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Topic: Peden Stadium Survey

Topic: Peden Stadium Survey

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rm22
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Member Since: 10/4/2013
Location: Stonecreek, OH
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Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/4/2013 9:25:13 AM

Hello all my fellow bobcats, and bobcat football fans! I am coming to you today as a current undergrad student here at the ever so fine Ohio University looking for some help with my Facilities Class. We choose to do Peden Stadium, and what better timing than now! So if you could please take a small amount of time out of your day and take this quick survey on your experiences at OU football games and at Peden, you would be helping out a fellow bobcat so much. Thanks and GO BOBCATS!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NNCRS5W

catfan28
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Member Since: 6/11/2011
Location: Athens, OH
Post Count: 1,503

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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/4/2013 6:13:45 PM

Took the survey and happy to help out! Perhaps nitpicking, but it seems most of the survey is focused upon ticket purchasing/experience...I would have liked to see a few more questions relating to the stadium itself and the experience. A few things on the wish list...

- Improved video board/sound system
- Taking away those gawd-awful Champions Club seats
- Concessions upgrades (which were improved some this year)
- RESTROOMS...can we ditch the troughs? This isn't the county fair.
- An ATM that actually works!!

What else would folks realistically like to see in Peden? Outside of crazy, far-fetched expansion plans.

Beat Michigan
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Member Since: 8/15/2013
Location: Almost Heaven
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:15:41 AM

catfan28 wrote:

What else would folks realistically like to see in Peden? Outside of crazy, far-fetched expansion plans.

This wont be popular but truthfully a new stadium. I have been to many of the MAC stadiums and Peden is probably the worst. It's not really much nicer than my old high school stadium.

First thing they should do is upgrade the endzone seating. Take out the current two endzone stands and build something nicer and larger and make it connect to the existing sideline grandstands.

Then the next year demolish the West or student side stands and rebuild it.

Realistically though a new larger video/scoreboard would be nice. And make it higher.

This is a picture that was in a 2000 Gameday program. The only upgrade that has happened is the field being lowered and the Phillips Club seating put in. And these were expansion plans when Ohio was winning less than 5 games a year and had an empty stadium every week.

Monroe Slavin
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Location: Oxnard, CA
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:21:51 AM

Generally, I think that demolishing Peden--even in part--is foolish. I've thought, well, just amend it, enclose the north end, etc. Because the team is mighty good and that's enough.

But I have to admit, it needs to be significantly torn down and rebuilt to meet the expectations of today's fans. That will boost attendance 20-30% I imagine if the team keeps playing well.

Of course, the money to do that is another matter. Don't have any idea where we'd get that.

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Beat Michigan
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Member Since: 8/15/2013
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:56:20 AM

Not all but part of the money could come from naming rights.

Someone posted in another thread Akron got $15,000,000 selling
their naming rights.

You are right though where is the money going to come from..

The Optimist
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Location: CLE
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 8:50:22 AM

We have sold out 100% of our home games against FBS opponents this season. Guess what? That will continue next Saturday.

Expansion isn't unrealistic. It is inevitable. Unless of course we just knock Peden down. Now, getting the Funds for that would take some sweet talking from Rowdy Rod and Co....

Last Edited: 10/6/2013 8:52:23 AM by The Optimist

I've seen crazier things happen.

SBH
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 9:31:37 AM

Chris_PHS89 wrote:

catfan28 wrote:

What else would folks realistically like to see in Peden? Outside of crazy, far-fetched expansion plans.

This wont be popular but truthfully a new stadium. I have been to many of the MAC stadiums and Peden is probably the worst. It's not really much nicer than my old high school stadium.

Interestingly, when you read the opinions of other MAC fans, Peden typically ranks in the upper half of conference stadiums. There is some significant sprucing up coming in the next 5-6 years, but nothing like a new deck on the visitor's side or elimination of the corner sections. But it will be significant nonetheless.

geekzer55
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Member Since: 10/20/2012
Location: Mount Laurel, NJ
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 10:11:22 AM

Philips sections to me are best seats in the house.
It's typically unwise to expand capacity by more than 10% at any one time.

