CONFIRMED: Lakefront Temporary Stadium is a GO

[phatcat_rivals223240]

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It’s literally real scarcity. Limited games, limited supply, limited time.

I see your point and I agree. What I mean is "normal" demand for Cat tix is usually well below supply, and, last year, was often even below this small new stadium capacity. Look at MN and MD games, for example. I think there were about 10k at the MD game. Now, looking at this year, do we really think, if they sold only individual game tickets, that EIU would sell out? Miami Hydroxide? Making it STH first, etc, with the specter of the behemoth schools late in the season will spur demand beyond what's actually wanted. 'Better buy new before we release them to the red/orange hordes'.

 

[CMcCat]

Empty seats my ***. Stop trolling. You know damn well that place is going to be packed for each game.

Opposing views are “trolling.” Ah, America!

A large chunk of our ST base (think those who had the old Purple Seats at WR) will be asked to walk from a great distance to the bleachers.

If it is a 9,000 seat stadium it will be packed.

For Miami, OH.

If they start 0-2 there will be empty seats for Eastern IL.

 

[HSC111]

Surprised Northwestern isn't using Guaranteed Rate Field since the White Sox don't seem to be using it.

 

[dillonpgp]

The B1G has a policy of home teams giving the visiting team a payment, on a sliding scale of $300,000 to $1 million/game. So NU will be on the hook for $300,000 to the visitor for B1G games at the Lakefront. Just to break even NU will need to change $30/ticket (10,000 fans), before paying for the costs of staffing the event and rental of the bleachers

The overall point is correct but some of the specifics are not.

Revenue sharing only applies to conference games. The contracts with non conference teams specify the fee the visiting team receives as well as a cap in the number of tickets that can be purchased (and I’m guessing most don’t approach this cap).

Conference games are different, Each team is required to put in the money sold for tickets (let’s use the Indiana game as an example). The required contribution (or floor) is $300,000 and the ceiling is $1million. If Northwestern sold 5000 tickets at $50 a piece for the IU game, even though that’s only $250,000, Northwestern would still put $300,000 into the “kitty” representing that game. If NU sold 10,000 tickets @$50, all $500,000 would go into the kitty. If they sold 10,000 tickets at $120 a piece (earning $1.2 million), only $1 million would be paid to the conference office.

The “kitty” represents all 90 conference games. (20 teams playing 9 games (but against each other). That money is combined and then split evenly. The upshot is that Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State make less than what they contribute, while others get more out from what they put in.

Conference minimum for tickets provided to the visiting school (again conference games only) is 2,000, though most offer 3,000 and sometimes it’s “how many do you want?”

 

[CMcCat]

The overall point is correct but some of the specifics are not.

Revenue sharing only applies to conference games. The contracts with non conference teams specify the fee the visiting team receives as well as a cap in the number of tickets that can be purchased (and I’m guessing most don’t approach this cap).

Conference games are different, Each team is required to put in the money sold for tickets (let’s use the Indiana game as an example). The required contribution (or floor) is $300,000 and the ceiling is $1million. If Northwestern sold 5000 tickets at $50 a piece for the IU game, even though that’s only $250,000, Northwestern would still put $300,000 into the “kitty” representing that game. If NU sold 10,000 tickets @$50, all $500,000 would go into the kitty. If they sold 10,000 tickets at $120 a piece (earning $1.2 million), only $1 million would be paid to the conference office.

The “kitty” represents all 90 conference games. (20 teams playing 9 games (but against each other). That money is combined and then split evenly. The upshot is that Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State make less than what they contribute, while others get more out from what they put in.

Conference minimum for tickets provided to the visiting school (again conference games only) is 2,000, though most offer 3,000 and sometimes it’s “how many do you want?”

If NU sold 10,000 tickets at $120 for the IU game, they should cancel the Ryan Field project and play in the WRECK for eternity.

 

[CMcCat]

Just ran across this which is interesting in light of new Bears stadium plans. Same general concept seems to be behind Ryan Field plan: to focus less on typical fans and more on wealthy elite.

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/football/2023/state-of-nfl-stadiums-2023-1234735776/amp/

 

[Just Gary]

NU just put this out. Whoa. Most football games will be on the lakefront for the next two seasons. Details still scant:

Northwestern football ‘staying home’ with temporary enhancements to the Lanny and Sharon Martin facility on lakefront

Northwestern football will play a majority of its games this season at the Lanny and Sharon Martin athletics facility near Lake Michigan on the University’s Evanston campus, keeping the team close to home as it seeks to build on its bowl-winning 2023 season.

news.northwestern.edu

3 weeks later and still not even an image of the temporary stadium design, except the prelim one which looked horrific. I know they won’t do it, but if they could build stands over the field hockey area, that would be cool. But my guess is they just use that field for concessions, bus loading zones, and bathroom trailers. Since lacrosse needs a wide field, I assume the sidelines will be wide enough to host a team on each side, unless they decide to use retractable or removable seats. In any case, I would like to see how they fit all the seats in and what they plan to do about the Wisconsin game (OSU is after baseball season so I know they have an option there).

