New Bubble Next Year?
- Thread starter R1766U
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Hopefully a fixed indoor structure and not a Bubble.
Current bubble is far from everything. Not near the Hale Center, the players have to walk up the ramp, around the outside front of the stadium, and into the bubble. In the rain it defeats the purpose, they get all wet anyway. Makes much more sense to have it near the rest of the practice facility
Not "bubble". Whole indoor facility, with practice fields, admin and training facilities, etc. I've seen the drawings. Estimated cost $150 million. The complex will consume the entire field where the yellow lot currently is. Presumably the blue lot will become the new yellow lot - all the lots "move down a peg", so to speak.
They have to secure the funding privately and construction will not start until this is achieved. The math - and opinions on the inside - suggest that there's one more year of status quo parking, then everything changes.
It's been suggested by some inside the athletic department, when confronted about the inconvenience of losing the best lot in the mix, that "Rutgers fans are spoiled because other schools don't have such things (parking immediately adjacent to the stadium)."
IMO, this is a stupid argument - the "other schools" in question also don't struggle to get 40k people to show up for games. Rutgers has 20,000 season tickets allocated among 5400 ticket accounts. These are not impressive numbers. A fair number of ticket holders are no doubt prepared to walk away when confronted with additional inconvenience - the blue lot is a dump and a lot of people will refuse to pay yellow lot money to park there.
For my part I think it would, as my dad put it, "make our decision for us". 36 years of this, getting close to retirement, it's pretty much a good opportunity to reallocate the funding currently earmarked "Rutgers" and go buy my boat. I feel confident that if I had to watch Rutgers football while swinging on an anchor in some idyllic little cove in the Caribbean, I wouldn't be too heartbroken.
They have to secure the funding privately and construction will not start until this is achieved. The math - and opinions on the inside - suggest that there's one more year of status quo parking, then everything changes.
It's been suggested by some inside the athletic department, when confronted about the inconvenience of losing the best lot in the mix, that "Rutgers fans are spoiled because other schools don't have such things (parking immediately adjacent to the stadium)."
IMO, this is a stupid argument - the "other schools" in question also don't struggle to get 40k people to show up for games. Rutgers has 20,000 season tickets allocated among 5400 ticket accounts. These are not impressive numbers. A fair number of ticket holders are no doubt prepared to walk away when confronted with additional inconvenience - the blue lot is a dump and a lot of people will refuse to pay yellow lot money to park there.
For my part I think it would, as my dad put it, "make our decision for us". 36 years of this, getting close to retirement, it's pretty much a good opportunity to reallocate the funding currently earmarked "Rutgers" and go buy my boat. I feel confident that if I had to watch Rutgers football while swinging on an anchor in some idyllic little cove in the Caribbean, I wouldn't be too heartbroken.
Will the current location of bubble be converted to parking?
Was about to post the same.
Convert the bubble into parking?
Expand the green lot - move people from yellow to green. Less people then
moving back to blue and so forth down the line.
I would make the argument that the yellow lot is one of the best tailgate lots in college football for its value. Considering the proximity , the quality of the grass, great traffic flow, the pricing , the quality of tailgate setups in that lot, etc.
No, lots of other athletic teams will continue to use the bubble.
They created a master plan many years ago and then didn’t follow those plans. The University continues to throw good money after bad. There seems to be no follow through. Get money for visitor center plop it anywhere. Get money for rodkin center plop it anywhere, without given thought where the next project is going and where people are going to park to access said projects. Now we have a field house that will further chew into game day experience and access to stadium.
Why isn’t this facility being built adjacent to the practice fields? Convert the parking lot and tennis courts. Build the facility 2 stories above grade and have parking facility below.
Rutgers has unique tailgating because of the immediate access to the stadium. Once that is gone it is gone. The stadium is not centrally located within city limits. Not easy to access from municipal lots. Not easy to get to from hotels and mass transit.
Why isn’t this facility being built adjacent to the practice fields? Convert the parking lot and tennis courts. Build the facility 2 stories above grade and have parking facility below.
Rutgers has unique tailgating because of the immediate access to the stadium. Once that is gone it is gone. The stadium is not centrally located within city limits. Not easy to access from municipal lots. Not easy to get to from hotels and mass transit.
It's not suggested about the convenience of parking. It's reality.
While you are correct about building a fanbase, the numbers have more to do with 8 years of Flood/Ash. Winning will bring fans back. The fieldhouse has to be built somewhere. Is there another viable place to build it? Hale Center Parking/former tennis location does not seem like there is enough room.
Lot 48 across from visitor center? But then where do visitors to the visitor center park?
Relocate the President's house?
It’s what my Dad did with the Giants.
Could have bought everyone’s PSL in his ticket group. But the Giants started dicking around and he said basically the same thing.
His “boat” in this case was a nice house on the water in a gated community in Naples. To go along with the nice house in Sea Girt. Also on the water.
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Is it? Is it "reality"?