GO BOBCATS!

Recovering Journalist
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Member Since: 8/17/2010
Location: Cleveland, OH
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 10:44:58 AM

There's a lot of justifiable envy expressed on this board toward Akron's stadium, but I see it as a shimmering cautionary tale. We're enjoying a bit of a golden age right now with football, but it's not guaranteed to last and there are huge questions on the near-term horizon. Not only that, there's not even compelling evidence that there is a great need for more seats in the midst of this golden age. One or two games a year, a seat is hard to come by. That's it. "Sellouts" that include thousands of tickets at around $5 apiece rarely translate into an inability to get in the stadium.

It's only a slight exaggeration to say we're one bad coaching hire away from Peden being as populated as InfoCision or Yager. Peden needs better bathrooms, concessions and a better scoreboard. It only needs more seating in the fantasies of a few dreamers on this board. Those dreamers seem to think that spending tens of millions of dollars to fill a few more seats maybe twice a year is a good investment. When you factor in the realities of declining state funding, an uncertain future for traditional residential campuses in general, and massive unanswered questions about the future of non-AQ football programs like ours, dumping significant money into a facility that's used 6-8 times a year is ridiculous folly.

Victory
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 12:28:10 PM

Recovering Journalist wrote:

If , several years after Frank retires, we are having advanced selll outs at $40 a ticket then maybe the University administration will consider expanding. But what you said is just simple reality. Its capacity is fine the way it is. If we continue sell out ticket prices will go up before expansion happens.

Columbus_Bobcat
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Member Since: 11/23/2012
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 1:08:18 PM

In all honesty I don't think Peden will be or should be upgraded other than concessions and restrooms. Yes, were doing well putting butts in the seats, but when we have weekday games were lucky to have 18,000 people at the game. I would be happy to come back in a few years and see a new student section side with new restrooms, concessions and the glitz and glamour and about 30,000 seats.

TheBobcatBandit
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 6:58:05 PM

We may be in a golden age but if we want it to last we need to put money into the program and do things like exspand the stadium.

I don't realistically see us knocking down the student side but I think exspanding the corners down to the field is a must. It would be a good measuring stick for potential future exspandtions as well. If we exspand and it keeps filling up then we may be able to do future exspandtions. If it doesn't fill up it is still small enough a project to not kill our budget.

MariettaCatFanatic
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Member Since: 7/6/2010
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 7:29:21 PM

TheBobcatBandit wrote:

I agree...those who stand still, lose in the long run. While we should be cautious to the size and scope of an expansion/refurbishment, other programs will continue to pass us by if we sit and do nothing. Recruits see nice facilities as a huge chunk of their decision on where to play. We won't have Frank forever and will not be able to recruit on his name alone. If we want to put ourselves in a position for sustained long term success, something will need to be done about Peden in the next 5-10 years.

GO BOBCATS!

Beat Michigan
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 9:01:02 PM

any estimates on what the two endzone sections hold?

6000? 3000 each? Like I all ready said a good first step would be
knocking those down and putting a 10,000 seat grandstand in their place.
That gains you 4000 seats if my estimates are correct and takes capacity to 28,000.

And replacing the scoreboard and putting it higher in the air.

OhioCatFan
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Member Since: 12/20/2004
Location: Athens, OH
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 9:10:26 PM

A number of years ago there was a plan (might have been more like a "trail ballon") that was discussed that would involve putting up another tower on the student side and changing the angle of the stands. Not sure how serious it ever was, or if the new IPF (aka MPF) would make it impossible or more difficult. I always thought it sounded like a good idea. For one thing, you could then put TV cameras on that side and see more people in the stands in the second half of games where the lure of the bars becomes too much for the students to resist.

