(03-29-2012 03:16 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  

(03-29-2012 12:49 PM)fauowls561 Wrote:  Anyway, people I've spoken to all say the financing was conservatively done and making the payments are a non-issue. It's a $2 million payment per year over the next 30 years that will be covered by ticket sales, "money" games(2 per season), and leasing out the stadium for other events. It's not the big deal that FIU fans like to claim it to be.

From Ted Hutton, FAU Blogger during the BOT meeting that approved the stadium:

Quote:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Update 5

Some bad news: Looks like FAU is going to have to play three money games (Advanced Training) to make the stadium funding work. That means five home games per year, and just one easy non-con game.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Live from FAU: Stadium financing APPROVED

Was this incorrectly reported fauowls561?

It's not necessarily incorrect, but from the people I have spoken with, they basically need $2 million a year. That money can come from any number of places, but the easiest is by playing money games. Now, since the going rate is now close to $1 million per game (for example, FAU is making $1.8 million this year by playing Georgia and Alabama), the current thinking is that 2 games will be sufficient. Depending on ticket sales, naming rights deal, or an increase in other revenue streams, that could go down to 1 game eventually. To offset the money games, it seems like the current strategy (at least it was under the old AD) is to now schedule a FCS team each year as the home opener and then have a home/home series with a non-AQ team...this year it is Navy. Obviously, what we do going forward will depend on the philosophy of whoever makes up the new administration.

Also, just looking quickly at the future schedules of the remianing CUSA teams, playing 2 (sometimes 3) BCS teams a year seems to be pretty standard. ECU, for example has 4 scheduled for 2016...and doesn't play less then 2 in any future year listed. So why is FAU playing money games so unusual?

ECU plays home and home games. We haven't played anyone strickly at their place only since the 1990's. ECU demands return games at our house, no one and done's, buy outs are 1 million to 1.5 million per game. We schedule for the most part local and regional AQ teams that fans want to see ECU, ie. VT, NCSU, WVU, UNC, USC-e, UVa. We turned down Ok. U in 2009, they wanted either a one and done at their house or at their place in 09 and Greenville in 2015. We said because we'd lose a home game in 09 and only have 5 and we knew they'd never play in Greenville, they buy it out in 2014.

All the current teams we're scheduled to play each home team take their gate, that's it no additional money other than TV money. Only USC-e is their a split for the two game at BOA stadium in Charlotte, each school splits the gate evenly, 50/50. So, no real "money games" for ECU other than ticket sells for our home games. ECUmake around 7 million a year off FB ticket sells before expenses, that doesn't include conssesion, parking, etc. Over all ECU is in the black by 2 million. We're making money right now.

Because FIU has been winning more games lately and that's it.

/thread

(03-29-2012 07:26 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Because FIU has been winning more games lately and that's it.

/thread

...yep.

I posted this a week or two ago in a different thread.

(03-29-2012 07:51 PM)JustAnotherName Wrote:  Some reasons one might consider FIU a better candidate:
1. Larger enrollment (21,000 full-time vs 14,000) and alumni base (most recent figures I can find are > 117,000 alumni in south Florida alone for FIU and only ~83,000 alumni in Florida for FAU)
2. In Miami/Dade County (2.5M residents, but Palm Beach County does have 1.3M residents of their own)
3. Larger athletic budget for the most recent year ($24.6M vs $15.6M)
4. Made bowl games the last 2 years and won the Sun Belt 2 years ago (FAU did this themselves about 5 years ago but have since been fairly poor, had a coaching change and now have fired their AD within the last few days)

* I think facilities for football and basketball are about a wash.

[New: For the 2012 season FAU will have a larger stadium (30,000 to ~25,000 - FIU's official capacity hasn't been released yet but I can't see how it won't increase at least a few thousand with the addition) and a nicer press box. But it's not like FIU couldn't get a similar press box built in the next couple years if a C-USA invite came along.

Both FAU and FIU stadiums are very similar in their construction. Both are prefab aluminum. I'm not talking about them being erector sets (although they both are). I'm talking about the concourses and the steps up/down the aisles to get to your seats are all aluminum. No concrete. This isn't to say either/both stadiums are bad. It's just to say there's not nearly as much different about them as there is alike about them. And as I said, FIU would throw down the money to upgrade its press area if C-USA mandated prior to entrance. A lot of schools have to make their facilities upgrades WHILE moving up. FIU wouldn't set some sort of unheard of precedent.

