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If they build it we will very likely play football there, at least until we can build an OCS. It will back burner the OCS a bit, no question, but help us grow.

That said, we should tell the city no dice unless they commit to our being the priority tenant. This crap of forcing us to schedule around whatever other event they book when we are the anchor tenant is a bunch of nonsense, and we should not stand for it.

We *should* tell them that, but we won't. If it means getting out of Legion Field we will do anything for it. I would hope that we could have roughly six Saturdays to ourselves there, without scheduling problems.

(06-12-2014 04:18 PM)TPBlaze84 Wrote:  We *should* tell them that, but we won't. If it means getting out of Legion Field we will do anything for it. I would hope that we could have roughly six Saturdays to ourselves there, without scheduling problems.

Actually, the last time the dome came up, UAB told the city exactly that.

The city wouldn't guarantee it, and that's why it didn't get UAB on board.

Mackin does not have many bargaining chips, but this is one he can and should play.

My mistake, I didn't know that had occurred. City officials would be wise to cater to allowing us to play there when we wanted, I think at first it might be more of an effort than they expect to attract events to the facility if it is built.

It's not a question of "when we want". It's that when the conference announces the schedule, our dates should take priority over whatever concert or tractor pull they've got lined up.

Why would you build something that only seats 45-55k? Makes no sense in my opinion.

At least the NCAA tournament will come back if this gets built!

(06-12-2014 05:37 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  Why would you build something that only seats 45-55k? Makes no sense in my opinion.

That's about the max crowd size for events that will be there. The ASU/AAM will be moving to their campus & other SWAC type events have moved to other locations from LF so there's not a need for the 70k+ be it tailgating room or crowd room in stadium. While the bowl game has drawn well I think it will downsize due to conference matchups in the future

I'll also say that if it gets built we won't ever get a OCS from the BOT as they'll again say why should we spend $ to build an OCS when the city just built a new facility that we can use. If we want an OCS, we're going to have to get it built before the city builds this & the outlook to build the dome needs to be that it'll never be built. As long as this Dome has an legs, the BOT will always say we need to go that path rather than an OCS.

(06-12-2014 05:44 PM)blazerwkr Wrote:  I'll also say that if it gets built we won't ever get a OCS from the BOT as they'll again say why should we spend $ to build an OCS when the city just built a new facility that we can use. If we want an OCS, we're going to have to get it built before the city builds this & the outlook to build the dome needs to be that it'll never be built. As long as this Dome has an legs, the BOT will always say we need to go that path rather than an OCS.

Truer words have never been spoken.

As long as this is a possibility, the UAB football stadium will not be built. If the dome is built, a UAB football stadium will never be built.

Playing in a 55,000 seat dome will suck just as much as Legion Field. Except maybe the hotdogs will be better.

Frankly, that's one of the reasons I don't want a dome.

I want my OCS, dammit.

I wonder if Bell is just pumping sunshine, or if there really is some way they can pull this off? A couple of posters above are correct. If this dome is built, the chances of UAB ever getting an OCS probably drop to about 10% or less.

(06-12-2014 06:58 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  I wonder if Bell is just pumping sunshine, or if there really is some way they can pull this off? A couple of posters above are correct. If this dome is built, the chances of UAB ever getting an OCS probably drop to about 10% or less.

I would say right now they're not much higher than 10%. A dome absolutely and completely kills it.

NOTHING will sucks as bad as playing at Legion Field. Build the dome.

(06-12-2014 05:15 PM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  It's not a question of "when we want". It's that when the conference announces the schedule, our dates should take priority over whatever concert or tractor pull they've got lined up.

Maybe we can strike a compromise. Give UAB 1 priority date override (tractor pulls we can cancel) for every 10,000 fans we average the previous season; and once we average 35,000 we have priority for all home games. If UAB doesn't turn it around then our football program could injure Birmingham by canceling a money-making event for a game attended by 6,000 people.

(06-12-2014 07:21 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(06-12-2014 06:58 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  I wonder if Bell is just pumping sunshine, or if there really is some way they can pull this off? A couple of posters above are correct. If this dome is built, the chances of UAB ever getting an OCS probably drop to about 10% or less.

I would say right now they're not much higher than 10%. A dome absolutely and completely kills it.

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_r...e/2013.pdf
We had the 2nd lowest average attendance in college football last year at 10,548 (EMU: 4,051). Winning is great and will help but we need a shot in the arm and the Dome will dig us out of a hole that Lesion Field has helps keep us in. We stay at Legion Field much longer and we'll be playing football games on West Campus field and have room to spare on the bleachers. The dome will be unique and attract kids to playing for UAB.

And UAB needs to sell another reason for an OCS. Start with a 10,000 seat stand on one side of west campus field that doubles as an outdoor theater for the performance arts. With some improving of the arts department I'm sure we could convince some donors to give to that. Build around that over time... Eventually it looks a lot like a 35,000 seat football stadium.

Built it. I am 100% for it. That is all. Goodnight Irene.

(06-12-2014 06:58 PM)Bham Blazer Wrote:  I wonder if Bell is just pumping sunshine, or if there really is some way they can pull this off? A couple of posters above are correct. If this dome is built, the chances of UAB ever getting an OCS probably drop to about 10% or less.

If Bell can get some big corporate money into play, then getting some state money seems a lot more likely. I would much prefer the OCS, but Legion Field (and losing so much) is sucking the life out of UAB football.

If it gets built, and we don't have an OCS, we're pretty much going to have to play there.

(06-12-2014 08:11 PM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  Built it. I am 100% for it. That is all. Goodnight Irene.

Well I guess that settles it, no one else matters, Attalla wants it built so we're building it.

You said it I didn't. If that's the way you feel. Lol