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Post by brandon on Jan 16, 2022 21:11:38 GMT -6
I would buy Braly, update it and add to it with about 50 million dollars.
Tear down the existing baseball stadium, and spend 30-40 million on a better stadium.
Add on to the softball stadium and dress it up with some nice masonry.
Build a indoor facility where the practice field is with grandstands for soccer.
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Post by lion1979 on Jan 17, 2022 1:35:58 GMT -6
I would buy Braly, update it and add to it with about 50 million dollars. Tear down the existing baseball stadium, and spend 30-40 million on a better stadium. Add on to the softball stadium and dress it up with some nice masonry. Build a indoor facility where the practice field is with grandstands for soccer. No chance UNA could spend anywhere near that on a Baseball stadium. Most power 5s don’t even spend that much. |
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Post by unafied on Jan 17, 2022 7:58:27 GMT -6
Speaking as someone who doesn’t watch a lot of college baseball, what makes our current place so bad? Is it the stands? Locker rooms? Could we not build a better grandstand around the field and instantly improve it greatly? Not that we shouldn’t try to compete in every sport we play, but I wonder if our limitations with not having a state lottery make it a big uphill battle.
My “wish list”:
- I’m fine with buying Braly. At the bare minimum it needs a new locker room facility built in one of the endzones. Including luxury suites would be a plus. A new jumbotron needs to be included either integrated into that building or in the opposit endzone. The horrible lights poking through the East stands would be replaced with… something that doesn’t poke through the stands. The press box would be painted (obviously) and expanded as needed. More luxury suites along the top of the stands could be beneficial. This would be a start, but honestly the improvements I’d like to see could be a separate post.
- I’d move soccer somewhere else. Maybe work with the city to find a spot. I’m sure the new turf makes that stadium “better” than what it was, but let’s call a spade a spade - that’s the football practice field. I don’t have a lot of interest in the sport, but the ladies that play it for us deserve their own facility.
- With soccer moved, build an enclosure around the football field. This would go hand-in-hand with the new football locker rooms they plan to build.
- Continue working on Flowers improvements. It’s so much better than it was before the move to D1, but it needs more. I’d knock out the entire current restroom/concessions area and remove that wall behind that goal. Then you could build a student seating area behind it, and maybe expand upward from there. Then I’d build a new entrance that would include new restrooms and concessions.
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Post by unalions on Jan 17, 2022 15:20:43 GMT -6
Branding - I’d start by doubling down on the UNA brand and sharing it everywhere possible. That includes going back to calling us UNA (the only UNA in college athletics; Northern AZ is NAU). Standardize the color scheme and never vary from it. Refine digital media offerings (some of these videos that they work hard to produce are watched by less than 100 people) and organize fans/staff to be more engaged on social media.
Grow the Pride – Every baby born in the Shoals area should get a bag of UNA baby swag. Encourage photos and use hashtags! Snag’em young before the Tide/Tiger fans do. Our players and coaches should be regulars at youth sports in the area. We need these kids to look-up to Lion players/staff as mentors. Give better incentives for students – especially other Lion athletes - to attend games (easier said than done nowadays). The best game atmosphere in Flowers was when all the athletes showed up and showed out at that ASUN Women’s Semifinal against Liberty. Also, find more ways for alumni (especially those of us that don’t live in Florence) to stay involved in all aspects of Lion Athletics.
Game Environment – This has improved but needs more help. I’m still a proponent of a better pre-game show by the band at home football games. It’s soooo boring. More on that in the future. The band needs to stop the robotics and let those kids cheer and be crazy. We did back in the early 90s, even as some band members hated ball games. They still made fun of stuff and it was fun! But, it’s not all on the band. The fans are sooooooo much more boring than the band. That’s on them. Cheer and Dance do a good job but are pretty boring, too. Both of those teams should also be competing regionally/nationally, not just serve as in-game support.
We need students/fans back on the other side of the field. Simple as that. It made for a better atmosphere and will make the broadcasts look so much better. I think the basketball game environment has greatly improved, especially with bringing the pep band back. But, for the broadcast to look decent, we must never have an empty seat in the court-level section behind the benches. That’s basically all that’s seen on the broadcasts. Find a way to fill those seats.
Facilities – Obviously fundraising and facilities go hand-in-hand. Looney has a lot of work to do in this regard. We’ve all discussed it at length, but a firm plan on football upgrades are a must and soon! Not just a locker room at Flowers. Braly is so dated in almost every way. I love it but it’s been needing upgrades for decades and has been neglected for the most part. I think Flowers, soccer, baseball and softball needs improvements but are much better-suited to D1 than what we know drives the train….football.
Recruiting – A varied approach to making the Lions competitive and drawing in fans would include a continued effort to target international athletes who help our Olympic-sport teams like volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, and cross-country while finding ways to leverage NIL in unique ways in order to keep local D1 players from leaving the area for another school (especially in football, basketball, and base/softball) which would likely draw more local fans to come see them compete in all sports. Find ways to use the portal to our advantage instead of just losing players to it. The Lions need wins folks, especially in the conference.
