The trading athletic department thread got me thinking (well, it's always on my mind), what would be your facility enhancements (relatively feasible)
Renovation ideas
- Thread starter AustinLewis
- Start date
Shrink the stadium.
17k people in a 30k stadium and it barely looks half full because they spread out. 17K people in a 25k stadium and it'll look 75% full.
All that bare aluminum looks awful. I bet that at least some of our problem attracting the casual fan is that they turn on the TV and see nothing but empty bleachers - it doesn't exactly scream "hey, come on down and have a great time!".
If you don't want to actually demolish anything, then tarp it up. I don't want to hear the whole "were too good for tarps", because if USC does it, and Baylor can do it, then we can do it too. It doesn't have to be blue wal-mart tarps.
Call them "bleacher covers", and make some custom ones listing our football hall of famers and all conference, or spelling out MTSU (or your moniker of choice) or sell the space for advertisements. I'm picturing the upper north endzone with a mural showing some great moments in MT football history. It would make a great backdrop compared to empty seats.
Literally, anything is better than bare aluminum. And the fact is, we're not going to be needing the space for a while.
17k people in a 30k stadium and it barely looks half full because they spread out. 17K people in a 25k stadium and it'll look 75% full.
All that bare aluminum looks awful. I bet that at least some of our problem attracting the casual fan is that they turn on the TV and see nothing but empty bleachers - it doesn't exactly scream "hey, come on down and have a great time!".
If you don't want to actually demolish anything, then tarp it up. I don't want to hear the whole "were too good for tarps", because if USC does it, and Baylor can do it, then we can do it too. It doesn't have to be blue wal-mart tarps.
Call them "bleacher covers", and make some custom ones listing our football hall of famers and all conference, or spelling out MTSU (or your moniker of choice) or sell the space for advertisements. I'm picturing the upper north endzone with a mural showing some great moments in MT football history. It would make a great backdrop compared to empty seats.
Literally, anything is better than bare aluminum. And the fact is, we're not going to be needing the space for a while.
This one should be top priority. Hell many high schools have better practice facilities than MT does. Especially those in F-L-A and Texas.
Speaking of IPF's to me the most embarrassing thing was a couple of years ago when we had to ask Oakland High School to use their IPF so we could have our pro day.
As far as renovations, this really isnt a renovation but I think this needs to be done in both the Murphy Center and in Floyd Stadium. Conference players of the year, All Americans and other major award winners need to be honored to show some type of historical success among players. I would think recruits would look in the rafters and say "I want my name up there one day"
As far as renovations, this really isnt a renovation but I think this needs to be done in both the Murphy Center and in Floyd Stadium. Conference players of the year, All Americans and other major award winners need to be honored to show some type of historical success among players. I would think recruits would look in the rafters and say "I want my name up there one day"
Great idea. I was actually thinking the same thing.
What if we could take the south end zone down, and put up a really nice wall of honor or monument row or something like that?
Totally agree. I was opposed to the idea because I was optimistic we would need the room. Now I know better. Not only will it look better but I believe it will help ticket sales. I believe the fact that you can walk up 5 minutes prior to the game and basically sit where ever kills incentive to buy in advance. If we had 23-25k look how many games we would have sold out. Not just p5 games but conference games. If somebody had been forced to miss out on some games because of a sell out they will be way more likely to buy in advance or buy season tickets. If you haven't bought tickets it's real easy to decide at the last minute to stay home or at the tailgate but if you bought those season tickets you are more than likely going in. I think this is a must going forward. We have to create some urgency.FWIW I hear it almost happened(Vandy optimism kept it from happening) and could likely happen next year.
The way that we are going, we may be going to Oakland to have gamedays since we have plenty of empty seats at Floyd! 
Here's are ten things that I would like to see in the next over 2-5 years:
1. Chairback entire west side of the stadium (achieves the slightly reduced capacity that many say)
2. New HD video scoreboard. Move old video board/scoreboard near top of north end zone (remove about half upper deck)
3. Brick accents. Our steel facade and trim is quite harsh on television. Soften it! We need some elegance.
4. Am OK placing custom tarp on south end zone by scoreboard (Southern California and Rice uses good tarps). Don't remove seating structure, might need someday.
5. Ribbon board east side of stadium with running stats--think Boise has this. Can use existing north end zone scoreboard to mount on east side (around the 50) or west side (affixed to the press box)...old scoreboard is still usable.
6. Indoor practice facility (would even tolerate Eastern Michigan style air supported facility).
7. Larger Lightning Locker Room space.
8. Better in game dining options (especially if we have more 11:00 am games), such as a Logan's or mini sized Toots. Concession stand food...meh!
9 Some carefully placed greenery (something like the hedges of Georgia, maybe not as much, but something to break up the steely look).
10. Move Kids Zone inflatables elsewhere. Concourse wasn't designed for it and its a bit crowded at the MC Upper Deck Gate. Put it on the lawn behind AMG or on Murphy Center deck.
Total seats: should be taken from 30,788 to about 27,000--or a max of a ten percent reduction.
1. Chairback entire west side of the stadium (achieves the slightly reduced capacity that many say)
2. New HD video scoreboard. Move old video board/scoreboard near top of north end zone (remove about half upper deck)
3. Brick accents. Our steel facade and trim is quite harsh on television. Soften it! We need some elegance.
4. Am OK placing custom tarp on south end zone by scoreboard (Southern California and Rice uses good tarps). Don't remove seating structure, might need someday.
