powerofx

So what you want is UCF without the upper deck. Lower bowl holds 7k with double level of suites on one side. The other three sides have an upper deck with 3k seats. Remove the opper deck seats, keep the suites...there you go.

You do realize that the upper level of Halton has a jogging track around it and three of the four upper deck seating areas fold in to be used for rec hoops and volleyball? No suites. It's an oversized JAR. That being said, when it is full it is loud as all get out with the relatively low ceiling and seats on top of the court.

I dont disagree with you. i was just saying for funding purposes you have to be creative and adding the elements "behind the wall" is what opened up the funding. Here is an image of the closed end. Here is the new arena at Saint Louis. They copied aspects of our arena after design crews visited but did a complete bowl and moved the suites to the upper deck. Makes for closer seats for regular seats but may have cost them on premiums for the suites... It seats 10,600

I'm a little biased as a Xavier grad, but as an Akron native, I think something like Xavier's Cintas center would work well. Cintas Center 10,250 seats seems right for attendance. The open end of the building has the student section...1,000 seats. 25 suites. There is a club lounge for the big donors you can't see in the picture. Behind the wall on the open end are athletics offices, a conference center, a dinning facility, and practice gym. In order to get the funding it could be positioned as a "convocation center" like Cintas without the staleness of the "multi-purpose JAR. This format of the arena is good for mid tier concerts with floor seating and the stage at the open end...again another way to get funding...multiple events. Oh...and you are welcome for us beating Memphis.

That is AWESOME. I wish I had the balls to say something like that. It has nothing to do with ball. Just say it. I'll never see that guy again in my life.......unless he takes the managers job at Five Guys at Rivergate.I'm more of a BT's Burger Joint guy myself....when I'm not high lifing it at City Tavern.

It looks like your sources are correct. On ticketmaster right now you can buy seats in 210 (priority reserve chairbacks) and right next door in 208. Looks like there will be about 20k there.

Scalping for a Zips game? I must be dreaming.Looks like it was a good choice not to open with a "name" opponent. Game 1 sold out because its new and Game 2 sold out because of the B11 team. Nice!

Probably looking to maximize revenue. If 5500 tix aren't picked up, they can sell them since UA is expecting a sellout for game 1 and a sell out for a big11 team.

JohnnyZip, I stand guilty as charged about beating on the distinction between PENN and Penn STATE. Please understand: It is more out of respect for Penn than it is for my own alma mater. Penn has been around since 1740 -- founded by Ben Franklin -- and is obviously an Ivy League school. Penn State is a "Moo U" -- land grant institution, and has only been around since 1855. I chose Penn State over Penn b/c (a) after getting married to a North Carolina girl while in the Army, I wanted to be close to my home area (near Williamsport) so my folks could get to know my bride and ( I wanted to enjoy football season cheering for Lions, not Quakers.However, note that date: The Pennsylvania STATE University was founded in 1855; the pretenders in Columbus are Johnny-come-lately's (sorry, couldn't resist) with a founding year of 1870. I know you couched your observation in the realm of college football, but history is history.To the point of we Lions fans using "Linebacker U": Many of us take it for granted that Penn State is synonymous with Linebacker U. I know the Times-Dispatch tried to show how that other state school deserved that title -- sorry, no sale.Mad props for the Orwell reference. I work in a department at Duke University that lives by the mantra that "Some animals are more equal than others." so live an Orwellian existence.And major props to you also, ZipTrumpet, for noting that Pennsylvania is in fact a commonwealth. Can you name the three others without an Internet search? I am betting you can . . . you Akron folks are an erudite bunch! And technically technically, we should be "The Pennsylvania Commonwealth University" since my diploma says "The Pennsylvania State University." I have no desire to see Penn State referred to as tPSU -- esp. since TP plays for the Buckeyes.Kentucky, Virginia, and Mass

