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How big should we go on the West Side of the War?

Cowboy Junky

Cowboy Junky

Well-known member
I'm expecting a renovation. The difficulty with the West Side is the Field House. It's in the way and makes it impossible to tear down the press box structure and replace it with a facility similar to the Wildcatter.

Solution number one:

1. Renovate the west side since new construction is damn near impossible. Make the renovation really nice. This is what I think will happen.

What I want to happen:

Tear down the field house. Build two structures in it's place.

1. Build a new west side War Memorial structure similar to the Wildcatter. Add a new bank of luxury boxes with a press box on top of it and a section of club seats in front of the structure with heated seating. It would open two new revenue streams to enhance the budget.

2. Build a 4K seat arena for smaller events in place of the Field House. You could use this for women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and indoor track and field.

The second plan is definitely more expensive, but it would pay for itself eventually with the increase in athletics budget revenue.

What do you think people? What should we do with the West Side of the War?
 
Why fuck over the Women's team by regulating them to a considerably smaller place to play when they have drawn capacity crowds in the AA? You may not see it as fucking them over, but that's what it would be.
 
I have spoken with a member of the athletics department who indicated that the WEST side of the War is scheduled to be renovated. Timetable is looking like 2018-2019. But all of that talk was before the AA reno stalled
 
fromolwyoming said:
Why fuck over the Women's team by regulating them to a considerably smaller place to play when they have drawn capacity crowds in the AA? You may not see it as fucking them over, but that's what it would be.
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If you think it would be fucking them over by having the option of two buildings to play in depending on the draw then you don't understand the plan. We drew capacity crowd for the final of the NIT tournament. That's not your average everyday game, and we still have the AA for NIT tournaments.

You put the smaller drawing teams in the gym that seats 4K. You put CSU, UNM, or any of the other big draws in the AA. You still can use both. The advantage is that when you aren't going to draw 6-8 K, your gym is still full.

Our 2014 attendance average was 3365.

It would be great for wrestling tournaments or big volleyball matches. You could really build an atmosphere for a lot of sports with a 4K seat arena.
 
Athletic Director McPeachy's Plan (short - topline version):

1. Seatback sections C - CC, D - DD, E - EE, F - FF (both expanding the width, but also leg room of those sections). Increase the amount of donation to purchase said seatbacked seats, similar to what was done with the AA. This would cause the loss of sections "B - BB, and G - GG" reducing the seating capacity, but increasing revenue largely.

2. Build a press box that looks exactly as the Wildcatter (it will fit), but take it to the ends of the north and south side. Put new double or triple elevators on both the north and south of the new press box. Utilize the 50 yard line upper space as the Presidents & Governors boxes. All other space is for media, which would be plenty if done stadium-tiered style. Put a full kitchen and bar up there - to serve the President & Governor boxes, and media of course. Utilize that space for all press conference, coaches shows, etc., utilizing new views of campus & Snowy's on the west facing side as a back drop.

3. Since capacity would be reduced, build a new 5000 - 7000 seat south endzone section, with party deck and restaurant(s) / foodservice. Utilize in summer / spring for weddings & events. Build in 4 - 6 luxury boxes (exact look as the Wildcatter) as well, to increase revenue and pay for the project. Put the band in the middle lower section of this area. Don't allow foot traffic between the field and this section, and build it "up" so that sightlines are similar to that of Sports Authority.

4. Serve beer and wine. Gotta be proactive here, and put something in place that will bring fans out of the bar (or home - TV) back into the stadium. Gotta make this a place that everyone wants to be, when the pokes are at home.
 
McPeachy said:
Athletic Director McPeachy's Plan (short - topline version):

1. Seatback sections C - CC, D - DD, E - EE, F - FF (both expanding the width, but also leg room of those sections). Increase the amount of donation to purchase said seatbacked seats, similar to what was done with the AA. This would cause the loss of sections "B - BB, and G - GG" reducing the seating capacity, but increasing revenue largely.

2. Build a press box that looks exactly as the Wildcatter (it will fit), but take it to the ends of the north and south side. Put new double or triple elevators on both the north and south of the new press box. Utilize the 50 yard line upper space as the Presidents & Governors boxes. All other space is for media, which would be plenty if done stadium-tiered style. Put a full kitchen and bar up there - to serve the President & Governor boxes, and media of course. Utilize that space for all press conference, coaches shows, etc., utilizing new views of campus & Snowy's on the west facing side as a back drop.

