New Gopher baseball stadium thread

according to sid http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/137725423.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue


U hopes for Dome site
Meanwhile, Gophers baseball coach John Anderson, men's track coach Steve Plasencia and even men's basketball coach Tubby Smith are hoping the Metrodome site is chosen for a new stadium.

Anderson said he would take a new Metrodome stadium in a minute rather than a new stadium on campus. That's even though the Gophers are playing a full schedule at the current Metrodome this year.

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From Shooter today...GREAT news, but I won't get too excited until ground is broken. We have been close on this so many times.


The University of Minnesota baseball program has raised enough in private funding for a new Siebert Field that construction probably will begin this spring, Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi said.

The university has wanted to raise $7.5 million to begin Phase I of construction on a $15 million, 3,000-seat facility. Maturi said fund-raising is close enough to that amount for the Gophers to look at breaking ground. A new stadium could be ready for play in 2013.

Meanwhile, Gophers coach John Anderson, who has won more games than anyone in Big Ten baseball history, recently received a five-year contract offer from Maturi after working on one-year contracts. Details still have to be worked out before he accepts.



http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19799845
 

Anderson said he would take a new Metrodome stadium in a minute rather than a new stadium on campus. That's even though the Gophers are playing a full schedule at the current Metrodome this year.

That surprises me. Having a place to play in February is great, but once it is nice enough to play outside, it is so much better outside. The dome can be like a tomb. Who wants to go to the dome on a nice sunny spring day? I want to be able to go to baseball games indoor in February, but once it is nice enough, lets take it outside.

I hadn't heard that the proposed Vikings stadium would be capable of hosting baseball games, but I guess it must be. Perhaps he is pushing for the Vikings stadium not to play there all season, but to be sure there is an indoor baseball venue available. If the only tenant of the Metrodome is Gophers baseball and small college baseball, it is possible that it might not even be kept running.
 

per Sid:

"New Siebert Field close

With the necessary $7.5 million raised to go forward with a new Siebert Field, Gophers baseball coach John Anderson is waiting for approval by the university's Board of Regents to start the project. A message has been sent to potentially interested architects.

Meanwhile, Anderson is very happy that the Metrodome is available for his full schedule this year after repairs following the December 2010 roof collapse.

On another subject, Anderson, who has been working on a year-to-year contract, has been offered a five-year deal by Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi, and Anderson said that once a couple of items in the contract are cleared up, he will sign it. He has been Gophers coach since 1981.

The Gophers also play one game at Target Field, May 5 against Penn State. St. Peter said he is excited to have the Gophers at the Twins' home again. The Twins and Gophers also have worked together to submit a bid to play host to the Big Ten baseball tournament at Target Field in 2013. It would be the first time the Big Ten had moved that event to a major league facility.

"I'm not sure where it's going to go, but we continue to believe that the promotion of amateur baseball and certainly the relationship with the University of Minnesota has been important to the Pohlad Family and to our organization as well," St. Peter said."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/twins/138090908.html

Go Gophers!!
 

It would be great if Target Field gets the Big Ten Baseball Tourney. Just a thought, have the Gophers considered an outdoor hockey game at Target Field? (I don't watch or keep up with hockey news so I'm not sure if it's been mentioned)
 


per Sid:

"Some six combinations of architectural firms and contractors have been asked to design the proposed new Gophers baseball field and present them to University of Minnesota officials by Feb. 15. Once the architect and contractor is picked to build the stadium, the winning design will be presented to the Board of Regents some time in May. The board is expected to approve the winner at its June 7 meeting. Groundbreaking would come shortly after. The word is that Dick Ames and Ames Construction's contribution to the cost of the stadium will be some of the heavy work."

Go Gophers!!
 

If the gophers ever play a hockey game outside it will be at TCF. More seats to sell. However it would be harder because the concessions are not heated...
 

The final game at the Old Siebert...

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/139025829.html

Gophers baseball coach John Anderson said Thursday that Siebert Field – the team’s outdoor home for four decades – will play host to one final game on May 1 against St. Thomas.

The game, originally slated to be played at the Metrodome, was moved to Siebert Field to give the facility a proper send-off.

The Gophers are playing most of their home games at the Metrodome this year because of conditions at Siebert Field, and they are on track to build a new on-campus facility in the near future.