Agree. Let it get established for a year.Maybe they could paint A K R O N on the grass in big white block letters, kind of in homage to the Rubber Bowl/Fulton Airport.http://www.flickr.com/photos/98131992@N00/3524581902/You know that is a great idea! I doubt they would fit but it would be cool to take the actual concrete from the RB.That would look cool....like Folsom Field in Boulder.....Paint would kill the grass. Lets put it in block letters with concrete. That would give the students something extra easy to slip on. Future phone call....."Hi Mom, I just paid for the rest of my education and living expenses for the rest of my life.........split my head open on the concrete K on the hill behind the south endzone."Party pooper...I was think cement...And who's to say we will need the grass seating anyway...unfortunately. If they don't need it for students on openning day...they may not need it at all.

Agree. Let it get established for a year.Maybe they could paint A K R O N on the grass in big white block letters, kind of in homage to the Rubber Bowl/Fulton Airport.http://www.flickr.com/photos/98131992@N00/3524581902/You know that is a great idea! I doubt they would fit but it would be cool to take the actual concrete from the RB.That would look cool....like Folsom Field in Boulder.....

#$%^% you Sean Miller...messing up X while strengthening your boy Matta.

Sorry. Maybe just wishful thinking on my part.

I know I'm looking at this from my Xavier glasses but I think that statement is incorrect. And this is coming from someone that is from Akron, whose family all went to Akron,and who roots for the Zips as their number 2 team. Akron went to the tourney for the first time in 20+ years and has zero NBA players over that time period. XU pays coaches more...has been to 2 elite 8s and one sweet 16 over the past 6 years, plays to a sold out 10k arena, and develops NBA talent - both in the NBA (West, Posey, etc.) and on the roster (potentially Brown, Crawford).Saying its just another non-major team defies the logic as to why he came to UA from RMU...Now if you said that since he's Associate Head coach and will prbably stay at UA until he gets a head coaching gig rather than another assictant gig, I'd buy that.

Now that XU assistant Chris Mack has been promoted to HC, there are rumors that Mack may try and bring in Boals (sp?) as his number two. They have been crossing paths at summer camps, recruiting, and the past two years of XU/UofA scrimages. Mack wants to keep Weatherspoon and convince Payne to come to X. Any thoughts?

second picture...

The stadium renderings do look small time. Look at what Central Florida is doing. I'd say this is a model for Akron. UCF plays in an off campus staudium and is a school that was primarily a commuter college. They have invested in the University as a whole to make it more of a traditional campus (like Akron). The picture below is what they are building on campus to completetr the transformation.UCF's stadium says big time college not glorified high school.

Good...the old renderings called for a 20k seat stadium. I hope they think bigger.

would it be much different than the renderings from two years ago???

Go support the team when you can. Nothing is better than beating your biggest rival on their turf. When I was in undergrad at XU winning at UC in hoops was always the best.

Keepr- a forum like this is the place to think large. It most likely won't happen. But if Florida Atlantic is thinking this way why not Akron? A 20k seat stadium was presented as part of the development plan along exchange. The problem is how to pay for it. A 20k seat bowl would not be condusive to additional revenue generating events, naming rights, etc. This is just my opinion and all, but it is an educated opinion. You guys recall this design from about a year and a half ago, right? Compare that to the FAU video.

Here is my poor excuse for a diagram of the stadium/site concept

Thanks for all of the comments from my first post. Just to respond to a few items:The reason that I mentioned partnering with the city of Akron, CVB, etc. is just a simple matter of financing. The University may not be able to pull off a large initiative all alone. In addition, by combining the stdium with the concept of dorms, offices, retail, convention space, financing can be made easier because there are certain bonds that can be applied to these areas where a stadium alone will not qualify. It is not just a matter of sharing the cost of "one wall" as mentioned by UA Fan. If I can figure out how to post a picture, I'll post the inside view of the Xavier arena so you can see how it is set up.In the meantime, here is the propoganda video for the Florida Atlantic stadium. Click on the "stadium Fly through" button at the bottom right. If a football program that has been around for 5 years in a city with a local population of transplants with no connection to the University can do it...Akron sure can.FAU Stadium

