What will it take for a new arena?

[MontrealExposloveZippy]

I've already heard talks about a new arena for the Zips looming in the future, but is it a tangible thing?

The football and soccer teams have received new facilities and plenty of academic buildings are in the works.. ie: College of Ed

I believe if the Zips can win a couple more MAC championships within the next 3-5 years or, if somehow, the Zips go deep this year.

then there will be serious talks and planning concerning a new arena.

What's a good location for a new arena?

Then what do you think happens to the JAR, does the University leave it as classrooms and as an intramural playground for students?

[ziptrumpet87]

Welcome!/Bienvenue!

There's been lots of discussion on this topic over the past few years. There were renderings of a joint city/university arena, but with the economic downturn, it's surely on a back burner.

Try a search (top right corner) and you'll come up with several threads.

[UA Fan]

Yes, use the search terms "downtown" and "on-campus"...that will keep you busy reading for a few days

There is also the option of overhauling the JAR. If the Zips were to pull off an upset or 2 in the big dance it would surely grease the machinery to some degree like soccer's success did. As would KD getting a BCS job.

[ZachTheZip]

A new arena is prohibitively expensive. For about $10 mil we could re-design the JAR into something much more comfortable fro the fans.

[GoZips]

The infamous "little birdie" told me at the Barley House that the administration is currently working

on getting a new, larger, arena. Updating the JAR is merely a stop gap measure.

The university is still pursuing moving to a new conference (read: BE).

[skip-zip]

I know we've discussed this countless times, but let me clear this up, because some people are new to the discussion.

Here's the simple explaination:

1) People will always "talk" about a new arena in the future because it gets fans excited.

2) The JAR is not old.

3) Replacing the Rubber Bowl had become a necessity that was too bad to ignore any longer.

You want a new arena? Start packing the one we have. That's the only thing that will push this issue along any faster. A new arena is a more distant dream than some people want to believe.

[bandzip]

Interesting Discussion LOL at the comment that an indoor track is never a bad thing.

[Blue & Gold]

The infamous "little birdie" told me at the Barley House that the administration is currently working

on getting a new, larger, arena. Updating the JAR is merely a stop gap measure.

The university is still pursuing moving to a new conference (read: BE).

Well, at least there's some smoke on the subject.

I went to the Garfield-Buchtel game @ Garfield this year. I thought Garfield's gym was nicer than the JAR. At least everyone had a chairback seat, which I think is an important distinction between an arena and a gym. Not that I would call Garfield's gym an arena. But I don't really consider the JAR an arena either. It's just a big gym.

[Dave in Green]

I watched the 1st round game against EMU from the lower seats, and it reminded me why I prefer the upper level. The vertical angle of the seating rows in the lower level is so shallow that you can't see the whole court over the heads of those in front of you.

Then there's the matter of the track between the lower level and the upper level. Eliminate that, make all the rows of seats at an angle where you can see the whole court over the heads of those in front of you, and I could live with the JAR until the Zips prove that they're capable of filling a larger facility. I'd rather have a smaller, packed, rockin' facility that's frequently sold out than a spacious new facility with sounds echoing off of rows of empty seats where it's no problem getting tickets to any game.

Freshening up and modernizing everything visible to fans, such as the restrooms and nicer, well-run refreshment vendor facilities, wouldn't add much to the overall cost, and would make the JAR at least a slightly nicer destination.

All of these improvements should be made as longterm investments to make the JAR more useful to UA when, ultimately, it is replaced by an all-new facility. Don't spend so much on the JAR renovation that it makes it fiscally impossible to justify a new facility for decades to come.

[zipsbandman]

We played in an NBA facility a week ago and there were not that many more fans there than a full house at the JAR .....

[taxpayer]

Dave In Green is right on the money with his comments. It wouldn't break the bank to make some needed improvements to the JAR to take it from an aging gym to a sharp, small arena; I believe it's the perfect size for the Zips. Even if the Zips become a continual top 25 program the JAR can be improved/rehabbed into an excellent BB and yes, volleyball facility that recruits would love to play in and alumni could be proud of.

[MaxZIP]

Dave In Green is right on the money with his comments. It wouldn't break the bank to make some needed improvements to the JAR to take it from an aging gym to a sharp, small arena; I believe it's the perfect size for the Zips. Even if the Zips become a continual top 25 program the JAR can be improved/rehabbed into an excellent BB and yes, volleyball facility that recruits would love to play in and alumni could be proud of.

