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huskie1stdown Offline
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Post: #1
Master Plan
It was unveiled on Oct 30,2014.
Any updates?
Will it ever get off the ground or is it just a pipe dream?
10-12-2015 05:36 PM
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jjprender Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 05:36 PM)huskie1stdown Wrote:  It was unveiled on Oct 30,2014.
Any updates?
Will it ever get off the ground or is it just a pipe dream?

Get paid, get laid, travel the world...oh wait that's my master plan ...
10-12-2015 07:22 PM
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Dog Fan Offline
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Post: #3
Master Plan
Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?
10-12-2015 08:20 PM
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Flying Corn Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?

No. 13000 last Saturday for defending MAC champs on an absolutely picture perfect day.

I'm afraid the attendance will be this program's undoing. I was looking at those beautiful buildings in the north end zone last Saturday, and wondering if they are for naught.

Hope I'm wrong, but I fear the attendance will only get worse in time, particularly once we finally have a down year on the field..
10-12-2015 08:27 PM
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DogPoundNorth Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Master Plan
As I've stated before, attendance has nothing to do with the upgrades. We need upgrades because having a high school style stadium isn't acceptable in the FBS anymore. Plain and simple.
10-12-2015 08:33 PM
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DogPoundNorth Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Master Plan
And we all forget that they are upgrading and building other things that are MUCH NEEDED not just the football stadium.
10-12-2015 08:34 PM
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VegasHuskie Offline
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Post: #7
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?

No, I don't, and I don't think the NIU brass does, either. I believe the facility upgrades are part of the plan to make the program more enticing to gain entry to a higher profile conference.

Similar to a city that builds the stadium first as they try to lure a professional sports franchise, NIU understands that there is zero possibility that a conference such as the Big 12 would even consider them while they play in a glorified high school stadium.
10-12-2015 08:35 PM
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Flying Corn Offline
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Post: #8
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:33 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  As I've stated before, attendance has nothing to do with the upgrades. We need upgrades because having a high school style stadium isn't acceptable in the FBS anymore. Plain and simple.

Isn't attendance tied to maintaining FBS status? Also, you are right about other building projects being a higher priority for university as a whole. That makes me wonder if the commitment to FBS football will wane with the decline in said attendance, and as other issues (enrollment) warrant greater attention and resources..
10-12-2015 08:39 PM
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HuskieJohn Offline
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Post: #9
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:39 PM)Flying Corn Wrote:  
(10-12-2015 08:33 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  As I've stated before, attendance has nothing to do with the upgrades. We need upgrades because having a high school style stadium isn't acceptable in the FBS anymore. Plain and simple.

Isn't attendance tied to maintaining FBS status? Also, you are right about other building projects being a higher priority for university as a whole. That makes me wonder if the commitment to FBS football will wane with the decline in said attendance, and as other issues (enrollment) warrant greater attention and resources..

Yes but the NCAA doesn't really care.

The athletic projects have nothing to do with the school projects because the Athletics projects will be privately funded from donations, sponsorships and sales.

Building the East premium structure is an absolute must at a bare minimum.
(This post was last modified: 10-12-2015 09:06 PM by HuskieJohn.)
10-12-2015 09:04 PM
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prairiedawg Offline
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Post: #10
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:27 PM)Flying Corn Wrote:  
(10-12-2015 08:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?

No. 13000 last Saturday for defending MAC champs on an absolutely picture perfect day.

I'm afraid the attendance will be this program's undoing. I was looking at those beautiful buildings in the north end zone last Saturday, and wondering if they are for naught.

Hope I'm wrong, but I fear the attendance will only get worse in time, particularly once we finally have a down year on the field..

Wrong. The puny east side wasn't filled before it was torn down in 1994 . Did you think it was wrong to expand then? You guys are downers. We are one of the few programs not lying about attendance.
10-12-2015 09:28 PM
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DoubleHuskie84 Offline
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Post: #11
RE: Master Plan
Pipe dream


And a waste of money.
Give to the university- it needs to survive
10-12-2015 09:56 PM
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HuskiePride12 Offline
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Post: #12
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:33 PM)DogPoundNorth Wrote:  As I've stated before, attendance has nothing to do with the upgrades. We need upgrades because having a high school style stadium isn't acceptable in the FBS anymore. Plain and simple.

+1
10-12-2015 10:20 PM
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shack66 Offline
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Post: #13
RE: Master Plan
It's all about the premium seating bringing in bigger dollars. After renovations we may have the same attendance but we'll have a higher majority paying big bucks to watch means more money. Donors are donors not investors. A renovated stadium brings in more money for the program bottom line.
10-13-2015 08:57 AM
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Lord Stanley Offline
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Post: #14
RE: Master Plan
(10-12-2015 08:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?

I guess then the next question is, where are these additional 17,000 fans going to come from?

Frankly, I am at a loss. The university has done seemingly everything possible to increase attendance. I won't bore you with the list we all know all too well.....

