The Sicatoka Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 UND and the Alerus Center are thinking about bidding on hosting the DII football championship games in 2007, 2008, and 2009. http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/9963120.htm Interesting. A lot of "what ifs" could easily be put here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisonguy Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 I wonder if the NCAA might have a bias towards outdoor stadiums and natural grass for the championship? I know they do for some sports (such as soccer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 2007-09 Division II Football Championship Bid Specifications http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/champadmin...&PreviewState=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakotadan Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 I suppose they could always haul in sod and create a playing field in the Al the week of the championship game. This is just another advantage of us staying DII. The basketball championship was pretty impressive, but getting this bid would be increadable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hansel Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 could this be an indication of UND's plans to stay DII? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I wonder if the NCAA might have a bias towards outdoor stadiums and natural grass for the championship? I know they do for some sports (such as soccer). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Bowl games, while not championships in themselves, get certified by the NCAA. The Sugar Bowl/Superdome don't seem to have a problem with its NCAA credentials. Ya, ya, the Alerus is no Superdome, but it is a major step up facility-wise from previous locations. For a crowd of around 10,000, an indoor venue that reverberates with noise would play better than an outdoor venue on television, resulting in higher ratings. This can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisonguy Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 could this be an indication of UND's plans to stay DII? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think that falls under the "what ifs" category. Interesting that Grand Forks/Alerus would pursue this. From all previous accounts on D2football.com, Florence loses a big chunk of $$$ hosting the championship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 Interesting that Grand Forks/Alerus would pursue this. From all previous accounts on D2football.com, Florence loses a big chunk of $$$ hosting the championship. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It doesn't help when after 18 or so years in Florence, there is really no "local" fans who attend the game anymore. I think this would be a fun thing to attend in Grand Forks, but not on a regular basis. That is why a change in venues would not be a bad thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/9973059.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 I think this is a great idea. The hotel next door will help. It'll also help that the city is hosting the WJC this year. I don't think it'll be a problem if UND isn't in the game. Three years isn't that long of a time and I would hope/think the locals would support such an event during that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/9973059.htm <{POST_SNAPBACK}> From the above article: Harmeson said a football championship could be used to anchor a winter sports festival, similar to the spring sports festival in Orlando, Fla. The idea emerged while he was discussing the bid with a former NCC commissioner, he said. The idea was to take advantage of the buzz from the football to bring in such events as volleyball championships and cheerleading and marching band competitions. "The football game's a lynchpin, once you have that." It would seem reasonable a concept of a winter sports festival with the football game as the centerpiece would allow easier marketing of Grand Forks and the NCC as hosts, as the climate mindset would be lowered. Here's an article on the Spring Sports Festival: Festival concept finds a willing champion in Division II Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBison Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 It doesn't help when after 18 or so years in Florence, there is really no "local" fans who attend the game anymore. I think this would be a fun thing to attend in Grand Forks, but not on a regular basis. That is why a change in venues would not be a bad thing. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So I guess the 5 to 6 thousand people who show in Florence don't count? UND has gotten just slightly more than that at the Alerus when their own team was in the playoffs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 UND's average attendance for six home playoff games in The Al is 28% higher than the average of the attendance for the two national championship games they played in. (Note that the championship average is skewed up by the "back-to-back" following in 2003 from GVSU fans.) Also, UND's worst playoff gate at The Al is better than the two-game average. The numbers: Six playoff games at The Al: 6700 vs Winona State, 8222 vs Pittsburg State, 11696 vs UC-Davis 7160 vs Pittsburg State, 7944 vs Winona State, 9652 vs North Alabama Two title games (in Florence): 2001: 6113 2003: 7236 All that aside, I'd think the NCAA would want to change the venue every few years just to keep it fresh and new (and to try to get better bids). PS - What's been the attendance for playoff games in Fargodome? