More Info on Stadium Expantion

[Judge Dredd]

Jurich talks about stadium expansion in todays courier-journal

Reminder: Fans were mailed surveys about this whole thing so fill them out and turn them in. I read during my communications class that surveys of this nature are important when it comes to things like this

U of L plan would grow stadium to 63,600 seats
Fans being surveyed to determine interest

By C.L. Brown
cbrown@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal



With University of Louisville football fans scrambling to find tickets for next week's game against West Virginia, athletic director Tom Jurich yesterday offered a solution to future ticket shortages.

U of L released a rough rendering of what a 21,000-seat expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium would look like, and Jurich said the school is mailing a survey to fans and boosters to gauge interest in the project.



With fans seeking arguably the hottest football ticket in school history -- they were listed for as much as $450 by one online broker -- Jurich discussed expansion possibilities with the media before the men's basketball tipoff luncheon at the Marriott Downtown.

He said the $65 million project could give the stadium 63,600 seats -- all chairback -- and include 45 new luxury suites and 2,400 club seats.

A refurbished Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, which was opened in 1998 at a $78.16 million price tag, could be ready for the 2009 season with a total of 75 luxury suites and 4,200 club seats. It would be about 4,000 seats shy of the University of Kentucky's Commonwealth Stadium, which has a capacity of 67,606.

Jurich said yesterday's news conference did not constitute a formal kickoff to the building drive. In fact, he said, the feasibility study and architectural plan still are being developed and could be officially unveiled next week.

"It's something we were waiting for the right time to do it," he said. "We feel like the momentum is there for us, the window of opportunity is one that we want to capitalize on, and our fan base is certainly crying out for it."

Exactly how loud remains to be seen. There are about 2,500 people on the season-ticket waiting list.

The seven-question survey says that the priority on suites would go to fans buying tickets for both football and basketball and asks if they would prefer that package, football only or basketball only. Currently a football suite costs $30,000 and a basketball suite $75,000, tickets not included.

"We really want people to be firm," Jurich said. "If they're not going to do anything, we need them to tell us they're not going to do anything just so we can gauge the interest and know what we're going to do."

He said the expansion would proceed at a "cautious speed. We're not going to move forward just betting on the thing to happen. We're going to make sure everything is solid and in place, and that still might not be enough."

Jurich termed the $60 million to $65 million cost estimate a "moving target." He added that to fund the 15- to 18-month project, "we're going to have to bond a lot of it; we're going to have to get a lot from private donations; a lot of it is going to come with goodwill."

Construction would extend the current grandstands to the Howard Schnellenberger Training Complex at the north end. The east grandstand would get an upper deck, luxury suites and the loge seats. The south end of the stadium would add a terrace of about 50-60 feet.

"Our (terrace) idea came with what we saw at Tampa Bay," Jurich said. "If you were at Raymond James (Stadium) last year when we played South Florida -- forget the game (a 45-14 U of L loss) -- but if you remember what the place looked like … it's just a great place for people to mingle around."

He said the chairback seats would make the stadium unique in college football and a "true landmark and commodity" for the city.

"We want to keep growing and growing and keep this program on the cutting edge," he said. "We can see what a crown jewel this football program has become for this university."

Stan Bramblett of Princeton, Ky., has attended only the opener against Kentucky this season and wants to go more often. He said he would support the stadium even if public funds were needed.

"I have no doubt in my mind that U of L is going to fill that stadium," said Bramblett, 55. "This area … we have wanted a winner for such a long time, I think people will support it."

Jason Morris, 30, wasn't so sure. He said although the program is headed in the right direction, he's skeptical of the Cards developing the same following UK has had. Before this season the Wildcats averaged 56,500 fans in 206 games at Commonwealth Stadium.

"UK has a loyal base and a continual following of loyal fans that go to the games regardless," said Morris, a Louisvillian. "U of L, they just started a winning tradition maybe 10 years ago. That's not really longevity in college football."

[AMasters]

I think we're in good shape for years to come-- even with a down year, Petrino believes in a style of football that will excite fans. I'm sure Jurich is thinking this way as well; the man hasn't made any really BAD decisions yet, has he?