Put the 7:50 Jogging class section over at the Rec Center. To keep the track for what little use it gets is insane.

[xu9697]

I have stated this before:

The perfect scenario, IMHO, is a renovation of the JAR with comfortable seats and sightlines for 5,000 or so fans for 10-12 home games.

Along with that, a downtown Akron arena (built by the city/county/private investment) @ about 10,000 that hosts a variety of events= indoor soccer and/or indoor lacrosse professional team, concerts, 2 Cavaliers pre-season games (maybe even an NBDL team), HS basketball games (including playoffs), 3-4 HIGH PROFILE Zips Men's basketball games (Can't, bigger non-conference opponents), along with maybe 1 Woman's game (Can't).

Villanova, as an example, uses The Pavilion for some games (10 this year, I believe)...and it holds 6,500 fans. They use the Wells Fargo arena (20,000) for the big games (6 this year, I believe). Villanova obviously has a smaller student body, but is much higher profile with a larger fan base.

[UA Fan]

I have stated this before:

The perfect scenario, IMHO, is a renovation of the JAR with comfortable seats and sightlines for 5,000 or so fans for 10-12 home games.

Along with that, a downtown Akron arena (built by the city/county/private investment) @ about 10,000 that hosts a variety of events= indoor soccer and/or indoor lacrosse professional team, concerts, 2 Cavaliers pre-season games (maybe even an NBDL team), HS basketball games (including playoffs), 3-4 HIGH PROFILE Zips Men's basketball games (Can't, bigger non-conference opponents), along with maybe 1 Woman's game (Can't).

Villanova, as an example, uses The Pavilion for some games (10 this year, I believe)...and it holds 6,500 fans. They use the Wells Fargo arena (20,000) for the big games (6 this year, I believe). Villanova obviously has a smaller student body, but is much higher profile with a larger fan base.

+1.

The JAR is a fine location on campus with the other athletic facilities. 5500 seats is enough. A 10,000 seat arena that's less than half-filled is a bad game environment. A JAR renovation wouldn't require as much money so it should be possible in the near future. The track is no longer needed. Remove the corners/stairwells if possible. Remove the classrooms and put in a nice concourse with bigger restrooms, decent concession stands, trophy cases, team photos, etc. Would be nice to make some aesthetic improvements to the tan brick exterior as well, if possible.

The city could take the lead on a larger downtown arena near Canal Park for special events. H.S. & college playoffs, soccer/hockey, shows, etc. The Zips could lease it for showcase games, club hockey/lacrosse, graduations, etc.

[Blue & Gold]

I have stated this before:

The perfect scenario, IMHO, is a renovation of the JAR with comfortable seats and sightlines for 5,000 or so fans for 10-12 home games.

Along with that, a downtown Akron arena (built by the city/county/private investment) @ about 10,000 that hosts a variety of events= indoor soccer and/or indoor lacrosse professional team, concerts, 2 Cavaliers pre-season games (maybe even an NBDL team), HS basketball games (including playoffs), 3-4 HIGH PROFILE Zips Men's basketball games (Can't, bigger non-conference opponents), along with maybe 1 Woman's game (Can't).

Villanova, as an example, uses The Pavilion for some games (10 this year, I believe)...and it holds 6,500 fans. They use the Wells Fargo arena (20,000) for the big games (6 this year, I believe). Villanova obviously has a smaller student body, but is much higher profile with a larger fan base.

+1.

The JAR is a fine location on campus with the other athletic facilities. 5500 seats is enough. A 10,000 seat arena that's less than half-filled is a bad game environment. A JAR renovation wouldn't require as much money so it should be possible in the near future. The track is no longer needed. Remove the corners/stairwells if possible. Remove the classrooms and put in a nice concourse with bigger restrooms, decent concession stands, trophy cases, team photos, etc. Would be nice to make some aesthetic improvements to the tan brick exterior as well, if possible.

The city could take the lead on a larger downtown arena near Canal Park for special events. H.S. & college playoffs, soccer/hockey, shows, etc. The Zips could lease it for showcase games, club hockey/lacrosse, graduations, etc.

That's not a bad scenario at all.

[taxpayer]

Can the city of Akron afford such a facility? In light of the current economic times I can't imagine the city of Akron building such a facility. With enrollment and the men's team trending up now is the time to renovate the JAR.

