URI - Meade Stadium

[89Hen]

Just saw where they are actually going to put some money into Meade Stadium at URI!

http://gorhody.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/040105aad.html

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/uri/sports/m-footbl/auto_wide/168354.jpeg

The University remains firmly committed to I-AA football and a multi-purpose facility would allow the University to make the best use of limited resources and maximize the future potential of the stadium site....

This phase also includes the construction of stands on the stadium's west side. The stands will be linked to the Ryan Center concourse which will make amenities for fans possible. The construction of 1,400 seats on the west side of Meade Stadium will bring total seating capacity to 6,580 when completed for the 2006 season.

[bluehenbillk]

URI still is one of the worst facilities in 1-AA, but I'm glad to see their doing something about it. I'll reserve further opinion till September of '06 when I see the Hens play up in Kingston.

[PAllen]

Looks good to me. My only question is this: Is the west side the side currently with or without stands?

[DTSpider]

Wasn't all that new construction a couple years ago what caused the field to flood for the UR game. The field was under a foot of water in spots and had to be called at halftime. Later that night it got to 3-4 feet deep. Second half was played on Sunday. Unless they address that problem I could care less how big the stands are.

[89Hen]

Looks good to me. My only question is this: Is the west side the side currently with or without stands?

Without. They took them down when they built the new arena and replaced them with a chain link fence.

[colgate13]

Without. They took them down when they built the new arena and replaced them with a chain link fence.

Is that there to keep the fans that don't have tickets from getting in and creating a fire hazard? :p

[Marcus Garvey]

Is that there to keep the fans that don't have tickets from getting in and creating a fire hazard? :p


Close, but not quite. It's there too keep the fans WITH tickets inside! After about 1 quarter of Rhody football, most of them start asking what day is "midnight madness," the rest head for their cars.

:D

[RadMann]

The pic looks nice and all but if you really look at it the stands are small and all of the "facility" is the building behind the stands. It simply confirms that they have no interest in football to me although any improvement is at least a positive sign.

[Husky Alum]

Hey, as long as Meade "Stadium" is in the A-10, we at NU can have a rebuttable presumption that quaint Parsons Field isn't the worst facility in the A-10.

The angle on the new stands at Meade must be pretty steep, as I don't think there's a ton of space behind the visitors bench, and what space is there is on an incline.

[bluehenbillk]

I wouldn't necessarily call Parsons better than any facility in all of 1-AA much less the A-10.

[Marcus Garvey]

Hey, at least Meade is ON campus. N'eastern's Parson's Field is A T-Ride, transfer at Copley Sq, and another T-Ride away! :D

[bluehenbillk]

More specifically doesn't N'Eastern play their games at the home field of Brookline HS??

[Marcus Garvey]

More specifically doesn't N'Eastern play their games at the home field of Brookline HS??

No. Parson's Field is property of Northeastern University. I don't believe and prep or high schools play there. Buf if any do, then they are the tenant and N'eastern is the landlord.

[ISUMatt]

Nice Stadium it looks like, but still horrid Unis!!!

[henfan]

To anybody who wants to argue the merits of Parsons vs. URI's Lake Meade Stadium, I present Exhibit A. Without question the worst football facility in all of D-I.

http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/rich/galleries/m-footbl-102802/End-HalfTime-lg.jpg

Primp, preen and buff though they might, as my pop used to say, you can't shine a turd.

[rokamortis]

A football field and a pool - very good use of space.

[89Hen]

To anybody who wants to argue the merits of Parsons vs. URI's Lake Meade Stadium, I present Exhibit A. Without question the worst football facility in all of D-I.

Not to defend Meade, but that's just poor planning, not poor facility. I'm sure they have or will address that problem. As far as I know that debacle was a direct result of the construction of the arena right next to the field.

[Marcus Garvey]

In defense of URI, there's not a whole hell of a lot they can do about that type of flooding. It only occurs when they are inundated with A LOT of rain, such as a hurricane. I believe that occurred when the remnants of a hurricane made it's way up the East Coast a few years ago.

Kingston is pretty much at sea level. The ground doesn't drain well at all. Putting in a drainage system that could handle that type of deluge would be cost-prohibitive. Besides, the need for such a system is rare anyway.

[Delaware Ghostrider II]

I just wish UD would construct something of that nature. That is a beautiful pic. Atleast expand the student section in the south endzone...though they really cant expand upwards due to "The Bob" spectators behind the glass. It would interfere with thier view. Expanding the North Enzone isn't a bad idea either. My wife and I have season tiks for section V and it is EXTREMELY cramped down there. Com'n Rosselle..lol...come of a couple grand and give back to the university....lol :D

[DTSpider]

Marcus, The thing with the flooding was that it happened during a game. At the start of the game it wasn't flooded, but once it started raining all the drainage was directed towards the field. The field was the lowest point with no drainage system. They had to call the game at the half and play the second half on Sunday. Players were injured during the first half due to the field conditions. I have seen two games at UR Stadium in hurricane remants where the recorded rain was in excess of the Lake Meade event. On both occassions the field didn't get puddles let along 3 feet of standing water. If you play football on the east coast you have to be prepared for these sort of events, they happen pretty often. As you describe Kingston, it is a place where drainage is needed. It would be like not building in earthquake resistance while building a stadium in LA.

http://richmondspiders.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102802aad.html

[DTSpider]

During play:
http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/rich/galleries/m-footbl-102802/uri-williams-102602-lg.jpg
Still during play:
http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/rich/galleries/m-footbl-102802/rich-photog-102602-lg.jpg

At the half(perhaps the longest halftime ever at around 22 hours):
http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/rich/galleries/m-footbl-102802/107-0714_IMG-lg.jpg

[rokamortis]

That first picture is amazing.

[mainejeff]

Yeah, that first one is one of the coolest action shots that I've ever seen.

By the way, I was thinking of going fishing at Lake Meade. Is it true that they have salmon, trout and bass?

[DTSpider]

On the rare instances when UR has pictures they do a good job with the action shots. I didn't appreciate the radio coverage until I saw the pictures.

[DFW HOYA]

For those who didn't mention it, that building already exists on the visitors' side of Meade. All that would be added are the seats.

[Marcus Garvey]

I have seen two games at UR Stadium in hurricane remants where the recorded rain was in excess of the Lake Meade event. On both occassions the field didn't get puddles let along 3 feet of standing water. If you play football on the east coast you have to be prepared for these sort of events, they happen pretty often. http://richmondspiders.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102802aad.html

Only once it's happened? There ya go! Why spend a ton of money for something that has a low probability of occurring? Keep in mind "recorded" rainfall is where the guages are located. If the storm caused that sort of flooding, then the URI campus got a hell of a lot more rain then the place with the guages.

And no, you don't plan for these things on the east coast. New England seldom sees hurricanes. Maybe 1 or 2 ever 5 years. You guys just hate Meade, which is 100% justifiable. But the crappy facitlity and the flooding are 2 completly separate issues. Maybe Richmond sees this sort of weather often (I doubt it), but Rhode Islans surely doesn't.

[89Hen]

Only once it's happened? There ya go! Why spend a ton of money for something that has a low probability of occurring?

Marcus, as I said, it was bad planning more than bad facilities. It's no coincidence that this happened during the construction of the new arena. Any time you move earth and pave what was once grass, it floods when it rains until you get your stormwater system in place. I don't suspect we will ever see this type of flood again at Meade.