New turf at the Alerus

[UND-1]

You do realize that UND didn't have any power to decide. They are a tenant, not the owners of the facility. They had input, but the decision was made by the Alerus Center Commission, the body that runs the facility. The difference at USD is that they own their facility. They can do what they want. Since the Alerus Center is a multi-use facility owned by the city of Grand Forks, it isn't going to be as specifically UND as a facility like the Dakotadome.

So you think that the Alerus Center chose the turf with no significant input from UND? UND is in charge of their brand and had to have selected the fonts, etc. I highly doubt the commission was micro-managing the turf design and whether or not end zones could be a different color.

NDSU doesn't own the Fargodome but they have a massive logo at midfield. The city of Fargo had to have gotten permission to use that logo on their turf.

[siouxfan68]

You do realize that UND didn't have any power to decide. They are a tenant, not the owners of the facility. They had input, but the decision was made by the Alerus Center Commission, the body that runs the facility. The difference at USD is that they own their facility. They can do what they want. Since the Alerus Center is a multi-use facility owned by the city of Grand Forks, it isn't going to be as specifically UND as a facility like the Dakotadome.

I do seem to remember that UND added a considerable amount of money to upgrade the turf that was installed. They may have a had more input into the "look" of the field because of the contribution.

[UND-1]

I do seem to remember that UND added a considerable amount of money to upgrade the turf that was installed. They may have a had more input into the "look" of the field because of the contribution.

Thank you. The operative word there is "upgrade".

[Siouxperfan7]

But you are also avoiding the other factor I brought up before. UND will be introducing a new nickname and logo in 2015. Maybe UND plans to use the new logo for football also. Or they want to leave the possibility open. After all, a lot of people don't like the interlocking ND logo since it is so similar to Notre Dame. If they put the ND logo into the turf it would be harder to switch logos in 3 years. I don't know if that factored into the discussions, but I would bet that it was at least discussed.

And your scenario may or may not be possible depending on how the naming rights contract was written. It may be spelled out very specifically how the logo is displayed and where.

This was the original point I was trying to make when I originally posted the installation picture at the Alerus. I noticed there were no logos on the field. I pointed out that the Fargodome turf was installed by the same company and they installed the logos first then the rest of the field. It was not being done that way at the Alerus.

My point was it appears the logos are going to be painted on. We know that other venues were able to paint their turf and remove them because of multiple tenants. Look at what they did in the Metrodome wen it was shared by the Vikings and the Gophers. The issue I really meant to bring up was if they are painting on logos, is it posible to remove them, at a later date. If so they could put the ND logo in the middle of the filed and then replace it when we get a new name and logo.

I guess we will know in a week or so when the turf is done.

[82SiouxGuy]

So you think that the Alerus Center chose the turf with no significant input from UND? UND is in charge of their brand and had to have selected the fonts, etc. I highly doubt the commission was micro-managing the turf design and whether or not end zones could be a different color.

NDSU doesn't own the Fargodome but they have a massive logo at midfield. The city of Fargo had to have gotten permission to use that logo on their turf.

In my post I said that UND had input. But they had no deciding power. The only part they had actual control was over use of their name and logo. They had to approve the appearance, and the use. But they didn't make any decisions about the overall look of the turf.

Actually, the commission spent quite a bit of time looking at the design. The Alerus staff came up with different design options and the commission spent time looking at the options. This was a major purchase for the facility. It even had to be approved by the City Council, although I don't think they spent much time looking at the appearance. They were more concerned with the cost.

[82SiouxGuy]

I do seem to remember that UND added a considerable amount of money to upgrade the turf that was installed. They may have a had more input into the "look" of the field because of the contribution.

The upgrade had nothing to do with the look. The Alerus Center had budgeted about $2,000,000 to replace the turf. That would have paid for turf of similar quality to what was in place only newer. UND wanted to upgrade to a better quality turf that was thicker and had more cushion. They wanted it to help cut down on injuries. The turf itself was approximately $1,000,000 more just for the turf. It was almost another $1,000,000 to rebuild the pit where the turf is stored. The new turf is much thicker and much larger so it would not fit into the original pit. UND agreed to pay for the extra costs so they could get the quality of turf they wanted. The City Council would not have approved the upgraded turf. The look of the turf was not a factor in the upgrade.

[UNDvince97-01]

The negotiated contract and decisions were made by whomever (Alerus Financial, UND, City of Grand Forks). The ultimate design ended up being what it is.

Regardless of what contract was agreed upon by whom, it still kinda stinks that the design is so bland and unoriginal. If you are gonna spend the money to do it, just do it right.