In basketball FIU actually just added a new lobby and suite area to the arena. So the OP that said FIU doesn't put anything into its facilities is obviously FOS. And although baseball isn't a revenue sport and likely isn't part of conference expansion discussions, even FAU fans readily admit their baseball stadium is terrible and that FIU's is much nicer than theirs. This is just an example of how FIU does spend money on facilities, not a reason why FIU should be chosen over FAU.

I don't see any problem with someone favoring one school over the other. I do think it's pretty ignorant for anyone to say either school is clearly better than the other. FIU being much better at football the past two years has certainly given them a strong leg up it appears - based on media reports - but I personally feel FIU offers a little more in several areas that I consider important.

I don't really consider academics key in these discussions for non-BCS conferences but:

25th-75th percentiles
SAT: FIU = 1060-1210, FAU = 980-1150
ACT: FIU = 24-27, FIU = 21-25

GPA
> 3.75: FIU = 46%, FAU = 22%
< 3.5: FIU = 29%, FAU = 60%

2008 Research (most recent I could quickly find)
FIU = $96M, FAU = $42M]

Some pictures of the arena renovations:

Facade before:


Facade after:

People usually enjoy talking more about "I" than they do "A":lmfao:

Okay I have a serious question for the FIU fan. You said quote "And as I said, FIU would throw down the money to upgrade its press area if C-USA mandated prior to entrance. A lot of schools have to make their facilities upgrades WHILE moving up. FIU wouldn't set some sort of unheard of precedent."

Being realistic conference USA is looking like it going to have to work to even get 1mil per school a year alliance or not. Conference USA right now is a slightly better move for FIU just though I should say that before continuing.

These upgrades you speak of usually happen prior to BIG changes. Like moving from FCS to FBS or Non AQ to AQ. But to make a long question short, if FIU has this money on stand bye for a conference USA invite then why not just do it now?

I see a lot of FIU fans make that weak statement that they will expand when they need to and can go to 40k (something most D1 schools can do) but right now FIU has a small stadium even by Sun Belt standards and is in the biggest or second biggest city.

I get that everyone looks out for their school and thinks the best but even if only 19k people show up in a 30k stadium it still looks mostly full. Our stadium seats 30k and is not even closed so there's no reason for FIU to not have a 30k stadium while they are still in the Sun Belt besides lack of funds.

(04-02-2012 01:51 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Okay I have a serious question for the FIU fan. You said quote "And as I said, FIU would throw down the money to upgrade its press area if C-USA mandated prior to entrance. A lot of schools have to make their facilities upgrades WHILE moving up. FIU wouldn't set some sort of unheard of precedent."

Being realistic conference USA is looking like it going to have to work to even get 1mil per school a year alliance or not. Conference USA right now is a slightly better move for FIU just though I should say that before continuing.

These upgrades you speak of usually happen prior to BIG changes. Like moving from FCS to FBS or Non AQ to AQ. But to make a long question short, if FIU has this money on stand bye for a conference USA invite then why not just do it now?

I see a lot of FIU fans make that weak statement that they will expand when they need to and can go to 40k (something most D1 schools can do) but right now FIU has a small stadium even by Sun Belt standards and is in the biggest or second biggest city.

I get that everyone looks out for their school and thinks the best but even if only 19k people show up in a 30k stadium it still looks mostly full. Our stadium seats 30k and is not even closed so there's no reason for FIU to not have a 30k stadium while they are still in the Sun Belt besides lack of funds.

FIU's current stadium expansion will be completed by the opening of the 2012 season and will increase capacity to approximately 25,000. I think that's sufficient to ensure stadium size isn't an obstacle to an Alliance invitation.

http://fiusm.com/2011/09/08/athletics-an...u-stadium/

I have seen that link before and last time it said "proposed to be about 25,000" not approximately 25,000, so realistically it's probably going to be 24k. FIU doesn't need a big stadium to get in the alliance they have a market, I was just honestly asking why wait to build a 30k stadium if they have the money so they don't have announcers talking about the lack of D1 standards. Alliance or not I want FIU to be the best they can be while they are still in the Sun Belt.

(04-02-2012 06:52 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  I have seen that link before and last time it said "proposed to be about 25,000" not approximately 25,000, so realistically it's probably going to be 24k. FIU doesn't need a big stadium to get in the alliance they have a market, I was just honestly asking why wait to build a 30k stadium if they have the money so they don't have announcers talking about the lack of D1 standards. Alliance or not I want FIU to be the best they can be while they are still in the Sun Belt.

