TCF Bank Stadium Modifications to Begin This Week

Donate To GopherHole

Formo said:
That's painted. Previous picture they posted was of them still paining the 'E'.
Click to expand...

Actually, bro, they were unrolling it and sewing it in at the time.
 







I love where this thread is going!

Let the Sewn Logos v. Painted logos debate continue forever! :cool:
 




Lakeville Goldy said:
Are we sure that's true? The agreement was that the turf had to be essentially how they found it (i.e. permanent logos). I wonder if they will just sew the logos in this turf after 2 years?
Click to expand...

The user agreement specifically states that new turf with permanent markings as selected by the University of Minnesota be installed at the Vikings' expense after the NFL team's tenure at the stadium ends. Sewing logos and such into the just installed field isn't allowed under the agreement, wouldn't be desirable for the U of M given the wear and tear this field wil experience over the next couple of years, and may not be possible from a practical manner anyway.
 

Sports_Realist said:
The user agreement specifically states that new turf with permanent markings as selected by the University of Minnesota be installed at the Vikings' expense after the NFL team's tenure at the stadium ends. Sewing logos and such into the just installed field isn't allowed under the agreement, wouldn't be desirable for the U of M given the wear and tear this field wil experience over the next couple of years, and may not be possible from a practical manner anyway.
Click to expand...

They replaced the B1G logo when that changed. Sewn in logo and all. So to say it may not be possible is a false statement. Is it the right way to go? Absolutely not. Aside from the two football teams using the field over the next few years, the Marching band rehearses at TCF everyday in the fall. There are also other events such as concerts that take their toll on the surface overtime.

I believe Wisconsin goes through their FieldTurf in less than half the time of the advertised life cycle, and that surface doesn't experience as much use.
 

I forgot about the Big Ten logo change.

The agreement, apart from stating that the Vikings will pay for a new field with sewn in markings and logos, also states that while the Vikings can suggest a particular type of turf as a replacement, the U of M reserves to the right to make all the decisions. In other words, the Vikes could suggest one thing and the U of M could say no and declare that something else will happen instead.

The agreement adds that when the markings on the field are switched from the Gophers to the Vikings and back (repeat numerous times), the cost of doing so will always be paid by the Vikings.
 

The end result looks pretty simple to me. They have sewn in "Minnesota" in each end zone in a font and color that is neutral to the Vikings and Gophers. Everything else will be painted and erased as needed as the field goes back and forth between NCAA and NFL use.

I am declaring this after looking at two or three photos and using my own brand of common sense. Take it for what it is worth.
 



Schnauzer said:
The end result looks pretty simple to me. They have sewn in "Minnesota" in each end zone in a font and color that is neutral to the Vikings and Gophers. Everything else will be painted and erased as needed as the field goes back and forth between NCAA and NFL use.

I am declaring this after looking at two or three photos and using my own brand of common sense. Take it for what it is worth.
Click to expand...

NOT ALLOWED!!!
 

Will they be installing grass over the turf next month or not?
 


Are the field numbers down yet? I would be surprised if they didn't install the numbers too unless the placement of the field number differs from pro and college?

Here is how most numbers and logos end up being attached to the field – they just shave down the area and sew in the number:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baxRxQs5PW8
 

golddust said:
Are the field numbers down yet? I would be surprised if they didn't install the numbers too unless the placement of the field number differs from pro and college?

Here is how most numbers and logos end up being attached to the field – they just shave down the area and sew in the number:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baxRxQs5PW8
Click to expand...

The Numbers are not down yet. They will have to make it so the field marking are correct for both College and NFL.
 

Gopherdrummer said:
They replaced the B1G logo when that changed. Sewn in logo and all. So to say it may not be possible is a false statement. Is it the right way to go? Absolutely not. Aside from the two football teams using the field over the next few years, the Marching band rehearses at TCF everyday in the fall. There are also other events such as concerts that take their toll on the surface overtime.

I believe Wisconsin goes through their FieldTurf in less than half the time of the advertised life cycle, and that surface doesn't experience as much use.
Click to expand...

I think that was only done out of absolute necessity. It looked bad (not the logo itself....that's a entirely different thread) because you could easily tell the 'patch' was different from the rest. To me, one of the nice things about having it stitched in is that it looks seamless, not patched together. That turf was probably only 2 years old at that time and there's almost no way they would change remove the entire surface for the conference logo.

