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Post by brandon on Dec 12, 2017 21:59:46 GMT -6
I agree that we don't need 10k seats. I'd say 8000 would be a good number that would sustain us for quite a while. I would just love to see something that is seating-wise more fan friendly (no bleachers), have a dedicated spot for students, and just be more impressive visually. That last point is silly, but it matters to recruits. I don't know, if, IF we start winning again, that could change. There was a time we could have had six or seven thousand for games if we had more seating and standing room. We were packing them in so tightly the fire marshal stepped in. If IF we generate that kind of excitement in D1, 3,000 or less won't do. However if we are shooting for mediocrity we should leave it as is. We need to create the buzz first. Having the capability to play certain schools should create that buzz. Even if we are not top notch in the beginning, big time schools should draw a crowd.
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Post by northalaspectator on Dec 12, 2017 23:58:54 GMT -6
It isn’t necessary who we play or could play. It has to do with Marketing and Advertising. I know Kenny remembers Coach Bill Jones’s the Show of the Shoals Marketing. Several people came to the games just to watch Otis play and through his and his teammates men’s basketball in North Alabama turn around and moved up a notch.
Now the Women’s basketball can be put on a more National front with those triplets. The promoting should be come and watch Emma, Ella, Ivy and then enjoy the Men’s game.
Last season I saw as many as 100 and more leave after the Women’s game before the Men’s game and some of those that left where college age students.
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Post by unafied on Dec 13, 2017 10:48:01 GMT -6
It isn’t necessary who we play or could play. It has to do with Marketing and Advertising. I know Kenny remembers Coach Bill Jones’s the Show of the Shoals Marketing. Several people came to the games just to watch Otis play and through his and his teammates men’s basketball in North Alabama turn around and moved up a notch. Now the Women’s basketball can be put on a more National front with those triplets. The promoting should be come and watch Emma, Ella, Ivy and then enjoy the Men’s game. Last season I saw as many as 100 and more leave after the Women’s game before the Men’s game and some of those that left where college age students. Like it or not, I think having local talent like the triplets or Otis just simply makes a difference. I mean, I want us to get the best possible players, but if we can manage to bring someone from the Shoals in to help the team, that definitely puts more butts in the seats. The key is to do that while *also winning games*, so that the people who show up to watch the player from their high school will remain a fan after that player is gone. The love of basketball is just not strong enough in this state for people to show up for a mediocre (or worse) team. Attending football games has become such an event, one that takes up the majority of your day, that I almost like going to basketball games more. It really should be an easy way for a family to go enjoy a couple of hours, even on a school night.
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Post by brandon on Dec 13, 2017 11:05:31 GMT -6
Agree, local kids help. And we know winning is a major help, but who you play is also important. Take the women, a 75 point blowout over Fisk......
Glad they had a great game, how many people was in attendance? I wasn't, if they were playing Troy, Southern Miss, JSU, or any SEC school, I would have been there. But I could not make myself find someone to watch my kids because my wife was working to watch Fisk.
Our problem since (let's call it the) Golden age of UNA football and Basketball had mainly been who we are playing. Football has got better the past few years on scheduling non NAIA schools, but basketball seems to do it all the time. And when we start D1, we should stay away from scheduling D2 schools.
Advertising is a big deal too. I would also think that one of the Huntsville TV channels would televise football and basketball games like they used to do. Big softball games and baseball as well.
Seems lime the school could make that happen.
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Post by kperk1959 on Dec 14, 2017 21:33:34 GMT -6
We'll just have to wait and see how aggressive the school is in athletics. If they take the "We could spend ten thousand here and do it right" or "we might could get away with spending just five hundred" then this whole thing will be a Savannah State type disaster.
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Post by brandon on Dec 14, 2017 23:49:33 GMT -6
We'll just have to wait and see how aggressive the school is in athletics. If they take the "We could spend ten thousand here and do it right" or "we might could get away with spending just five hundred" then this whole thing will be a Savannah State type disaster. I don't think they are that dumb. The whole deal is to compete with JSU and even Troy and South Alabama in non football. I don't think they will go into this just to say we are D1, but to ba a major competition in D1. I think they have a plan.
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Post by unafied on Dec 15, 2017 7:43:47 GMT -6
We'll just have to wait and see how aggressive the school is in athletics. If they take the "We could spend ten thousand here and do it right" or "we might could get away with spending just five hundred" then this whole thing will be a Savannah State type disaster. I don't think they are that dumb. The whole deal is to compete with JSU and even Troy and South Alabama in non football. I don't think they will go into this just to say we are D1, but to ba a major competition in D1. I think they have a plan. I hope so. I think there has been some good and some bad so far. I think most fans felt a change in men's basketball was needed after last season. And regardless of how he ends up working out, I think promoting Coach Willis was a bit of a lazy move in football. Maybe I'm in the minority on that opinion, I don't know. But meanwhile we've been very aggressive in football scheduling, which I like and think will help us long-term. I also think adding women's golf and beach volleyball are good moves. I'm pretty sure a lot of schools have had these concerns when moving up. But yeah, I hope we have some good plans in place. While football is obviously our bread and butter I don't want other sports to be forgotten. It seems we've let a few of them languish while we decided when/if we were moving up.