With the lack of another sufficient gym on campus, this presents some logistical problems for the teams currently using it as a practice & game day home. Hopefully, the coaches, AD and administration are already at work on this matter since it would seem this project would have to occur in stages and might take several years to accomplish since no other facilities are available.

[ZachTheZip]

I think the city is losing money because they don't have an arena. All the events are going to Cleveland or the Canton Civic Center. The question isn't whether Akron can afford an arena, but whether Akron can afford to keep losing out on events that bring people into the city.

[scottditzen]

I'm afraid the only renovation of the JAR worth pursuing would cost way too much.

Really, it would have to be a major structural overhaul to realize the improvements we all want.

The JAR may be located close to other athletic facilities, but can someone explain how this is a benefit that will increase attendance?

The best way to court better attendance/atmosphere is to re-locate to some place that's highly visible where spinoff development opportunities (bars, restaurants, hotels) can really take off on the street level.

Think Arena District in Columbus.

[xu9697]

Obviously, as someone else has mentioned, this is not like the situation with the Rubber Bowl. And, while there is SOME momentum, there is not the momentum that the soccer team had..nor is renovating the soccer pitch anywhere near as costly (I would assume) as renovating the JAR.

But when you have 2 out of 3 NCAA tourney appearances, and you have a potentially budding national star in Zeke (everyone loves a 7 footer)...you kind of get the notion that UA might want to "strike while the iron is hot". Not to mention you have a coach that seemingly wants to stay..but eventually might get fed up playing in a facility that is much lower than what is given to other UA sports.

Zips could really use a big donor here to get things moving.

[ZachTheZip]

The JAR doesn't need renovated all at once. It can be done piecemeal. An improvement in any area is better than staying as-is. You can upgrade the stat boards. You can remove the track. You can re-do the lobby. You can do so much. It doesn't cost as much as a complete renovation, and I don't think we really need anything too comprehensive.

[infofan]

I believe renovation is going to happen before new construction, but even at that there are limitations. Those 4 big load bearing posts in the corners limit us from having a bowl-surround seating configuration. But i think if the track were removed and seating were run from floor to wallson both sides and in endzones , with concourses behind you could improve sightlines and have from 5200 - 6000 seats. Thats plenty for our fan base. Gonzaga built a new place 3 years ago that only holds about 6000. The big problems here are cost and timeline. It might be in excess of 10million to redo the JAR, and were spread pretty thin right now. ( hasnt baseball been promised some facilities?). Time wise, they redid Rose Arena at CMU in the off season and had it ready for this past basketball season. Likewise, at UT they re did savage arena in off season. If thats not doable they could probably set up portable seating at the Knight center for 4000 or so. Or could they do anything seating wise in the fieldhouse?? I think something else that is needed in any renovation/facility enhancement is a practice court. None of this is likely in immediate future but I wish the powers that be ( tom W, Dr P) would make some comment about facilities.

[Dave in Green]

I'm afraid the only renovation of the JAR worth pursuing would cost way too much.

Really, it would have to be a major structural overhaul to realize the improvements we all want. .....

Just curious if you know this to be a fact or just think it might be. My amateur evaluation would be that putting in continuous rows of seats at a steeper angle from floor to ceiling shouldn't really require major structural changes to the building. You'd essentially be building on top of the structure that's already in place. But if there's an engineering reason why that wouldn't work, then I'd agree that major structural changes to the building don't make good economic sense when compared with the cost of a new facility optimized for the future.

[RootforRoo44]

LeBron James Court at the Goodyear Polymer Center

Bam...(waiting for donations)

[Dr Z]

I'm afraid the only renovation of the JAR worth pursuing would cost way too much. Really, it would have to be a major structural overhaul to realize the improvements we all want. .....

Just curious if you know this to be a fact or just think it might be.

Good question. Someone should ask the AD. We knew the facts about the rubber bowl since it was investigated and public knowledge that it wasn't financially possible. Would be nice to know about the JAR.

[Blue & Gold]

LeBron James Court at the Goodyear Polymer Center

Bam...(waiting for donations)

Yes!! Perfect name for an on-campus arena. Or, LeBron James Court at the Nike Center. I wonder if LeBron has that much pull? Unfortunately, I doubt it.

But very seriously, as far a a downtown arena goes, according to some not-so-old rumors, a downtown arena very likely may be named "FirstEnergy Arena."