Stadium Expansion...

[MplsGopher]

Why are we discussing this? Not going to happen and should not happen. Our stadium is PERFECT capacity now.

I mean you can say that other West programs like Wisc, Iowa, and Nebby having higher capacities gives the "perception" of being more elite programs.

But that's so far down the trough, from what we need to worry about now.


If they really were going to do a stadium expansion the right way. Really the only right way to do it, in my opinion, would be to close in the bowl, with the exact same architecture going around. Could look at a Michigan-esque "duplication" of the suites/club box, on the other side, as well.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I think if ANYTHING were to be done in the near term IMO it would be like an outdoor lounge thing (HOT TUBS) / bar like thing up on the rim somewhere that maybe dips into the student section or away side a bit.

Lots of schools are adding those.

That and whatever temporary thing they could put up on the rim (i'm thinking the same style stands they used to for the vikings games in the open end) as needed and remove as needed.

It might even be good PR just for those games "Hey demand is so high we had to put in some temp seats!" even if game to game they're not needed.

 

[GoForGold]

Probably not a popular opinion here, but I'd be in favor of scheduling a game at US Bank once it a great while. For those who have never been there, it's a great atmosphere for a football game. All the glass makes it feel like being outside, nothing like the Metrodome. Fill that thing up with Gopher fans and it would be pretty special. Plus, college players love to play in NFL stadiums.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Probably not a popular opinion here, but I'd be in favor of scheduling a game at US Bank once it a great while. For those who have never been there, it's a great atmosphere for a football game. All the glass makes it feel like being outside, nothing like the Metrodome. Fill that thing up with Gopher fans and it would be pretty special. Plus, college players love to play in NFL stadiums.

 

[Otis]

This is about as likely as P.J. Fleck becoming governor.

Hmmm.

He has a better chance if he ran than say......Jessie Ventu…..Never mind!

 

[LakerFan]

Probably not a popular opinion here, but I'd be in favor of scheduling a game at US Bank once it a great while. For those who have never been there, it's a great atmosphere for a football game. All the glass makes it feel like being outside, nothing like the Metrodome. Fill that thing up with Gopher fans and it would be pretty special. Plus, college players love to play in NFL stadiums.

Agreed, that won't be popular here. TCF >>> US Bank for a gopher football game

 

[HoustonTXGopher]

I think the only time we sell out TCF is fairly late in the season if we are playing very meaning full games. I would rather we just make an arrangement to play indoors where the Vikings play once or maybe twice a year. I think we can all agree that if the Wisconsin game would have been played indoors we may have won that game. Let the chastising begin!

 

[Taji34]

IMO, I think it will take a lot to even begin considering expansion. If it were up to me, I would wait until we had a waitlist for season tickets that was a decent size, AND at least 5 years of sell out games. Even then, I would probably still be on the fence.

I think we have the population nearby to support it, but I'm not convinced that even sustained success would create the right conditions. At least not in the near future.

I think PJ is here until he retires (and becomes our AD). Maybe stadium expansion becomes his crowning achievement while being an AD after many years of sustained success as a coach. One can only hope.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

Gophers are not playing at U.S. Bank stadium until it wins the bid to host the national championship

 

[harley_gopher]

TCF Bank Stadium is a great stadium with it's current configuration. The enthusiasm and complete gameday atmosphere in and around TCF Bank Stadium was 'as-good-or-better' than ANYWHERE else. Even with 52K in the stadium...it was as much or more raucous than any stadium that some of others brag about. The crowd noise was crazy and as loud and anywhere else. Believe it. Leave TCF Bank Stadium 'as-is' and make it a tough-ticket to get on gameday Saturdays.

 

[Nokomis]

I mean you can say that other West programs like Wisc, Iowa, and Nebby having higher capacities gives the "perception" of being more elite programs.

But that's so far down the trough, from what we need to worry about now.


If they really were going to do a stadium expansion the right way. Really the only right way to do it, in my opinion, would be to close in the bowl, with the exact same architecture going around. Could look at a Michigan-esque "duplication" of the suites/club box, on the other side, as well.

Have you been to Michigan Stadium? Very underwhelming IMO. Ohio Stadium is much more imposing with its tiers versus the open bowl of MI. I love the open end of TCF -- one of its best features & what makes it unique. No need to imitate other stadiums.

Camp Randall doesn't look elite with all the empty seats. Autzen looks much more impressive with less capacity.

 

[MplsGopher]

I don't think intimidation factor is much of a consideration. Moreso capacity. But anyway like I said, not an issue at the moment.

