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Post by brandon on Dec 16, 2020 11:42:29 GMT -6
Didn't know what else to call this thread...
But I just watched a video on YouTube that shows the University of Cincinnatis stadium...(I will try to link it) and it is right in the middle of campus among the buildings. I kinda think its pretty cool how it's done.
I was kinda thinking, instead of building the stadium next to Flowers and having limited options for expanding training facilities, just pick a spot in the middle of campus and build it...
You could actually still move the baseball field to Cox Creek and build a soccer facility where the baseball field is, or another football practice facility (indoor) and Soccer can used the current practice field as their own and build some permanent seating and lay down some new turf.
Just a thought.
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Post by unaman on Dec 16, 2020 11:51:23 GMT -6
Didn't know what else to call this thread... But I just watched a video on YouTube that shows the University of Cincinnatis stadium...(I will try to link it) and it is right in the middle of campus among the buildings. I kinda think its pretty cool how it's done. I was kinda thinking, instead of building the stadium next to Flowers and having limited options for expanding training facilities, just pick a spot in the middle of campus and build it... You could actually still move the baseball field to Cox Creek and build a soccer facility where the baseball field is, or another football practice facility (indoor) and Soccer can used the current practice field as their own and build some permanent seating and lay down some new turf. Just a thought. Where in the middle of the campus would a football stadium go? When they sent out the pictures of the stadium beside Flowers, it was going to take some work to put it there, and the church would have to be bought out. I still think the best place to put it would be the land at Wildwood. It's close to campus and could have lots of area to tailgate if done properly. I think the stadium is years away, I'm afraid to say. Donors put a lot of money in on the D-1 move. Not sure if they are willing to put more money in without UNA showing more success. We need to get through this awful and inexcusable transition period. Then, we can assess where the program is and get moving forward.
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Post by unafied on Dec 16, 2020 12:53:55 GMT -6
Didn't know what else to call this thread... But I just watched a video on YouTube that shows the University of Cincinnatis stadium...(I will try to link it) and it is right in the middle of campus among the buildings. I kinda think its pretty cool how it's done. I was kinda thinking, instead of building the stadium next to Flowers and having limited options for expanding training facilities, just pick a spot in the middle of campus and build it... You could actually still move the baseball field to Cox Creek and build a soccer facility where the baseball field is, or another football practice facility (indoor) and Soccer can used the current practice field as their own and build some permanent seating and lay down some new turf. Just a thought. Where in the middle of the campus would a football stadium go? When they sent out the pictures of the stadium beside Flowers, it was going to take some work to put it there, and the church would have to be bought out. I still think the best place to put it would be the land at Wildwood. It's close to campus and could have lots of area to tailgate if done properly. I think the stadium is years away, I'm afraid to say. Donors put a lot of money in on the D-1 move. Not sure if they are willing to put more money in without UNA showing more success. We need to get through this awful and inexcusable transition period. Then, we can assess where the program is and get moving forward. The problem is Braly being more out of date with each passing year. At the very least we need a new scoreboard, new locker rooms, and probably new/renovated luxury suites. I'm sure the university doesn't want to dump money into doing that, but how long do you put off renovations and say "the new stadium will be coming soon"? If money has dried up in part due to COVID, it might be time to just reconsider sticking with Braly while doing those needed upgrades. Though I'd try to strong-arm the city into at least painting things a neutral color (but I'd obviously prefer purple and gold).
