The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

For me, steep stadiums are a plus. They are louder and just look more impressive.

If feasible, the current site is optimal.

People are trying to visualize 40-50k seats around the current field. You have to realize that the actual football field will not be where it is now. Parking, walking and traffic will be unmanageable at Powhatan

The current site is convenient to Hampton Blvd and the Williamsburg Lawn (prettiest part of campus). Most of the infrastructure is in place. It would be nice just to buy a few of the homes and the road on the west side of the stadium and redo one side at a time during consecutive off seasons. If the current site is redone, then there is no “lame duck” stadium that is not improved for the next 3 or 4 years.

I would love to see how the North End zone seating would be improved. Seems like a lot of wasted space in that end.

I do know that a local contractor has a preliminary plan for how to replace Foreman Field at its current site. The plan would be for it to an everyday facility.

Any office space/classroom space that is forced to relocate because of construction would be incorporated into the new stadium. And it could be done in three years.

I don't see how Powhatan can work if they can't start building the new stadium until the Powhatan apartments have been replaced.

I think we should aim for 27-28K seating with easy expansion to 34-35K max. Even the 27-28K is pushing the limits of parking and traffic congestion. We should always have a waiting list. That's much better than a 3/4 full stadium. If it's hard to get tickets people donate more. As much as we may ***** about donations with the new rules from our esteemed General Assembly that's where funds will have to come from. I don't want to have to double my donation to get a 40K stadium that has little chance to be filled by season tickets. I may be wrong but just think how many (my guess 25% minimum) fans will not up donations and keep season tix if they can't tailgate? No way 40K stadium on the ODU current footprint can give tailgating spots to many more folks than already have them.

A question for anyone who might know....If I'm correct and we can't use State or Student fee dollars for the stadium, do we have to do a bidding process? If we don't they should automatically give the contract to Ballard. His history of building/renovating for ODU is usually under budget and early. If we tell him do FF a section at a time in 9 months....I'd bet on it being don!!

(05-09-2015 02:48 PM)north beach monarch Wrote:  People are trying to visualize 40-50k seats around the current field. You have to realize that the actual football field will not be where it is now. Parking, walking and traffic will be unmanageable at Powhatan

Hadn't thought about the field moving. Where would you see it? Interesting. That could open up all kinds of different looks.

(05-09-2015 05:13 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  I think we should aim for 27-28K seating with easy expansion to 34-35K max. Even the 27-28K is pushing the limits of parking and traffic congestion. We should always have a waiting list. That's much better than a 3/4 full stadium. If it's hard to get tickets people donate more. As much as we may ***** about donations with the new rules from our esteemed General Assembly that's where funds will have to come from. I don't want to have to double my donation to get a 40K stadium that has little chance to be filled by season tickets. I may be wrong but just think how many (my guess 25% minimum) fans will not up donations and keep season tix if they can't tailgate? No way 40K stadium on the ODU current footprint can give tailgating spots to many more folks than already have them.

I tend to agree. I think 30k is a good number. It seems like a lot are anxious to overbuild. Just because you build a 40k stadium doesn't mean you will consistently sell out a 40k stadium full of rabid fans.

(05-09-2015 05:18 PM)Old Dominion Wrote:  

(05-09-2015 02:48 PM)north beach monarch Wrote:  People are trying to visualize 40-50k seats around the current field. You have to realize that the actual football field will not be where it is now. Parking, walking and traffic will be unmanageable at Powhatan

Hadn't thought about the field moving. Where would you see it? Interesting. That could open up all kinds of different looks.

Move it to the east, towards Hampton Blvd. The problem then becomes that the Ainslie Complex is misaligned.

Check out GA Tech ' s stadium. ODU could shoehorn a 55, 000 seat stadium at Foreman field if they wanted to.
The only roadblock is people saying they don't want to.

(05-09-2015 05:18 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  A question for anyone who might know....If I'm correct and we can't use State or Student fee dollars for the stadium, do we have to do a bidding process? If we don't they should automatically give the contract to Ballard. His history of building/renovating for ODU is usually under budget and early. If we tell him do FF a section at a time in 9 months....I'd bet on it being don!!

