(02-29-2020 04:40 PM)DiehardHuskie Wrote:  When I heard heard that the Fire were leaving the stadium, my very first thought was man, I wish we could pick up that stadium and plop it down where Huskie Stadium is.

Anybody know what it would cost to take down and reassemble?

Moving that stadium is kind of a fun thought exercise. It would make a lot of sense for someone whose existing stadium was unredeemable, say Akron when they played at the Rubber Bowl. For us it would probably cost more to demolish Huskie Stadium and move Seat Geek than to just update HS.

Seat Geek is not an ideal configuration for football because a lot of its seats are in the end zone. Also, its lowest seats are at field level. That works fine for futbol when there are only a handful of people on the sideline and most of them are sitting, but not football where there are upwards of 150 large humans on the sideline and most are standing. You could always drop the field I suppose but that's an extra hurdle to overcome.

What they might want to do is find a place in the city to move that stadium where it's accessible to public transit and near a fun neighborhood. Imagine putting it in Pilsen, that would be a great location for the Fire.

I was actually just thinking it might have some features that would instigate fund-raising and some re-thinking about HS. I like the partial rooftops and mid-level skybox arrangement. The latter supports an upper deck, which would mitigate need for end zone seating r.e. capacity; too tight at south end of HS anyway, and need bigger scoreboard structure, expanded Touchdown Village. HS also has "porch/overhang" feature on both sides facing field, which elevates seating, and curvature of grandstands to improve viewing angles. HS not a bad layout with some improvements, interior cleanup.

There almost no public transit to the stadium and for a decade bad ownership and management let the Fire wither on the vine, causing attendance to crater. With new motivated ownership, they wanted a reboot and moving back to Soldier Field was part of that.

(03-02-2020 12:34 PM)pantone1935 Wrote:  

(03-02-2020 09:58 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(02-29-2020 01:01 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Looked over promos for season tickets, including the hype and hoopla about the BYU game at SeatGeek, and had a thought (yes, it happens) ...

Northern is really touting the amenities of SeatGeek ... suites, skyboxes, etc etc etc ... with lots of artwork and jazzy stuff on the website.

Seems there's a message in there somewhere, like, wouldn't it be great of we could have this stuff at Huskie Stadium? And at the game itself, you bet STF et al will be pointing out all that stuff to any and all who will listen (as maybe have some coin). Might jumpstart something.

Fact is, SG is really a nice 20,000-seat venue (note: referring to stadium itself, only). HS is 23,595, and with NIU's home attendance, it wouldn't be a far stretch to see (hope) some things happen.

Just thinkin'.

Why was the Fire so anxious to get out of there?

From what I was reading, the GM(?) Rodriguez said it wasn't the venue, but getting to the venue. I don't know what attendance they were averaging, but I am sure that had something to do with it (20000 max). I would think they were talking about public transportation as it doesn't seem that hard to get to. For example 35-40 minutes from Addison. For NIU football I would think very few fans would need public transportation.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The problem seems to be little public transportation to Seat Geek. There probably are a lot of alumni in the city without cars. I grew up in chicago and didn't bother getting a driver's license until I was 20. A car in the city can be an expensive hassle. Will those folk Uber to a game?

Good point. "Too much trouble" can be a big factor cutting into attendance. Just look at weekday night games at HS, which Northern has had for 15-20 years now. Also, tons of other stuff to be doing in Chicago on a Saturday where less hassle. Marketing will have to more than just a "Huskie Chi-Town Showdown" bumper sticker nametag.

Imo, interstate access from the west isn't much better. Tried to map an "easy" route from the Fox Valley. There really isn't one (spoiled by I-88 right outside DeKalb.) The same people who find it inconvenient to attend weekday night games in DeKalb won't show up at SeatGeek. The draw will be good, bad or ugly, with a chunk of local die-hards left behind. Just have to wait to see.

(03-02-2020 07:34 PM)sarasotahuskie Wrote:  

(03-02-2020 12:34 PM)pantone1935 Wrote:  

(03-02-2020 09:58 AM)NIU007 Wrote:  

(02-29-2020 01:01 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Looked over promos for season tickets, including the hype and hoopla about the BYU game at SeatGeek, and had a thought (yes, it happens) ...

Northern is really touting the amenities of SeatGeek ... suites, skyboxes, etc etc etc ... with lots of artwork and jazzy stuff on the website.

