Question for Gopher fans

I recall that the stadium was designed to be expanded in three 10k increments. So my opinion is that the following should take place before consideration for expansion happens:
1. Designs that the planned incremental approach is aesthetically pleasing. Don't make the stadium an erector set like Penn State for the sake of expanding. It needs to look natural.
2. A season ticket waiting list that is twice what the planned expansion is. So if they are going to expand by 10k seats, that list should be 20k long.

How do we get to a waiting list 20k long? I'm guessing it is at least one Big Ten championship and contention for the CFB playoff.

I'm going to once again harken back to the opening of TCF Bank Stadium and feel we really missed an opportunity. That first season the stadium was completely sold out. I knew of a few people that called and asked if there was a waiting list. They were told "no list....just call next year to see if something opens up". What a terrible decision that was. You never ask a potential customer to just call back. I really feel they could have gotten a list about 3-5k long and even asked for some modest deposit of like $25 to hold your spot in line. That alone would pay for the upkeep of such a list.
 

I recall that the stadium was designed to be expanded in three 10k increments. So my opinion is that the following should take place before consideration for expansion happens:
1. Designs that the planned incremental approach is aesthetically pleasing. Don't make the stadium an erector set like Penn State for the sake of expanding. It needs to look natural.
2. A season ticket waiting list that is twice what the planned expansion is. So if they are going to expand by 10k seats, that list should be 20k long.

How do we get to a waiting list 20k long? I'm guessing it is at least one Big Ten championship and contention for the CFB playoff.

I'm going to once again harken back to the opening of TCF Bank Stadium and feel we really missed an opportunity. That first season the stadium was completely sold out. I knew of a few people that called and asked if there was a waiting list. They were told "no list....just call next year to see if something opens up". What a terrible decision that was. You never ask a potential customer to just call back. I really feel they could have gotten a list about 3-5k long and even asked for some modest deposit of like $25 to hold your spot in line. That alone would pay for the upkeep of such a list.
It was designed to be expanded in increments, but as I recall it would almost definitely be done in one 30k shot because otherwise you are duplicating alot of the costs of construction for each 10k segment.
 

It is a great recruiting tool with all the additional media coverage of TCF. Especially true going into the late season to dispel all the cold weather myths about Minnesota. The heated field gives it almost a tropical flavor.

Almost ! Lol
 

I understand that Teague said the extra seats would be gone, but he's gone, and his replacement could make a different decisions. The same decision might be made, but it's uncertain.

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I recall being told they intended to build it like 6 stories high, got to the 4th level and realized it couldn't hold any more weight. One of the ugliest buildings ever on campus. Thank goodness they tore it down a few years back.


It did, however, have a smoking lounge complete with the world's greatest array of vending machines, and closed at 2 am. I learned a lot between 11 pm and 2 am while putting away a pack of Camels. (Don't worry, I have quit smoking)
 


I don't mind the extra seats, but if they want to keep them I think a few things should happen:
1. Maroon seats or benches, to match the rest of the stadium
2. Make them flow with the curve of the stadium more
3. Design a way to possibly get more space opened up the where the plaza is, because that area was nice.

Basically, if they're gonna make them permanent, make them so that they don't still feel temporary. I sat in the end of Camp Randal last year that was a permanent seating addition, but it sure felt like it was temporary, and I didn't like that.

If they do plan to make them permanent, I would be fine with them keeping the temporaries up so that they have time to design and approve a Aesthetically please, cohesive with the rest of the stadium, permanent installation
 

I understand that Teague said the extra seats would be gone, but he's gone, and his replacement could make a different decisions. The same decision might be made, but it's uncertain.

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Not kidding. Heard him respond to the question by saying that they would stay, they would be removed and that it "will be evaluated" after this season. Did anybody ever really trust that guy?
 

Not kidding. Heard him respond to the question by saying that they would stay, they would be removed and that it "will be evaluated" after this season. Did anybody ever really trust that guy?

I trust that he had a big tongue....
 





Any expansion will be in segments of 10,000. No way will they add 30,000 at one time. I'm sure any expansion will not happen soon.

The temporary seats will be gone.
 

Those seats look like crap, detract from the vision for the stadium, and need to go next year.

My concern with the Vikings use was that the U would be enticed to keep these ugly seats. They should have forced the Vikings to, or used some of the Vikings funding to enable some small portion of that upper level to handle seating Screw what they did on our "lost plaza".
 




Without reading through everything, I agree that the extra seating is nice. However, I would take out the cheap looking temp bleachers and make more permanent seating that matches the rest of the stadium. The temp seating cheapens the look of things right now. This isn't a high school.
 

There is no reason to screw with the field until the current Turf starts to wear in a few years. The U of M can keep painting the field and only and idiot would change it prematurely.
 




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