What is your opinion on KBS expansion?

[Gonzo]

Remove the track yesterday

[fjblair]

I would hate to see the north end closed in – until it is absolutely needed. IF we were to do any changes, we should move the stands closer to the field and remove the track.

This is my thought as well. This would be an immediate improvement.

[Boone Goon]

Expansion is not an event, rather a process. In today's world it will require a phased approach.

The #1 issue facing our program and it's future growth is the lack of a nearby commercial airport. I'm not sure how the university athletic department addresses this, but we are going to lag behind other schools of similar size until this changes.

The #2 issue facing our program is the undergraduate pregame experience. When I was a student at App tailgating was encouraged for students. As a parent of a current Mountaineer, I'm stunned at how difficult the university has made it for them to gather and have fun. The Duke Pond has restrictions placed on Fraternities and Sororities that the general student population does not face anywhere else on campus (must register a week before the game, or they are not allowed on the Duck Pond field). I understand the university is trying to protect against under aged drinking, but the unintentional consequence is they are eliminating part of the experience that draws future alumni back to campus on game days. I love college football and come to every game, not because we win, but because it's a time to spend with friends and our families. If that's not what the current student body gets to experience, they won't gravitate to it in the future.

As for stadium expansion I think the priorities are:
1) continued improvements to the training room, athlete housing, meeting rooms, study areas, etc. This is what recruits are seeing and comparing.
2) Replace the temp bleachers with permanent seating. Allow for expansion seating and Visitor locker room.
3) Move the hill closer to the field - radical? Maybe. My thought is to extend the path and make it an area for fans to meet and kids to play, have vendors, bounce house activities, etc. then have the hill and the fence come up closer to the back of the end zone. It's just a way to maximize the space behind the end zone without losing part of what makes Kidd Brewer special.
4) #2 & #3 effectively eliminate the track's use. The bigger challenge is the sideline space. Short of lowering the field, I'm not sure there is any chance of changing its configuration.
5) replace Owen field House with student housing, training facilities, Yosef Club offices, more seating if we need it at that time, etc.

I think a 30k seat stadium that sells out every game is better than a 40k stadium that sells out half the time. The ULM game was the most exciting game I've been to since the '07 Michigan game, but the energy of the Montana game two years ago was off the charts! Because it was a sell out!

[Gonzo]

The #2 issue facing our program is the undergraduate pregame experience. When I was a student at App tailgating was encouraged for students. As a parent of a current Mountaineer, I'm stunned at how difficult the university has made it for them to gather and have fun. The Duke Pond has restrictions placed on Fraternities and Sororities that the general student population does not face anywhere else on campus (must register a week before the game, or they are not allowed on the Duck Pond field). I understand the university is trying to protect against under aged drinking, but the unintentional consequence is they are eliminating part of the experience that draws future alumni back to campus on game days. I love college football and come to every game, not because we win, but because it's a time to spend with friends and our families. If that's not what the current student body gets to experience, they won't gravitate to it in the future.

Be careful, Cline might start calling you an alcoholic.

That's a great point and while I've identified that as a problem for some now, I've never really looked at it in the context of stadium expansion. So far we still have the best per-capita student attendance in the state of North Carolina BY FAR. We can only assume that it would get even better if the school took measures to abolish the unreasonable crackdown on tailgating.

It remains to be seen how it would improve attendance, but it would certainly improve the overall gameday experience.

[BeauFoster]

Am I the only one who hates the idea of student housing being integrated into stadium expansion plans?

[ASUMountaineer]

We are an FBS team now. Why not add a bowl to round out the left endzone?

You're wanting to write some big checks, what with the videoboard in the Holmes Dome and bowling in the stadium. Where can we get this money, and can anyone get access to it?

[boonetown1]

This is why we need not only a chancellor but a new AD who can pull in some big corporate checks.....look at HPU their chancellor is great at getting 10+ million dollar donations (Ashley furniture, etc.).

But I agree it should be a phased approach with a strategy in the middle of increasing attendance. I still think teaming up with the parks bus system from the piedmont would be a good idea. Could cart people up the mountain for the game.

[Boone Goon]

Personally I don't like the student housing idea, but it's a way to get state funding to help with the overall expansion efforts.

As I understand it, the Duck Pond registration process requires registration before EACH game. Fraternities and sororities can't register for the entire season...dumb. Worse yet, if your chapter doesn't register you can't go to another fraternity/sororities tent or your chapter faces disciplinary action. It makes no sense to me.

[Yosef]

I think we'll land more recruits if we pack 30k into our current layout than if we let 30k spread out in a 40k capacity stadium.

Couldn't agree more. It's a marketing thing but a smaller full stadium looks better than a larger empty one.