I am still interested in getting a better understanding of how we engage the larger community of DeKalb and Sycamore. I do think you could find 5,000 new permanent fans a decade just from locals who may not even have an interest in the university otherwise; perhaps there is some sort of organic attendance growth through literally starting with locals kids in kindergarten. This isn't the solution, but it could be a catalyst.

I also think there is a need to simply give away tickets. There are 30,000 seats and the stadium isn't even half full. I know the financial ir-reality that contains, but I just wonder how many fans you could hook by giving, say, 1000 free tickets out to Nestle and Target for their warehouse staff, season tickets to every small business owner in town from the CEO of Castle Bank down to the dude who owns the lawn care and snowplow business. The visuals, the optics, of a full stadium certainly show well on TV, and definitely lend to a positive fan experience that may encourage repeat ticket purchases.

Lastly, I wonder what could be done to make sure that every department head, professor, adjunct and graduate student are Huskie fans. That would be a hard nut to crack. Do all NIU employees get free or reduced cost tickets? Might be something there.

How about food trucks and beer gardens lining Stadium Drive S, between Stadium Drive W and Stadium Drive E that are open 5 hours pre-game and 5 hours post game, with the university encouraging people to stick around? Or party buses, or just buses, that grab fans from Aurora and Naperville and get priority loading and unloading on the front steps of Huskie Stadium?

Like I said, these aren't the solution, but they could be avenues of approach.

I have been a Huskie since 1995. I am at a loss now (20 years later!) how even after seeing the strides the university has taken, the success of the student athletes, and the attention that the football program in particular has seen, that a strong FBS program 60 miles from the heart of one the world's great cities can only find 13,000 fans on a warm fall afternoon to watch America's current past time.
10-13-2015 08:58 AM
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Dog Fan Offline
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RE: Master Plan
(10-13-2015 08:58 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  
(10-12-2015 08:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?

I guess then the next question is, where are these additional 17,000 fans going to come from?

Frankly, I am at a loss. The university has done seemingly everything possible to increase attendance. I won't bore you with the list we all know all too well.....

I am still interested in getting a better understanding of how we engage the larger community of DeKalb and Sycamore. I do think you could find 5,000 new permanent fans a decade just from locals who may not even have an interest in the university otherwise; perhaps there is some sort of organic attendance growth through literally starting with locals kids in kindergarten. This isn't the solution, but it could be a catalyst.

I also think there is a need to simply give away tickets. There are 30,000 seats and the stadium isn't even half full. I know the financial ir-reality that contains, but I just wonder how many fans you could hook by giving, say, 1000 free tickets out to Nestle and Target for their warehouse staff, season tickets to every small business owner in town from the CEO of Castle Bank down to the dude who owns the lawn care and snowplow business. The visuals, the optics, of a full stadium certainly show well on TV, and definitely lend to a positive fan experience that may encourage repeat ticket purchases.

Lastly, I wonder what could be done to make sure that every department head, professor, adjunct and graduate student are Huskie fans. That would be a hard nut to crack. Do all NIU employees get free or reduced cost tickets? Might be something there.

How about food trucks and beer gardens lining Stadium Drive S, between Stadium Drive W and Stadium Drive E that are open 5 hours pre-game and 5 hours post game, with the university encouraging people to stick around? Or party buses, or just buses, that grab fans from Aurora and Naperville and get priority loading and unloading on the front steps of Huskie Stadium?

Like I said, these aren't the solution, but they could be avenues of approach.

I have been a Huskie since 1995. I am at a loss now (20 years later!) how even after seeing the strides the university has taken, the success of the student athletes, and the attention that the football program in particular has seen, that a strong FBS program 60 miles from the heart of one the world's great cities can only find 13,000 fans on a warm fall afternoon to watch America's current past time.

I don't know if attendance will ever pick up. There seems to be less of an interest in college football across the country. In Chicago (a pro town), college sports is an afterthought in the media. People today are pulled in many directions and have too many other options, with playing with their video games, computers, smart phones....whatever. People today find it easier and less of a hassle to sit home (if they are even home) and watch the game on their big screen TVs. Even those that do go to the games need to watch or play with something on their phones. It's a different world than it was just a few short years ago. Attendance just has too much to compete with.
(This post was last modified: 10-13-2015 11:16 AM by Dog Fan.)
10-13-2015 09:09 AM
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niuaccy1976 Offline
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Post: #16
RE: Master Plan
Along this same topic, I received a "fan experience survey" from NIU Athletics yesterday for season ticket holders and donors via email.
10-13-2015 10:03 AM
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NIU007 Offline
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Post: #17
RE: Master Plan
(10-13-2015 08:58 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  
(10-12-2015 08:20 PM)Dog Fan Wrote:  Does anybody think that the stadium upgrades will get us 30,000+ in attendance on a consistent basis?

I guess then the next question is, where are these additional 17,000 fans going to come from?

Frankly, I am at a loss. The university has done seemingly everything possible to increase attendance. I won't bore you with the list we all know all too well.....

