CCSU @ JMU: Home opener for the new crown jewel of FCS!
Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:10 pm
Some quotes:
"....The finished product — designed by Moseley Architects — is 135 feet high, making it the tallest structure in Harrisonburg, school officials believe. It contains 2,500 tons of structural steel and 300,000 pounds of aluminum....."
Middle 1/3rd of article:
"....Lifted by one of the speedy new elevators, a trip from bottom to top takes just 17 seconds, according to John Martin, the school’s assistant athletic director for communications. But there’s plenty to see in between.
Lining the walls of the lower concourse is a graphics package telling the 40-year story of JMU football. Worked up by Hightech signs in Charlottesville, the prints explain and honor memorable moments, playoff runs and conference and state Players of the Year. On the opposite side of the concourse are concession stands, which will now feature flat-screen televisions accompanied by play-by-by, so you won’t miss that crucial third-and-goal play when you’re busy buying popcorn. The lower concourse also features one of the stadium’s two team stores.
For those willing to splurge on their game-day experience, the new 8,000-square-foot club area, furnished in smooth wood, features 14 flat-screen televisions and a projector. As of Friday afternoon, JMU had sold 780 of 1,000 club seats, according to Mike Carpenter, the director of ticketing. The cost for the five-game season: $550 plus a minimum contribution of $2,500.
“We figured that in Year 1, we would do well,” athletic director Jeff Bourne said. “I’m really pleased with it. I think a big year in performance by the team, we could sell the club out next year. … If we could average 22,000 a season [in total attendance] right now and have a steady increase in the next five years, we’ll be very happy.”
Last year, JMU averaged 16,597 people at its six home games (it counts everyone in the stadium, from security to media), or 105 percent of 2010 capacity. In the bigger stadium this year, Bourne would be happy to approach 90 percent capacity.
One floor above the club seats are the comfort suites, which hold 16 people and cost $20,000 a season, with a minimum $100,000 donation. Of the 15 suites JMU put up for sale – not including two others for the president and athletic director – 10 have been purchased. (The most notable suite-owner: the Forbes family.)
Alcohol — from beer to bourbon — will be available to club and suite ticket-holders.
Each suite includes either bar-style stools and high-top tables or a lower-sitting furniture set, depending on the owners’ preference....."
Some more:
"........On the upper level are three television-camera decks that hold a combined 10 cameras and a press box that seats 36-40. But those facts are of little consequence to the fans who will be at the games.
For the roughly 25,000 in attendance, the general game day experience will change, too. New Musco lighting will illuminate the field at night, and a 24x60-foot, high-definition video board above the Plecker Center end zone – perhaps the largest board in any Division I-AA stadium – will try to keep fans entertained.
The board will display a weekly pre-game show beginning 60 minutes before kickoff, including features on former players (Arthur Moats for Game 1) and other JMU athletes. Animations and statistics will occupy the ever-changing video-board during the game......
.....Students now account for 8,000 seats, and according to JMU, roughly 7,600 have claimed tickets for Saturday,.....
.......ticket prices went from $17-30 for single games last season to $25-35 this year......"
http://www.dnronline.com/article/jmu_football_9_6_11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"....The finished product — designed by Moseley Architects — is 135 feet high, making it the tallest structure in Harrisonburg, school officials believe. It contains 2,500 tons of structural steel and 300,000 pounds of aluminum....."
Middle 1/3rd of article:
"....Lifted by one of the speedy new elevators, a trip from bottom to top takes just 17 seconds, according to John Martin, the school’s assistant athletic director for communications. But there’s plenty to see in between.
Lining the walls of the lower concourse is a graphics package telling the 40-year story of JMU football. Worked up by Hightech signs in Charlottesville, the prints explain and honor memorable moments, playoff runs and conference and state Players of the Year. On the opposite side of the concourse are concession stands, which will now feature flat-screen televisions accompanied by play-by-by, so you won’t miss that crucial third-and-goal play when you’re busy buying popcorn. The lower concourse also features one of the stadium’s two team stores.
For those willing to splurge on their game-day experience, the new 8,000-square-foot club area, furnished in smooth wood, features 14 flat-screen televisions and a projector. As of Friday afternoon, JMU had sold 780 of 1,000 club seats, according to Mike Carpenter, the director of ticketing. The cost for the five-game season: $550 plus a minimum contribution of $2,500.
“We figured that in Year 1, we would do well,” athletic director Jeff Bourne said. “I’m really pleased with it. I think a big year in performance by the team, we could sell the club out next year. … If we could average 22,000 a season [in total attendance] right now and have a steady increase in the next five years, we’ll be very happy.”
Last year, JMU averaged 16,597 people at its six home games (it counts everyone in the stadium, from security to media), or 105 percent of 2010 capacity. In the bigger stadium this year, Bourne would be happy to approach 90 percent capacity.
One floor above the club seats are the comfort suites, which hold 16 people and cost $20,000 a season, with a minimum $100,000 donation. Of the 15 suites JMU put up for sale – not including two others for the president and athletic director – 10 have been purchased. (The most notable suite-owner: the Forbes family.)
Alcohol — from beer to bourbon — will be available to club and suite ticket-holders.
Each suite includes either bar-style stools and high-top tables or a lower-sitting furniture set, depending on the owners’ preference....."
Some more:
"........On the upper level are three television-camera decks that hold a combined 10 cameras and a press box that seats 36-40. But those facts are of little consequence to the fans who will be at the games.
For the roughly 25,000 in attendance, the general game day experience will change, too. New Musco lighting will illuminate the field at night, and a 24x60-foot, high-definition video board above the Plecker Center end zone – perhaps the largest board in any Division I-AA stadium – will try to keep fans entertained.
The board will display a weekly pre-game show beginning 60 minutes before kickoff, including features on former players (Arthur Moats for Game 1) and other JMU athletes. Animations and statistics will occupy the ever-changing video-board during the game......
.....Students now account for 8,000 seats, and according to JMU, roughly 7,600 have claimed tickets for Saturday,.....
.......ticket prices went from $17-30 for single games last season to $25-35 this year......"
http://www.dnronline.com/article/jmu_football_9_6_11" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
