Topic: Gazette: C-USA notebook

[ZackUSAF82]

By Doug Smock
Staff writer

Central Florida has played football for 28 years and in four different NCAA divisions, but this weekend, the Knights are really playing their first home game.

UCF is christening the new 45,323-seat Bright House Networks Stadium, the centerpiece of an Athletics Village being built on its northeast Orlando campus. The Knights’ basketball team also is getting a new home, the 10,000-seat Convocation Center.

The new stadium cost about $60 million, though that includes roads, parking and practice fields for football, soccer and baseball. UCF will lose about 20,000 in capacity, which it didn’t need anyway at the Citrus Bowl, an aging fortress wedged between a forgotten baseball park and a rundown neighborhood.

UCF gained its first sellout, announced Tuesday, for the opener against Texas — the No. 6 Longhorns, a far cry from a 1979 home opener against Fort Benning.

Needless to say, it will be a tough task for coach George O’Leary’s Knights, who knocked off North Carolina State 25-23 two weeks ago.

“I think that the bye week is good, if it did not happen in the second week,” O’Leary said. “You like to have the bye week in the middle of the season just to get your feet underneath yourself.”

UCF sold more than 24,000 season tickets, more than double the 9,872 in 2005. The students are getting a 12,000-seat block, and they’ve showed an occasional wild side, tearing down the goalposts after their team snapped a 17-game losing streak against Marshall in 2005.

Link: http://wvgazette.com/section/Sports/Marshall/2007091344

[greenskeeper]

UCF is christening the new 45,323-seat Bright House Networks Stadium, the centerpiece of an Athletics Village being built on its northeast Orlando campus. The Knights’ basketball team also is getting a new home, the 10,000-seat Convocation Center.

After taking a quick look we now have UCF at 45K, ECU at 45K and So Miss going to arounf 40plus K....with the advent of a pending home and home series with U VW and also more home and homes with Cinnci and Lousiville, I'd say its time to get some drawings on the board for expansion to 50K. If you look at the drivables of home and home you now have Cinnci Louisville, VT, Wake, UNC, UVA, Maryland, Pitt, and even UK  and UTN if you want to throw them in....the great thing like ECU we have built ours right from the start...not an erector set like UCF, with the exception of the lower endzone...

[thunder627]

We needed to start yesterday on the expansion. Can not wait simply because we a few beleive we need to fill JPE 80% of the time----heck it that were true we would still be playing at Fairfield. Doesn't get any cheaper and we have to continue to re-invest in our program.

[herdfan429]

We dont need to expand we seat around 40k which is plenty.  WE CANT SELL IT OUT NOW.  it would look horrible on tv and to recruits if we only had 25k in a 50k seat stadium.

[P'villeHERDfan]

GREAT !!! more expansion talk .

 :cry:

[Flat Tire]

The last expansion of the stadium was paid for with private money. My guess it will take private money to undertake any new expansion.

I remember that MU had thought about putting in private luxury boxes on the East Side and using the rental fees to pay for an expansion or upper deck. That idea was floated before we expanded the end zone. I am guessing the money situation begot the end zone expansion.

[herd1986]

We don't need to expand we seat around 40k which is plenty.  WE CANT SELL IT OUT NOW.  it would look horrible on tv and to recruits if we only had 25k in a 50k seat stadium.

Actually, we can, and have, sold out the stadium! :o

[herdfan429]

We don't need to expand we seat around 40k which is plenty.  WE CANT SELL IT OUT NOW.  it would look horrible on tv and to recruits if we only had 25k in a 50k seat stadium.

Actually, we can, and have, sold out the stadium! :o

Oh yea one sellout since expansion.  We really need to expand again so it will be another 10 years before we have another one.  Then maybe after that we can expand to 75k.

[thunder627]

We don't need to expand we seat around 40k which is plenty.  WE CANT SELL IT OUT NOW.  it would look horrible on tv and to recruits if we only had 25k in a 50k seat stadium.

Actually, we can, and have, sold out the stadium! :o

Oh yea one sellout since expansion.  We really need to expand again so it will be another 10 years before we have another one.  Then maybe after that we can expand to 75k.

Yet another fan that has no vision and is satisfied with the status quo---55K would be a nice number.

[herdfan429]

We don't need to expand we seat around 40k which is plenty.  WE CANT SELL IT OUT NOW.  it would look horrible on tv and to recruits if we only had 25k in a 50k seat stadium.

Actually, we can, and have, sold out the stadium! :o

Oh yea one sellout since expansion.  We really need to expand again so it will be another 10 years before we have another one.  Then maybe after that we can expand to 75k.

Yet another fan that has no vision and is satisfied with the status quo---55K would be a nice number.

Actually I do have vision but my vision has us atleast getting 32000 a game.  Then we can expand.  I just dont want our stadium to look have empty on tv and to recruits.  Maybe in a few years we can reach this goal.

[Thundering Accountant]

Rule of thum on Stadium expansion is 75-80% capacity. We were within that range before this season. With the #of quality teams comming soon, we will hit that 80% mark easily. I see know reason why our stadium shouldn't be expanded to about 45K.

Some people need to get over the empty seat thing. I would rather have 15K empty seats in the near future than to miss out on some 45K crowds when VT, WVU and Miami FL come.

[HRHF]

Rule of thum on Stadium expansion is 75-80% capacity. We were within that range before this season. With the #of quality teams comming soon, we will hit that 80% mark easily. I see know reason why our stadium shouldn't be expanded to about 45K.

Some people need to get over the empty seat thing. I would rather have 15K empty seats in the near future than to miss out on some 45K crowds when VT, WVU and Miami FL come.

As some people have mentioned on the various boards in the past, a certain section (or sections) could be covered except for the big games. That'd help prevent the "half empty stadium look."

Not saying I support or oppose stadium expansion at this time.

[marshallsoccer]

Rule of thum on Stadium expansion is 75-80% capacity. We were within that range before this season. With the #of quality teams comming soon, we will hit that 80% mark easily. I see know reason why our stadium shouldn't be expanded to about 45K.

Some people need to get over the empty seat thing. I would rather have 15K empty seats in the near future than to miss out on some 45K crowds when VT, WVU and Miami FL come.

As some people have mentioned on the various boards in the past, a certain section (or sections) could be covered except for the big games. That'd help prevent the "half empty stadium look."

Not saying I support or oppose stadium expansion at this time.

sell ads on those tarps as well.

[bbcard1]

I hate WVU, but if we are talking about a long-term home and home, I don't think it is unreasonable  for us to offer a 50K seating capacity...But i would shut off sections for many games.

[thunder627]

We don't need to expand we seat around 40k which is plenty.  WE CANT SELL IT OUT NOW.  it would look horrible on tv and to recruits if we only had 25k in a 50k seat stadium.

Actually, we can, and have, sold out the stadium! :o

Oh yea one sellout since expansion.  We really need to expand again so it will be another 10 years before we have another one.  Then maybe after that we can expand to 75k.

Yet another fan that has no vision and is satisfied with the status quo---55K would be a nice number.

Actually I do have vision but my vision has us atleast getting 32000 a game.  Then we can expand.  I just dont want our stadium to look have empty on tv and to recruits.  Maybe in a few years we can reach this goal.

No Vision--expansion will take more than a few days to complete--we need to get it going soon.

[marcbuff]

If you build it, they will come. :-D