Another CAA Startup? VCU Interested in City Stadium

[superman7515]

VCU expresses interest in City Stadium (http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/2010/oct/27/cits27-ar-588938/)


VCU interest in the stadium and property does not mean the Rams will be launching a football program, Teague said. But he did not discount the possibility of that some day.


Officials said they also have fielded inquires from other potential users, including James Madison University in the event that it qualifies to host a postseason FCS playoff game. JMU will resume a renovation of its on-campus stadium following the regular season.

VCU has an enrollment of 32,000+ but do any of you guys in the Richmond area think that they would have the support from the financial and student interest areas to get a team started by the CAA notification cutoff in July 2017?

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

They are highly leveraged with all their building on campus. They had to levy a huge tuition increase this year to account for this.

I could be wrong, but I just don't see this in the cards for a while for VCU.

[Appfan_in_CAAland]

I don't know about VCU's ability to handle the financial aspects of starting up a program, but I'm pretty confident the fan support is there. They would easily be in the FCS's top 15 in attendance. It seems just about every person in Richmond is a VCU grad and I think they get pretty good local media coverage - all that leads to the basketball team having such passionate fans. I think it would be the same for football, though its pretty much assumed that VCU folks are all Hokie-Dokie fans deep down because , like my wife xwhistlex, they all went to VCU because they couldn't get into VT.

The "VCU Football - Still Undefeated!" are quite popular around town - though I like to point out that it should more accurately read "VCU Football - Still Winless!" as that more directly captures the essence of the program.

I suspect VCU would draw much higher than UR so that old stadium would need some major renovations to accommodate a VCU football team. It would probably be better for them to build additions onto SportsBackers Stadium (home to the VCU soccer and track teams, much closer to campus) than renovationing City Stadium.

One note on VCU regarding possible future conference realignment. In the 90s, they played basketball in the Metro Conference with Louisville, Virginia Tech, Memphis, South Florida, Southern Miss, and Charlotte. They (Charlotte too, for that matter) have been left holding the bag after every major conference shakeup in the last 15 years, and they will continue to do so as they do not field a football team.

Every nice fall Saturday I'm not able to make it down to Boone from Richmond, I curse my wife's alma mater for having no football team.

[SpiderSafety75]

I don't know about VCU automatically being in the top echelon of FCS attendance...their basketball team, with all their history and success, really doesn't draw all that well. They would be welcome in my book, be great to have an annual game with them.

[ur2k]

I don't know about VCU automatically being in the top echelon of FCS attendance...their basketball team, with all their history and success, really doesn't draw all that well. They would be welcome in my book, be great to have an annual game with them.

That's not exactly true - their b-ball arena gets very good crowds these days (i believe it seats about 7500) but that's probably due to the success they've had over the last few years and that place gets rockin with a very big home court advantage.

I'm not sure where they stand being financially able to start a football program - I've heard from different people different takes on their potential major donor pool for football.

It wouldn't surprise me to see them launch a feasibility study in the next few years. They have 30,000 students many grads are local, so the potential fan base is there.

[ODUsmitty]

I don't know about VCU automatically being in the top echelon of FCS attendance...their basketball team, with all their history and success, really doesn't draw all that well. They would be welcome in my book, be great to have an annual game with them.

Look, I am no fan of VCU, but I cannot let you post an outright false statement. VCU drew over 100,000 fans last year for a 5th place CAA team. UR has a bigger arena and drew significantly less. To say VCU does not "draw all that well" is just not true.

They lack athletic endowment funds compared to other recent startups, but their fan base is plentiful and enthusiastic.

[Appfan_in_CAAland]

...their basketball team, with all their history and success, really doesn't draw all that well.

I'm not sure what standard you're using. I'd say VCU draws well for a team in a mid-major conference. I looked it up (http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/8753820042742b01b8b6be967b4a3893/Awide_Mbkbattlists.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=8753820042742b01b8b6be967b4a3893); they were second in the CAA and 91st out all 320+ DI schools. That ain't bad, all things considered. I will agree that VCU could do better than they are with their sizable local alumni base, but I think that is a factor of the competition in the CAA. I'm not sure a Spider fan is in a position to criticize though; I've been at VCU games against pushovers like Longwood that were packed while I've also been among the dozens in the Robins Center to watch the Spiders take on a Top 15 ranked Xavier.

