Dome Improvements

[JJ4415]

There was another thread tonight calling for a new stadium to be built. I am in the "keep but improve the dome" camp and am curious what improvements others would like to see. Some of mine:

-Point of sale at concessions - This is the year 2011, fans should be able to pay with a credit card
-Redo the facade of the stadium - a brick exterior would match many of the surrounding buildings on campus (I have always thought the Dome stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of campus)
-New scoreboards to replace our minor-league baseball style black and white boards
-New "strip" video boards between the second and third levels, and new orange and blue seats, similar to Minnesota's new stadium:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_subtle/3983325063/in/photostream/

Not suggesting that these changes would immediately increase attendance by 10K, but improvements to the Dome paired with a move to the ACC, a new practice facility, and improving results on the field could give Marrone's rebuilding project a nice boost.

What other ideas are out there?

 

[Moontan]

-and new orange and blue seats, similar to Minnesota's new stadium:

and

Not suggesting that these changes would immediately increase attendance by 10K,

are interesting.

By doing the first, in Minnesota's case from goal line to goal line on all levels, you will likely reduce capacity by 3-5k+ to 45k (or less). The average annual attendance is already claimed to be over 35k. It's an interesting way to get closer to a full house.

Finding some long-lasting, abuse-resistant, paint that can be applied to the current benches might be a better alternative. If such a paint cannot be found, perhaps hard plastic orange seats in the lower deck between the 20s would be a start. I'm still not sure TGD would be in favor of reducing overall capacity.

 

[JohnCuse44]

REAL SEATS!!!

I don't care if capacity goes down slightly the benches have to go. When its not full the place looks empty, when it is full you have to cram shoulder to shoulder against someone you don't know and don't really want to touch.

 

[bnoro]

There was another thread tonight calling for a new stadium to be built. I am in the "keep but improve the dome" camp and am curious what improvements others would like to see. Some of mine:

-Point of sale at concessions - This is the year 2011, fans should be able to pay with a credit card
-Redo the facade of the stadium - a brick exterior would match many of the surrounding buildings on campus (I have always thought the Dome stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of campus)
-New scoreboards to replace our minor-league baseball style black and white boards
-New "strip" video boards between the second and third levels, and new orange and blue seats, similar to Minnesota's new stadium:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_subtle/3983325063/in/photostream/

Not suggesting that these changes would immediately increase attendance by 10K, but improvements to the Dome paired with a move to the ACC, a new practice facility, and improving results on the field could give Marrone's rebuilding project a nice boost.

What other ideas are out there?

As I have stated on the old board a couple times, it is a $1 million dollar investment to upgrade all the point of sale machines with the software and any charges. They would love someone to foot the bill... Maybe it could be you!

 

[Czar]

As I have stated on the old board a couple times, it is a $1 million dollar investment to upgrade all the point of sale machines with the software and any charges. They would love someone to foot the bill... Maybe it could be you!

I got an idea, let's not be ing cheap as and actually work to improve the overall ing product. $1 Million dollars is really NOT that big of a ing bill when the alternative is new stadium or stay stuck in ing 1992.

 

[mantonio]

I got an idea, let's not be ******* cheap as **** and actually work to improve the overall ******* product. $1 Million dollars is really NOT that big of a ******* bill when the alternative is new stadium or stay stuck in ******* 1992.

This is why moving to the ACC will help Syracuse. The added revenue would give the school this ability to improve technologies in the Dome & elsewhere. Anyone who would rather stay in the Big East & make less money is foolish at this point. Would a Minor league baseball player turn down the chance to play in MLB?

 

[690West]

As I have stated on the old board a couple times, it is a $1 million dollar investment to upgrade all the point of sale machines with the software and any charges. They would love someone to foot the bill... Maybe it could be you!

It doesn't make his idea/suggestion a bad one

 

[chakka3421]

First thing they should do is give students free tickets for every game

 

[Stern]

The real seats thing will probably never happen or is at least a ways away from happening. I don't see the big deal in reduced capacity for football since we don't sell that many tix anyway. And if you reduce capacity just raise ticket prices a bit and it ends up being a wash financially. They probably don't want to reduce capacity for B'ball though. The Cleveland Browns have the same exact benches like we have in their endzones but in Orange. Actually the same "shade" of Orange as SU uses. At the very worst we should upgrade the benches to that orange color if we aren't adding seats.

-Credit Cards for food in 2011 should be simple and done. I mean seriously.
-Video strips between 2nd and 3rd level is something all major stadiums have in this day of age. That is actually probably pretty cheap upgrade. I like the orange banners we have but adding the strip boards would be good.
-The 2 endzone scoreboards upgraded I think will happen in time.

There is no need to build a new stadium when the upgrades the Dome needs (minus the real seats) are simple fixes honestly.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

There was another thread tonight calling for a new stadium to be built. I am in the "keep but improve the dome" camp and am curious what improvements others would like to see.