Just because it was agreed upon and in the contract doesn't mean we have to like the end result. Just a complete lack of vision on many parties here. This is the UND home field turf. It should be illustrated as such.

No doubt we are very fortunate that this is our chief complaint at this time. Things are very good right now. Some of us just want the best for the program and I think that's a good thing. Not gonna make or break the program by any means, but...

Can the season start already?

[GeauxSioux]

The negotiated contract and decisions were made by whomever (Alerus Financial, UND, City of Grand Forks). The ultimate design ended up being what it is.

Regardless of what contract was agreed upon by whom, it still kinda stinks that the design is so bland and unoriginal. If you are gonna spend the money to do it, just do it right.

Just because it was agreed upon and in the contract doesn't mean we have to like the end result. Just a complete lack of vision on many parties here. This is the UND home field turf. It should be illustrated as such.

No doubt we are very fortunate that this is our chief complaint at this time. Things are very good right now. Some of us just want the best for the program and I think that's a good thing. Not gonna make or break the program by any means, but...

Can the season start already?

Makes me wonder for how long this will be UND's home field turf. Sure you pay the extra money for the "cushier" turf to prevent injuries, but do you pay more money if you are thinking about a change of venue in the future?

[BigGreyAnt41]

Makes me wonder for how long this will be UND's home field turf. Sure you pay the extra money for the "cushier" turf to prevent injuries, but do you pay more money if you are thinking about a change of venue in the future?

If you're "thinking" about it, sure. If you're absolutely sure you're leaving in a few years you probably don't.

How long is this turf expected to last? The last stuff was only 10 years. I think even the best case scenarios for rebuilding Memorial Stadium and moving back there would be at least 10 years out, making the money spent on the new turf worth it.

[Risky]

Is UND going to have a media and fan night at the Alerus to pump everyone up even more for the upccoming season? They need to show off the new team and the turf to. We could use a good pep rally. Is anything planned?

[82SiouxGuy]

There is one other factor that may have played into this process at some point. When the Alerus Center was proposed and before the election, there was a very vocal group that opposed it. One of their complaints was that the city of Grand Forks should not be building a football stadium for the University of North Dakota. As a counter argument, the group supporting the project had to show that it wasn't a "UND" stadium, they had to show that it was a multi-purpose facility. The anti-Alerus Center group is still around and still vocal in the community. Finding a balance between UND facility and general use facility was, and probably still is, a struggle. Putting the Alerus Center logo in the center of the field may have been a concession to that discussion at some point, either during the naming rights contract discussion or just during the design of the new turf. We have to remember that this isn't UND's facility, and that means concessions. This one isn't going to bother me much because I go to watch the games rather than critique the look of the field.

For the question about the projected life of the turf, the plan is to have this turf last at least 10 years. That was the projected life of the last turf and they used it for 11 years. I would expect this discussion again in about a decade. And I'm pretty sure the UND contract with the Alerus Center was adjusted to go through the 10 years expected life of the turf. So UND will be playing at the Alerus Center for at least 10 years. Anything past that is up in the air, probably depending on how the next 5-7 years go and whether some very large donors step forward. Planning and building a new stadium would take at least 3 years, fundraising would have to start well before that.

[bincitysioux]

Interesting that USD had the ability to put some color and actual thought into their field. UND chose the default selection in the turf-design program.

I think it would look silly if North Dakota's home field were outlined in red. UND's school colors are green and white, same as the new turf......................

[Siouxperfan7]

Interesting that USD had the ability to put some color and actual thought into their field. UND chose the default selection in the turf-design program.

I think it would look silly if North Dakota's home field were outlined in red. UND's school colors are green and white, same as the new turf......................

Yeah, not sure what more they could have done. The filed is green and the lines on the field are white. Those are already our school colors!! Only thing they could have done was wither make the end zones white or black. Both would have been ugly.

[breakin face]

Last year's National Championship winning FCS team played in a stadium with the facility name at midfield. I would say graduating from the cement to a legitimate playing surface and keeping the same field design as when we won our national championship is an upgrade. Would I like a logo yes, is it the end of the program? Absolutely not.

[82SiouxGuy]

I am curious to see if there is any FCS or FBS teams that have a logo at midfield that is not the teams or schools logo. If anyone can think of any, I would like to know.

And breakin face has a perfect example for you, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2010_GSMB_Star.jpg. My guess is that there are others.

[Siouxperfan7]

And breakin face has a perfect example for you, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2010_GSMB_Star.jpg. My guess is that there are others.

FC Dallas Stadium (where the FCS Championship game was played) is a soccer stadium for MLS soccer where there is no logo at midfield. The logo at midfield for the title game was the championship game logo. It is not a college football stadium.

