Best 20 Stadiums in FCS

[Franks Tanks]

Kansas has a track around their field too.

Kansas has a bad stadium

[CAA Flagship]

Need a point system. Something similar to:
Start at 100 points.
-10 for track
-20 for 2 sided stadium (seating) or-10 for 3 sided stadium (seating)
+5 if you have a building in the endzone
+2 if you have a hill in the endzone
+3 if people actually sit on the hill in the endzone
+5 for any overhang at top of stadium
+5 for double deckers
-10 for no video scoreboard
-5 for no tunnel entrance
-20 for off campus location
-5 if you don't have lights
-10 if you don't have suites
-5 for artificial grass

Bonus points awarded to unique features (views from adjacent parking garage, buildings or hills outside of stadium; field level lower than grade outside of stadium (think Michigan here); etc. Let's keep the tailgating aspect out of this.

That's a start. Once the point system is decided on, you can go from there.

[danefan]

I like the point system...

This puts Albany at the following:

-10 for track
-20 for 2 sided stadium (seating)
-10 for no video scoreboard
-5 for no tunnel entrance
-10 if you don't have suites

Total: -55

Just about right.

[BlackFalkin]

+5 if you have a building in the endzone <-- how does that help gameday experience?

+2 if you have a hill in the endzone <-- thats not really that cool

+3 if people actually sit on the hill in the endzone <--Again, its ok... but meh.....

-5 if you don't have lights <--- most CFB games are played in daylight.

-5 for artificial grass <---artificial grass is arguably the best.

Bonus points..(views from adjacent parking garage) <-----WtF?? people watching the game from a parking garage REALLY add to the excitement.

[CAA Flagship]

[quote="BlackFalkin"]
+5 if you have a building in the endzone <-- how does that help gameday experience?

+2 if you have a hill in the endzone <-- thats not really that cool

+3 if people actually sit on the hill in the endzone <--Again, its ok... but meh.....

-5 if you don't have lights <--- most CFB games are played in daylight.

-5 for artificial grass <---artificial grass is arguably the best.

Bonus points..(views from adjacent parking garage) <-----WtF?? people watching the game from a parking garage REALLY add to the excitement. [quote]

The hill and the building in the endzones give a feeling of enclosure.
Night games have much better sound quality.
Its a form of SRO. If people can't get a ticket because it is a sellout, are they willing to do the next best thing? People still talk about a big high school game in the late 60's in my home town where fans climbed a nearby water tower to watch the game. The bonus points are subjective.

[BlackFalkin]

Are you kidding me, thats stadium's smaller side can easily be expanded! Look at that platform thing behind the stands.. whats the point of that? they can add another 20 rows of seats

[grizband]

Need a point system. Something similar to:
Start at 100 points.
-10 for track
-20 for 2 sided stadium (seating) or-10 for 3 sided stadium (seating)
+5 if you have a building in the endzone
+2 if you have a hill in the endzone
+3 if people actually sit on the hill in the endzone
+5 for any overhang at top of stadium
+5 for double deckers
-10 for no video scoreboard
-5 for no tunnel entrance
-20 for off campus location
-5 if you don't have lights
-10 if you don't have suites
-5 for artificial grass

Bonus points awarded to unique features (views from adjacent parking garage, buildings or hills outside of stadium; field level lower than grade outside of stadium (think Michigan here); etc. Let's keep the tailgating aspect out of this.

That's a start. Once the point system is decided on, you can go from there.

You have a great start here, but I'm not sure why some of these things add/detract from the experience. Why does having a building in the endzone add five points to the stadium? I like where you are going, but some attributes and points need to be altered.

[danefan]

Are you kidding me, thats stadium's smaller side can easily be expanded! Look at that platform thing behind the stands.. whats the point of that? they can add another 20 rows of seats

Its actually pretty ridiculous that they built it that way.

The view from the top of 20 new rows on the away side would be much better than the top of the home side. People don't really care which side they sit on. In fact I prefer to be on the visiting side to be able to see what's happening on the home sideline.

[CAA Flagship]

You have a great start here, but I'm not sure why some of these things add/detract from the experience. Why does having a building in the endzone add five points to the stadium? I like where you are going, but some attributes and points need to be altered.

The building and hill give a feeling of enclosure, which is definitely better than being able to see for miles beyond the goal posts.
The points are just a start and something to think about.

[bobbythekidd]

The point system puts GSU at an 80. I think the oint system has some merit, but needs a bit of tweaking. Seats and avg attendance should count for something.

[CAA Flagship]

BF, regarding the bonus points, see the following link (2nd picture down):

http://boards.caazone.com/showthread.php?t=83700

When you are sitting in the stadium, and see the fans watching from there knowing they couldn't get a ticket but wanted to see the game, it adds to the excitement.

[guinzone]

For those of you who do not know, the East stands [the smaller ones] at YSU were constructed in 1997. They seat roughly 4000 people. The big stands seat about 16,500 people.

As you can see from those photos, the foundation was put in place for a quick and easy expansion of the East stands if they ever felt it was needed. As it currently stands, we do not need to expand the stadium anytime soon. We upgraded it again this year with renovated loges, a second scoreboard, new chairback seats, and two new flagpoles; one which holds a gigantic, and I mean gigantic, American flag.