 

[Panthadad2]

The stadium is perfect sized right now as many have stated already. I would rather have a full stadium with high demand tickets for big games (and few opposing fans) and fewer empty seats for marginal games. I hated Wiscy, Iowa and even NDSU games at the Dome because it seemed 1/2 full of the opposing crowd.

Large stadiums across the country are becoming obsolete dinosaurs. I believe that having a right-sized stadium that caters to the fan experience, instead of sheer numbers, is the wave of the future. Other new stadiums have been smaller too. Baylor's very nice McClane Stadium seats 45K. Stanford's newer stadium seats 50K. Louisville's stadium originally seated 42K but they just expanded I think to 60+.

 

[Livingat45north]

Probably not a popular opinion here, but I'd be in favor of scheduling a game at US Bank once it a great while. For those who have never been there, it's a great atmosphere for a football game. All the glass makes it feel like being outside, nothing like the Metrodome. Fill that thing up with Gopher fans and it would be pretty special. Plus, college players love to play in NFL stadiums.

So you mean we should schedule the Viking to a non-conference game? Sounds good to me. Maybe we can do a home and away where they travel to TCF the following year. As FYI, up until 1976 the college seniors "all stars" did play an NFL team in a preseason game.

 

[Panthadad2]

I think the only time we sell out TCF is fairly late in the season if we are playing very meaning full games. I would rather we just make an arrangement to play indoors where the Vikings play once or maybe twice a year. I think we can all agree that if the Wisconsin game would have been played indoors we may have won that game. Let the chastising begin!

I get where you're coming from, but I respectfully disagree. Getting the hell out of the off campus pro indoor stadium a decade ago was a godsend to Gopher fans.

Before the PSU and Wiscy games, frat row was partying hard right outside the stadium, tailgating lots were going at it hard right outside the stadium, students and adults both were milling around Dinkytown and areas around the stadium, the band has a natural progression from campus to the stadium, and all the TV cameras in and around TCF showcase the campus. So I gotta say Hell to the No for playing at the nice but sterile US Bank. US Bank Stadium is for the Vikes, truck pulls and RV shows...not college football.

As for weather, yeah, I think the last game would have gone better for the Gophs on a dry field, but a lot of that's on the coaches. Minnesota didn't seem to vary AT ALL from their regular game plan. Wiscy seemed much better prepared to play in bad conditions - big passes when throwing with the wind, and running unique formations, sweeps, screens and such against the wind. I'm betting that day was a learning experience for the Gopher staff.

 

[Veritas]

TCF Bank Stadium is a great stadium with it's current configuration. The enthusiasm and complete gameday atmosphere in and around TCF Bank Stadium was 'as-good-or-better' than ANYWHERE else. Even with 52K in the stadium...it was as much or more raucous than any stadium that some of others brag about. The crowd noise was crazy and as loud and anywhere else. Believe it. Leave TCF Bank Stadium 'as-is' and make it a tough-ticket to get on gameday Saturdays.

How many other college game days have you been to? Have you been to a game at Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, etc.? Our Penn State atmosphere was great. For us, very great. And that is what we need. But, until you have been to these other places you probably don't know what we are up against.

 

[RallyMunky]

Sell out a season first, Eh! Then add 10 or 15K seats.

Can't stress this part enough. Powers that be won't start talking about expansion of the stadium until we can sell out a few seasons. There is a lot that goes into selling out (pricing, seat donations, gameday experience, etc) which gets talked about ad nauseum on this site. Things are trending positively, but need to sell out more than individual games before any addition talk becomes serious. Fun to think about though!!!

 

[GoodasGold]

View attachment 6747this would be around 15K extra seats. Would probably need the third deck to wrap around from jumbotron to jumbotron to get 30k. I made a sign on the top that says "not gonna happen" but its too blurry to read ?‍

Those seats (standings?) up in the jet stream in November? Thanks, but no.

 

[Veritas]

Probably not a popular opinion here, but I'd be in favor of scheduling a game at US Bank once it a great while. For those who have never been there, it's a great atmosphere for a football game. All the glass makes it feel like being outside, nothing like the Metrodome. Fill that thing up with Gopher fans and it would be pretty special. Plus, college players love to play in NFL stadiums.

Who would have filled the extra seats at US Bank? Mostly Badger fans, exactly what TCF was built to avoid.

 

[Section2]

Personally when the place sells out I find the stadium to be grossly under constructed in the concourse area. Trying to move from seats to concessions to restrooms etc.. almost impossible during the Wisconsin game. Not sure how to address that current problem if you add more seats.