And the wiki page example is the Fargodome which currently has a Bison logo now at midfield. I doubt there are many college football teams that play on a field where if there is a logo, it is not related to the school or mascot. That is the point I am making.

[Siouxperfan7]

Last year's National Championship winning FCS team played in a stadium with the facility name at midfield. I would say graduating from the cement to a legitimate playing surface and keeping the same field design as when we won our national championship is an upgrade. Would I like a logo yes, is it the end of the program? Absolutely not.

I do agree that it is not the end of the world either. I am glad we have the new turf. Just seems the Alerus could have done better with the design. That's all.

[The Sicatoka]

I doubt there are many college football teams that play on a field where if there is a logo, it is not related to the school or mascot. That is the point I am making.

From 1992 to 2011, the logo at mid-field in Fargodome was not an NDSU logo. It was the Fargodome wordmark and their star-thingy logo.

There's the answer to your question.

[bincitysioux]

From 1992 to 2011, the logo at mid-field in Fargodome was not an NDSU logo. It was the Fargodome wordmark and their star-thingy logo.

There's the answer to your question.

I believe that was meant to be a snowflake.

See, it could be worse..............................

The DakotaDome in Vermillion also never had a Coyote logo at midfield until the installation of the new turf this summer...................

[Siouxperfan7]

I believe that was meant to be a snowflake.

See, it could be worse..............................

The DakotaDome in Vermillion also never had a Coyote logo at midfield until the installation of the new turf this summer...................

Right. that is my point. Venues that you mentioned previously did not have a logo. But they do now. The Dakota Dome and the Fargodome both had a chance to make their field better by adding the logo of the school that primarily plays there. They took advantage of the situation. The Alerus did not. And that is disappointing. Not the end of the world by any means....but disappointing.

[82SiouxGuy]

Right. that is my point. Venues that you mentioned previously did not have a logo. But they do now. The Dakota Dome and the Fargodome both had a chance to make their field better by adding the logo of the school that primarily plays there. They took advantage of the situation. The Alerus did not. And that is disappointing. Not the end of the world by any means....but disappointing.

Funny, earlier you said that you didn't know of any FBS or FCS schools that had a field with the logo of the facility at midfield rather than the logo of the main tenant. Two regional schools were pointed out to you. Obviously, the Alerus Center having the logo at midfield is not unheard of. In fact, it was probably fairly common at some point if 3 Dakota schools had something like that. Sorry you're so disappointed. Like I said earlier, it doesn't even register for me. I'm going to pay attention to the action on the field, not the artwork. If UND had a great logo they were using, maybe I would have some feeling on the subject. But even then it wouldn't be that important to me. And I have a feeling that it isn't very important to a lot of people.

[bincitysioux]

Kind of ironic that as far as I can tell, every FCS school that played on Astro-turf in 2011, will now be playing on Field-Turf in 2012: North Dakota, NDSU, USD, and Idaho St................................

SUU also went from natural grass to Field-Turf this summer. Lots of upgrades going on in the Big Sky and MVFC...........................

[bincitysioux]

I'm going to pay attention to the action on the field, not the artwork.

Are you implying that there is going to be some sort of activity going on on the field of play on Saturdays that will distract my eyes from the atrocity that will apparently be taking place at the 50 yard line on the floor of the stadium?

[82SiouxGuy]

Are you implying that there is going to be some sort of activity going on on the field of play on Saturdays that will distract my eyes from the atrocity that will apparently be taking place at the 50 yard line on the floor of the stadium?

Maybe you've heard of the Pride of the North marching band? There are rumors that there will be a bunch of college girls in matching green and white outfits running around, too.

[Siouxperfan7]

Funny, earlier you said that you didn't know of any FBS or FCS schools that had a field with the logo of the facility at midfield rather than the logo of the main tenant. Two regional schools were pointed out to you. Obviously, the Alerus Center having the logo at midfield is not unheard of. In fact, it was probably fairly common at some point if 3 Dakota schools had something like that. Sorry you're so disappointed. Like I said earlier, it doesn't even register for me. I'm going to pay attention to the action on the field, not the artwork. If UND had a great logo they were using, maybe I would have some feeling on the subject. But even then it wouldn't be that important to me. And I have a feeling that it isn't very important to a lot of people.

The two schools pointed out have a logo at midfield NOW. That is my point I am making. Two schools we are familiar with within a state away both got new turf and have their logo at midfield. Do you see the point I am making? The facilities where those two schools play at were smart enough to recognize their biggest tenant and put their logo at midfield. Newsflash.....Dakota Dome and the Fargodome currently have their logo at midfield. Provide me with current examples. I think the new turf is great. Obviously an upgrade. But I guess I expected more.