Trust me, I know what a basketball team not drawing well looks like, I went to App State .xnonono2x

[BlueHenSinfonian]

I'm all for VCU starting a program, the more the merrier, but I'm a bit worried about the CAA continually moving south. With the addition of ODU next year, GA State the year after, and potentially VCU, the New England teams are going to start to feel left out, especially since the loss of Hofstra and Neastern, and the potential future losses of Villanova and URI.

The CAA should really think about offering bids to Stony Brook, Fordham, and possibly Albany to help build up the north end of the conference or else we might be in for a split.

[blukeys]

I'm all for VCU starting a program, the more the merrier, but I'm a bit worried about the CAA continually moving south. With the addition of ODU next year, GA State the year after, and potentially VCU, the New England teams are going to start to feel left out, especially since the loss of Hofstra and Neastern, and the potential future losses of Villanova and URI.

The CAA should really think about offering bids to Stony Brook, Fordham, and possibly Albany to help build up the north end of the conference or else we might be in for a split.


Well VCU would and should make the decision on what works for VCU. Both VCU and George Mason have until 2017 to make a decision of becoming automatic football members. These are huge public institutions. If they make a decision to bring in football they will be a very tough group of teams.

I have publicly supported adding Fordham coming to the CAA. Albany also looks like a good fit.

If VCU can make football work for them then they need to do it. What happens to the CAA is not their concern.

Another successful Mid Atlantic/Northeast Conference would not be a bad thing for the CAA as this would give quality OOC opponents to CAA Schools.

[panama]

So it should be a nothern centric conference only? As it is ODU would be the closest school to GSU and it really aint that close.


I'm all for VCU starting a program, the more the merrier, but I'm a bit worried about the CAA continually moving south. With the addition of ODU next year, GA State the year after, and potentially VCU, the New England teams are going to start to feel left out, especially since the loss of Hofstra and Neastern, and the potential future losses of Villanova and URI.

The CAA should really think about offering bids to Stony Brook, Fordham, and possibly Albany to help build up the north end of the conference or else we might be in for a split.

[Sec310]

CAA has 12 full members. But, six of those members do not play football. VCU, Drexel, Hofstra, UNCW, Northeastern, George Mason. How well do the football schools and non football schools get along? Is there ever talk about breaking away?

[VBR_Productions]

So it should be a nothern centric conference only? As it is ODU would be the closest school to GSU and it really aint that close.

I think adding Stoney Brook and/or Fordham would alleviate the concerns of UMass, Maine and New Hampshire. It would also prevent Georgia State from becoming part of a proposed CAA North, which is important since it sounds like you're part of the CAA for a while. http://blogs.ajc.com/georgia-state-sports/2010/10/28/gsu-and-the-caa-part-ii/?cxntfid=blogs_georgia_state_sports

I don't think football would work at VCU. They don't have the booster support, a lot of Richmond residents travel to UVa and Virginia Tech for football, and they'd need to spend a LOT of money to renovate City Stadium. The alternative to City Stadium would be to build a new one, and if you read their own fan forums, it sounds like they acknowledge they can't afford that right now. Their president just raised tuition something like 20% so I don't see their students being pleased with a subsequent raise in athletic fees.

[henfan]

CAA has 12 full members. But, six of those members do not play football. VCU, Drexel, Hofstra, UNCW, Northeastern, George Mason. How well do the football schools and non football schools get along? Is there ever talk about breaking away?

Nothing official has ever been reported with respect to a CAA split, so we would have to assume that nothing is in the works. Clearly though, the conference has strongly tried to promote FB at each of these campuses. Whether a CAA affiliation continues to make sense for schools without FB remains to be seen, especially if VCU and/or GMU begin sponsoring the sport.