“Hosting a final game at Siebert Field is an opportunity to celebrate the deep tradition of Golden Gopher baseball,” Anderson said. “With this game, we want to recognize and remember the long-standing history that has occurred over the past 40 years in this facility.”
 

New design/construction contractors selected, as well as a grassroots effort to complete fundraising:

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-basebl/spec-rel/022412aae.html

University of Minnesota Athletics today announced the selection of DLR Group as the design team and PCL as the general contractor for the construction of Gopher baseball’s new Siebert Field. The project executive committee and the University of Minnesota’s office for Capital Planning Project Management made the selection. Along with the design team announcement, the athletics department also announced its grassroots fundraising campaign for the project, Siebert Field-The Final Pitch.

“Being able to announce this next step in the Siebert Field process is a great day for Gopher baseball,” head baseball coach John Anderson said. “With this announcement, Gopher baseball will be able to begin building our vision of a new on-campus stadium. Although we have not completed the fundraising process for a competitive Big Ten baseball facility, we are excited about this next step towards a new home. Working hand-in-hand with PCL/DLR, we are looking forward to putting a solid stadium foundation in place that can be further developed as funds become available. We will continue to seek donations so that we can incorporate those items that truly fulfill the fan and student-athlete experience.”

PCL Construction Services (Burnsville) is part of the PCL family of companies, the seventh-largest general contractor in North America. Since opening its Minnesota office in 1978, PCL has been involved in the construction of many notable Twin Cities landmarks, including the Mall of America, the Science Museum of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota’s Williams Arena renovation, the Ameriprise building in Minneapolis, and the Wells Fargo Tower in Saint Paul.

PCL has also built national sporting venues including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Football Stadium, the Home Depot Center and Staples Center in Los Angeles. DLR Group (Minneapolis) is an interdisciplinary design firm with a nationally recognized sports practice for intercollegiate baseball and softball stadiums. DLR has designed Louisiana State University’s Alex Box Stadium, UFCU Disch-Falk Field at the University of Texas, PK Park at the University of Oregon, the University of Nebraska’s Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, and Penn State University’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

“It was a very tough selection process,” associate athletics director Scott Ellison said. “We went through an intensive review process of the request for proposal and an interview process. We felt that PCL/DLR did an outstanding job and met our needs the best. With their experience in building previous baseball facilities, we look forward to working with them to create a first-class facility here at Minnesota.”

Gopher Athletics also announced that it is beginning its grassroots fundraising campaign for the new Siebert Field. This phase represents an opportunity for anyone to participate and support of the project. Supporters of Gopher baseball can contribute at any monetary level. For more information about getting involved, please visit siebertfield.com or by calling the Golden Gopher Fund at 612-626-4653.
 



PCL/DLR Team

This is the same team that replaced the Williams Arena floor. DLR has done a bunch of similar sized baseball fields. Should be a good fit.
 

per Shooter:

"The Gophers' new $7.5 million Siebert Field, designed by PCL Construction and the DLR Group, will have artificial turf. But the 2,300-seat outdoor ballpark will have an open concourse and real grass seating for picnic-style viewing. Construction begins in June."

http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_20061660

Go Gophers!!
 

Never been to a gopher baseball game, what are the crowds like?

Is it a cheap ticket to bring a kid to?
 




This weekend the Gophers host the DQ classic. In years past you can stop by a DQ and pick up some free tickets to the events. Crowds at games are generally pretty small, I would say they average right around 1000 fans per games. Crowds at the DQ classic are generally a bit larger, but not by much.
 

E-mail from Maturi:

A New Era For Gopher Baseball

Last week Gopher Athletics reached a significant milestone with the announcement that a design and build team has been selected to begin formal work on a new baseball stadium at the University of Minnesota. This announcement signifies that this critically important project is finally becoming a reality. PCL Construction will work with DLR Design to develop a plan to present to the Board of Regents in May. We are hopeful that the Board will approve the plans at its June meetings, paving the way for construction to begin soon thereafter.

The dream of this project becoming a reality has been a long time in the making and no single person has been more of a driving force behind the new Siebert Field campaign than head baseball coach, John Anderson. Coach Anderson, long a champion of amateur baseball in this region, has been tireless in his efforts to both raise awareness and funds for the new home of Gopher baseball.

Coach Anderson has been able to keep Gopher baseball competitive, both in the Big Ten and nationally, winning seven Big Ten regular season and conference tournament titles and earning six NCAA Tournament berths in the last decade alone. Without a new facility, the future ability of one of this University's most successful programs to continue to compete at a consistently high level was clearly in jeopardy.