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catfan28
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/6/2013 11:52:20 PM

Curious about what an expanded Peden might lead to? Look 90 minutes to the southwest at Marshall's 38,000 seat Edwards Stadium.

The only times it's been full is when they've played WVU or Virginia Tech. Beyond that, it has at least 10,000 empty seats most games. They got way too aggressive on expansion and are now stuck with it.

I wouldn't mind seeing a couple thousand more seats...but let's not go down the Marshall route of adding way more than we ever have or ever will need.

The Optimist
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Location: CLE
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 8:33:31 AM

I agree with what a couple people above have said.... I don't view stadium expansion as a result of current success. I think it is an investment in the program that attempts to grow the program and extend the golden age.

I think saying "wait and see what happens when Frank leaves" is the wrong way to look at this. We have an opportunity significantly improve the program so that when Frank leaves the next coach is coming into a much more attractive job with more resources to win

Expanding to 30,000 is still expanding. We CAN fill 30,000 under Frank and if we continue winning under Frank that would put us in a position to keep winning with 1 more good hire and push this program up to a stadium between 35-40k that is consistently full. I don't like the Marshall comparison either.... We have a lot of advantages over Marshall, including the completion of the bypass.

The bypass and the IPF seemed like longshots when Frank came in. Now one is done and one is in progress. A stadium expansion and renovation would put us in position to out-recruit most of the MAC, especially with Frank as head coach.

Imagine if Frank can tell a high school kid "Peden is going to be bigger and nicer when you are a Senior in a couple years." The LOIs will come pouring in!

I've seen crazier things happen.

SBH
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 8:45:41 AM

catfan28 wrote:

Think Sebo center in north opening between elevated sections. Then seating extended downward in corner sections. Perhaps another 2k seats total. Apparently these are actually in early planning stages.

Ted Thompson
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 8:51:04 AM

SBH wrote:

catfan28 wrote:

Would they put new scoreboard there as well? Its current position is too far away from the field IMO.

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SBH
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 10:51:11 AM

Scoreboard would likely stay at south end but I sure hope they get money to move it to top of "Victory Hill" and upgrade size and technology...but don't know if that's in the plans. Probably would have to be a separate funding source. I believe BG used some academic funds to help build Sebo because it is a largely an education facility (though primarily for athletes).

Beat Michigan
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 12:22:09 PM

Speaking of Marshall. When they upgraded their scoreboards several years

ago ISP paid for it. They worked it into their new radio contract. Isn't ISP Ohio's
radio outfit too..

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1860197799/Big-improvements-for-Marshall-football-stadium?i=0

It was a 3 million dollar upgrade and ISP paid for it ALL..

A-townBound
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 12:27:18 PM

Chris_PHS89 wrote:

Isn't ISP Ohio's radio outfit too..

ISP is now part of IMG, and Yes IMG is Ohio radio's network.

Bleed Green and GO OHIO!!

BillyTheCat
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 1:18:13 PM

Would the city of Athens have any say in the size of the scoreboard? I know they have ruled over the University in terms of signage in other areas of town.

TWT
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 1:22:16 PM

Chris_PHS89 wrote:

Speaking of Marshall. When they upgraded their scoreboards several years

If that is how our competitor Marshall is doing it that is Ohio will fund a new scoreboard. Unlike some renovations which grow more expensive with inflation the price for huge scoreboards continually drops. It makes sense to time it together with the renovation that SBH is talking about.

Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

TWT
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RE: Peden Stadium Survey

Posted: 10/7/2013 1:28:21 PM

BillyTheCat wrote:

Would the city of Athens have any say in the size of the scoreboard? I know they have ruled over the University in terms of signage in other areas of town.

I think they are most concerned about height rather than size. The zoning on Richland Avenue looks completely different than East State Street so who knows if they care.

Most Memorable Bobcat Events Attended
2010 97-83 win over Georgetown in NCAA 1st round
2012 45-13 victory over ULM in the Independence Bowl
2015 34-3 drubbing of Miami @ Peden front of 25,086

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