Seems there's a message in there somewhere, like, wouldn't it be great of we could have this stuff at Huskie Stadium? And at the game itself, you bet STF et al will be pointing out all that stuff to any and all who will listen (as maybe have some coin). Might jumpstart something.

Fact is, SG is really a nice 20,000-seat venue (note: referring to stadium itself, only). HS is 23,595, and with NIU's home attendance, it wouldn't be a far stretch to see (hope) some things happen.

Just thinkin'.

Why was the Fire so anxious to get out of there?

From what I was reading, the GM(?) Rodriguez said it wasn't the venue, but getting to the venue. I don't know what attendance they were averaging, but I am sure that had something to do with it (20000 max). I would think they were talking about public transportation as it doesn't seem that hard to get to. For example 35-40 minutes from Addison. For NIU football I would think very few fans would need public transportation.

GO HUSKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The problem seems to be little public transportation to Seat Geek. There probably are a lot of alumni in the city without cars. I grew up in chicago and didn't bother getting a driver's license until I was 20. A car in the city can be an expensive hassle. Will those folk Uber to a game?

I really think Uber solves that. Maybe there's a small percentage of older fans who don't uber/lyft so they consider travel a issue. Or large groups. But if you're a reasonable ride away I'd prefer Uber to public transport. Then again I've never tried to find an uber when 20k fans are all leaving a stadium. Maybe 21K after standing room only is filled up.

If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

(03-03-2020 10:29 AM)7 Wrote:  If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

It’s my understanding the Fire did that very thing. Not sure if it was the stadium or team behind it. But the blueprint is already in place.

(03-03-2020 01:22 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 10:29 AM)7 Wrote:  If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

It’s my understanding the Fire did that very thing. Not sure if it was the stadium or team behind it. But the blueprint is already in place.

And it failed miserably.. hence paying $60 million dollars to stop playing there.

There is no way to turn this pile of lemons the athletic dept has given us into lemonade.

(03-03-2020 01:29 PM)Huskies2006 Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 01:22 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 10:29 AM)7 Wrote:  If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

It’s my understanding the Fire did that very thing. Not sure if it was the stadium or team behind it. But the blueprint is already in place.

And it failed miserably.. hence paying $60 million dollars to stop playing there.

There is no way to turn this pile of lemons the athletic dept has given us into lemonade.

Is NIU playing 17 games there? A slight difference lol

(03-03-2020 01:32 PM)7 Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 01:29 PM)Huskies2006 Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 01:22 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 10:29 AM)7 Wrote:  If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

It’s my understanding the Fire did that very thing. Not sure if it was the stadium or team behind it. But the blueprint is already in place.

And it failed miserably.. hence paying $60 million dollars to stop playing there.

There is no way to turn this pile of lemons the athletic dept has given us into lemonade.

Is NIU playing 17 games there? A slight difference lol

Not yet.

oh no lol

(03-03-2020 01:29 PM)Huskies2006 Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 01:22 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 10:29 AM)7 Wrote:  If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

It’s my understanding the Fire did that very thing. Not sure if it was the stadium or team behind it. But the blueprint is already in place.

And it failed miserably.. hence paying $60 million dollars to stop playing there.

There is no way to turn this pile of lemons the athletic dept has given us into lemonade.

How did it fail miserably? Look at the attendance history for each venue -

soldier field: 15.9k (‘98-‘01, ‘03-‘05)
Naperville: 14.1k (‘02)
Seat Geek: 15.4k (‘06-‘19)

That's irrelevant and at best just shows that you're ignorant about where the MLS was when they were playing in Soldier Field and where it is now in 2019.

The Chicago Fire finished dead last in attendance this past year, how is that anything but a complete failure?

The rest of the league has passed them by, while the Fire are stuck in a stadium no one wants to go to even though the league has greatly improved in quality and attendance over that time.

MLS: The average attendance of 21,692 in 2016 was a 57% increase over the 13,756 average in 2000. The total attendance of 7,375,144 in 2016 is more than triple the 2,215,019 total of 2002.

That doesn't change the fact it's a totally irrelevant comparison though.

(03-03-2020 02:21 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 01:29 PM)Huskies2006 Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 01:22 PM)Rabid Squirrel Wrote:  

(03-03-2020 10:29 AM)7 Wrote:  If NIU is really trying to attract young(ish) alumni, they'll put together party buses leaving from a bar downtown.