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Post by unafied on Jan 17, 2022 16:40:50 GMT -6
Branding - I’d start by doubling down on the UNA brand and sharing it everywhere possible. That includes going back to calling us UNA (the only UNA in college athletics; Northern AZ is NAU). Standardize the color scheme and never vary from it. Refine digital media offerings (some of these videos that they work had to produce are watched by less than 100 people) and organize fans/staff to be more engaged more on social media. Grow the Pride – Every baby born in the Shoals area should get a bag of UNA baby swag. Encourage photos and use hashtags! Snag’em young before the Tide/Tiger fans do. Our players and coaches should be regulars at youth sports in the area. We need these kids to look-up to Lion players/staff as mentors. Give better incentives for students – especially other Lion athletes - to attend games (easier said than done nowadays). The best game atmosphere in Flowers was when all the athletes showed up and showed out at that ASUN Women’s Semifinal against Liberty. Also, find more ways for alumni (especially those of us that don’t live in Florence) to stay involved in all aspects of Lion Athletics. Game Environment – This has improved but needs more help. I’m still a proponent of a better pre-game show by the band at home football games. It’s soooo boring. More on that in the future. The band needs to stop the robotics and let those kids cheer and be crazy. We did back in the early 90s, even as some band members hated ball games. They still made fun of stuff and it was fun! But, it’s not all on the band. The fans are sooooooo much more boring than the band. That’s on them. Cheer and Dance do a good job but are pretty boring, too. Both of those teams should also be competing regionally/nationally, not just serve as in-game support. We need students/fans back on the other side of the field. Simple as that. It made for a better atmosphere and will make the broadcasts look so much better. I think the basketball game environment has greatly improved, especially with bringing the pep band back. But, for the broadcast to look decent, we must never have an empty seat in the court-level section behind the benches. That’s basically all that’s seen on the broadcasts. Find a way to fill those seats. Facilities – Obviously fundraising and facilities go hand-in-hand. Looney has a lot of work to do in this regard. We’ve all discussed it at length, but a firm plan on football upgrades are a must and soon! Not just a locker room at Flowers. Braly is so dated in almost every way. I love it but it’s been needing upgrades for decades and has been neglected for the most part. I think Flowers, soccer, baseball and softball needs improvements but are much better-suited to D1 than what we know drives the train….football. Recruiting – A varied approach to making the Lions competitive and drawing in fans would include a continued effort to target international athletes who help our Olympic-sport teams like volleyball, soccer, tennis, golf, and cross-country while finding ways to leverage NIL in unique ways in order to keep local D1 players from leaving the area for another school (especially in football, basketball, and base/softball) which would likely draw more local fans to come see them compete in all sports. Find ways to use the portal to our advantage instead of just losing players to it. The Lions need wins folks, especially in the conference. Great, great post. You touched on things I totally agree with but said it way better than I would have. On branding - I actually think emphasizing North Alabama was the way to go four years ago. A way to “introduce” ourselves so to speak. Maybe I’m totally wrong and that’s a horrible idea from a marketing perspective, haha. But I agree, I would be fine with returning sooner than later to UNA. We kept the initials on the football helmet, so it’s not all gone. I would be good with seeing UNA on the basketball jerseys if we ever redesign the horrible current set. I don’t really think returning to emphasizing UNA will be difficult, with people tending to abbreviate things anyway. |
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Post by unalions on Jan 17, 2022 20:24:24 GMT -6
Great, great post. You touched on things I totally agree with but said it way better than I would have. On branding - I actually think emphasizing North Alabama was the way to go four years ago. A way to “introduce” ourselves so to speak. Maybe I’m totally wrong and that’s a horrible idea from a marketing perspective, haha. But I agree, I would be fine with returning sooner than later to UNA. We kept the initials on the football helmet, so it’s not all gone. I would be good with seeing UNA on the basketball jerseys if we ever redesign the horrible current set. I don’t really think returning to emphasizing UNA will be difficult, with people tending to abbreviate things anyway. Yes, I do absolutely see the value during the transition years especially. Now, like you said, it’s easy to start working UNA back into things. |
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Post by unalions on Jan 17, 2022 20:31:06 GMT -6
You all had mentioned on another thread about advertising. One way I hear UNA advertising locally here in Pensacola is on NPR. I listen to the one out of Mobile instead of the one here at UWF. While there are technically affiliate stations around the state in AL, it’s basically all done from UA now. Yet, they rarely mention Bama. However, the UNA College of Arts and Sciences is a sponsor that is mentioned multiple times per day.
