Seating For Football At The Alerus

[MplsBison]

You should be given due credit for thinking outside the box, but if UND or any school attempted to increase attendance by having people pay to watch a football game on the monitors at a basketball or hockey arena (even if it was on campus) I have to imagine that the NCAA would amend the manual to disallow this so fast it would make your head spin.

[GeauxSioux]

You should be given due credit for thinking outside the box, but if UND or any school attempted to increase attendance by having people pay to watch a football game on the monitors at a basketball or hockey arena (even if it was on campus) I have to imagine that the NCAA would amend the manual to disallow this so fast it would make your head spin.

You are in all likelihood correct that the NCAA would change the rules, but I thought the rule was there to prevent schools from going to the FBS level that shouldn't be there. If a school, such as UND, didn't have a large enough venue and used a dual venue system until such time as they had a permanent 15,000+ venue, why should the NCAA care? The 15,000 benchmark of support would be met, just not in a single venue. This is all an argument of exercise anyway.

[Matt]

You are in all likelihood correct that the NCAA would change the rules, but I thought the rule was there to prevent schools from going to the FBS level that shouldn't be there. If a school, such as UND, didn't have a large enough venue and used a dual venue system until such time as they had a permanent 15,000+ venue, why should the NCAA care? The 15,000 benchmark of support would be met, just not in a single venue. This is all an argument of exercise anyway.

Dual venue system? That's a creative euphemism to describe counting attendees at an event who aren't actually at the event. As long as we are counting people watching on TV we might as well count all the booster club sites around the country watching. The 15,000 benchmark of support would be met, just not in a single venue. Of course, didn't NDSU actually do that for several years?

[star2city]

You are in all likelihood correct that the NCAA would change the rules, but I thought the rule was there to prevent schools from going to the FBS level that shouldn't be there. If a school, such as UND, didn't have a large enough venue and used a dual venue system until such time as they had a permanent 15,000+ venue, why should the NCAA care? The 15,000 benchmark of support would be met, just not in a single venue. This is all an argument of exercise anyway.

If secondary tickets were sold for the Alerus ballrooms / adjoining beer gardens decked out with large screen TVs, the single 15,000 seat venue requirement would get trickier. Seems many people would rather mix and talk and watch the game as a secondary consideration.

[GeauxSioux]

If secondary tickets were sold for the Alerus ballrooms / adjoining beer gardens decked out with large screen TVs, the single 15,000 seat venue requirement would get trickier. Seems many people would rather mix and talk and watch the game as a secondary consideration.

I thought about the Alerus ballrooms when I hatched this idea, but didn't know what the capacities were. If this 15,000 could be met utilizing the ballrooms that would be even better and make things real interestng. The reason that I suggested the Ralph, is that you would have to average 15,000 and, like I said, I wasn't sure what the total capacities were for The Alerus, inclusive of suites and ballrooms. If the numbers were close to 15,000 it would be hard to average 15,000.

Could you count the people in the Canad waterpark too?

[82SiouxGuy]

I thought about the Alerus ballrooms when I hatched this idea, but didn't know what the capacities were. If this 15,000 could be met utilizing the ballrooms that would be even better and make things real interestng. The reason that I suggested the Ralph, is that you would have to average 15,000 and, like I said, I wasn't sure what the total capacities were for The Alerus, inclusive of suites and ballrooms. If the numbers were close to 15,000 it would be hard to average 15,000.

Could you count the people in the Canad waterpark too?

I think I read at some time that the ballrooms could hold approximately 2,500. If you add in the suites you are probably around 16,000 capacity without bleeding over into Canad.

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

Thanks for the definitions for attendance. I don't see anything that would preclude the use of dual venues for "attendance" to the game in the "paid attendance" portion.

I think you would be better off saying that all tickets entitled you to free admittance to the "pregame party" at the indoor arena. And there would be a lot of attractions for kids like the inflatable jumping pit, slide, etc. Then print up enough standing room tickets to get to the required number for paid attendees. Third (and this is the hard part) get some big money donor to buy the SRO tickets, perhaps reselling some of them to say families on the day of the game.

This gets a school up to the required number of paid attendees, and also involves some families (future fans) who might want to bring the kids out for a while but not all day.

[The Sicatoka]

Folks, folks, folks, ... another key and relevant section:

20.9.7.2 Football Scheduling Requirement. [FBS]

The institution shall schedule and play at least 60 percent of its football games against members of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The institution shall schedule and play at least five regular season home games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents. For purposes of satisfying the scheduling requirement, a contest shall be considered a home contest if it is played in the stadium in which an institution conducts at least 50 percent of its home contests.

In addition, an institution may use one home contest against a Football Bowl Subdivision member conducted at a neutral site to satisfy the home-game requirement. (Revised: 4/25/02 effective 8/1/04, 1/12/04, 12/15/06 )

Let's parse that out, assuming a 10 game schedule:

- six of ten games must be against FBS schools

- five of ten games must be "home" games

- one of the "home" games can be at a neutral site against an FBS school

The answer is clear:

Play an FBS school at a neutral site and use it as a home game.

I believe other schools have done this.

(Didn't someone play Tennessee not in Knoxville but in the Titans' stadium in Memphis?)

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

...assuming a 10 game schedule:

Most (if not all) schools from the power conferences are playing

12

.

[star2city]

Let's parse that out, assuming a 10 game schedule:

- six of ten games must be against FBS schools

- five of ten games must be "home" games

- one of the "home" games can be at a neutral site against an FBS school

The answer is clear:

Play an FBS school at a neutral site and use it as a home game.

I believe other schools have done this.

(Didn't someone play Tennessee not in Knoxville but in the Titans' stadium in Memphis?)

Wyoming played a home game in Nashville against the Vols at the Titans stadium.

La-Monroe has a multi-year deal with Arkansas to play a home and home. La-Monroe "hosts" Arkansas in Little Rock (which is the Razorbacks secondary home field after Fayetteville.)

N Illinois hosted Iowa at Soldier Field. The MAC has hosted a few Big Ten teams at pro stadiums.

[GeauxSioux]

Maybe we can have ACORN in charge of providing the attendance numbers to the NCAA. :

[MplsBison]

I think Rutgers is playing Notre Dame at Giants stadium.

[star2city]

I think Rutgers is playing Notre Dame at Giants stadium.

Notre Dame wanted Rutgers, but signed a five year deal with UConn (two at meadowlands, three at South Bend).

But that deal isn't about reaching the 15,000 ticket sales every year - it's about New York media coverage for both schools.

[Chief Illiniwek Supporter]

But that deal isn't about reaching the 15,000 ticket sales every year - it's about New York media coverage for both schools.

It's JMHO, but while it's not a part of the 15k threshold, it

is

about ticket sales. Giants Stadium holds roughly double the people that Rutgers could fit. Throw in the luxury suite accommodations and Rutgers would be foolish to pass up the revenue; besides, probably the only way they can get Notre Dame is to play them in a stadium that size. The major pickup in ticket demand is from Dome's NYC wannabes IMHO.

I'd say the same holds for when Dome plays Navy at the Raven's stadium in Baltimore.

Personally, I'd say the media coverage would be just about the same: you

might

get an extra national writer or two who would find it easier to get in and out of either Giants or Ravens, but TV will find you almost anywhere.

edit: all of the above holds for UConn too.

The MAC has hosted a few Big Ten teams at pro stadiums.

With mixed results as far as attendance.