I actually didn't think the new legislation barred the use of student fee dollars for the stadium. I thought the change was that you had to count those dollars towards the cap whereas now they are exempt. Also, if I am remembering correctly, thought Del. Cox believed ODU's stadium would be grandfathered in because it is a project that has already begun or at least will certainly be well into the advanced planning stage by the time the law is enacted.

(05-09-2015 08:24 PM)monarchoptimist Wrote:  

(05-09-2015 05:18 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  A question for anyone who might know....If I'm correct and we can't use State or Student fee dollars for the stadium, do we have to do a bidding process? If we don't they should automatically give the contract to Ballard. His history of building/renovating for ODU is usually under budget and early. If we tell him do FF a section at a time in 9 months....I'd bet on it being don!!

I actually didn't think the new legislation barred the use of student fee dollars for the stadium. I thought the change was that you had to count those dollars towards the cap whereas now they are exempt. Also, if I am remembering correctly, thought Del. Cox believed ODU's stadium would be grandfathered in because it is a project that has already begun or at least will certainly be well into the advanced planning stage by the time the law is enacted.

Also because it is a project which will ultimately help accomplish the stated goal of lessening ODU AD's dependency on student fees by increasing athletics generated revenue.

(05-09-2015 05:13 PM)Monarch Homselr Wrote:  I think we should aim for 27-28K seating with easy expansion to 34-35K max. Even the 27-28K is pushing the limits of parking and traffic congestion. We should always have a waiting list. That's much better than a 3/4 full stadium. If it's hard to get tickets people donate more. As much as we may ***** about donations with the new rules from our esteemed General Assembly that's where funds will have to come from. I don't want to have to double my donation to get a 40K stadium that has little chance to be filled by season tickets. I may be wrong but just think how many (my guess 25% minimum) fans will not up donations and keep season tix if they can't tailgate? No way 40K stadium on the ODU current footprint can give tailgating spots to many more folks than already have them.

Valid argument, but there is a fine line between making something desirable because you can't get it just yet, and making people think it is hopeless and they give up on getting season tickets. If we foster the latter, then the excitement we've seen for ODU football may start to wane among the general Norfolk population and would be confined to those fans who support the program no matter what. While those fans are the backbone of the program in terms of financial and moral support, we need those causal fans to fill out the spectrum. Casual fans quickly become hard core fans if treated well, and keeping the carrot on the stick just out of their reach indefinitely could cause them to stop caring.

Like I said, it is a fine line and one I prefer more professional heads than mine to consider.

Redskins did it right. Build the perception that it's an unattainable thing. We're where we need to be. General public I talk to mostly feel it's this mega wait list so it's hopeless. Nows the time build it big enough to satisfy that and that only. Let the next wave of fans build that perception. 32k max imo is perfect for that. I think 30k is good too. The 3 in the front of the number is a perception thing. 28k might be the sweet spot but that 3 is a selling thing if we can meet that with the amenities they keep speaking to. I'd love it to be a year round venue with the feel of a mini Dallas stadium. I'll settle for smaller and mega high quality over 45k and bare bones any day.

Cr8n has the right idea. 30k will be what is best for the growth of the program. As we climb the perception ladder, maybe expand to 35k. Another rung higher, maybe 40k. Gotta operate in phases according to demand.

In this case, 30,000 sounds more appealing than 29,900. Cr8n is right.The average fan with no allegiance to ODU will want the perception of big time ball. Gotta have "mega quality" simply because you have to offer a complete "experience" to the fans. Similar to the Tides baseball, some fans will buy tickets for the game day experience as much as for seeing the game.

In olden times when FF held 26,000, seems like it was pretty easy to sell out the Oyster Bowl when Va Tech played Temple (1986). We get good name teams to come and 30k tickets should be easy to sell.

What if they find they can do both? Have the best venue for football fans in this Tidewater area while having the ability to hold 40,000+ folks?

I was reading an article, and Texas A&M spent 450,000,000 dollars to grow by 22,000 seats. Seriously, WTF?

(05-10-2015 11:29 AM)ODUAlumni2015 Wrote:  What if they find they can do both? Have the best venue for football fans in this Tidewater area while having the ability to hold 40,000+ folks?

I was reading an article, and Texas A&M spent 450,000,000 dollars to grow by 22,000 seats. Seriously, WTF?

If we spent 450M for 22K seats, they had better be 22K Barcaloungers!

That's insane. Those schools really are NFL B league.