New Arena

[Blue & Gold]

Here's what we need downtown! This is the link to the soon-to-be-open Bank of Kentucky Center. The Center is the new arena for the Northern Kentucky University basketball program (has anyone ever heard of that school?!) as well as concerts and other events. It's a 10,000 seat structure and looks great!http://www.bankofkentuckycenter.com/

[Ryno aka Menace]

now that is sweet and i would love to have it but dog, we can barely afford this stadium how are we gonna afford 2 new endeavors?

[ZachTheZip]

we can barely afford this stadium how are we gonna afford 2 new endeavors?

We can't. That's why we need the city to foot the majority of the bill. They want a new basketball/hockey arena downtown? Then they can pay for it. We still haven't outgrown the JAR and have no plans of our own.

[skip-zip]

Nice find! But I am sure that it's a little small for where we want to be as a program over the next 20-30 years. Believe me, serious consideration of building a new basketball arena is probably not going to happen for some time. Replacing the Rubber Bowl was an entirely different issue, with more pressing factors invovled. And the idea of the city building an arena on their own dime, for us to use, is not a likely scenario in my opinion. Plus...think about this....Lets say we really start to grow this basketball program, and we start to fill the JAR again. Isn't that a much better set of circumstances under which to build a new basketball arena? When the NEED is actually the issue? And the community and corporate support would likely be at a high level?THAT is the circumstances under which a new arena, with everything we want in it, would most likely occur.

[zen]

Lets say we really start to grow this basketball program, and we start to fill the JAR again. Isn't that a much better set of circumstances under which to build a new basketball arena?

I'd say so. It's almost like getting done with college and moving back in with the 'rents for a year while you work that nice new office job with a decent paycheck.Seriously though, put the right foot forward first. If we aren't filling seats at the JAR, why do you drop good money over bad on a new stadium like "Northern Potuky"? Isn't that like sucker's wishful thinking? What conman sales-geek pushed that bill of goods? "You'll always be a small time program if you always dress the part. Build it and they will come. Fans first, then the recruits."Pipe dreams are not a basis for development strategy.

[Let'sGoZips94]

I think we could fill the JAR more if we did more of those kids get in free nights. That was pretty sweet last night. The next generation will be started and parents come, who buy food for the kids, who cheer, and then beg to come to more games. Pretty sweet stadium! Good find Blue & Gold

[GoZips]

BLUE & GOLD ... nice find. Keep up the good work.I agree with most of the posters that an arena similar to this one would be great for the Zips. As one poster wisely mused, it would need to be slightly larger. Say on the order of 12-14,000.As for filling the Jar first that would be a mistake. At 4,500 the JAR gets uncomfortable. That alone keeps fans away.I predict that a 12,000 seat arena would yield average attendance around six to seven thousand. A larger arena also gives Akron the capacity to schedule "big time"opponents. These newer arenas do not have hard wooden pews. Rather they have all chair backs and are far more comfortable.Next time let's get a proven arena designer. The JAR is a monstrosity.One last thing. Certain features of the JAR play into the Zips favor. The closeness of the seating to the floor. The tight feeling because of the angle of incline of theseats, The limited openings in the walls helps keep the noise in. Make it a large, tight band box with good amenities on the perimeter. Make it a walk in at groundlevel like the football stadium. Certainly far more and larger restrooms and concessions. A team shop up front and easily accessible by car on non-game days.

[Big Zip]

It is interesting to think people don't come to the Zips games because they don't like the Zips. The JAR is and has been an oversized high school gym since the day it was built. The site lines are terrible, very few seats face toward the center of the court, the ceiling is too low, there is a single bathroom on the upper level, the running track is just stupid. People aren't coming because they don't like the team. People aren't coming because they don't enjoy college basketball. My guess is that a lot of people who came in the past enjoyed the game, but the game day experience (which includes the arena) was less than enjoyable. Build a stadium an arena on par with the team and the people will show up.

[HOLLYWOODZIPPY]

I am a grad of NKU (06) (we called it No Knowledge University) and there are two reasons they built that new arena.1. They are a NCAA div. II school who has dominated over the years. A few basketball National Championships around 2000 and their softball team even spanks SEC schools all the time, and I know of at least 8 baseball players who have been drafted over the past few years. They are wanting to make a move to DIV I (MAC perhaps) and part of the move involved them building a bigger arena. The JAR is a palace compared to their old arena, which didn't even have endzone seating!?2. The second reason is Cincinnati is a dump! If you have been lately you will have noticed that Newport/Covington is booming commercially as opposed to Cincinnati. It really has been a problem for Cincy because all the businesses are moving across the river. That being said, Kentucky wanted to build a "Concert" type arena to rival the USBank Arena in downtown Cincinnati to try to bring Ohio money back across the river. It doesn't say on NKU's website I don't think but the project includes the addition of a 5 story hotel located pretty much on campus. I haven't been with Akron very long but I have noticed a lot of similarity between UA and NKU. I think a new arena at UA would be the greatest thing, but in my opinion it needs to stay on campus. With the new football stadium being on campus I think it would be a step back to move the basketball team downtown.

[ziptrumpet87]

I agree that better seating and a larger arena would increase our attendance. The Can't games and the old CSU games show that we could increase our overall attendance just from the increased capacity for the local rivalry games. I'm undecided on whether on-campus or off-campus (downtown) is better. On campus keeps the students close, but then again, there are many students near the downtown concept arena location.

[Class of 82]

There was some (very) preliminary talk several years back about building a Syracuse Carrier Dome type of facility downtown for UA football and basketball that would also have doubled as a convention exhibit hall to accommodate larger events than the Knight Center and a site for concert-type events similar to the Q-Arena. Never panned out because it would have required a very complex financial arrangement between UA, the state, the city and the county. I think it could have been a nice option, though. In the long run, it would have been a more economical approach for all concerned, and it would have been a great addition to the city building on the success of Canal Park.Still, I'm pretty pumped about the new stadium on campus. As for the JAR, we'll just have to live with it for awhile longer. Despite the JAR's pretty substantial shortcomings, that isn't the end of the world.