New football facility for Georgia Southern

[I-16Bandit]

http://services.georgiasouthern.edu/facilities/buildings/future/NewFootballFacility.html

Start date planned for October 2011.

[Smitty]

I guess it would make more sense if it had some of the designs available but it looks like that won't happen till about mid summer.

[I-16Bandit]

I guess it would make more sense if it had some of the designs available but it looks like that won't happen till about mid summer.

True, but at least they announced SOMETHING. I'm not complaining..

[seantaylor]

Glad we are updating but it is the height of stupidness not to add more seating coming off our best attendance season. This will reduce seating. And with an estimated 21,000 students in the fall of 2011, I can't imagine where everyone is going to sit. Sammy Baker at his best. No new revenue sources.

[eaglewraith]

There's a little bit of logic doing the seating later (which that's rumored to be the plan just nothing on paper yet). You have to make a premium on the seating. Right now there is no true incentive to buy season tickets to get a seat when you can just walk up on gameday and get a ticket for the grass worst case. This might drive people to start buying more season tickets and then we'd HAVE to expand to accomodate the ticket requests.

Hopefully that's the line of thinking but you never can tell with our Athletic Dept though.

[DFW HOYA]

True, but at least they announced SOMETHING. I'm not complaining..

Imagine waiting eight years...

[Baldy]

There's a little bit of logic doing the seating later (which that's rumored to be the plan just nothing on paper yet). You have to make a premium on the seating. Right now there is no true incentive to buy season tickets to get a seat when you can just walk up on gameday and get a ticket for the grass worst case. This might drive people to start buying more season tickets and then we'd HAVE to expand to accomodate the ticket requests.

Hopefully that's the line of thinking but you never can tell with our Athletic Dept though.
Plus, you need to build the foundation before you build the house. When Monken was hired he was asked, what do you need? This new facility was the answer, but not his only answer. There is so much more on the way. All praise goes to Dr. Keel on this one. If Grube was still as GSU, this facility would NEVER have seen the light of day.

[seantaylor]

Plus, you need to build the foundation before you build the house. When Monken was hired he was asked, what do you need? This new facility was the answer, but not his only answer. There is so much more on the way. All praise goes to Dr. Keel on this one. If Grube was still as GSU, this facility would NEVER have seen the light of day.

Even you would agree that this isn't a necessity, right? Just a luxury. Not needed right now, while seating is. This eliminates seats. Where is everyone going to sit for homecoming in October?

[I-16Bandit]

Even you would agree that this isn't a necessity, right? Just a luxury. Not needed right now, while seating is. This eliminates seats. Where is everyone going to sit for homecoming in October?

I'll agree to this. Never thought about it this way.. I guess the excitement of finally having something done (or just having something announced by our athletic department, period) at Paulson made me overlook some things.

[cannonballgsu]

I guess it would make more sense if it had some of the designs available but it looks like that won't happen till about mid summer.

There are designs, but they are pretty secretive about them right now.

[pleahy1]

I saw this on another forum. It's probably not what they were thinking (although it could be). You build this building this coming year and next year there are more limited seats, which means fans either need to show up earlier or buy season tickets to guarantee getting a seat, with the number of fans expected the next couple of years. Then once people start seeing the NEED to do something proactive and not just assume that there will be a seat for them (ie put more money into the system) the add a deck to the student side.

[Baldy]

Even you would agree that this isn't a necessity, right? Just a luxury. Not needed right now, while seating is. This eliminates seats. Where is everyone going to sit for homecoming in October?
For recruiting the caliber of athletes we want, it is is a necessity. In a perfect world, I would like to see both done at the same time. This facility will be ready for 2012 and the seating expansion is scheduled to happen in 2013. One thing this building will accomplish more so than just adding seats is generating even more excitement. I hope it's standing room only and the school will have to bring in temporary seating in 2012. That will be a perfect segue to the much needed stadium expansion.

[Tuscon]

I saw this on another forum. It's probably not what they were thinking (although it could be). You build this building this coming year and next year there are more limited seats, which means fans either need to show up earlier or buy season tickets to guarantee getting a seat, with the number of fans expected the next couple of years. Then once people start seeing the NEED to do something proactive and not just assume that there will be a seat for them (ie put more money into the system) the add a deck to the student side.

That seems like a stretch. If you guys are already filling out your stadium, then the demand is there. You don't have to artificially create more demand by limiting the seating. If they really need money, and the demand for more seating is already there, then you'll fill the seats you add.

[Eaglesrus]

That seems like a stretch. If you guys are already filling out your stadium, then the demand is there. You don't have to artificially create more demand by limiting the seating. If they really need money, and the demand for more seating is already there, then you'll fill the seats you add.

I don't want to put words in pleahy1's mouth, but I think at least part of what he's alluding to is that we now have more than enough seating space by virtue of the fact that many people sit on the grass banks at the ends of the stands and above the end zone where this building is going. Some of that will obviously be eliminated by this project, thus emphasizing the need for more actual seats.

[Tuscon]

Do you guys turn anyone away? Sell out games? If you're selling out games now, you need more capacity. If you're not, you don't.

[Baldy]

Do you guys turn anyone away? Sell out games? If you're selling out games now, you need more capacity. If you're not, you don't.
Nobody gets turned away, but we are way over our actual seating capacity of 14,000.

[Eaglesrus]

Do you guys turn anyone away? Sell out games? If you're selling out games now, you need more capacity. If you're not, you don't.

Here's the deal; right now we could probably put 30,000+ inside the fences, but we have less than 15,000 actual seats. With this new building that 30,000+ goes down, probably to more like 23,000 (just an estimate). On top of that for years there's been the question of how many of those who sit on the grass want to as opposed to just not having a seat.

[Tuscon]

Or who likes sitting in the grass? I think that sounds like a pretty good atmosphere to tell you the truth. A beautiful Saturday afternoon of football. Bring a blanket and just chill and watch. Sounds to me like you guys sell out your actual seating though, which says the demand is there for them. You can also charge more for an actual seat, pumping a little more money into the system.

[Blueandwhitefightfight]

http://www.georgiasoutherneagles.com//pics29/1024/AD/ADIOSUCMROIVNZJ.20071217201536.jpg

[seantaylor]

For recruiting the caliber of athletes we want, it is is a necessity. In a perfect world, I would like to see both done at the same time. This facility will be ready for 2012 and the seating expansion is scheduled to happen in 2013. One thing this building will accomplish more so than just adding seats is generating even more excitement. I hope it's standing room only and the school will have to bring in temporary seating in 2012. That will be a perfect segue to the much needed stadium expansion.

I agree that it adds excitement. But, IMO, the seating expansion should definitely come first. Our recruiting is going great, could it be better with this facility? Sure. But it could also be better for potential recruits to see a stadium that is filled and looks big, which is what added seats bring us.

Either way, props to Keel and Monken. Both deserve the credit. This probably wouldn't be happening with Grube still here, I'll grant that. But, it also wouldn't be with Hatcher and his 5 win seasons still here, either.

[SpeedkingATL]

Sounds like a great upgrade to the facilities to me. Just get real friendly with the fire marshall so you can pack em in on game day. It appears to work at App, just keep selling SRO tickets and people will figure out a place to sit/stand.