3. Since capacity would be reduced, build a new 5000 - 7000 seat south endzone section, with party deck and restaurant(s) / foodservice. Utilize in summer / spring for weddings & events. Build in 4 - 6 luxury boxes (exact look as the Wildcatter) as well, to increase revenue and pay for the project. Put the band in the middle lower section of this area. Don't allow foot traffic between the field and this section, and build it "up" so that sightlines are similar to that of Sports Authority.

4. Serve beer and wine. Gotta be proactive here, and put something in place that will bring fans out of the bar (or home - TV) back into the stadium. Gotta make this a place that everyone wants to be, when the pokes are at home.
Click to expand...

I like it all. But this point especially! I've been saying this for over a year; this is an obvious untapped revenue source that we aren't using. Put a restaraunt/bar in the south endzone with seating and/or patio overlooking the field. GREAT idea for gamedays, but also a great source of revenue year round. Only issue I see with this is you might have to have some way to close off the view to the field during fall practices if Bohl wants everything closed, but that can't be that tough.
 
Instead of renovating the west side - why don't we just tear it down, put anything in place that is needed to build over the top of the field house, and build it back up again? I'm the wrong kind of engineer to be asking structural questions too - but it sure seems like it would be possible to put some serious support around the field house with the west side missing.

Build it back similar to the way it is - except build up - up - and - up . Put in a 3 story wildcatter (press boxes first floor, and club seats the second and third floors)
 
They better get it taken care of as the costs don't get any cheaper than they do now, afterall the $$'s working now add that to the other renovations going on now, otherwise something bad could happen, sometime soon
 
McPeachy said:
Athletic Director McPeachy's Plan (short - topline version):

1. Seatback sections C - CC, D - DD, E - EE, F - FF (both expanding the width, but also leg room of those sections). Increase the amount of donation to purchase said seatbacked seats, similar to what was done with the AA. This would cause the loss of sections "B - BB, and G - GG" reducing the seating capacity, but increasing revenue largely.

2. Build a press box that looks exactly as the Wildcatter (it will fit), but take it to the ends of the north and south side. Put new double or triple elevators on both the north and south of the new press box. Utilize the 50 yard line upper space as the Presidents & Governors boxes. All other space is for media, which would be plenty if done stadium-tiered style. Put a full kitchen and bar up there - to serve the President & Governor boxes, and media of course. Utilize that space for all press conference, coaches shows, etc., utilizing new views of campus & Snowy's on the west facing side as a back drop.

3. Since capacity would be reduced, build a new 5000 - 7000 seat south endzone section, with party deck and restaurant(s) / foodservice. Utilize in summer / spring for weddings & events. Build in 4 - 6 luxury boxes (exact look as the Wildcatter) as well, to increase revenue and pay for the project. Put the band in the middle lower section of this area. Don't allow foot traffic between the field and this section, and build it "up" so that sightlines are similar to that of Sports Authority.

4. Serve beer and wine. Gotta be proactive here, and put something in place that will bring fans out of the bar (or home - TV) back into the stadium. Gotta make this a place that everyone wants to be, when the pokes are at home.
Click to expand...
:thumb:
 
McPeachy said:
Athletic Director McPeachy's Plan (short - topline version):

1. Seatback sections C - CC, D - DD, E - EE, F - FF (both expanding the width, but also leg room of those sections). Increase the amount of donation to purchase said seatbacked seats, similar to what was done with the AA. This would cause the loss of sections "B - BB, and G - GG" reducing the seating capacity, but increasing revenue largely.

2. Build a press box that looks exactly as the Wildcatter (it will fit), but take it to the ends of the north and south side. Put new double or triple elevators on both the north and south of the new press box. Utilize the 50 yard line upper space as the Presidents & Governors boxes. All other space is for media, which would be plenty if done stadium-tiered style. Put a full kitchen and bar up there - to serve the President & Governor boxes, and media of course. Utilize that space for all press conference, coaches shows, etc., utilizing new views of campus & Snowy's on the west facing side as a back drop.