While it's true that other large venues in CFB don't have dedicated parking adjacent to the stadium, a la Scarlet, Brown, White, Yellow, Blue, it's also true that a lot of those stadiums are on campus and have gameday parking that is just as convenient.
One of the best examples I can think of - because I'm intimately familiar - is The Swamp. There's one stadium lot, the equivalent of our Scarlet lot, that is mostly the domain of high-dollar donors and their RVs and massive tailgate setups. But there are dozens of smaller parking lots, some University owned and some private - along University Blvd - that are dedicated to gameday parking and within an easy 5 - 10 minute walk from the stadium.
Rutgers doesn't have that opportunity.
And while it's true that the Flood / Ash years hurt us, it's not as much as you might think. Like I said, there are roughly 20k season tickets, currently, among 5400 accounts. That number has been pretty consistent - at the peak of GS 1.0 we had about 23,000 season tickets sold and at the nadir of Flood / Ash we had about 17,000.
That would seem to suggest that there's not a tremendous variation in "reality vs potential", regardless of how the team performs or who the coach might be. And, make no mistake, the convenience and value of close-in parking is a big selling point for Rutgers football. Anyone in the administration who harbors visions of a sold out Rutgers stadium and the Blue Lot being the middle-tier donor lot with 10s of thousands of fans parking at JMA and being bussed in... well, that's the stuff of deluded fantasy.
"Rutgers doesn't have that opportunity" is correct.
Here's a question. Why can't the Yellow Lot be relocated to the University Park and Recreation complex. While it's not perfect, it solves another issue- being subject to the noise of the The Glen and the band, etc during gameday.
Also, what is The University Swimming Association shown on the linked map immediately west and south of the East Coast Greenway and West of 18/Metlars? Is that an option for either parking, or the Fieldhouse?
SHI Stadium · Rutgers Football Stadium, 1 Scarlet Knight Way Shi, Piscataway, NJ 08854
âââââ · Stadium
If they get rid of the yellow lot I’m out as a fan. It is one of the main reasons I continue to go to the games every home game because it is one of the treasures of tailgating as the on the field product stinks.
It truly separates us from other schools in terms of the Gameday experience…will be a shame if that occurs
It truly separates us from other schools in terms of the Gameday experience…will be a shame if that occurs
"Rutgers doesn't have that opportunity" is correct.
Here's a question. (1) Why can't the Yellow Lot be relocated to the University Park and Recreation complex. While it's not perfect, it solves another issue- being subject to the noise of the The Glen and the band, etc during gameday.
Also, what is The University Swimming Association shown on the linked map immediately west and south of the East Coast Greenway and West of 18/Metlars? Is that an option for either parking, or the Fieldhouse?
SHI Stadium · Rutgers Football Stadium, 1 Scarlet Knight Way Shi, Piscataway, NJ 08854
âââââ · Stadiumwww.google.com
1. Wouldn't that mean getting rid of the University Park & Rec Complex? Based on the map, it's 2 turf soccer / lacrosse fields and 2 grass baseball diamonds. They appear to be relatively new / in good condition. So you couldn't park cars on them, they would have to go.
FWIW, I'm fine with that.
The swimming thing appears to be a pool. Pretty big one, adjacent to the White Lot (Lot 48). They'd have to clear a lot of trees to put in another parking lot. I always assume that trees are sacred to a Land Grant State U.
We had half of the 2nd row of the Yellow lot yesterday, for 1 tailgate. Standing at the end of the row, looking into it, we all marveled at how it was the absolute best tailgate scene in all of CFB.
The administration really needs to understand that. The Yellow lot isn't just a "convenience for spoiled fans", as has been stated by AD reps. It's a college football treasure in and of itself, and worth preserving.
Honestly they should put it where the tennis complex is. Build an actual D1 level tennis facility some where else like on Livingston.
Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one.
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They aren't going to convert the University park field to parking. That where all the intramurals are played. It seems to makes more sense to enclose one of the 3 current practice field so it can be used year round. If you look at the eastern most field, there is space on 3 sides of it as well that could be used.
Except they're not looking to just build an enclosed field. The attached "football operations facility" will be the same size as the field, itself.
Looking a little more closely at the drawing, they're introducing additional complexity / problems re: the gameday environment because under the proposal Sutphen Road completely goes away - the Football complex is one, contiguous entity inclusive of the current Battaglia practice facility. So there would be, at least as drawn, no access to the current White Lot, meaning that goes away as well.
They're seriously f*ckin' up, here. My recommendation is that the season ticket base organize and hire lawyers.
Personally i think make a new indoor practice field and multi-story facility where tennis courts are and connect to Hale Center...what becomes of the Hale Center with new facility?
to add more context the proposal for a lacrosse field would take most of the blue lot..
to add more context the proposal for a lacrosse field would take most of the blue lot..
How old are those plans you’re referring to? They should enclose one of the practice fields and expand the Hale center. Do it for $50M and use the other $100M for NIL.
Wasting $150M on a field house that is barely needed while also killing the Yellow lot would be moronic.