Think how ugly it would be to have such a big patch right at midfield to patch in the block M.
 

I think losing the open space under the scoreboard for two years is going to not be very popular. I was under the big scoreboard last night and noticed that they had destroyed all of the trees, lighting,ext. that was near the fence amongst the beer tents. I'd be shocked if accomodations for the temporary bleachers all but wipe out the ambiance and functionality of that space, at least as we know it now. It will certainly look like crap on TV as well, especially if no one is in the seats.


I really wished they had found a way to put the 5,000 temporary seats on the vistor side on the flat roof area behind the "temporary" fence along the upper open concourse where the maroon bowl game signs are now. They probably were worried about security and making sure people in that area stayed away from the exterior wall and avoided falling to the sidewalk below, or doing something else stupid.. It probably would been expensive to put anything "temporary" up there, but I would have been pleased to see even bleacher seats up there where they were designed to be, if and when the expansion ever happened.

It might be nice to have those extra seats for the next two years if the team becomes wildly popular but I do not want them full of visiting fans.

I am also concerned that the University might talk themselves in to keeping the temporary seats around indefinitely after the Vikings are gone. The end result would be degradation of the appearance of the stadium and an excuse to push back any permanent, first class upper deck (third deck) expansion.
 

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/261873781.html

A Gophers spokesman clarified the plans. The Gophers' historic Block 'M' will be back on the field soon, with Coach Jerry Kill getting ready to host numerous camps. The Block 'M' will be there for every Gophers game, and the Big Ten logos will be back at the 25-yard lines. The wider, NCAA hash marks will be down.
The Vikings will have their traditional Norseman logo at midfield for their games, with NFL logos at the 25-yard lines and the narrower hash marks.
The end zone plans are still undecided. There is some flexibility built into the contract for those markings. The green portions around the word "MINNESOTA" can be painted maroon for the Gophers, and purple for the Vikings, but they also could stay with this neutral look for both teams. That would be less work, and of course, less expensive.
Maintenance crews could also paint the white trim around the gold letters maroon or purple, but whatever gets painted needs to be restored to neutral for the other team. If the Vikings add purple paint to the end zones, they have to scrub it clean or restore it to the neutral setting for the Gophers, and vice versa.
But it's clear in the contract that this is the Gophers' field and that the Vikings have to restore it with the Block 'M' and neutral end zones after each game. So on non-game days, if a recruit or booster visits the stadium, they'll have that reminder that this is an NCAA field with an NFL tenant.
Click to expand...
 

From the Strib today - article by Joe Christensen titled "TCF Bank Stadium field will have separate logos for Gophers, Vikings."

A Gophers spokesman clarified the plans. The Gophers' historic Block 'M' will be back on the field soon, with Coach Jerry Kill getting ready to host numerous camps. The Block 'M' will be there for every Gophers game, and the Big Ten logos will be back at the 25-yard lines. The wider, NCAA hash marks will be down.

The Vikings will have their traditional Norseman logo at midfield for their games, with NFL logos at the 25-yard lines and the narrower hash marks.

The end zone plans are still undecided. There is some flexibility built into the contract for those markings. The green portions around the word "MINNESOTA" can be painted maroon for the Gophers, and purple for the Vikings, but they also could stay with this neutral look for both teams. That would be less work, and of course, less expensive.

Maintenance crews could also paint the white trim around the gold letters maroon or purple, but whatever gets painted needs to be restored to neutral for the other team. If the Vikings add purple paint to the end zones, they have to scrub it clean or restore it to the neutral setting for the Gophers, and vice versa.

But it's clear in the contract that this is the Gophers' field and that the Vikings have to restore it with the Block 'M' and neutral end zones after each game. So on non-game days, if a recruit or booster visits the stadium, they'll have that reminder that this is an NCAA field with an NFL tenant.


That should answer some questions.
 

I'm sure nobody here will ever doubt me again.

:))
 


oak_street1981 said:
I think losing the open space under the scoreboard for two years is going to not be very popular. I was under the big scoreboard last night and noticed that they had destroyed all of the trees, lighting,ext. that was near the fence amongst the beer tents. I'd be shocked if accomodations for the temporary bleachers all but wipe out the ambiance and functionality of that space, at least as we know it now. It will certainly look like crap on TV as well, especially if no one is in the seats.


