This is 3 months old, but I did a search and didn't find anything about it. They want to buy Richmond's old stadium. My guess is they're looking at ODU's early success and think it can work at VCU.

http://www.nbc12.com/story/14219581/vcu-...f-football

No new changes, but they have added club football for 2011.

http://clubfootballatvcu.com/schedule.html

So how long until someone starts an "All Things VCU" thread and a "VCU is Gaining Speed" thread on this board?

Vcu would be a force in football. Can wait to beat them on the field as well as the court.

Seems like every 5-10 years I hear some news about VCU doing a football feasibillity study and always wondered why they kept putting it off. Even when the University of Richmond was playing in City Stadium, they could have worked it out so they each had 6-7 home games. And the CAA could certainly use another football school with all that's going on with that conference.

The only thing I'm not sure about is that Virginia needs a 10th division 1 football school.

VT
UVA
ODU
JMU
UR
W&M
Liberty
VMI
Hampton
and now VCU ?

The Richmond area already has UR, in div. 1 and Virginia State and Virginina Union at the II level but maybe now that City stadium has become available it makes more sense.


:ugaexams:

Makes sense. According to Wikipedia they have 32,000 students. I'm actually surprised a school that large doesn't already have a football program at some level.

College sports can be a great way for schools to get their name better known beyond their local region and it can increase and improve the quality of students applying. For example how many people would know about Gonzaga without their hoops program? I also know that having a good football and basketball program has helped increased the number of people applying to Mizzou and because of that they have been able to increase enrollment well being more selective. I bet VCU has seen some of that already with the success of their hoops program.

(06-09-2011 02:52 AM)STLfan Wrote:  Makes sense. According to Wikipedia they have 32,000 students. I'm actually surprised a school that large doesn't already have a football program at some level.

College sports can be a great way for schools to get their name better known beyond their local region and it can increase and improve the quality of students applying. For example how many people would know about Gonzaga without their hoops program? I also know that having a good football and basketball program has helped increased the number of people applying to Mizzou and because of that they have been able to increase enrollment well being more selective. I bet VCU has seen some of that already with the success of their hoops program.

Your right. The final four appearance probably has increased donations and now their talking about buying the stadium. Which was never considered before. Whenever they considered football before it was just to play in the stadium.

I've got a pretty good feeling VCU is going to have a division 1 football program. It will be interesting to see how well they do. Central Virginia high school football is starting to produce a lot of div. 1 talent in recent years. They could really tap into it.

Don't forget Norfolk State. That would make VCU the 11th school playing Division 1 football in VA. Virginia high school football has improved significantly over the past 20 years to the point where the state can sustain that many programs.

I wonder if George Mason ever considers adding football. They have a huge student body and they're in a large metro area. Stadium issues may be insurmountable though.

And if William and Mary were to move up again?

There would be a lot of teams in D1 and some great high school players would have to support them all.

I pray VCU buys City Stadium. I live by Byrd park and right now there are developers pulling shady deals to acquire that property and turn it in to a multi use facility (like a miny version of Short Pump- shops, temp housing, parking deck). I didnt think there would be enough land for that, but that is the word on the street from the neighborhood association.

VCU has been trying to buy that not even in hopes of a football team but just to acquire the land. They could move intramurals out there, or field some athletics out there such as soccer, or build another version of the Cary St gym out there.

But a multi use faciltity would be a nightmare for that particular area. and it would drive alot of peoples home values down.

(06-09-2011 06:13 AM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  Don't forget Norfolk State. That would make VCU the 11th school playing Division 1 football in VA. Virginia high school football has improved significantly over the past 20 years to the point where the state can sustain that many programs.

I wonder if George Mason ever considers adding football. They have a huge student body and they're in a large metro area. Stadium issues may be insurmountable though.

Mason has started a club football team and it has been popular on campus as well as the school has done recent studies about adding a team.

My sources are telling me that VCU is "gaining speed," whatever that means?

I dont understand the mindset of everyone starting football...arent I-AA programs losing money?? Aren't low level FBS schools struggling and losing money??

I have to wonder why there arent more schools cutting football. Seems like football has just become so popular that all the alums and students want it at all costs.

(06-09-2011 12:03 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I have to wonder why there arent more schools cutting football. Seems like football has just become so popular that all the alums and students want it at all costs.

Because the benefits to the university as a whole outweigh the costs. More interest from alumni means more donations to the school in general, not just for athletics. It also boosts admissions applications and the "prestige" of the university even if those shouldn't be directly related.

Here's a fun fact: most FBS football programs actually make money, but most FBS athletic departments lose money. The problem isn't football, it's the other sports that bleed cash and need to be paid for.

(06-09-2011 12:03 PM)HP-TBDPITL Wrote:  I dont understand the mindset of everyone starting football...arent I-AA programs losing money?? Aren't low level FBS schools struggling and losing money??

I have to wonder why there arent more schools cutting football. Seems like football has just become so popular that all the alums and students want it at all costs.

Because football and by extension athletic programs are and advertising arm of the university, They are a cost center. We started football last year and got 12,000 admission applications for 3000 spots in Fall 2010, For Fall 2011 we had 12,000 before April. This is also why schools in GA like Kennesaw State, Reinhardt and Mercer are starting programs. In the South its really a no brainer, even at the NAIA level.

(06-09-2011 10:25 AM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  My sources are telling me that VCU is "gaining speed," whatever that means?

The FBI is probably building an amphetamine storage warehouse on the VCU campus, dude...

Im suprised that there are not more basketball programs dropping out considering BBALL is losing money and football is making money...Football is saving alot of basketball programs...Unless you are Duke.