5. Ribbon board east side of stadium with running stats--think Boise has this. Can use existing north end zone scoreboard to mount on east side (around the 50) or west side (affixed to the press box)...old scoreboard is still usable.
6. Indoor practice facility (would even tolerate Eastern Michigan style air supported facility).
7. Larger Lightning Locker Room space.
8. Better in game dining options (especially if we have more 11:00 am games), such as a Logan's or mini sized Toots. Concession stand food...meh!
9 Some carefully placed greenery (something like the hedges of Georgia, maybe not as much, but something to break up the steely look).
10. Move Kids Zone inflatables elsewhere. Concourse wasn't designed for it and its a bit crowded at the MC Upper Deck Gate. Put it on the lawn behind AMG or on Murphy Center deck.
Total seats: should be taken from 30,788 to about 27,000--or a max of a ten percent reduction.
I swear I either read or listened to Massaro talk about facilities/priorities earlier this year. There was talk of an end zone facility being the next priority. I have not been able to find anything in a preliminary search. Not sure what that even entails.
I know during the signing day review in the press tower earlier this year for the first time I saw some renderings of an IPF.
I know during the signing day review in the press tower earlier this year for the first time I saw some renderings of an IPF.
I'd attend more if it was warmer in November, I think a dome over Floyd would increase my attendance and provide an indoor practice facility
New paper towel holder in the 2nd floor bathroom on the other side of the pressbox. Damn thing has been broken for years.
I'd like to see the end zone opposite scoreboard become a end zone facility similar to Louisana Tech has
Put a scoreboard on top of it and turn the scoreboard end zone to a grassy bern with an extended concrete platform.
This would significantly reduce seating (probably down to around 25,000-27,000. The end zone club level would increase revenues and the lower seating capacity could help increase demand and create a more intimate environment.
I'd also like to see a luxury boxes in Murphy Center but that isn't happening until the IPF is built
Put a scoreboard on top of it and turn the scoreboard end zone to a grassy bern with an extended concrete platform.
This would significantly reduce seating (probably down to around 25,000-27,000. The end zone club level would increase revenues and the lower seating capacity could help increase demand and create a more intimate environment.
I'd also like to see a luxury boxes in Murphy Center but that isn't happening until the IPF is built
I like Clyde's list. Some could be done cheap and immediately. Food has been the one area I feel we drop the ball. We need something that says Middle TN. I would love to see jack Daniels bbq and Nashville Hot Chicken. Toots is a great idea too.
Greenery could be added pretty cheap.
Greenery could be added pretty cheap.
Very nice indeed. I wish we had the approach to facilities that they and others do in terms of quality. Seems like everything we do is with aluminum.
(one little nitpick, the video was panning across the names on their wall of top players and coaches, I noticed they misspelled the name of one of their coaches, Nelson Stokley as Neslon)
". . . Everything we do is with aluminum." Because everything is done on a tight budget with few donors to go to for big projects.
Size of athletic budget matters, but when talking facility improvement it does not matter as much as having more donors with deeper pockets. Apparently, we just don't have them. We had to partner with the city for the (cut down from proposal) BB venue and also for the track and soccer complex. Took quite a while to get the funds (and apparently the name on the facility changed during the process when a bigger donor came in) for the tennis complex, again in cooperation with the city.
If the TSSAA Spring Fling wasn't important to the city fathers we would have had few, if any, facility improvements since Massaro came in as AD.
Size of athletic budget matters, but when talking facility improvement it does not matter as much as having more donors with deeper pockets. Apparently, we just don't have them. We had to partner with the city for the (cut down from proposal) BB venue and also for the track and soccer complex. Took quite a while to get the funds (and apparently the name on the facility changed during the process when a bigger donor came in) for the tennis complex, again in cooperation with the city.
If the TSSAA Spring Fling wasn't important to the city fathers we would have had few, if any, facility improvements since Massaro came in as AD.
I think there is so much stuff that needs to be done to that stadium.
For starters I would love to see brick/stone around a lot of the pillars and outside of the stadium. Make the entrances to the stadium a lot nicer and more pleasing to the eye with landscaping, and brick signage.
I would love to see better food in the concessions as well. I don't know for a fact but I would think we are towards the bottom for food selection in the conference.
I agree with others on here that I would like to see the stadium shrunk. 25k would be a good amount, IMO. Better scoreboard as well. I think it's pretty evident that this stadium was built in a hurry and we cut corners because we didn't have the money.
What's sad is that there are several high schools across this country that have much nicer stadiums than us and that's really sad. Take a look at Allen High School's stadium in Texas and see what I mean.
For starters I would love to see brick/stone around a lot of the pillars and outside of the stadium. Make the entrances to the stadium a lot nicer and more pleasing to the eye with landscaping, and brick signage.
I would love to see better food in the concessions as well. I don't know for a fact but I would think we are towards the bottom for food selection in the conference.
I agree with others on here that I would like to see the stadium shrunk. 25k would be a good amount, IMO. Better scoreboard as well. I think it's pretty evident that this stadium was built in a hurry and we cut corners because we didn't have the money.
What's sad is that there are several high schools across this country that have much nicer stadiums than us and that's really sad. Take a look at Allen High School's stadium in Texas and see what I mean.
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