In the early 90s, talk was of an expansion that looked like this:


PS: We are building a $10 million dollar indoor practice facility this winter, which will open next August. Here is a link to the YSU Athletic Page on the WATTS Center, partially funded by gifts from Jim Tressel, his wife's family, and the DeBartolo Family.
http://ysusports.com/facilities/WATTS.htm

[youtube][/youtube]

[Skjellyfetti]

Need a point system. Something similar to:
Start at 100 points.
-10 for track
-20 for 2 sided stadium (seating) or-10 for 3 sided stadium (seating)
+5 if you have a building in the endzone
+2 if you have a hill in the endzone
+3 if people actually sit on the hill in the endzone
+5 for any overhang at top of stadium
+5 for double deckers
-10 for no video scoreboard
-5 for no tunnel entrance
-20 for off campus location
-5 if you don't have lights
-10 if you don't have suites
-5 for artificial grass

-25 for KBS.

Bonus points awarded to unique features (views from adjacent parking garage, buildings or hills outside of stadium.

That is a failure in stadium construction if people can watch the game for free from a parking deck. People used to be able to watch a game at KBS from the cheap seats in the woods overlooking the stadium. But, they've curbed that. I guess they didn't get the memo that the people in the cheap seats were improving the stadium.

[89Hen]

Track around field = not in the top 20 IMO.

5 of the top 20 have tracks around them, most FCS stadiums do.

Even FBS's do, big ones like Pac10 schools, U-dub, even the Rose Bowl.

And none of the I-A stadiums with tracks are in the top 20 in I-A. When you're talking the best I-A it's: Ohio State, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, LSU....

[89Hen]

Princeton is nice and all, but I don't think it is as nice as Montana or even App State.

Don't confuse stadium with crowds.

[89Hen]

Track around field = not in the top 20 IMO.

when did MplsBison come back?

Nah, he rails on grass more than tracks.

[Skjellyfetti]

And none of the I-A stadiums with tracks are in the top 20 in I-A. When you're talking the best I-A it's: Ohio State, Florida, Penn State, Tennessee, LSU....

Ohio Stadium had a track around it until 1998 or 1999 or so. It's routinely ranked in the top 5... and I'm sure it was just as good of a stadium then.

And, University of Washington's stadium easily makes the top 20 in I-A.

[89Hen]

-20 for 2 sided stadium (seating) or-10 for 3 sided stadium (seating)
+5 if you have a building in the endzone

Not sure I understand those. Should be minus points for ONE sided stadiums, but why should a place like GSU get dinged for having "only" two sides? Compare the view at GSU with the new endzone section they built 80 yards away from the goalposts at Southern. GSU wins hands down.

And what does a building in the endzone have to do with anything? I acutally hate that design.

[89Hen]

Ohio Stadium had a track around it until 1998 or 1999 or so. It's routinely ranked in the top 5... and I'm sure it was just as good of a stadium then.

Then why did they remove it?

[BlackFalkin]

BF, regarding the bonus points, see the following link (2nd picture down):

http://boards.caazone.com/showthread.php?t=83700

When you are sitting in the stadium, and see the fans watching from there knowing they couldn't get a ticket but wanted to see the game, it adds to the excitement.

IMO, fetti nailed it, its a design flaw, OR, the stadium just isnt high enough to block out that kind of thing. However, I understand how exciting it can be to have the stadium so damn packed that people will do anything to watch it live. (Eastern has the same situation bc people always watch the game from the dorms 50ft from the stadium)... but i would'nt say it makes a stadium better or worse.

[89Hen]

and, University of Washington's stadium easily makes the top 20 in I-A.

Because it's near the water? Looking at that set-up, I'm not sure it's in the top 50 (not joking).

There are tons of stadiums that you never hear much about that are better looking than that.

[Mountaineer]

Discounting Kidd Brewer Stadium because of the track is absurd.

Nestled in the heart of campus, one of the best settings in college football, spectacular views from the stands, 120,000 square foot KBS Complex (which has been called one of the Top 40 in all of football), new signage throughout the concourses, iron and brick work around the stadium, The Rock entrance plaza, 25,000+ fans packed in on game day.

Yeah, we're easily in the top 2 or 3 stadiums in this division.

[BlackFalkin]

Dont get too cocky guy, UW already announced they are removing the track.. so like it or not tracks suck & are a thing of the past.

[CAA Flagship]

-25 for KBS.

That is a failure in stadium construction if people can watch the game for free from a parking deck. People used to be able to watch a game at KBS from the cheap seats in the woods overlooking the stadium. But, they've curbed that. I guess they didn't get the memo that the people in the cheap seats were improving the stadium.

First of all, KBS can't be -25. You forgot to add the 100 starting points.

When you sell out the entire season, or even one game, it's great to get a feel for how important that ticket is. However, I can take it or leave it. But I wanted to flush out some unique aspects to stadiums for bonus points. There has to be some unique things that stadiums have that can get bonus points.
In fact, Old Dominion has a terrace at field level beneath the suites in the end zone where premium seat holders can buy beers during the game, and still see the action. Not looking for bonus points here but just using it as an example.

[Thumper 76]

I think people being able to sneak a game in by watchin from some building or something outside the stadium is kind of a cool thing. If you think of one of the most iconic staduims out there, Wrigley Field (I know its baseball), thats one of the unique things about it, is the people who watch from the buildings adjacent to the field. And those people watching from places like that get horrid viewpoints anyways, so your place most likely has to be packed for people to want to watch from there, which I think gives your place a bit of a bump compared to other places if you ask me.