I saw this article on the website and thought I would post it for those of you who haven't seen it. I'm an alumni of KSU and currently in graduate school at UGA. Anyway, I've read some of the stuff posted on here about football and thought that I would contribute.
The locations discussed in the article all seem fine to me for a stadium. The biggest surprise to be about this article was how the Big East is an option, I was hearing more along the lines of either 1-aa or maybe sunbelt conference. The biggest dissapointment for me is that only current students will be able to vote this fall, I hope those of you still there will be able to get the word out that football is good for a university whether you are a fan or not. In my opinion, this sucks because there have been rumors of football for years and now that it may finally happen all those people (like me) who had to listen to all those rumors and never see a team on the field will have no say on the matter. Anyway, here is the article and I'll post more if I see more:
http://www.ksusentinel.com/index.php?opt...4&Itemid=1
Athletic Director, Dr. Dave Waples, says that KSU is ready for some football. According to Waples, the first-ever fundraising campaign in the history of the university will kick off at the end of October. The proposed campaign includes an estimated $11 million for existing sports and anywhere from $15 to $30 million for football.
The $11 million will be used to build a field house with an indoor track and a 24-hour student recreation center, to upgrade the soccer and baseball fields, and to support academia.
The money allocated for the football program would be used in part to build a multi-purpose stadium, ancillary facilities and to acquire the land necessary to build these facilities. One possible location for the stadium is at the east parking lot near the Waffle House.
“I don’t want to build a stadium ten miles from campus, because that defeats the entire purpose of having football. I want students to be able to walk to the games,” Waples said.
Other possible locations include land on the opposite side of Chastain Road or land on the west side of campus.
How soon we get a team is entirely dependent on the success of the fundraising campaign.
“If we got the money tomorrow, boom, we’re into football immediately,” Waples said.
More likely though, Waples feels that coaches and staff could be hired during the first part of the 2008-09 school year. The staff would then begin scouting and recruiting in January 2009, and the team would be eligible to play in the 2011 season.
Dr. Shane Smith, assistant professor of Sports Marketing, says that KSU needs to do it soon if the school is going to beat Georgia State at acquiring a team. According to Smith, Georgia State is working harder and faster in the race for a football team.
In addition to the start-up costs and the current athletics budget, it is estimated that annual operating expenses of $1-$5 million will be needed to sustain the program. Part of this money would come from sponsorships, naming rights, ticket sales and concessions.
KSU says the majority, however, will likely rely on student athletic fees. According to Waples, “our athletic fees are among the lowest in the state, and we hope that the students will agree to an athletic fee increase to help support the football program.”
The amount of the proposed increase is undecided, but according to a feasibility study released by the athletics department earlier this year it may fall in the range of $30-$45 per semester. Students will be asked to vote on the increase this fall.
Waples says the size of the athletics fee increase will help determine the scope of the football program. The school’s options, he says, are to join Division 1-AA non-scholarship, which will cost $1 - $1.5 million per year in addition to the current budget, Division 1-AA with 65 scholarships, which will cost around $2.5 - $3 million per year or Division 1-A with 85 full scholarships, which will cost an estimated $5 million plus per year.
Waples said that if going to Division 1-AA is what it takes to get football, then that is what we will do, but ideally we would like to go straight to division 1-A. “If we are going to do it, we want to do it big.”
One option is the Big East Conference. Both the SEC and ACC have 12 teams, while the Big East currently has eight.
“This is the perfect place for football,” Waples added, referring to Atlanta and its lucrative media market.
Reactions from faculty around the campus are mixed. When asked about football, Dr. John David Johnson II, assistant professor of Sport Management, is protective of the existing sports programs, saying that rushing to Division 1-A is “not a good idea because it will take away from other sports.” He also points out other problems such as the lack of spectators for current sports, Title IX and the athletic fee increase.
“[Current] students’ fees will be going up to pay for a future football team. It’s not fair, and I think students have a right to know,” Johnson said. Smith disagrees, saying, “Football will have a tremendous impact on student culture. Good sports bring in good students, involve the community and bring in contributions. I’m all for it.”
Waples, who has been Athletic Director for 21 years, acknowledges that hurdles must be overcome, but maintains that football will help other sports. He also believes that in the long run, the notoriety will increase the value of students’ diplomas.
“We want to take [KSU] to the next level beyond a commuter school. To do that, we need campus housing and football, and we are doing everything we can to get football,” Waples said.
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Official Football Study Thread