I am still interested in getting a better understanding of how we engage the larger community of DeKalb and Sycamore. I do think you could find 5,000 new permanent fans a decade just from locals who may not even have an interest in the university otherwise; perhaps there is some sort of organic attendance growth through literally starting with locals kids in kindergarten. This isn't the solution, but it could be a catalyst.

I also think there is a need to simply give away tickets. There are 30,000 seats and the stadium isn't even half full. I know the financial ir-reality that contains, but I just wonder how many fans you could hook by giving, say, 1000 free tickets out to Nestle and Target for their warehouse staff, season tickets to every small business owner in town from the CEO of Castle Bank down to the dude who owns the lawn care and snowplow business. The visuals, the optics, of a full stadium certainly show well on TV, and definitely lend to a positive fan experience that may encourage repeat ticket purchases.

Lastly, I wonder what could be done to make sure that every department head, professor, adjunct and graduate student are Huskie fans. That would be a hard nut to crack. Do all NIU employees get free or reduced cost tickets? Might be something there.

How about food trucks and beer gardens lining Stadium Drive S, between Stadium Drive W and Stadium Drive E that are open 5 hours pre-game and 5 hours post game, with the university encouraging people to stick around? Or party buses, or just buses, that grab fans from Aurora and Naperville and get priority loading and unloading on the front steps of Huskie Stadium?

Like I said, these aren't the solution, but they could be avenues of approach.

I have been a Huskie since 1995. I am at a loss now (20 years later!) how even after seeing the strides the university has taken, the success of the student athletes, and the attention that the football program in particular has seen, that a strong FBS program 60 miles from the heart of one the world's great cities can only find 13,000 fans on a warm fall afternoon to watch America's current past time.

I am out of ideas. I will say that whatever NIU is doing is probably not going to instantly increase attendance, it would probably happen over time, if it's going to work at all. I don't know what they do for marketing in DeKalb/Sycamore but I agree that it might be a good idea to have a few free tickets out there.
10-13-2015 11:08 AM
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NIUfilmmaker Offline
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Post: #18
RE: Master Plan
You can look at the issue from all directions, the fact of the matter is we die as a program if we don't add the east-side improvements and a few more seats. Our stadium is falling a bit behind the curve for G5, and the fans are reacting accordingly.

NIU has a huge population to its east, which is a major advantage, at the same time the population drops off almost immediately in the other three compass directions, which is a tangible disadvantage. Aside from Rockford, Dekalb is beachfront property at the end of a peninsula in the great corn sea.

A next-level stadium will draw greater attendance, how much of an increase will remain to be seen, but no doubt on-the-fence alumni will be more likely to bring themselves and maybe their neighbors to a game if they have a stadium they can be proud of. That and revived attendance at NIU and we will be in the mix again attendance-wise.

I am also on board with the fans that have written that high-schools and corporations in the region should be engaged with ticket promotions. Free RSVP tickets to Naperville High students if they bring an adult with them to the game...

GO HUSKIES!
10-13-2015 11:08 AM
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huskiebob Offline
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Post: #19
RE: Master Plan
(10-13-2015 11:08 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  You can look at the issue from all directions, the fact of the matter is we die as a program if we don't add the east-side improvements and a few more seats. Our stadium is falling a bit behind the curve for G5, and the fans are reacting accordingly.

NIU has a huge population to its east, which is a major advantage, at the same time the population drops off almost immediately in the other three compass directions, which is a tangible disadvantage. Aside from Rockford, Dekalb is beachfront property at the end of a peninsula in the great corn sea.

A next-level stadium will draw greater attendance, how much of an increase will remain to be seen, but no doubt on-the-fence alumni will be more likely to bring themselves and maybe their neighbors to a game if they have a stadium they can be proud of. That and revived attendance at NIU and we will be in the mix again attendance-wise.

I am also on board with the fans that have written that high-schools and corporations in the region should be engaged with ticket promotions. Free RSVP tickets to Naperville High students if they bring an adult with them to the game...

GO HUSKIES!

Great post.

We can't afford NOT to move ahead with stadium improvements.
10-13-2015 11:18 AM
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HuskieJohn Offline
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Post: #20
RE: Master Plan
(10-13-2015 11:08 AM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  You can look at the issue from all directions, the fact of the matter is we die as a program if we don't add the east-side improvements and a few more seats. Our stadium is falling a bit behind the curve for G5, and the fans are reacting accordingly.

NIU has a huge population to its east, which is a major advantage, at the same time the population drops off almost immediately in the other three compass directions, which is a tangible disadvantage. Aside from Rockford, Dekalb is beachfront property at the end of a peninsula in the great corn sea.

A next-level stadium will draw greater attendance, how much of an increase will remain to be seen, but no doubt on-the-fence alumni will be more likely to bring themselves and maybe their neighbors to a game if they have a stadium they can be proud of. That and revived attendance at NIU and we will be in the mix again attendance-wise.

I am also on board with the fans that have written that high-schools and corporations in the region should be engaged with ticket promotions. Free RSVP tickets to Naperville High students if they bring an adult with them to the game...

GO HUSKIES!

They cant give free tickets specifically to High School kids.
10-13-2015 11:19 AM
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