This is my main concern. Would a third level have it's own separate concourse with concession and bathrooms? If so, I'm in favor. Even a third deck just above the colored seats between the 20s could take some of the congestion off the main level if there were separate bathrooms.

 

[tikited]

Why are we discussing this? Not going to happen and should not happen. Our stadium is PERFECT capacity now.

I agree with this. We sold out a couple of games and still had low attendance overall. The stadium is perfect for right now.

 

[mnsportsgeek]

Lol. Imagine the concourses with 30,000 more people.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Only way this happens -
1. team has multiple sell-outs - maybe sells out every game for at least conference opponents.
2. maximize season ticket sales. scarcity of tickets creates demand
3. build up a season ticket waiting list.
4. go to waiting list, and ask for deposits/down payments for seating in an expanded stadium.
5. use those deposits as seed money to plan for expansion
6. design and build an addition with 15,000 seats - with the proviso that the expansion is paid for in large part with seat licenses/deposits from new season ticket holders.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

How many other college game days have you been to? Have you been to a game at Ohio State, Penn State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, etc.? Our Penn State atmosphere was great. For us, very great. And that is what we need. But, until you have been to these other places you probably don't know what we are up against.

I've been to Madison, Lincoln, and Iowa. The Gopher crowd for PSU and Wisconsin was as good as any, although the weather was a little cold and wet for Wisconsin. On a "normal" weekend game, MN gets blown out of the water though. Hopefully that can change...

 

[theTurning]

Like others, I think it would be foolish to expand seating capacity. You're going to need the stadium itself to attract people as much as the product on the field over the decades to come. I would much rather they invest in 'expansion' ideas like additional lounge areas, patio space, etc. Places people can congregate outside of the very cramped concourses.

We had discussed the idea of an upper-deck end zone area, like Texas is doing. Seems like a better way to put money into the stadium.

Or maybe a solar roof that keeps the sound in, like McLane.

The rest of the conference has the whole massive bowl thing, let's do something a little different.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

Like others, I think it would be foolish to expand seating capacity. You're going to need the stadium itself to attract people as much as the product on the field over the decades to come. I would much rather they invest in 'expansion' ideas like additional lounge areas, patio space, etc. Places people can congregate outside of the very cramped concourses.

We had discussed the idea of an upper-deck end zone area, like Texas is doing. Seems like a better way to put money into the stadium.

Or maybe a solar roof that keeps the sound in, like McLane.

The rest of the conference has the whole massive bowl thing, let's do something a little different.

Could be a good place for event type rentals too.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Probably not a popular opinion here, but I'd be in favor of scheduling a game at US Bank once it a great while. For those who have never been there, it's a great atmosphere for a football game. All the glass makes it feel like being outside, nothing like the Metrodome. Fill that thing up with Gopher fans and it would be pretty special. Plus, college players love to play in NFL stadiums.

The only way I'd be somewhat ok with this is if they play a big opponent like WI did with LSU and will be doing with Notre Dame.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

The only way I'd be somewhat ok with this is if they play a big opponent like WI did with LSU and will be doing with Notre Dame.

I reserve the right to bitch about it endlessly if we ever do that.

 

[1983]

It’d be awesome to add those 30,000 seats. My Dad and I dreamt of it since they built the stadium. I’d like to think that it’s not THAT far off, seeing the amount of support the team has gained after just one successful season, and the amount of people that showed up for Penn State and Wisconsin. There were people complaining about not being able to attend the Wisconsin game due to waiting too long to jump on tickets. Imagine what a Rose Bowl 11 win season would do for the fan base, or better yet a college football playoff run. If we string together 2-3 seasons where we’re competing for a spot in the playoff, or we win the Big Ten championship, I could see people pushing for them to expand.

And they were not there for any other game either. An expansion would be a disaster. Season ticket sales will increase by maybe 2500 at best after this year.

 

[Schnauzer]

A couple points on a couple suggestions that were brought up after I posted:

1. I agree, the TCF Bank concourse is too narrow. when it was built everyone said how much nicer it was going to be compared to the Metrodome because the concourse was twice as wide. they failed to mention there was a separate concourse for each deck at the Metrodome. so, the double wide concourse was exactly as crowded at a full game as it was in the half sized, but doubled up concourses at the dome.

2. Games at U.S. Bank Stadium? Gawd... please NO! With one exception: I'd be happy to go to a game at U.S. Bank Stadium if it was a "neutral site game" that did not replace any of the 7 regular home games. In fact, I'd be all over that and support that.