3. Since capacity would be reduced, build a new 5000 - 7000 seat south endzone section, with party deck and restaurant(s) / foodservice. Utilize in summer / spring for weddings & events. Build in 4 - 6 luxury boxes (exact look as the Wildcatter) as well, to increase revenue and pay for the project. Put the band in the middle lower section of this area. Don't allow foot traffic between the field and this section, and build it "up" so that sightlines are similar to that of Sports Authority.

4. Serve beer and wine. Gotta be proactive here, and put something in place that will bring fans out of the bar (or home - TV) back into the stadium. Gotta make this a place that everyone wants to be, when the pokes are at home.
Click to expand...

This is a lot of good ideas.

Mine are similar.

The new west side structure would be multi-level. The top level would be the press box. The middle level would be another row of luxury boxes. The bottom level would be a bar, restaurant, and club seating, similar to the Wildcatter. If you want to tip one back, you have to have a club membership.

In front of the west side structure I would create a section of chair back seating with heat coming up from below. That would be another club section, as I would have waiters from the bar/restaurant serving drinks.

In order to build that, you have to tear down the Field House and replace it. In it's place I would build:

4 K seat, multi-use arena for women's basketball, wrestling, volleyball, and indoor track and field. I would build some new offices and support facilities inside the new Hell's Half Acre.

I would wait on the South Endzone until we need to expand for seating capacity purposes.

If we're going to do it, we should do it right and open up a bunch of new revenue streams. I don't know if that's possible with just a renovation of the current structure. It needs to be bigger to open the new revenue streams.
 
I like it, although I think any new arena in place of the fieldhouse would need to be bigger than 4000 seats if we are going to put women's basketball there. Considering they averaged between 3000 and 4000 the last several seasons, I would think to push that limit up to around 5,000-6,000.

I know what you're thinking, just make it 4K and put any games bigger in the AA. Problem there is athletes are creatures of habit, the players and the coaches will not like having to switch courts every other game or not know which court they are playing on until gameday.
 
They aren't going to put WBB in a separate arena. I wouldn't even go there.

Side ?: Are there any basketball practice facilities on campus, or is it just the AA?
 
joshvanklomp said:
They aren't going to put WBB in a separate arena. I wouldn't even go there.

Side ?: Are there any basketball practice facilities on campus, or is it just the AA?
Click to expand...
The fieldhouse, sort of.
 
fromolwyoming said:
joshvanklomp said:
They aren't going to put WBB in a separate arena. I wouldn't even go there.

Side ?: Are there any basketball practice facilities on campus, or is it just the AA?
Click to expand...
The fieldhouse, sort of.
Click to expand...
The MPG is definitely a practice facility. Oh sorry, UniWyo Complex.
 
joshvanklomp said:
They aren't going to put WBB in a separate arena. I wouldn't even go there.

Side ?: Are there any basketball practice facilities on campus, or is it just the AA?
Click to expand...

Why not? The real issue is they aren't going to tear down the field house and they'll renovate the west side on the cheap, passing up opportunities to open new revenue streams by taking the easy way out.

Having a gym that isn't three times your attendance average actually improves the atmosphere and your home court advantage.

People that are stuck on the idea of the women's team averaging 3360 in a gym that holds 12,000 don't realize how loud 3360 people can be in a building the right size.
 
Cowboy Junky said:
Why not? The real issue is they aren't going to tear down the field house and they'll renovate the west side on the cheap, passing up opportunities to open new revenue streams by taking the easy way out.

Having a gym that isn't three times your attendance average actually improves the atmosphere and your home court advantage.

People that are stuck on the idea of the women's team averaging 3360 in a gym that holds 12,000 don't realize how loud 3360 people can be in a building the right size.
Click to expand...
Perception.

You think people will be okay with moving the women's team out of the newly-renovated AA and into an older building since we're not going to tear it down? That's a PR nightmare waiting to happen!
 
This part of the thread is kind of funny...moving women's BB out of the AA?

I rarely laugh out loud at things on the internet -- well, outside of videos of morons getting drunk, trying to blow stuff up, setting themselves on fire, etc. -- but this also did the trick!
 
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