New First Market Stadium at UR

[bostonspider]

Well after working with the community and architects, UR has shown new renderings for the renovated and enlarged First Market Stadium on campus. The track is unfortunately still there, no other real good place for it on campus, and the stadium is smaller than most would like, but it would be on campus and brand new, which would be awesome and so much nicer than current UR Stadium. Anyway here are the plans and renderings.

http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/rich/graphics/aerialwithendzonestands-500.jpg

http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/rich/graphics/final-plan-copy-reduced-500.jpg

http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/rich/graphics/overall_FINALreduced-500.jpg

[JMU2004]

very nice!

[carney2]

What's the seating capacity?

[89Hen]

You don't often see permanent seats inside the track. xeyebrowx

[Col Hogan]

What's the seating capacity?

Also, what's the proposed timeline...when might we see it operating?

Very nice look...

[bostonspider]

I think the capacity is supposed to be 9,000, which is comparable to the Robins Center Basketball Arena. That is very important politically to be able to say traffic will be no worse than for a basketball game.

[PeacockRaider]

Very Nice! Field Turf or Natural?

[GannonFan]

As long as the stadium is high enough off the field - nothing worse than a really nice field where they put the stands too low and you have terrible sight lines.

[Marcus Garvey]

As long as the stadium is high enough off the field - nothing worse than a really nice field where they put the stands too low and you have terrible sight lines.

Like Nickerson Field at Boston U? Nice facility, but you could tell the pavilion was built for baseball because of how gentle the slope is.

Worse seats I ever had for a football game was the Insight Bowl one year when it was still played at the Diamondbacks stadium. I got lower level endzone seats, because that's what my dad had for Eagles games at the Vet. Of course he was in the 300 level. At Chase Field, these seats would be behind the 3rd base coach if it were a baseball game. Anyway, the slope was so shallow, that even though we were 25 rows back, it was tough to see the game. I won't fall for that one again.

[89Hen]

Like Nickerson Field at Boston U? Nice facility, but you could tell the pavilion was built for baseball because of how gentle the slope is.
xnodx

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Braves_Field_and_Nickerson_Field.JPG

[bostonspider]

Very Nice! Field Turf or Natural?

Field Turf.

We at UR are really excited to get something built and move Football back to campus where it belongs. If it is too small, then we can add on...

[GannonFan]

Like Nickerson Field at Boston U? Nice facility, but you could tell the pavilion was built for baseball because of how gentle the slope is.

Worse seats I ever had for a football game was the Insight Bowl one year when it was still played at the Diamondbacks stadium. I got lower level endzone seats, because that's what my dad had for Eagles games at the Vet. Of course he was in the 300 level. At Chase Field, these seats would be behind the 3rd base coach if it were a baseball game. Anyway, the slope was so shallow, that even though we were 25 rows back, it was tough to see the game. I won't fall for that one again.

Nickerson Field was awful in that respect - the slope on the home side was close to flat. If you were at the top it felt like you were a mile away from the field. And the "seats" on the visitor side weren't much different than what Northeastern has now (although Northeastern didn't have that silly bandstand that took up space around the 50 yard line).

A current stadium that I don't like to watch games in is surprisingly Zable Stadium at William and Mary. Don't get me wrong, the place is just flat out gorgeous and should be a model for what stadiums at this level should look like (and Richmond's looks like it will be in that style) but way too many of the seats are too low - if you're not near the top in that stadium you can't see much of the action (assuming it's not right in front of you). Great atmosphere, astetics (sp?), but just awful sight lines.

[HiHiYikas]

It's a beautiful site with or without the updates. I'll be sad to see the removal of the giant tree at the corner of the parking lot (I suppose it may already be gone; it's been a while since I was there). That tree has been my start-finish point on dozens of long saturday-morning runs.

And there's nothing better for your worn-out legs than walking around barefoot on newly-installed field-turf. Or jogging around a rubber track.

[89Hen]

(although Northeastern didn't have that silly bandstand that took up space around the 50 yard line).