The Pohlad Family Foundation kick-started fundraising efforts for a new Siebert Field with its generous donation. Since then the Golden Gopher Fund staff, along with Coach Anderson, have continued to work hard to obtain the additional funds required to help us reach this point, securing contributions from several key donors, friends of Gopher baseball and from our former players.

These donations and gifts-in-kind have allowed us to set an initial budget for this project of more than $7 million and begin building our vision for the future of Gopher baseball. Additional fundraising is required to complete the vision for the new Siebert Field. The Golden Gopher Fund has announced the kickoff of a grassroots campaign so that anyone interested in supporting the project can get involved (please visit siebertfield.com for more information).

This is an exciting time for Gopher baseball. Thanks to the hard work and generous support of many, the future of this great program has been secured at the University of Minnesota.

Go Gophers!

Joel Maturi
Director of Athletics
 


haha, yea when I said they average about 1000 fans, that definately takes into account the larger crowds at Big Ten games, games when they play local teams like St. Thomas and of course the DQ classic. These mid week games at the dome do not draw well at all. Atleast you can find a great seat!
 

Never been to a gopher baseball game, what are the crowds like?

Is it a cheap ticket to bring a kid to?

If you sign up for Goldy's Kids Club, kids under 14 get in free. It is a good deal if you go to a lot of the non-revenue events.
 

If the Metrodome is torn down for a Vikings stadium, does that mean there will be no indoor venue for early-season baseball at home? Baseball at the dome isn't a great experience, but it does allow home games early in the season. I hadn't realized how many schools use the dome for early-season games.
 

Tweet from Doogie:

"John Anderson is a fundraising machine. He just secured a $1M donation for new Siebert. Too bad he's not in the AD mix. #Gophers"

Go Gophers!!
 


per Shooter:

"Groundbreaking for the Gophers' new $7.5 million Siebert Field is set for June 11. The ballpark will seat 1,200, but it's undecided whether there will be enough funding for lights. Meetings with four artificial turf firms are taking place this week."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_20424584/shooter-now-gophers-tubby-smith-lauded-by-grizzlies

Go Gophers!!

300 attendance Friday, 500 Saturday, most games between 150-400. 1200 seats may be too many.
 

300 attendance Friday, 500 Saturday, most games between 150-400. 1200 seats may be too many.
I'm guessing they have to have 1200 or so seats in order to host a regional there if they were selected. I know some teams have been selected to host and have to move their regional to another stadium close by because their own stadium is not up to standards. I would think attendance would improve with a new stadium and being outdoors rather than stuck in the Metrodome as well.
I would think the stadium would have to have lights wouldn't it? or are they just talking about a new set of lights.
 

I'm guessing they have to have 1200 or so seats in order to host a regional there if they were selected. I know some teams have been selected to host and have to move their regional to another stadium close by because their own stadium is not up to standards. I would think attendance would improve with a new stadium and being outdoors rather than stuck in the Metrodome as well.
I would think the stadium would have to have lights wouldn't it? or are they just talking about a new set of lights.

I don't think that baseball attendance at the dome is any sign of what attendance will be at the new stadium. A game in the dome isn't a great experience, not only are you inside, but it is cavernous. Even with a couple thousand people, it's like being alone in a tomb.
 


Anyone know for sure what the makeup of the field is going to be? I know that the 'grass' is going to be synthetic, but what about the infield? Real dirt throughout? Pitchers mound and home plate only? All synthetic?
 

I'm not sure but I'd guess the synthetic surface allows them to play more home games earlier, I know that North Dakota went to a all synthetic infield and grass outfield and this has allowed them the ability to play more games at home early in the season despite less than ideal weather a lot of times.
 

They said there wasn't gonna be any lights at the new field. Anyone know how much lights would cost for a normal college field?
 

Not sure about how much the lights will cost, but I find it very strange that there wouldn't be any and think there would almost have to be lights if not right away eventually installed, anyone know of any D1 college fields that don't have lights?
 

Not sure about how much the lights will cost, but I find it very strange that there wouldn't be any and think there would almost have to be lights if not right away eventually installed, anyone know of any D1 college fields that don't have lights?

Only in the Big Ten, northwestern and maybe Purdue.
 




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