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Post by brandon on Dec 16, 2020 13:05:55 GMT -6
Didn't know what else to call this thread... But I just watched a video on YouTube that shows the University of Cincinnatis stadium...(I will try to link it) and it is right in the middle of campus among the buildings. I kinda think its pretty cool how it's done. I was kinda thinking, instead of building the stadium next to Flowers and having limited options for expanding training facilities, just pick a spot in the middle of campus and build it... You could actually still move the baseball field to Cox Creek and build a soccer facility where the baseball field is, or another football practice facility (indoor) and Soccer can used the current practice field as their own and build some permanent seating and lay down some new turf. Just a thought. Where in the middle of the campus would a football stadium go? When they sent out the pictures of the stadium beside Flowers, it was going to take some work to put it there, and the church would have to be bought out. I still think the best place to put it would be the land at Wildwood. It's close to campus and could have lots of area to tailgate if done properly. I think the stadium is years away, I'm afraid to say. Donors put a lot of money in on the D-1 move. Not sure if they are willing to put more money in without UNA showing more success. We need to get through this awful and inexcusable transition period. Then, we can assess where the program is and get moving forward. They dont have to buy out the church... that was not part of putting the stadium there. As for where in the middle of campus, I dont know. I do know they have talked about demolishing Rice and Rivers hall, so why not there? If they build more dorms they can build were the old apartments are. There is also some old houses around the new dorms that can be bought a lot easier than the church. But why I was suggesting what I was ie because you will have to wait on the baseball stadium to be built first, so football would still be at Braly anyway. Move baseball and take care of an indoor facility and soccer at the same time. And indoor facility is a need in this day and age and it also helps with recruiting. When baseball stadium is done, address the football stadium (that does not have to be shared with soccer now) I personally dont care if it's on campus, I think the best option is to put it at McFarland park. Build up the spot because of flooding in the summer. Have a nice backdrop, close to campus, plenty of parking, better location for potential concerts, excellent area for tailgating and have an option for campers and RVs. But people think campus locations is the only way to go, so whatever.
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Post by brandon on Dec 16, 2020 13:15:15 GMT -6
Where in the middle of the campus would a football stadium go? When they sent out the pictures of the stadium beside Flowers, it was going to take some work to put it there, and the church would have to be bought out. I still think the best place to put it would be the land at Wildwood. It's close to campus and could have lots of area to tailgate if done properly. I think the stadium is years away, I'm afraid to say. Donors put a lot of money in on the D-1 move. Not sure if they are willing to put more money in without UNA showing more success. We need to get through this awful and inexcusable transition period. Then, we can assess where the program is and get moving forward. The problem is Braly being more out of date with each passing year. At the very least we need a new scoreboard, new locker rooms, and probably new/renovated luxury suites. I'm sure the university doesn't want to dump money into doing that, but how long do you put off renovations and say "the new stadium will be coming soon"? If money has dried up in part due to COVID, it might be time to just reconsider sticking with Braly while doing those needed upgrades. Though I'd try to strong-arm the city into at least painting things a neutral color (but I'd obviously prefer purple and gold). I dont have an issue with Braly if we have more say about what can be done. The press box needs to go... new modern on with luxury boxes need in. The Royal Avenue side light polls need to come down and have a different lighting option. All the old buildings inside the stadium need to go and build new, state of the art locker rooms, training rooms and media center. The old baseball field needs to be turned into a nice parking area. New chair back seating needs to be done on the "home side". Yes in neutral color. Let UNA paint the feild.... It can still be a fine venue, but it needs some TLC...