A current stadium that I don't like to watch games in is surprisingly Zable Stadium at William and Mary. Don't get me wrong, the place is just flat out gorgeous and should be a model for what stadiums at this level should look like (and Richmond's looks like it will be in that style) but way too many of the seats are too low - if you're not near the top in that stadium you can't see much of the action (assuming it's not right in front of you). Great atmosphere, astetics (sp?), but just awful sight lines.
xnodx And much like Nickerson, the seats between the 40's on the visitors side are missing. xsmhx

[DFW HOYA]

Meanwhile, year eight (nine?) of Georgetown's project continues onward:

"Construction on the Multi-Sport Facility, which began more than a year and a half ago, has been stalled for over a year..."

http://www.thehoya.com/news/110306/news5.cfm

[JMU2K_DukeDawg]

I think the capacity is supposed to be 9,000, which is comparable to the Robins Center Basketball Arena. That is very important politically to be able to say traffic will be no worse than for a basketball game.

Oh, the West End of Richmond. What a funny crowd... ;)

It'll be sad to not be at the old stadium. I enjoyed it as a kid, tumbling down the hill on the side. Memories... And it is even more sad that UR is decreasing capacity as the rest of FCS increases capacity.

I can't help but feel over the long run UR will no longer be apart of CAA Football, or the CAA teams like UD, JMU and even ODU when they arrive will push for a move to FBS.

In the meantime, it will be quaint, just like UR's purty liddle campus. xnodx xsmiley_wix

[bostonspider]

Oh, the West End of Richmond. What a funny crowd... ;)

I can't help but feel over the long run UR will no longer be apart of CAA Football, or the CAA teams like UD, JMU and even ODU when they arrive will push for a move to FBS.

In the meantime, it will be quaint, just like UR's purty liddle campus. xnodx xsmiley_wix

You are likely correct in that UR and W&M will stay the FCS route along with our academic rivals. Who knows, that Patriot League could be where both schools' football teams finally end up in the long run. Aslong as the two stick together I would be ok with that.

[Go...gate]

Nickerson Field was awful in that respect - the slope on the home side was close to flat. If you were at the top it felt like you were a mile away from the field. And the "seats" on the visitor side weren't much different than what Northeastern has now (although Northeastern didn't have that silly bandstand that took up space around the 50 yard line).

A current stadium that I don't like to watch games in is surprisingly Zable Stadium at William and Mary. Don't get me wrong, the place is just flat out gorgeous and should be a model for what stadiums at this level should look like (and Richmond's looks like it will be in that style) but way too many of the seats are too low - if you're not near the top in that stadium you can't see much of the action (assuming it's not right in front of you). Great atmosphere, astetics (sp?), but just awful sight lines.

Great thing about Nickerson was that on fall Saturdays, students in those three dorms in the end zones would put their speakers in the windows and blast the music of the day (I remember "The Kids are Alright" one year at a Colgate-BU game, and I understand Jimi Hendrix tunes were blasted in at least one other year). Only in college football.

[Stricker46]

Please send the UR stadium plans to Northeastern U

[89Hen]

Great thing about Nickerson was that on fall Saturdays, students in those three dorms in the end zones would put their speakers in the windows and blast the music of the day
Meade at URI had a similar set-up, except the dorms were only 3 (?) floors.

[Husky Alum]

Please send the UR stadium plans to Northeastern U

Northeastern has plans, renderings, cost estimates, etc.

What we don't have is the blessing of the Mayor of Boston, the City Council, or the neighbors of Lower Roxbury - where the stadium is planned to be built.

Heck, it took 15 years to build the Big Dig and about 20 to build the New Garden.

I'm not holding my breath on an NU on campus stadium.

[JDC325]

Link?

[bostonspider]

This would be my dream for a little more expensive expansion of the new First Market. Remove the track, lower the field, and bring the stands down to the new level, wrapping all the way around the field where the track currently is, maybe 16,000 seats or more. I have included my rudementary sketch of what I would love to see.


http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_508_5.jpg

[Marcus Garvey]

Northeastern has plans, renderings, cost estimates, etc.

What we don't have is the blessing of the Mayor of Boston, the City Council, or the neighbors of Lower Roxbury - where the stadium is planned to be built.

Heck, it took 15 years to build the Big Dig and about 20 to build the New Garden.

I'm not holding my breath on an NU on campus stadium.

Don't forget the Archbishop too! N'eastern might want to consider affiliating itself with the Roman Catholic church just for the sake of getting stuff built! xlolx xlolx xlolx

[HiHiYikas]

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/aspgallery/pictures/Ad_508_5.jpg
That's fantastic. Larger seating capacity and you managed to keep my favorite tree. xthumbsupx

I'd miss the track, but I could always do warm-up and cool-down laps around the turf. And realistically, local road-runners clubs probably shouldn't be figured into stadium building projects.