BostonZip

Sometimes it had to do with a push to boost attendance in order to maintain Division I status.2006 was one of those years when Akron (and K.S.U.) needed to hit the 15,00 mark:http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/foo...ance-woes_x.htmRelated article:http://tinyurl.com/m4fkm6

Sometimes it had to do with a push to boost attendance in order to maintain Division I status.One of the requirements for Football Bowl Subdivision teams is they must average 15,000 people in actual or paid attendance per home game once every two years.One year, and I can't remember if this was at Akron or another MAC school, a company bought all the tickets to one game and then gave them away, in order to help the school meet the attendance requirement average. Not even sure if you can do that any more.

All the talk about the end zone grass seating area not being available for this season made me wonder: What are the chances it really will be needed? I mean, I want every game to sell out as bad as the rest of you, but Akron has never even approached 20,000 average home attendance in its history. Was the distant location of the Rubber Bowl a factor? Absolutely. But what kind of attendnace bump do you think the new stadium will bring?Here are the Zips' average home attendance figures for the last 30 years:1979: 16,3191980: 16,1381981: 12,3141982: 12,7931983: 12,0741984: 11,3061985: 18,1371986: 16,6061987: 12,7471988: 8,8411989: 17,0551990: 11,1641991: 13,9491992: 10,4121993: 17,7411994: 9,1741995: 9,3601996: 7,4181997: 11,4201998: 8,4851999: 8,2762000: 10,6372001: 13,4792002: 11,6002003: 13,2732004: 15,8482005: 10,8932006: 16,1322007: 9,0132008: 14,342

Except for the fact that the only time the Zips and Browns play Saturday at Akron and Sunday at Cleveland is on opening day. Not much marketing need for that one.Just an idea...one more than UA seems to have at present. Besides, in other years there likely would be more opportunities.I can't get over the fact that how on this list, where we are all supposed to be on the same team (or at least rooting for the same team), people get so much pleasure out of ripping into other peoples comments.

Because the big ten comes to Akron so much? F the big ten, don't let them buy tickets until the day of the game.No, because Big Ten (or comparable conference) fans bring Big Time bucks, not only to UA for tickets, but also for area hotels, bars, restaurants, attractions, etc. If UA had any marketing sense, it would team up with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and offer packages for visiting fans to take in a game at UA and a visit to the HOF for a discounted admission. Maybe work with the Browns, too, and could sell a package with a Hall of Fame visit on Friday, the Zips game on Saturday and the Browns game on Sunday.

Hopefully they are not also withholding the visiting team ticket allotment from Indiana, which is likely to bring a respectable fan contingent.It's bad enough the marketing dept. looks incompetent to its own fan base; we don't want the same impression across the Big Ten.And some people talk about us moving into a more prestigious conference such as the Big East?

Looks like people can wait 27 more days to commit to this game. Get their money now and sit on it.Yes. Sad to say it, but if people were beating down the doors at UA to buy single game football tickets, they would be put on sale before August 17. But apparently that is not the case.

It's safe to assume that more signs to the stadium will be erected for drivers to follow once exiting the expressway.Chalk this piece up to, "I have a column due tomorrow...what in the world am I going to write about?"

As stealth as those bomb shelter entrances are, I would still doubt that they would bear any load should additional seating be added above. I would think the seating would be built with similar steel support as the east and west stands -- hey, maybe those columns for the wrought iron fence are strategically placed to be the base for future steel? Never know.Also, looking at the height of the north end zone building and its proximity to the field, if seating were added above, would not virtually all the fans be unable to see the back of the end zone? As nice as it will be to have the grassy knoll behind the south end zone, I think that end actually is more conducive to adding additional permanent seating. The sights lines certainly would be better.

The lack of marketing and promotion surrounding the first season at the new stadium is utterly beyond belief. I know the stadium is unfinished and UA still is despeartely pushing season ticket sales, but is there ANY other major college football program in the country that, less than 8 weeks from its home opener -- 54 days to be exact -- not only does not have single game tickets on sale, the tickets prices haven't even been announced?Someone needs to tell UA sports marketing that this is arguably the biggest event in the history of UA athletics, and it should have been treating it as such for the last year. Correct me if I'm wrong, but why wasn't there a co-promotion where Acme (like in the old Acme-Zip days) or Giant Eagle would be promoting the opener and selling general admission tickets in all their stores for several weeks prior to the game? Remember the "Fill the Bowl" campaigns? It's not rocket science. The entire city and area should be swept up in the excitement of the stadium's opening season.Does anyone know when tickets will go on sale? One would think that, given there will be a new game day staff in a new faciilty without any kind of prior event to get their feet way, UA would try to sell as many tickets in advance as possible. I can already see the lines of people waiting to buy tickets and finally getting in sometime in the middle of the second quarter. What a shame: Finally, a Division I facility, but a Division III sports marketing department.

From the photos, it appears that those are speakers on the top level of the scoreboard.

The coaches will want the scoreboard (more specifically, the clocks) operating in time for practices.Figure they'll also be putting up the poles and nets to catch the extra point and field goal kicks?Two of the coaches bought wrist watches so the scoreboard clock will not really be required for practice.Would it not be beneficial for the clocks to be in the approprate locations so the players can becaome accustomed to them? I figure that is part of the home field advantage.The reason they use the clocks during practices is that so all of the coaches can see at a glance how much time is left in each particular drill. With 120 or so people spread out around the field doing all different things, a couple of wristwatches aren't enough. But hey, why waste an opportunity to make a snarky remark. Some people on the list apparently live for it.

The coaches will want the scoreboard (more specifically, the clocks) operating in time for practices.Figure they'll also be putting up the poles and nets to catch the extra point and field goal kicks?

Video boards awaiting installation? Looks like there are a few in the same spot on the west bowl.I think those platforms might be the base for handicapped seating areas. If you look at the seating diagram on the Tickets page of the UA website, there are rectangular lines at the back of lower sections 101 through 113 on the east side, and sections 108 through 120 on the west side.

Those are the entrances to the north end zone building, which contains locker rooms for some other sports besides football and a training room. One has an elevator and stairs, the other just stairs.

I read somewhere, maybe in Mike Rasor's blog when he toured the stadium, that they are planning to plant grass seed.

I'm not concerned about parking. People will figure it out. How much nearby parking is there for Ohio Stadium? Not much, but somehow 105,000 people manage to find their way to the stadium every game. I DO hope UA and/or the Beacon Journal creates a parking map graphic like this one for Ohio Stadium.

July or August is not the ideal time to be planting grass (the worst, actually), but it will grow.As nice is it will be to have fans packed into the berm, my suggestion would be to keep the berm closed this season unless all the other seats are filled and it has to be used (a nice problem to have). Otherwise, the grass will be destroyed in no time.

The UA website has two vivid pictures, dated June 24, of the west tower and east stands. Each offers a nice perspective from the corners of the north end zone.

Mike Rasor has posted the video from his stadium tour, as well as some information from UA on its plans for marketing to students. http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/zips/

Made my first in-person visit to the stadium site today. Couldn't get too close but was able to take some photos of the West tower, which I have posted in the gallery.