But they already took a bunch of it for that Visitors Center... which they could have put anywhere.
I think they should move the Presidents House and use that whole area rather than get rid of the yellow lot.
The plans are new / most recent.
And I agree with you that it's a boondoggle. We've heard repeatedly that the recruiting focus on facilities is no longer what it was, that recruits are now focused on $$.
It seems that RU is always a step behind.
The cynic in me says that this is a lot (or all) on Greg - this is his last hurrah and he wants to build this massive, insane facility as a monument to himself.
Johnson Park on River Rd. has unlimited space for tailgating. Get the Govenor to impose his will to allow its use for 7 days out of the year. Build a pedestrian bridge over River Rd in the form of 2 castle turrets with a bridge. Reseed every Spring its just grass not a sacred burial ground.
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My cynicism says the same thing. I’m sure he was assured his name would be on the facility.
Johnson Park is prone to flooding and couldn't be used for tailgating if there were any recent rains. It gets really, really soft.
So to summarize:
- Blue goes for Lacrosse
- Yellow goes for Football
- Johnson Park for Mother Nature
- Golf Course still a golf course
- Bubble could stay or go even after the above happens. We don’t know 🤷♂️
- Blue goes for Lacrosse
- Yellow goes for Football
- Johnson Park for Mother Nature
- Golf Course still a golf course
- Bubble could stay or go even after the above happens. We don’t know 🤷♂️
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This is Rutgers and New Jersey. We want the best and wins but only if it doesn’t inconvenience us.
Spot on!! The admin must know this and any donors should be complaining about losing this aspect of what makes Rutgers great. Most outsiders I bring to games marvel At how well out tailgating scene is. While we don’t have a top 25 team on The field we def have a top 25 tailgate experienceWe had half of the 2nd row of the Yellow lot yesterday, for 1 tailgate. Standing at the end of the row, looking into it, we all marveled at how it was the absolute best tailgate scene in all of CFB.
The administration really needs to understand that. The Yellow lot isn't just a "convenience for spoiled fans", as has been stated by AD reps. It's a college football treasure in and of itself, and worth preserving.
Rutgers will end up regretting this decision to get rid of the yellow lot for a football facility and most of the blue lot for a LAX stadium, because they will significantly hurt the fan and game day experience, and ultimately lose season ticketholders. The scarlet walk will be much emptier, as fewer people want to walk from purple and black or take a shuttle from the RAC just for that. Heck, yesterday I stood there for 30 mins while they were late but gave up before they came to go back to tailgate in yellow. We have 1 of the best tailgating scenes, but egos, ignorance, and poor master planning seems to be ready to kill it. While I agree both facilities are needed, better master planning is needed to locate these elsewhere and not alienate fans. Thinking winning cures all is a fallacy, as winning doesn't last forever, and we've had attendance issues for a long time and always will be up and down in this market and conference.
The better location is to build the new football facility on the current Hale Center, brown lot and tennis courts (and clear some of the trees adjacent to that area). Phase 1, build locker rooms under the recruiting lounge to use temporarily for 1 season while they build the new facility. Phase 2, knock down the Hale Center and relocate the football offices and rooms to the Rodkin temporarily for 1 year. Other sports may need to relocate from Rodkin temporarily as well for a year. I don't think using the golf course holes 4 and 5 along Fitch Rd will be an adequate replacement for yellow and blue.
Unfortunately, the best location for the LAX stadium is on the blue lot, if they want it closest to the Rodkin, but they could instead build it on the intramural fields and relocate those.
The giant Werblin front lawn should be used for tailgating.
The better location is to build the new football facility on the current Hale Center, brown lot and tennis courts (and clear some of the trees adjacent to that area). Phase 1, build locker rooms under the recruiting lounge to use temporarily for 1 season while they build the new facility. Phase 2, knock down the Hale Center and relocate the football offices and rooms to the Rodkin temporarily for 1 year. Other sports may need to relocate from Rodkin temporarily as well for a year. I don't think using the golf course holes 4 and 5 along Fitch Rd will be an adequate replacement for yellow and blue.
Unfortunately, the best location for the LAX stadium is on the blue lot, if they want it closest to the Rodkin, but they could instead build it on the intramural fields and relocate those.
The giant Werblin front lawn should be used for tailgating.
That would be classic. Schiano makes the RU President move his house.
Bubble stays - it's on the drawings.
The expanded Yurcak / lacrosse complex, however, is not. Blue lot is shown intact (and filled with cars).
Yellow lot and White lot gone.
They have already moved Tennis to Livingston.
This is true.
I've (formally) hosted tailgate visitors from both Arkansas and Indiana, after having attended games there and partied with these same people, who were welcoming strangers at the time.
All of them have come away from their Yellow Lot experience saying that it's the best they've ever seen.
We're in agreement, this is an experience that has to be preserved. There's too much collateral damage (for example, has anyone stopped to think that getting rid of the Yellow Lot and lining that side of SK Way with buildings will completely and irrevocably destroy both the "Boardwalk" and the Scarlet Walk?).
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