 

[techtim72]

NU has said the field hockey field has to be usable. Special turf. Plus the football and field hockey seasons are the same. Pretty likely nothing is going to be parked on or built over that field.

 

[Just Gary]

NU has said the field hockey field has to be usable. Special turf. Plus the football and field hockey seasons are the same. Pretty likely nothing is going to be parked on or built over that field.

I think we all just want to se what it actually looks like and not what I think.

 

[techtim72]

Mostly replied because I think the field hockey restrictions will kill most of the options/creativity that everyone would like to see. So I don't see how the early generation of the stands will meaningfully differ from the final version. Anyway, maybe we all will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[DaCat]

Mostly replied because I think the field hockey restrictions will kill most of the options/creativity that everyone would like to see. So I don't see how the early generation of the stands will meaningfully differ from the final version. Anyway, maybe we all will be pleasantly surprised.

I’m guessing they’re doing a bunch of studies, hopefully mostly completed by now, and getting the final design nailed down. That’ll give them almost four months to manufacture and install the temporary stands. Not a lot of time left.

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

I’m guessing they’re doing a bunch of studies, hopefully mostly completed by now, and getting the final design nailed down. That’ll give them almost four months to manufacture and install the temporary stands. Not a lot of time left.

If only we had known for months and months and months that we would need somewhere to play our 2025 and 2026 seasons…

 

[Just Gary]

If only we had known for months and months and months that we would need somewhere to play our 2025 and 2026 seasons…

Well. Building a new stadium just snuck up on us so fast. It left no time to think about where to play. I mean it would be pretty dumb not to have that part of the stadium plans.

 

[NUCat320]

Is it possible that Gragg — having an in with Kevin Warren — anticipated that the Bears’ Arlington Heights facility would simply be built by this fall, and that Gragg just assumed that Soldier Field would be available? It’s reasonable, right?

(It’s good that nothing has happened again for three weeks so we can remember again how g-d incompetently Gragg and the entire AD have handled this.)

 

[Gocatsgo2003]

Is it possible that Gragg — having an in with Kevin Warren — anticipated that the Bears’ Arlington Heights facility would simply be built by this fall, and that Gragg just assumed that Soldier Field would be available? It’s reasonable, right?

(It’s good that nothing has happened again for three weeks so we can remember again how g-d incompetently Gragg and the entire AD have handled this.)

No

 

[phatcat_rivals223240]

(It’s good that nothing has happened again for three weeks so we can remember again how g-d incompetently Gragg and the entire AD have handled this.)

He's going to come out smelling like a rose. The three large opponents will likely sell out whatever pro stadium we play in, and we will largely sell out the tinker toy on the lake. Gagg fails upward again. The losers will be NU actual fans, who will pay more and see less.

 

[BosCat]

He's going to come out smelling like a rose. The three large opponents will likely sell out whatever pro stadium we play in, and we will largely sell out the tinker toy on the lake. Gagg fails upward again. The losers will be NU actual fans, who will pay more and see less.

Not a marketing expert, but guessing this wouldn't be a good slogan:
"Northwestern Football: Pay More, See Less"

 

[Bwm57]

No

Agree

 

[NJCat]

I wonder if this will allow NU to host the Women's Lacrosse finals......

I guess it will....

 

[techtim72]

The first thought I had after reading this was wouldn't it be great if the new stadium was ready - it won't be - but then I recalled that field hockey has special field needs so any old football turf field won't do. Then it also occurred to me that field hockey won't be drawing in tons of fans so Martin Field is a good fit.

 

[NJCat]

The first thought I had after reading this was wouldn't it be great if the new stadium was ready - it won't be - but then I recalled that field hockey has special field needs so any old football turf field won't do. Then it also occurred to me that field hockey won't be drawing in tons of fans so Martin Field is a good fit.

Yes, field hockey has special needs. But this is the Lacrosse tournament, which can be played on the same turf as football and soccer.....

Seems to me that Jackson found another revenue source to defray the cost of the temporary facility while at the same time getting great publicity for the NU LAX program and the University. Well done, Mark.

 

[techtim72]

Yes, field hockey has special needs. But this is the Lacrosse tournament, which can be played on the same turf as football and soccer.....

Seems to me that Jackson found another revenue source to defray the cost of the temporary facility while at the same time getting great publicity for the NU LAX program and the University. Well done, Mark.

My bad.