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Post by unaman on Dec 16, 2020 14:01:39 GMT -6
I like the McFarland idea, which is why I suggested the Wildwood/Cypress Creek area. Lots of land and opportunities to do stuff with it. I also agree that UNA needs to build an indoor facility and upgrade the practice facility. I also agree that the first thing they need to do is start on constructing the baseball stadium. I'm starting to wonder why they haven't announced/started on it unless its lack of funding. Earliest they could start now would be after softball/beach volleyball and I would think they would have announced something if starting that soon. Rivers/Rice and Lagrange need to go. They're old/outdated style of dorms. I don't think anyone uses Lagrange for living quarters. I think the Rice/Rivers would be perfect for a new/improved Dining hall and a basketball/volleyball practice facility. I was looking at what Jacksonville was building for their basketball programs. Currently, both basketball programs and volley ball use Flowers to have games and practice which is probably a scheduling nightmare. On second thought, turn the current rec hall into the basketball/volleyball practice facility. Then, build a new improved rec hall where rice/rivers is with the new dining hall. On Braly, I also agree it could be a decent stadium with the proper renovations as you mentioned. The problem is the City of Florence/School board probably sees no point in helping do that since it is already a good 7A stadium. I think we've all agreed UNA should have maybe fought more to buy that school property and try to build on/renovate the stadium. But they didn't and here were are. The church doesn't necessarily have to be bought out, but it sure would help to open that up for parking. Long rant... This will all cost MILLIONS of Dollars and will take 10-15 years (maybe longer) to accomplish. But we can all dream, right? The problem is Braly being more out of date with each passing year. At the very least we need a new scoreboard, new locker rooms, and probably new/renovated luxury suites. I'm sure the university doesn't want to dump money into doing that, but how long do you put off renovations and say "the new stadium will be coming soon"? If money has dried up in part due to COVID, it might be time to just reconsider sticking with Braly while doing those needed upgrades. Though I'd try to strong-arm the city into at least painting things a neutral color (but I'd obviously prefer purple and gold). I dont have an issue with Braly if we have more say about what can be done. The press box needs to go... new modern on with luxury boxes need in. The Royal Avenue side light polls need to come down and have a different lighting option. All the old buildings inside the stadium need to go and build new, state of the art locker rooms, training rooms and media center. The old baseball field needs to be turned into a nice parking area. New chair back seating needs to be done on the "home side". Yes in neutral color. Let UNA paint the feild.... It can still be a fine venue, but it needs some TLC...
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Post by roaringsince96 on Dec 16, 2020 20:45:21 GMT -6
Hoping we used this year to lay low, not spend a lot, and actually get ready to see people being able to attend events again. I think the if virus numbers really move to a downward trend in March/April, then those conversations intensify. Would hope after this baseball season we start on moving baseball. Now if we are going to move football stadium off campus, save money on baseball stadium and update ours....could stay on campus.
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Post by brandon on Dec 16, 2020 21:28:49 GMT -6
Hoping we used this year to lay low, not spend a lot, and actually get ready to see people being able to attend events again. I think the if virus numbers really move to a downward trend in March/April, then those conversations intensify. Would hope after this baseball season we start on moving baseball. Now if we are going to move football stadium off campus, save money on baseball stadium and update ours....could stay on campus. I like the Cox Creek location for baseball... with the current location, it would be hard to do much of anything else to it because of the room, that hill really hinders what can be done. But that location would be ideal for an indoor football practice facility. The current practice field could be turned into a dedicated soccer field with one permanent grandstand. That's what most college soccer stadiums that dont share with football do anyway. I would also put money into the band field and use it to practice on as well.
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Post by northalaspectator on Dec 16, 2020 23:33:33 GMT -6
I would like to have a football stadium on campus, but with the church at that location I don’t see how.
I know it would be easier finding property for a church than a football stadium, then exchanging the land, but I don’t know what the legal ramifications of that would be.
For a stadium how about the Dr. Ellis Property at the corner of Rickwood road an Chisholm. Back to Elder Street (Georgetown Apartments, over to the City’s Gas office and railroad ave.
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Post by unafied on Dec 17, 2020 7:21:21 GMT -6
I would like to have a football stadium on campus, but with the church at that location I don’t see how. I know it would be easier finding property for a church than a football stadium, then exchanging the land, but I don’t know what the legal ramifications of that would be. For a stadium how about the Dr. Ellis Property at the corner of Rickwood road an Chisholm. Back to Elder Street (Georgetown Apartments, over to the City’s Gas office and railroad ave. I've seen that Rickwood Road property discussed in the past, and I agree, that would be a pretty good location. If you look on a map it's almost literally in the center of town. My only problem with building a new stadium is just the tailgating aspect. If it's not on campus, I feel like some sort of "artificial" space has to be created. I don't know. I just like the idea of an Alabama "Quad" or an Ole Miss "Grove", a shady area to set up tents and whatnot. I like to imagine the campus walkway lined with people in the hours leading up to a game. The experience at Braly has definitely gotten better in this regard over the years, but there's obviously still too much asphalt. When it comes down to it, if I had to choose, I'd almost rather take the money and make significant upgrades to Braly and build an indoor practice facility on campus. I bet that would still come out cheaper than a stadium. But I'd only do that if the City is willing to basically hand over ownership of Braly. An added benefit of that is the ability to keep the baseball stadium on campus, which I think we all agree is still the best place for it.
