patfanmike

Big East Stadiums
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School____________Football stadium________Capacity
Cincinnati____________Nippert Stadium___________35,097 (65,790)_________NFL__Cincinnati Bengals Stadium 5 miles away
Connecticut__________Rentschler Field___________40,000
Rutgers______________Rutgers Stadium__________41,500 (56,000) 2009_________expansion underway
Louisville_____________Papa John's Stadium_______42,000 (63,600) 2010 ________expansion underway
Pittsburgh____________Heinz Field_______________65,050_______________ NFL__Pittsburgh Steelers
South Florida_________Raymond James Stadium____65,000 _______________ NFL__Tampa Bay Bucaneers
Syracuse____________Carrier Dome______________49,262
West Virginia_________Mountaineer Field__________60,000
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---------------------Average__________________..49,739
---------------------Average after expansion____..58,088 (2010)
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Not only does a Big East school need a 45,000 seat stadium, you also need fans to purchase tickets.
7 of the 8 Big East schools are located in large metropolitan areas
West Virginia is located in Morgantown, population approximately 28,000

MAC Stadiums
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School_______________Football stadium_______Capacity
Akron___________________Rubber Bowl_____________35,202
Ball State________________Scheumann Stadium______25,400
Bowling Green____________Doyt Perry Stadium_______23,724
Buffalo__________________Buffalo Stadium__________31,000
Central Michigan__________Kelly/Shorts Stadium______30,199
Eastern Michigan__________Rynearson Stadium_______30,200
Kent State_______________Dix Stadium_____________29,287
Miami___________________Yager Stadium___________24,286
Northern Illinois___________Huskie Stadium___________31,000
Ohio____________________Peden Stadium___________24,000
Temple__________________Lincoln___________________ ___________..68,532 Philadelphia Eagles
Toledo__________________Glass Bowl_______________26,248
Western Michigan_________Waldo Stadium___________30,200
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------------------------Average___________________28,396
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We are not going to build a 50,000 stadium in Amherst or Springfield
A 30,000 - 35,000 seat stadium was under discussion using Federal redevelopment funds for Springfield a few years ago.
I haven't heard anything about it since then.

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BradfordPatsFan

At least one UConn recruit has been quoted as being told that Rentschler is going to be expanded as well. The plan always was to add upwards of 15k seats. If the coaching staff is telling kids whom they are recruiting as seniors-to-be, then you can safely assume it will at least be started in the next five years.

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Scooter_McGruder

A stadium in Springfield would be terrible. As it is we can barely get students to come out - most of them only show up to tailgate. I don't see how having games in Springfield would do anything but hurt student attendance. Obviously, FBS football would increase interest, but it's still the MAC.

Unfortunately, building a 30K seat stadium on campus sounds like a logistical nightmare. We have the space (intramural fields next to the Mullins Center) but I don't know how the campus could handle the crowds and parking.

efin98

Those are genuine concerns...but this is Massachusetts- unless a benefactor with DEEP, DEEP pockets privately funds the stadium it is a moot point: the legislature won't fund it, the university won't have the money to fund it, and the distant city or town may not want it either.

But if they were to get an actual commitment to being a FBS school they could draw a lot more people to the stadium...

And why do they even need a new stadium? Is McGuirk such a bad facility that a renovation and expansion not doable? Seems to me like if they wanted to they could ad seats in the end zones and eventually a second deck on one side. That would easily put them over 30,000 or 40,000.

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