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Post by brandon on Dec 15, 2017 9:29:58 GMT -6
Football is our bread and butter, but we have to focus on basketball and getting it up to par for not only the A-Sun but at least be able to be in contention for NIT and NCAA tournament bids.
Football at the FCS level don't make money from going to the playoffs, to my knowledge. The way you make money is to put buts in the seats. Playing schools at home that are our rivals, like JSU, A&M and so on will put buts in seats. 2018 we will probably break even. 2019 should be better.
Basketball, we will get NCAA money, but we need to have good scheduling to get buts in seat as well. Winning, at least being competitive in D1 should draw more fans. And I think we can be very competitive.
I don't think attention has been taken away from other sports. Baseball is getting better, softball dropped off some, but attention is there, they built the new stands in the outfield, new scoreboard, and decks. Soccer and Vollyball is doing well. Honestly I don't keep up with tennis. But I think they are doing a good job at balancing the D2 to D1 year. It's got to be a huge change and more hours.
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Post by kperk1959 on Dec 19, 2017 1:27:16 GMT -6
Basketball is the easiest sport to turn around because one player can be a program changer. It's not that way in other sports. Of course THE big thing is to have a good head coach and a couple of great recruiters. Tommy Suitts was a GREAT recruiter for Bill Jones and Wendell Hudson followed him as a fine recruiter as well. Billy Gamble did a great job in the Gary Elliot era.
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Post by northalaspectator on Dec 20, 2017 17:03:57 GMT -6
It is my understanding now that upstairs will be bleacher type seats, but will not be the wooden seats.
Downstairs will be chair back padded seats.
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Post by brandon on Dec 20, 2017 18:30:34 GMT -6
It is my understanding now that upstairs will be bleacher type seats, but will not be the wooden seats. Downstairs will be chair back padded seats. [br I read it was all chairback. No bleacher seats.
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Post by mtc13 on Dec 28, 2017 13:58:27 GMT -6
I think the ag center will be used for any "Big games", games that are expected to bring bigger crowds. Flowers Hall, in my opinion is a great venue, a very personal experience. It just needs to be brought out of 1970 and into modern times. All chairbacks and video boards are a nice start. Restrooms and food are my concerns. That needs to be addressed first in my opinion. But I am very excited to see what the future holds. Where is the AG Center?
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Post by brandon on Dec 28, 2017 14:09:20 GMT -6
I think the ag center will be used for any "Big games", games that are expected to bring bigger crowds. Flowers Hall, in my opinion is a great venue, a very personal experience. It just needs to be brought out of 1970 and into modern times. All chairbacks and video boards are a nice start. Restrooms and food are my concerns. That needs to be addressed first in my opinion. But I am very excited to see what the future holds. Where is the AG Center? It will be built in the next few years, behind Florence Fire Station 2 on Florence BLVD close to Shoals Creek. It will have a 10k seat arenas, and they did say it will be available for UNA to use for basketball.
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Post by kperk1959 on Jan 4, 2018 1:32:23 GMT -6
From WAFF
The overall cost of the building and where that money will come from is still to be determined, and Melson, who's been working on this project for two years, said it’s about time to bring a big venue to the area where it's known as the hit recording capitol of the world.
"So I’ve got the music industry backing me, the horse industry, and UNA, they're on board. They want home basketball games. They're going D1, so their bigger games, not all of them, not all of them," he said.
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Post by northalaspectator on Feb 9, 2018 9:24:41 GMT -6
They will start putting in the new floor as soon as basketball season is over and the new seating after the graduation in May.
It is my understanding that there will be a very nice video board.
Seating:
Downstairs will be chair back will patted seating 0n each side there will be 4 rows. (currently now there are 5 rows of chair back on the A side) Each seat downstairs will be a little wider than the current seats.
Upstairs will be bleacher type seats with backs, they just will not have individual arm rest. (Probably something similar to the Sportsman Club seats at Braly.
There will be a Enclosed Hospitality Room so VIP and potential recruits can watch a game. In front of the Enclosed Glass area will be around 60 or so very comfortable easy type seats. Inside the Enclosed area will be space where you can stand up and watch a game.
They are now planning on having a concession stand and restrooms upstairs if it can be work out.
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