Was just on campus today and let me say there are a bunch of large projects going on there right now. In the NE corner of the campus there is a a six story buidling going up as part of the medical school complex. Just north of the football stadium there is now a large area blocked off to what must be another new building; not to mention that the north side stands of the stadium have now been completely removed.

If/when we start playing higher profile competition on campus and demand dictates 30,000 seats, they will be added. FIU has been in a dynamic growth phase for 3 decades now and resources are being directed toward areas of greatest need and return. It's not a huge deal for us to get from 25,000 to 30,000 to 35,000 plus. However, just like NASCAR tracks at Martinsville or Bristol or whatever you only add additional seating as the fan base demands; no point in investing in extra capacity before its warranted.

(04-02-2012 06:52 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  I have seen that link before and last time it said "proposed to be about 25,000" not approximately 25,000, so realistically it's probably going to be 24k.

About is used in common speech for approximations. So using either about or approximately applies equally...

For example, you have a crowd at a stadium, and the actual attendance figure is 23,489. You could say it was a crowd of about 23K, or the crowd was about 24K. Either way you'd be right. It's a round about, or approximate figure...

Replace the word "about" with "approximately" and it still applies. The meaning isn't changed one iota...

I prefer the FIU Sunblazers.

(04-02-2012 01:43 PM)esayem Wrote:  

I prefer the FIU Sunblazers.

(04-02-2012 01:51 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  These upgrades you speak of usually happen prior to BIG changes. Like moving from FCS to FBS or Non AQ to AQ. But to make a long question short, if FIU has this money on stand bye for a conference USA invite then why not just do it now?

Nobody said FIU has that money just sitting in the bank. They don't. They are building the stadium in phases in order to not BREAK the bank.

If an invite to C-USA would happen than I'm confident FIU would be willing to take on whatever expansion/upgrades needed to be made. Whatever financial burden may happen would be worth it considering the potential gain by moving up conferences.

(04-02-2012 02:31 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

Better or worse than UCF's "Citronaut"?

I think the FIU "SOB" could take the FTU "Citronaut" in a cage match.....

(04-03-2012 11:56 AM)No Bull Wrote:  I think the FIU "SOB" could take the FTU "Citronaut" in a cage match.....

I agree, that SOB looks a lot tougher. I think he caves the Citronaut's face in before the end of the first round.

I was wrong, it doesn't mean you play a 4th money game, it means you pass it on to the students in the form of an increased fee....

FAU wants to hike student fee to help pay for stadium

Quote:FAU wants to up the athletic fee it charges students 5 percent, from $16.45 per credit hour to $17.27.

Why? Well, in the loan agreement for the stadium, there is a stipulation that 5 percent of the student athletic fee collected each fiscal year will now go toward paying off the debt.

So the hike has been proposed to offset that commitment. Details are here.

It was hoped that the stadium would change that, but given the attendance in year one, that does not look like it will happen.

But how much more can you squeeze out of students, who are looking at yet another tuition hike?

(03-29-2012 03:53 PM)FIU Panther Fan Wrote:  There's also this:

Quote:Attendance at the stadium was 17,565 in its first season, which was lower than projections.

FAU AD Fired

So as I mentioned in my post, in year 1 FAU failed to meet its, in your own words, very conservative projections.

So now you have 3 money games AND you aren't meeting your revenue projections from your other sources (i.e. ticket sales and events), does that mean you add a 4th money game?

(03-28-2012 05:48 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  fau has more potential for a local fan base than FIU and FAU has better facilities. FIU has a better tv market

FAU had to fire their AD because for the 4th and 5th games in their brand new $70 Million on-campus stadium last year, less than 4,000 showed up on game day.

(04-18-2012 02:36 PM)KnightLight Wrote:  

(03-28-2012 05:48 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  fau has more potential for a local fan base than FIU and FAU has better facilities. FIU has a better tv market

FAU had to fire their AD because for the 4th and 5th games in their brand new $70 Million on-campus stadium last year, less than 4,000 showed up on game day.

Even though UCF was nowhere near what they are now I think they were still ahead of where both F_U's are currently when you guys joined. Maybe whichever one is invited can catch up quickly, but who knows. I'm not sky high on either one of them. Both have a long way to go.