For my first post, I thought I'd start with a long one so bear with me. By way of background, I was born and raised in Akron and remember going to the JAR with my grandpa to watch Joe Jakubic (sp?) light it up and sitting at the windy Rubber Bowl for the ACME Zip game. Both my parents and many other family members attended UA. When I went to college I decided against UA because it still had the urban commuter school feel and that wasn't for me. With all of the changes to the campus and the direction of the university, that may not have been my decision if I had to make it again today. The one thing that had been missing from the university was the passion and connection to the school that comes with successful athletic programs. This may be changing and the university needs keep the momentum going.My professional career path has allowed me to become knowledgeable in sports and event marketing, municipal marketing, naming rights deals, and the like. It has long been known that UA would have to do something about the Rubber Bowl, but the question was when to take action. It always amazed me that 10,000 would show up for the local Hoban vs. St. V high school rivalry game at the bowl or 30,000 would come to a McKinley vs. Massillon playoff game only to find 4,500 at the Bowl for a UA game. What would have to come first - a winning team to bring fans or large crowds that would create a real college atmosphere and allow the school to attract good local talent to become a winning program? The combination of local rabid football fans and so many graduates staying in the area would have to yield success, but when would the sleeping giant wake?That time may be now and I wanted to post a concept regarding a stadium and marketing plan to get the die hard fan's perspective. This is just my opinion as I'm not familiar with the current UA stadium talk but here goes...The stadium should be a dome and should be a joint venture between the University, Summit CVB and the City. The location would be at the north side of campus downtown at the intersection formed by Broadway, Mill, and Market. The reason for the dome is it can be used as convention space. As the Akron airport expands and the city of Cleveland continues to go nowhere with their convention plans, the iron is hot. The location is perfect to build a connection between the stadium and the current Knight Center. The connection to the Knight Center, the airport expansion and Akron’s access to 76, 77, and 80 would make a strong case for conventions and exhibitions that would help offset the cost. Also, since Cleveland built Browns stadium instead of a dome there is a void in our area for a large indoor facility for concerts and the like.I envision a 30 – 35k seat dome with a horseshoe shaped seating bowl. The “open†end would house one of a few concepts – a hotel, student housing, retail. The model I’m looking at on a small scale is the Cintas Center at Xavier University. They have a 10k seat basketball arena with the “open†end containing a student dining facility, administrative offices and a conference center. You take the same basic concept and expand it. Florida Atlantic University is finalizing the last stages of a similar concept that they are calling the Innovation Village. They are combining a domed stadium with student housing and administration offices for their medical program. The price tag in Florida is about 100million. This is obviously quite a bit more expensive than the 20k seat bowl design that I’ve seen for UA, but with the better facility you can get a premium for naming rights, create revenue from the additional indoor events, and gain funding more easily for the hotel/retail/housing development than you would for a stadium alone. Now for the marketing. The UA marketing team has come a long way with their Team Akron program. I say take it further. Ohio State will always be number 1. That is fine, but their are so many football fans in this area with a deep passion for northeast Ohio that number 2 is not a bad place to be. Fresno State has a big green V on their helmets that stands for Valley. They market the team not only to the people of Fresno but to the whole Valley region. They reach out to the community, recruit the kids from the area, and the community responds with huge attendance figures. We do the same thing by reaching into Canton and Cleveland and making the team not just the Akron Zips, but the Northeast Ohio Zips. Now that we have had some success on the field JD and the boys can bring some local talent that may have gone elsewhere. The local talent will feed into the local team atmosphere. You invest in the program through the facilities and you can attract talent. The talent breeds success on the field, attention to the program, and new fans. New fans bring revenue to the program and the cycle repeats. The future is bright here. What do you guys think?