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Post by brandon on Dec 21, 2020 19:39:01 GMT -6
I like the Cox Creek location for baseball... with the current location, it would be hard to do much of anything else to it because of the room, that hill really hinders what can be done. But that location would be ideal for an indoor football practice facility. The current practice field could be turned into a dedicated soccer field with one permanent grandstand. That's what most college soccer stadiums that dont share with football do anyway. I would also put money into the band field and use it to practice on as well. The band field is not a full sized field. It only goes about 10 to 10 and just past the back hash. The band cannot even practice all of what it needs on that field currently. Trying to practice often means stopping and moving the 50 to continue. Along with the lack of elevation to see drill, no parking for equipment trucks, and it gets too wet to use pretty easily. Oh, and band kids occasionally getting hit by baseballs and footballs during practice from the other fields ......... The band accomplishes a lot given their practice facility situation. That's why I said to put money into it... if it cant be fixed, move to another location, the band deserves better practice area anyway.
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Post by northalaspectator on Dec 22, 2020 1:27:25 GMT -6
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Post by unafied on Dec 22, 2020 10:32:52 GMT -6
Thank you for posting that. I had read it back when it first become public information, but had forgotten some of the details. The fact that it allows for painting the press box, installing a parking surface on the old ball field, decks in the south endzone, etc. - and that those things have not been done yet - seem to indicate to me that UNA was hoping to move to a new stadium sooner than later. But after the past year, those plans are likely on hold (though I have no way of knowing that for sure). Does that mean we might see some movement now on some stadium enhancements? I don't want to harp on it, but I've said it before - a new scoreboard needs to be a top priority *if* we will be staying at Braly for the next few years. Recruits probably laugh at the one we currently have. I'm not asking for an Auburn-style goliath, but something needs to be done.
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Post by unalions on Dec 22, 2020 11:16:41 GMT -6
Thank you for posting that. I had read it back when it first become public information, but had forgotten some of the details. The fact that it allows for painting the press box, installing a parking surface on the old ball field, decks in the south endzone, etc. - and that those things have not been done yet - seem to indicate to me that UNA was hoping to move to a new stadium sooner than later. But after the past year, those plans are likely on hold (though I have no way of knowing that for sure). Does that mean we might see some movement now on some stadium enhancements? I don't want to harp on it, but I've said it before - a new scoreboard needs to be a top priority *if* we will be staying at Braly for the next few years. Recruits probably laugh at the one we currently have. I'm not asking for an Auburn-style goliath, but something needs to be done. Braly desperately needs upgrades even if UNA is only there a couple more seasons. The inside of the press box is very dated.
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Post by unafied on Dec 22, 2020 12:06:25 GMT -6
Thank you for posting that. I had read it back when it first become public information, but had forgotten some of the details. The fact that it allows for painting the press box, installing a parking surface on the old ball field, decks in the south endzone, etc. - and that those things have not been done yet - seem to indicate to me that UNA was hoping to move to a new stadium sooner than later. But after the past year, those plans are likely on hold (though I have no way of knowing that for sure). Does that mean we might see some movement now on some stadium enhancements? I don't want to harp on it, but I've said it before - a new scoreboard needs to be a top priority *if* we will be staying at Braly for the next few years. Recruits probably laugh at the one we currently have. I'm not asking for an Auburn-style goliath, but something needs to be done. Braly desperately needs upgrades even if UNA is only there a couple more seasons. The inside of the press box is very dated. Understandable. It's easy for me to overlook that since I never have a reason to be in the press box. Sounds like we are stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place on this.
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