Football Stadium Article

[Dane Pound]

Story in today's Buisness Review - UAlbany athletics presses donors as budget cuts threaten stadium

[Clickclack]

Study will be completed by the end of next month? I was told that the study HAS been completed.

[UA'08]

Study will be completed by the end of next month? I was told that the study HAS been completed.

 

I say put whatever money you have to the basketball team. I root for the Albany football team and want them to succeed, but I feel FCS just does not attract many followers. Focus the money into basketball similliar to a Villanova or a Georgetown. I don't have a problem with basketball being the feature sport of the school.

[danefan]

Study will be completed by the end of next month? I was told that the study HAS been completed.

 

I say put whatever money you have to the basketball team. I root for the Albany football team and want them to succeed, but I feel FCS just does not attract many followers. Focus the money into basketball similliar to a Villanova or a Georgetown. I don't have a problem with basketball being the feature sport of the school.

 

 

Villanova and Georgetown spend at least 2-3 times what we spend on Football.

[ATL_DANE]

I like basketball too but as I've said before it doesn't make sense to make it our "feature" sport.

 

New York has 200 + colleges and at times it feels like every one of them has a D1 college basketball program. Could we pick a more competitive and crowded market? Its like opening a pizzeria in Little Italy, no one will notice.

 

On the other side, of the 200 + colleges in New York only 3 are FBS. Only 3! That should be the goal. Even if it takes years, that needs to be the goal. Small schools can be competitive at basketball because of the limited number of scholarships. A state university like UA has it's advantage in its size. Work to your advantage.

 

UA is not a small Catholic college. UA is not a teachers college. UA is a large state university center. UA will always struggle until the Capitol Region accepts who we are. We are a large state university center like Buffalo, UConn, Rutgers, Michigan, UGA, GT, UCLA, even Ball State or Central Michigan.

 

Football makes sense for UA

[DanesRGood]

I wish I was wealthy and could donate more to the cause. I think it would be great for the school and the surrounding area to have a nice size stadium there.

[Clickclack]

I like basketball too but as I've said before it doesn't make sense to make it our "feature" sport.

 

New York has 200 + colleges and at times it feels like every one of them has a D1 college basketball program. Could we pick a more competitive and crowded market? Its like opening a pizzeria in Little Italy, no one will notice.

 

On the other side, of the 200 + colleges in New York only 3 are FBS. Only 3! That should be the goal. Even if it takes years, that needs to be the goal. Small schools can be competitive at basketball because of the limited number of scholarships. A state university like UA has it's advantage in its size. Work to your advantage.

 

UA is not a small Catholic college. UA is not a teachers college. UA is a large state university center. UA will always struggle until the Capitol Region accepts who we are. We are a large state university center like Buffalo, UConn, Rutgers, Michigan, UGA, GT, UCLA, even Ball State or Central Michigan.

 

Football makes sense for UA

 

Except we are aimlessly wondering in the wilderness. Should we have a top notch football program...probably. I have been on this board 3 years now...I can honestly tell you there has been almost ZERO movement on the stadium/football issue. It appears there simply isn't enough support in the community and we can't seem to start any kind of public awareness campaign or funding drive. How many alums even know that we are trying to scrape some money together in order to build something that isn't a complete joke like the current field?

 

It isn't over until the athletic dept comes out and says....well, we just can't get this done in the current fiscal environment but right now based on what little is available regarding this project; there isn't much to be optimistic about. I don't know....perhaps I'm simply to much of a 'the sky is falling' guy. I will continue doing my part, going to football and basketball games as well as lacrosse and support UA, if they start some sort of fund raising drive I'll also take part. Beyond that....I guess we'll just have to see where it all goes.

 

Good luck to the Athletic Dept, I know they are trying!

[Phoenix]

How many alums even know that we are trying to scrape some money together in order to build something that isn't a complete joke like the current field?

 

From the front page of the Athletics site..I check it here and there for any updates.. http://admin.xosn.com/attachments1/3875.pdf

 

Also from a link off the front page..doesn't specifically list Project 2010 as an option though, but 'Great Danes Athletics' and 'Other' are options.. https://www.informz.net/ualbany-fund/donate.asp?did=35

[Clickclack]

How many alums even know that we are trying to scrape some money together in order to build something that isn't a complete joke like the current field?