[Boone Goon]

The HPU model is doomed. Their debt load is tragic, and their President has mortgaged their future to increase enrollment now. I wouldn't hire graduates from their nor would I want my child to go to school their. It's a paper house.

[huskie3]

Does anyone know if there is a waiting list for Club seats or suites? If there is then we should have little trouble filling new ones in the North endzone.

[moonshine]

3) Move the hill closer to the field - radical? Maybe. My thought is to extend the path and make it an area for fans to meet and kids to play, have vendors, bounce house activities, etc. then have the hill and the fence come up closer to the back of the end zone. It's just a way to maximize the space behind the end zone without losing part of what makes Kidd Brewer special.
4) #2 & #3 effectively eliminate the track's use. The bigger challenge is the sideline space. Short of lowering the field, I'm not sure there is any chance of changing its configuration.

I've thought that moving the hill closer to the field would be best. It could create up to 50+ feet of extra room. Utilize it in a similar fashion with activities for kids like the bounce house, a rock climbing wall, a small field (see GaSo) to throw the pigskin and kick field goals (punt, pass & kick...may find a future special teamer). Maybe create a small parking lot just outside the southside of the stadium that could go to high dollar Yosef contributors or make it a young alum Yosef lot to entice recent grads to donate.

Removing the track creates a huge buffer around the field, approximately an additional 40 feet. When new turf is installed, move it closer to the west side where the sideline is about the middle of the current track. Tear down the entire east side and construct it closer to the field. Build it back similar to the west side or get fancy and double deck it with the deck overhanging part of the lower level and install heaters on the underside of the under hang with ribbon boards running along the front of the upper level. By moving the east side closer to the filed it creates additional room on the east side to either build additional parking or another tower that runs along Stadium Dr. The tower could be a mixed use of suites, dorm rooms, offices and training. Save the current upper decking to be installed on the north side or use it on the new track and field facility.

I realize this would probably run well north of $100mil and I plan on paying for it as soon as I win a $300+mil MegaMillions or Powerball lottery.

[T-Dog]

I would keep the South Endzone hill but grade it right up to the back Endzone so it's not as steep. Maybe tier it off with a natural staircase so families can have flat areas to watch a game from. Could even put turf down so it doesn't become a bog in bad weather.

[bcoach]

There are some good plans here. In my opinion the best is moving the field over as just removing the track does nothing at all. Gives us the same empty space unless we do something with it.
The problem is paying for what we have before even thinking of adding additional debt. Big corporate sponsors? Well they want something for what they pay so we need to define what we can deliver. Who can lay out a pitch for what they would get for their money? It is very easy to say we need to ask for money but another thing to define our value proposition.

[ASUMountaineer]

I love the small field at GS. I can only imagine how much fun that would be for a kid.

If we're going to keep the hill, I agree with those that say moving it closer and leveling it out. I also like T-Dog's idea of putting down turf.

As for expansion, I think we definitely need a phased master plan. However, I'm not ready to start moving dirt in the immediate future.

[CheckYosef94]

I would like to see the stadium used more as a way of trying to pay the stadium off a little quicker. Bring in some high school football games (like Lenoir area games), Pop Warner tournaments, and a DCI tournament.

How hard would it be to get a high school state championship game to be played at KBS every couple of years?

[AppStateNews]

I would keep the South Endzone hill but grade it right up to the back Endzone so it's not as steep. Maybe tier it off with a natural staircase so families can have flat areas to watch a game from. Could even put turf down so it doesn't become a bog in bad weather.

I think this is a great idea.. take our current turf and put it on a tiered hill to keep out the mud so families and kids can enjoy it. Only issue I see with the turf is turf burns are not fun -- especially for little ones!

[manonabuffalo]

KBS expansion, attendance is down a bit? I guess it could be worse....

I will just leave this here... http://nineronline.com/2014/11/student- ... ueen-city/

[appstate2007]

There is a plan in place for expansion already as seen by the below webpage. But I agree until we can get back to filling up the current stadium plans are on hold. But it does go both ways in order to get more P5 schools to come into KBS, the stadium has to expand. Look at Miss St went to USA this year. This was planned years ago, but because they played in a larger stadium they were able to get Miss St to come. "If you build it, they will come". But yes the larger question is How do you pay for it?

http://www.appstatesports.com/ViewArtic ... =205429650

[appbio91]

This might seem random but what do you guys think the chances are of the old concrete structure on the west being condemned or needing major repair at some point in the future. The reason I ask is that I know that has happened to lots of area HS stadiums built in the late 60's or 70's. I have not been on that side in a long time because I switched to the East when the upper level opened but last I was over there some of the steps were in terrible shape. The lower level east side is in bad shape in places as well. Freeze thaw is hell on old cracked up concrete.