It’s my understanding the Fire did that very thing. Not sure if it was the stadium or team behind it. But the blueprint is already in place.

And it failed miserably.. hence paying $60 million dollars to stop playing there.

There is no way to turn this pile of lemons the athletic dept has given us into lemonade.

How did it fail miserably? Look at the attendance history for each venue -

soldier field: 15.9k (‘98-‘01, ‘03-‘05)
Naperville: 14.1k (‘02)
Seat Geek: 15.4k (‘06-‘19)

Naperville was temporary and didn't have the capacity. The problem is that the rest of the League passed Chicago bye in both attendance and performance because of bad ownership/management. That led to a toxicity around the club for the last 10 years that the new owner Mansueto is attempting to address with the relocation, rebrand and reinvestment. I was a season ticket holder for several years, but left when the ownership sucked the fun and competitiveness out the game with their toxic attitude.

(03-03-2020 02:54 PM)Huskies2006 Wrote:  That's irrelevant and at best just shows that you're ignorant about where the MLS was when they were playing in Soldier Field and where it is now in 2019.

The Chicago Fire finished dead last in attendance this past year, how is that anything but a complete failure?

The rest of the league has passed them by, while the Fire are stuck in a stadium no one wants to go to even though the league has greatly improved in quality and attendance over that time.

MLS: The average attendance of 21,692 in 2016 was a 57% increase over the 13,756 average in 2000. The total attendance of 7,375,144 in 2016 is more than triple the 2,215,019 total of 2002.

Did soccer really blow up or did the MLS relocate a few of those teams that were drawing 9k and find better markets in Seattle, Atlanta, Toronto, Orlando, Vancouver and NY. 9 of the top 10 teams in attendance today weren’t around in 2000. The ones that were have seen a similar results like the fires. Some have a few less. Some a have few more. San Jose being the only one that made a big jump.

Most likely Chicago just isn’t a soccer town. The Sting was consistently in the bottom half of the NASL.

Chicago Fire paid $60m to get out of their deal there, so it's said here somewhere. So their new ownership/management is doing a reboot elsewhere. So SeatGeek is looking for new users.

Just out of curiousity ... interesting topic ... or something ... and no offense to anyone ... but what the bleep does pro soccer attendance/market/location have to do with NIU playing BYU at SeatGeek? How do college football and pro soccer attendance in the Chicago market equate/connect? Just askin'.

(03-03-2020 06:17 PM)pvk75 Wrote:  Chicago Fire paid $60m to get out of their deal there, so it's said here somewhere. So their new ownership/management is doing a reboot elsewhere. So SeatGeek is looking for new users.

Just out of curiousity ... interesting topic ... or something ... and no offense to anyone ... but what the bleep does pro soccer attendance/market/location have to do with NIU playing BYU at SeatGeek? How do college football and pro soccer attendance in the Chicago market equate/connect? Just askin'.

The inference is the location(Bridgeview) sucks. That NIU should have picked a better place if they insisted on moving the game. It sucks so much in fact that the soccer team left. That’s the theory anyway. I’m looking forward to the game and seeing the stadium.

(03-03-2020 02:54 PM)Huskies2006 Wrote:  That's irrelevant and at best just shows that you're ignorant about where the MLS was when they were playing in Soldier Field and where it is now in 2019.

The Chicago Fire finished dead last in attendance this past year, how is that anything but a complete failure?

The rest of the league has passed them by, while the Fire are stuck in a stadium no one wants to go to even though the league has greatly improved in quality and attendance over that time.

MLS: The average attendance of 21,692 in 2016 was a 57% increase over the 13,756 average in 2000. The total attendance of 7,375,144 in 2016 is more than triple the 2,215,019 total of 2002.

The stadium is nice. The location.... ok, so so. But the Fire's marketing and product has not been good--- so there is that! And there is competition. When you can see Copa America in Soldier Field, or the Fire -- and there is only so much money available to pay for soccer tickets, many people opt for Copa America. And the Fire have not landed big attractive names. They are like Northwestern now-- half the fans show up to watch the opposition. So-- there is that!

Remember Peter Novak? Jorge campos? Histro Stoichkoff? (forgive the spelling). Now, those were the days!