 

From the front page of the Athletics site..I check it here and there for any updates.. http://admin.xosn.com/attachments1/3875.pdf

 

Also from a link off the front page..doesn't specifically list Project 2010 as an option though, but 'Great Danes Athletics' and 'Other' are options.. https://www.informz.net/ualbany-fund/donate.asp?did=35

 

I've recently used the online donation page....it works very well!

[danefan]

So i was out of town on business last week, when this article was published.

 

Its crap. Plain and simple.

 

The fact that the University is still somehow holding onto the idea that we can get a $50-60 million stadium built in this economy is crazy talk.

 

Why haven't they just asked for $10 million to renovate University Field? It's pretty clear we aren't moving out of the NEC anytime in the near future and the NEC isn't going to get above 40 rides within 10 years, if ever, so what's the need for a $50 million stadium?

 

The University would be better served with an 8,000 seat University Field with known home OOC opponents (UMass is a good start) and a concerted effort at marketing a real college football atmosphere (a band, tailgating, etc....).

[danefan]

OK, so I was bored today and I got a new picture editing program (GIMP - its a free, scaled down version of Photoshop if anyone is interested).

 

Here is what I came up with for University Field (using a satellite overhead of University Field and Norfolk State's stands). The capacity is 30,000. The biggest we'd ever need at Albany - ever.

 

Take off the two endzone pieces and you have something in the 15,000 seat range that, IMO looks really good. Take out the track and you have an even nicer setup.

 

 

Just fodder for discussion purposes.

[UAlbany09]

So i was out of town on business last week, when this article was published.

 

Its crap. Plain and simple.

 

The fact that the University is still somehow holding onto the idea that we can get a $50-60 million stadium built in this economy is crazy talk.

 

Why haven't they just asked for $10 million to renovate University Field? It's pretty clear we aren't moving out of the NEC anytime in the near future and the NEC isn't going to get above 40 rides within 10 years, if ever, so what's the need for a $50 million stadium?

 

The University would be better served with an 8,000 seat University Field with known home OOC opponents (UMass is a good start) and a concerted effort at marketing a real college football atmosphere (a band, tailgating, etc....).

 

 

The economic stimulus package has 6 billion dollars set aside for University building projects, so maybe it is possible.

[ATL_DANE]

Looks good Danefan.

 

Your right. We could get by with less than $60M.

 

Its just so hard to accept less, or nothing, when your peers (SUNY Buffalo and SBU) have been handed tens of millions of dollars despite being under performers on the field. It's like having three kids and sending the two stupid ones to college and asking the smart one to work in the mill. Its going to bring out a lot of justifiable resentment.

 

UA called last night asking for donations. I donated money again and told them it had to go to the football program. I also called or emailed every media outlet to decry the fairness of this Assembly bill 2020 (UB2020 plan).

 

John Gray was empathetic to our cause and said he would keep his eye out. He said he hadn't heard about this bill. A couple more emails may prompt him to do a story of the inequality to the Capitol District. This stuff works. I've had at least 8 letters to the editor printed over the past 16 months. I was the first to call Fox News when the flagship thing broke. If you want a stadium, science labs, a law school or just basic fairness for UA versus the other SUNY Centers then you need to call.

[danefan]

So i was out of town on business last week, when this article was published.

 

Its crap. Plain and simple.

 

The fact that the University is still somehow holding onto the idea that we can get a $50-60 million stadium built in this economy is crazy talk.

 

Why haven't they just asked for $10 million to renovate University Field? It's pretty clear we aren't moving out of the NEC anytime in the near future and the NEC isn't going to get above 40 rides within 10 years, if ever, so what's the need for a $50 million stadium?

 

The University would be better served with an 8,000 seat University Field with known home OOC opponents (UMass is a good start) and a concerted effort at marketing a real college football atmosphere (a band, tailgating, etc....).

 

 

The economic stimulus package has 6 billion dollars set aside for University building projects, so maybe it is possible.

 

 

Not likely.

 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (passed yesterday by the House) has its Section 9302 HIGHER EDUCATION MODERNIZATION, RENOVATION, AND REPAIR which reads as following (in relevant part):

• (a) Purpose- Grants awarded under this section shall be for the purpose of modernizing, renovating, and repairing institution of higher education facilities that are primarily used for instruction, research, or student housing.
  

[ATL_DANE]

I would think that Albany Nano could get some funding from this stimulous package? Albany Nano has been trying to get into clean energy research. This is exactly the sort of research the Obama adminstration is interested in.

 

That is if UB doesn't steal all the research funding for themselves. Afterall, they're conducting a major study on coersion of public officals... and have been quite successful to date.