[nmcardsfan]

Im ready for tickets...I know a LOT of others that are as well...season ticket interests there too

[HarveyGlass]

I voted to wait and see, but I want to change my vote. Do it, do it now!

[wkuCardinal]

Do it now. We got the ball rolling. Packing in 60,000 fans every game is just another step that to me helps us put an even firmer grasp on elite status.

[prudat]

What the hell Ill be there even if its in the nosebleeds.

This just gives us motivation to keep growing.

[AACardFan]

After attending the South Florida game, I don't think UofL is ready to fill a 63,000 seat stadium for any but the big games like WVU and UK.

I'd say 1/2 the fans bailed at the South Florida game at the end of the 3rd quarter. And that was when Louisville was up 24-0 with a chance at a shutout. It was cold Saturday night, but it definitely wasn't THAT cold. Perhaps if Louisville were still undefeated they would have stayed longer.

If you ask me, there are plenty of fans who showed up at PJCS this season merely because Louisville had a shot at the NC rather than wanting to watch good football. Now that they have lost and are not in the running for the NC, people have moved on to other interests. If that is the case, then PJCS will have a hard time selling out an expanded stadium late in the season if Louisville loses earlier in the season.

[Empire Lindy]

All good points, AA, but I just keep telling myself that we are seeing the BAD element of the current ticket holders.

My sincerest hope with stadium expansion is that asking price and the resulting market will bring in more of the die-hards that I honestly believe are lacking at PJCS. There are FAR too many Cardinal fans who live, breathe, and die around Petrino's players. IMO these are not the same ones who hold the current set of season tickets, and primarily (I hope) because of price.

What you get instead is a bunch of middle-aged yuppie doctors and lawyers who bring their trophy wives for a social event. If the weather or other conditions don't make for a good "party", then there is no fun for these folks in just watching football. For them, it's more about the B&W Suites, the alcohol, and comparing new cars and boob jobs.

If Jurich is as smart as the Cardinal community makes him out to be, he won't price Joe Middle Class out of these new seats when they are added. Affordable season ticket packages are the ONLY way I see a 63,000 stadium working (from a usership standpoint, not a financial one) for the foreseeable future.

[cardfaninpittsburgh]

i admit i was a little disappointed by the turn out for the south florida game and the people who left early. again, lindy, i'm going to have to disagree with you about who those people are. if they're all doctors and lawyers then God help us. the people sitting around me (we sit in 218) who came late and left early were all younger than me (i'm 37). the last 8 minutes of the game my son and i were sitting by ourselves; no one w/in 2 rows of us.
i think the cards have a solid fan base of around 35 - 40 thousand.
this is about 4 times what it was 20 years ago and will continue to grow as the program continues to improve.
i say, add the 21,000 seats and keep winning. the fan base will grow into it. there will still be a lot of people who come late and leave early, but they'll be missing out.

[Empire Lindy]

Sure, taken in any small demographic it is VERY likely that the offending parties arriving late and leaving early may be MUCH different than the overall portrait I paint. Sitting in Section 205, if I just observed what was going on around me, I'd tell you that the offending parties were all UofL students. That's because I am smack dab in the middle of the student section.

Overall, though, you HAVE to realize that the large majority of the season tickets are currently held by folks who have the disposable income to afford them. The likelihood that a ducat is owned by some guy working 3rd shift at UPS is MUCH lower than a similarly-aged guy who owns his own business or works a white collar job. IMHO, there is an inverse correlation to the pay level of the average Card fan and his or her support. Not saying that is ALWAYS the case, but there's research showing how diversions like sports are taken in more and more adamantly by those who NEED that in their lives.

Without trying to make this a dissertation, I just strongly feel like the more affordable we can make access to the games, the more vocal and committed the support will be for the team. Adding 22,000 more Brown & Williamson suite fans is completely possible I would guess, but not in the interests of ANYTHING but the accounting ledger. Selling a few thousand season tickets AT FACE VALUE and WITHOUT a donation to the CAF would do wonders for the PJCS atmosphere.