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Post by roaringsince96 on Jan 17, 2022 20:56:10 GMT -6
I would buy Braly, update it and add to it with about 50 million dollars. Tear down the existing baseball stadium, and spend 30-40 million on a better stadium. Add on to the softball stadium and dress it up with some nice masonry. Build a indoor facility where the practice field is with grandstands for soccer. So what would you do if you were in charge at North Alabama? That’s deep pockets for major FBS programs in the SEC. I would like for us to buy Braly and put $15-$20 million into it. We could do a lot since the structure is already there. Buy a real scoreboard, remove the track, update cosmetics to press boxes and stadium and help locker rooms. I think you put couple million into baseball and softball you are good. |
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Post by unalions on Jan 17, 2022 21:59:20 GMT -6
I would buy Braly, update it and add to it with about 50 million dollars. Tear down the existing baseball stadium, and spend 30-40 million on a better stadium. Add on to the softball stadium and dress it up with some nice masonry. Build a indoor facility where the practice field is with grandstands for soccer. So what would you do if you were in charge at North Alabama? That’s deep pockets for major FBS programs in the SEC. I would like for us to buy Braly and put $15-$20 million into it. We could do a lot since the structure is already there. Buy a real scoreboard, remove the track, update cosmetics to press boxes and stadium and help locker rooms. I think you put couple million into baseball and softball you are good. The track is straight-up dangerous. Needs to go 10 years ago! Scoreboard? My friend said the scoreboard graphics looked like Techmo Bowl! Sad. |
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Post by brandon on Jan 18, 2022 8:01:55 GMT -6
So what would you do if you were in charge at North Alabama? That’s deep pockets for major FBS programs in the SEC. I would like for us to buy Braly and put $15-$20 million into it. We could do a lot since the structure is already there. Buy a real scoreboard, remove the track, update cosmetics to press boxes and stadium and help locker rooms. I think you put couple million into baseball and softball you are good. The track is straight-up dangerous. Needs to go 10 years ago! Scoreboard? My friend said the scoreboard graphics looked like Techmo Bowl! Sad. What's sad is I still have an original Nintendo just so I can play Techno Bowl... Yes the track is stupid dangerous... |
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Post by unafied on Jan 18, 2022 8:12:50 GMT -6
The track is straight-up dangerous. Needs to go 10 years ago! Scoreboard? My friend said the scoreboard graphics looked like Techmo Bowl! Sad. What's sad is I still have an original Nintendo just so I can play Techno Bowl... Yes the track is stupid dangerous... Not sad at all, man. Tecmo Bowl was great. I kept my NES around for the longest to play Punch-Out. Actually I think I still have it shoved in a closet somewhere, but the last time I attempted to use it, no amount of blowing on the cartridges would get the darn thing to work. I guess it being almost 40 years old (sheesh) finally caught up with it. |
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Post by roaringsince96 on Jan 18, 2022 8:15:04 GMT -6
Ok so I have a game boy from back in the day. Yes it works and on every flight for work…that’s right…I play a season of tecmo bowl. Tecmo Bowl paved the way for Madden.
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Post by unafied on Jan 18, 2022 8:18:14 GMT -6
I don't know if I saw it here or on another board, but speaking of tracks around a football field, someone used the example of what Appalachian State did with their stadium. It really looks so much better with just that relatively small change. We sit here finished with the transition on the football side, and I am still shocked we have allowed four years to pass without doing something about the scoreboard. If I were Willis, I'd be embarrassed to bring a recruit to Braly for that reason alone. I know we don't want to spend money on a stadium that isn't currently ours, but that is something we should have bit the bullet on long ago. Or at least four years ago  . |
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Post by brandon on Jan 18, 2022 8:23:50 GMT -6
I would buy Braly, update it and add to it with about 50 million dollars. Tear down the existing baseball stadium, and spend 30-40 million on a better stadium. Add on to the softball stadium and dress it up with some nice masonry. Build a indoor facility where the practice field is with grandstands for soccer. So what would you do if you were in charge at North Alabama? That’s deep pockets for major FBS programs in the SEC. I would like for us to buy Braly and put $15-$20 million into it. We could do a lot since the structure is already there. Buy a real scoreboard, remove the track, update cosmetics to press boxes and stadium and help locker rooms. I think you put couple million into baseball and softball you are good. Yes, and I should have looked more on baseball stadiums and cost... I think 8-10 mil would be high end... I still sit on how much I said for Braly... New Press box with luxury seating $$$ New football operation center (includes modern locker rooms, coaches offices, training room, wellness and recovery room, and luxury seating and recruiting seats.) $$$ New premium chairback seating on the whole press box side. $$$ Tearing down old buildings, lowering field surface and replacing turf...$$$ New grandstands on Royal Ave side and new grandstand in endzone with 5-7k seats, not to mention concessions...$$$ Nice masonry throughout and around stadium with nice landscaping and possibly a statue or two....$$$ I think if they would put out a plan on Braly publicly, assuming they are able to aquire it, they could easily raise most, if not all the money... I'll be honest, I would have went with a new stadium, but also personally and emotionally, would rather see Braly renovated... There is something special about Braly, at least to me... |
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Post by brandon on Jan 18, 2022 8:30:39 GMT -6
When I say new grandstands on the Royal ave side, my OCD has and always have had a big problem with the aluminum stands on one side in contrast with the beautiful concrete stands on the other... Make it all concrete.... The aluminum looks cheap.
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