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBison Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 but that begs the question, when UND doesn't make the national championship game, who's going to watch it? you have to admit that Grand Forks is not a football crazy town once the snow flies. and though late november/early december isn't cold by most NoDakers standards, only die hard fans will follow their team to the tundra i don't think you'd bust 5,000 in attendance most years, though the place would be packed if the Sioux make it there or are you just assuming that your fans have the same interest in the Sioux versus Winona or Pitt State as Bentley versus Catawba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 Who'll watch? Same kinds of folks that watch in Florence? Some locals and fans of the two contestants, right? That's the mode Florence is in now. At least in Grand Forks they won't be playing in rain and mud (whomever they are) and the visiting fans will find out about ND winter from under the Alerus Center roof: "You mean I can go to the game, stay in a hotel, send the kids to a waterpark, and go to a movie, and never have to go outside?" GF just wouldn't (hey, I'm a realist that way) win the bid to host without that total package. Even with it we're assuming GF will get the bid for 2007-2009. That's probably a big assumption in itself. (The Super Bowl has a pro-warm weather site bias; so will this game most likely.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBison Posted October 22, 2004 Share Posted October 22, 2004 my point was that football is bigger in Alabama than it is in North Dakota. once beanie weather hits, it's hockey time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimdahl Posted October 23, 2004 Share Posted October 23, 2004 I agree in principal with IowaBison that football in general is just so much bigger in the South that the D2 championship draws the locals more than it might in G.F. I wasn't there in '01, but was last year, and even in the awful rain there was a fair contingent of locals (though certainly not 5000-6000 like IowaBison posited). If the game rotated more, it would be a more unique event in its host town and draw better than holding in the same town year after year. The real attendance question is would other team's die-hard fans be less willing to travel to N.D. than Florence? They're both kind of middle-of-nowhere "hick" reputation places; neither has any magnificent other tourist attractions. Alabama is certainly more central for the Southern teams, and provides a nice warm getaway for fans of Northern teams. No small part of the huge GVSU contingent at the games was that GVSU is a ~10 hour drive, G.F. ~24. How many fans of these Southern schools will drive 24+ hours to N.D. in the winter? The biggest difference is that G.F. has significantly better hotel availability and sports facilities, though the NCAA might have a bias against a dome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisonguy Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Two words about DII football attendance in ND with no teams from ND: Snow Bowl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cratter Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Two words about DII football attendance in ND with no teams from ND: Snow Bowl. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What was attendance? Was it nationally televised? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBison Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 (though certainly not 5000-6000 like IowaBison posited). If the game rotated more, it would be a more unique event in its host town and draw better than holding in the same town year after year. The biggest difference is that G.F. has significantly better hotel availability and sports facilities, though the NCAA might have a bias against a dome. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> the 5 to 6 k number is there average over the last few years, I thought about trying to track down where I saw it, but was a little lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBison Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Speculating on attendance is interesting, but ultimately I'm not sure the NCAA really cares too much about it. This is the same organization that once awarded the women's basketball Elite 8 to Pine Bluff, Arkansas for three years. I don't think there were 100 locals there when I went in 1998. Regarding the Snow Bowl, I don't think that's an apples-to-apples comparison. All-star games, especially in football, just aren't that interesting. At least with a national championship you have two actual teams playing each other instead of a group of players with maybe a week to practice together prior to the game. I'm not saying that 10,000 locals would show up for a non-UND game, but I'd be willing to bet that the game would generate more excitement and local media attention than the Snow Bowl ever did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaBison Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 I agree, somewhat. It's definitely not apples to apples. But the simple fact is Grand Forks is far from being a football crazy town. There are definitely far worse places to have it, but I think that Grand Forks is a relative long shot. I'd definitely be in attendance as long as the Sioux weren't playing Now having the Women's BBall Elite Eight in Grand Forks is a very good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UND92,96 Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 I agree, somewhat. It's definitely not apples to apples. But the simple fact is Grand Forks is far from being a football crazy town. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Grand Forks may not necessarily be football crazy, but UND is in the top 5 or 10 in dII football attendance year in and year out, so that has to count for something. Again, I'm not saying that the attendance would be huge for a national championship game here, but neither would it be a huge drop-off compared to what Florence typically draws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted October 25, 2004 Author Share Posted October 25, 2004 Now having the Women's BBall Elite Eight in Grand Forks is a very good idea. Womens? Darn the bad luck that the DII mens BB Elite Eight will be at The Ralph in 2005. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.