22,000 mannequins - dressed in orange - placed all throughout the 300's and in the lowers deck end zones.

 

[upperdeck]

how many places like the Dome have POS tech at all the locations. Maybe the NFL does it but do most college venues? They ones I have attended recently dont. add to that many of the places are staffed by non su employees. For me why is such a big deal to use cash to buy $20 worth of food ? A simple solution would be to put a few on each level and add signs to let people know, then track the usage.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

REAL SEATS!!!

I don't care if capacity goes down slightly the benches have to go. When its not full the place looks empty, when it is full you have to cram shoulder to shoulder against someone you don't know and don't really want to touch.

How have they managed at Ann Arbor and South Bend all these years.

 

[lincolncuse]

How have they managed at Ann Arbor and South Bend all these years.

Nebraska Purdue Penn State...

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

 

[TexanMark]

REAL SEATS!!!

I don't care if capacity goes down slightly the benches have to go. When its not full the place looks empty, when it is full you have to cram shoulder to shoulder against someone you don't know and don't really want to touch.

Problem is how wide do we make them? Lots of 300 lbs fans.

 

[OttoMets]

I'd like to see them bring back the New York State and Canadian flags.

 

[orangebabe]

Retractable roof like Dallas Cowboy stadium which is probably unaffordable lol. I would love to sit in the Dome in Sept. through mid to late October with the roof open and then have it closed for November games and of course basketball season. While having the Dome is nice for bad weather, watching football outside during the fall is awesome.

 

[SaltineWarrior]

There was another thread tonight calling for a new stadium to be built. I am in the "keep but improve the dome" camp and am curious what improvements others would like to see. Some of mine:

-Point of sale at concessions - This is the year 2011, fans should be able to pay with a credit card
-Redo the facade of the stadium - a brick exterior would match many of the surrounding buildings on campus (I have always thought the Dome stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of campus)
-New scoreboards to replace our minor-league baseball style black and white boards
-New "strip" video boards between the second and third levels, and new orange and blue seats, similar to Minnesota's new stadium:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/queen_of_subtle/3983325063/in/photostream/

Not suggesting that these changes would immediately increase attendance by 10K, but improvements to the Dome paired with a move to the ACC, a new practice facility, and improving results on the field could give Marrone's rebuilding project a nice boost.

What other ideas are out there?

I think the obvious (and most expensive) one is to get some sort of retractable roof. Even if you make part of the roof permanent (like the old Cowboy Stadium) and the center of it flexible, that would help. Nothing like an outdoor game in the fall.

I really do like the idea of brick or even stone on the outside to get it to match the rest of the campus. You're right, it does stick out and look like a sore thumb. Perhaps some of that can be used inside of the stadium too instead of all that cement.

I'm actually OK with the scoreboards and lack of video boards. Notre Dame has an "old fashioned" scoreboard.

New seats would be nice. That might be tough given the pitch and space we are talking about.

 

[SmilinBob]

Ask not what SU can do for you but what you can do for SU. Heck, they have a system in place that you can get seats or you can even go out and buy some for 15 bucks. I admit it would be nice but so would having super models feed you shrimp while watching the game.

 

[swish7]

A comparatively inexpensive cosmetic improvement to the outside of the Dome is a good idea. There are probably quite a few options besides brick. Give the facility more of a classic feel, not the current drab SUNY feel. If you went with brick, you could inlay a different color brick spelling out 44.

A retractable roof would be nice, but as has been said here repeatedly, the current exterior cannot support it.

It might be time for real seats and more space, even if it reduced capacity by 3K fannies. for skinny fannies like mine, those seats are really painful.

 

[OrangePA]

22,000 mannequins - dressed in orange - placed all throughout the 300's and in the lowers deck end zones.

I want to increase capacity - the Dome should seat 55,000.

That number sounds much more impressive than 49,000.

The product will soon sell the seats.

 

[OrangeZone]

increasing the capacity to 55, 000 would potentially also increase of seating for hoops as well; depending upon the configuration.
I would like them also to use student artists to create murals of SU sports throughout the Dome.

 

[bnoro]

It doesn't make his idea/suggestion a bad one

Never said it was a bad idea. They just have more pressing needs than making sure the fans can use their credit card to buy a beer... Upgrading the locker rooms should be priority number one.

 

[SU2NASA]

How have they managed at Ann Arbor and South Bend all these years.

ding ding ding.

 

[690West]

Never said it was a bad idea. They just have more pressing needs than making sure the fans can use their credit card to buy a beer... Upgrading the locker rooms should be priority number one.

Completely agree with that

 

[BlueCurtain]

seating for basketball can be increased by adding more pull-out seating.

the biggest improvement would be modern scoreboards. A portable video board needs to be erected behind the pull-out seating for hoops... if for no other reason then to allow the blue curtain to return.