center. If you build your revenue generating elements first they bring in revenue that reduces your need to raise money.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Kittonhead - 10-31-2014 12:38 AM
FWIW, Football stadium price tag both phases together is only $40 million.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - NoDak - 10-31-2014 01:52 AM
Would the Big12 actually take NIU?
Could NIU be angling for the American?
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - arkstfan - 10-31-2014 07:33 AM
(10-31-2014 01:52 AM)NoDak Wrote: Would the Big12 actually take NIU?
Could NIU be angling for the American?
Or looking to have the ability to recruit better players and extract more money from fans and become dominant in their league.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - TexanMark - 10-31-2014 08:07 AM
(10-31-2014 01:52 AM)NoDak Wrote: Would the Big12 actually take NIU?
Could NIU be angling for the American?
Ding, Ding, Ding!!!
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - Frank the Tank - 10-31-2014 08:22 AM
(10-31-2014 01:52 AM)NoDak Wrote: Would the Big12 actually take NIU?
Could NIU be angling for the American?
I really like NIU personally. They're my favorite G5 team. However, if the Big 12 isn't budging on Cincinnati, BYU, UConn and several other AAC and MWC schools, then I can't see how NIU works. The college sports oxygen in the Chicago market is taken up by the penumbra effect of all of the Big Ten alums living here plus Notre Dame fans.
The American is a little more realistic possibility for NIU.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - perimeterpost - 10-31-2014 09:59 AM
In the past 8 years NIU's football team has won 68 games, the bball team has won 67. Improving the bball program will be just as important to NIU's aspirations as upgrading their facilities.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - chess - 10-31-2014 10:45 AM
(10-30-2014 06:10 PM)goofus Wrote: I have been suggesting something similar but that they should build a 60k multi-purpose dome stadium east of Dekalb close to the western suburbs. In addition to NIU games, they could host some major events like the BigTen CCG and maybe even get an NFL team.
But building a 40k stadium for NIU games only? Where are the 40k fans going to come from if they are only averaging 15-20k now?
NIU's football stadium was reduced in capacity 10 years ago or so. The current stadium is very dated and, because of its size, cannot convince teams to visit in DeKalb. By expanding, NIU is positioning itself to host schools like Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, etc... (schools that have large Chicago alumni bases and are not in the Big Ten.).
NIU missed out on the last round of conference shake-ups and could benefit in the next round.
NIU has the alumni to replicate ECU's attendance. They need to find a way to motivate the masses.
RE: Northern Illinois expanding to 42,000 - chess - 10-31-2014 10:47 AM
(10-31-2014 09:59 AM)perimeterpost Wrote: In the past 8 years NIU's football team has won 68 games, the bball team has won 67. Improving the bball program will be just as important to NIU's aspirations as upgrading their facilities.
NIU, for a couple years, had one of the worst basketball programs of ALL TIME. Last year was an improvement. I look forward to seeing what happens this year.