I really wished they had found a way to put the 5,000 temporary seats on the vistor side on the flat roof area behind the "temporary" fence along the upper open concourse where the maroon bowl game signs are now. They probably were worried about security and making sure people in that area stayed away from the exterior wall and avoided falling to the sidewalk below, or doing something else stupid.. It probably would been expensive to put anything "temporary" up there, but I would have been pleased to see even bleacher seats up there where they were designed to be, if and when the expansion ever happened.

It might be nice to have those extra seats for the next two years if the team becomes wildly popular but I do not want them full of visiting fans.

I am also concerned that the University might talk themselves in to keeping the temporary seats around indefinitely after the Vikings are gone. The end result would be degradation of the appearance of the stadium and an excuse to push back any permanent, first class upper deck (third deck) expansion.
Click to expand...

Good catch. I stood right at the gates at the open end of the stadium and completely missed that the trees were gone.

The Vikings are only getting about 2,000 extra seats via the temporary seating at that end. The sections and rows will be about equal in size to the small permanent sections that will sit below, although the temporary seating may be steeper or not as steep. The removal of the trees seems to be about making room for circulation areas and temporary concession stands, since the fans in that area are a good distance from the permanent ones on the concourse, as opposed to making room for the seats themselves. It could even be a case of the fire marshal ordering removal of the trees with regard to the circulation issue. My guess is the Gophers won't keep the temporary seating since it's unnecessary given their capacity needs.

http://kmsp.images.worldnow.com/images/3158170_G.jpg

http://stmedia.startribune.com/images/1stadiium021314.jpg
 

If the trees get returned in two years, they need to be Honeycrisp trees. No brainer.
 

Navin said:
If the trees get returned in two years, they need to be Honeycrisp trees. No brainer.
Click to expand...

Just because the "Honeycrisp(™)" apple tree was developed and patented by the University of Minnesota doesn't mean it's a good idea to plant them around TCF Bank Stadium. First of all they only get about 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide at maturity with a fairly low canopy. Most people couldn't comfortably walk underneath the tree. Secondly, do you thinks it's a good idea to plant a tree which essentially produces potential artillery for an inebriated fan to handle?

When the time comes to eventually re-landscape the open end of the stadium after the temporary seating is removed they'll once again plant the Whitespire birches that grow fast, have a high sidewalk clearance, produce a pleasing white bark and display a beautiful "gold" shade once the leaves turn in the fall. When the new trees are planted I'd love to see them intersperce some trees with a "maroonish" foliage but not many trees fit that profile save for Crimson King maple tree.

F280-06.jpg
 

Navin said:
If the trees get returned in two years, they need to be Honeycrisp trees. No brainer.
Click to expand...

palm-trees-03.jpg
 

norman dale said:
Just because the "Honeycrisp(™)" apple tree was developed and patented by the University of Minnesota doesn't mean it's a good idea to plant them around TCF Bank Stadium. First of all they only get about 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide at maturity with a fairly low canopy. Most people couldn't comfortably walk underneath the tree. Secondly, do you thinks it's a good idea to plant a tree which essentially produces potential artillery for an inebriated fan to handle?

When the time comes to eventually re-landscape the open end of the stadium after the temporary seating is removed they'll once again plant the Whitespire birches that grow fast, have a high sidewalk clearance, produce a pleasing white bark and display a beautiful "gold" shade once the leaves turn in the fall. When the new trees are planted I'd love to see them intersperce some trees with a "maroonish" foliage but not many trees fit that profile save for Crimson King maple tree.

View attachment 2668
Click to expand...

This guy gets it.
 

norman dale said:
Just because the "Honeycrisp(™)" apple tree was developed and patented by the University of Minnesota doesn't mean it's a good idea to plant them around TCF Bank Stadium. First of all they only get about 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide at maturity with a fairly low canopy. Most people couldn't comfortably walk underneath the tree.
Click to expand...

I did *not* know their limited size. I switch my idea to SweeTango then. If that tree has the same problems, then just plant *one* in a planter elevated a few feet up so peeps can walk under it.

Secondly, do you thinks it's a good idea to plant a tree which essentially produces potential artillery for an inebriated fan to handle?
Click to expand...

I do. They'll get eaten, not launched.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom