Bingo. The price of success needs to be accepted.
Football Reseating
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Got my two seats this afternoon. Sec121 in nose bleed. They have sold a lot of season tickets to this point. Sec 122 is sold out.
I wish they would lock our access to read only but still allow us to see what seats are sold.
when the band stops playing the musicWhen does the whole reseating thing come to it's glorious end?
According to an interview I heard, April 11th was the half way point. It started March 25th, so mid May is my guess.When does the whole reseating thing come to it's glorious end?
I took the plunge and am getting season tickets for the first time since I was a student. My seat selection is tomorrow and I came here for some last minute advice. The big question is: horseshoe or east balcony?
Horseshoe
Pros - closer to the field, in the bowl, seems like cool people sit there
Cons - all the prime horseshoe seats are gone, so farther up in rows 35+, harder to see the jumbotron (matters because I'm bringing kids and it will help keep them entertained), can be loud I heard from jumbotron noise, not the best angle to watch a game from
East Balcony
Pros - good sideline view of the game, can sit in the first 10 rows of the balcony still
Cons - can feel removed from the fun of the stadium, the sun, will feel sparse if crowd thins out, no chance of moving down (can you do that in the horseshoe?)
Also considering the $199 or $229 sideline seats as there are some in the first 15 rows, but hard to stomach doubling the cost.
I really want my kids to enjoy going to the games and have fun while there. So, veteran Illinois season tickets holders, what do you think, horseshoe or balcony?
Horseshoe
Pros - closer to the field, in the bowl, seems like cool people sit there
Cons - all the prime horseshoe seats are gone, so farther up in rows 35+, harder to see the jumbotron (matters because I'm bringing kids and it will help keep them entertained), can be loud I heard from jumbotron noise, not the best angle to watch a game from
East Balcony
Pros - good sideline view of the game, can sit in the first 10 rows of the balcony still
Cons - can feel removed from the fun of the stadium, the sun, will feel sparse if crowd thins out, no chance of moving down (can you do that in the horseshoe?)
Also considering the $199 or $229 sideline seats as there are some in the first 15 rows, but hard to stomach doubling the cost.
I really want my kids to enjoy going to the games and have fun while there. So, veteran Illinois season tickets holders, what do you think, horseshoe or balcony?
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We sit in row six in Sec 207 in the balcony and love it. It does get hot during early season games. We have moved down under the overhang before and no one has ever said a word. Whether increasingly larger crowds will affect our ability to do so remains to be seen. I don’t know your situation but I will say, the East balcony is no place for anyone with mobility issues. The stairs are very steep and there are zero handrails. You can’t beat the view from the lower balcony in my opinion.
You’ll be closer to the filed overall in the East balcony, especially in the first 10 rows. Perspective from there isn't just sideline, but also looks downward, allowing you to see the whole field and game unfold. There’s never been a restriction on moving beneath the balcony to escape rain or heat.
I like sitting in the east balcony. You can see the play develop, and it makes the game more interesting for me. Besides the cons above, here are a couple of more cons -- The band plays primarily to the west side, and there is only a single concession stand in the east balcony, so the line is very long at halftime. I think your seating decision has to be based on how you want to watch the game. My son wants to watch the game from near ground level, and I like a high view. (We usually do not sit together
)Great summary. We found moving to the WB addressed all of the EB negatives, but neither provides a ground level perspective.I like sitting in the east balcony. You can see the play develop, and it makes the game more interesting for me. Besides the cons above, here are a couple of more cons -- The band plays primarily to the west side, and there is only a single concession stand in the east balcony, so the line is very long at halftime. I think your seating decision has to be based on how you want to watch the game. My son wants to watch the game from near ground level, and I like a high view. (We usually do not sit together
Thanks to everyone for all the replies and helpful input. I guess I feel like a mix of you and your son: like the high view for game viewing but want to be more in the mix closer to the field.
I guess what my kids will enjoy more is most important to me. They're not going to be watching the play develop from wherever we sit, so is the atmosphere and environment that much better in the upper horseshoe than the lower balcony?
A few hours to go, still not sure what I'm going to do...
I guess what my kids will enjoy more is most important to me. They're not going to be watching the play develop from wherever we sit, so is the atmosphere and environment that much better in the upper horseshoe than the lower balcony?
A few hours to go, still not sure what I'm going to do...
Not sure how old your kids are, but mine (under 10) like running the EB ramps (sorry fellow ramp users) once or twice during the game and/or going out among the East columns (usually shady, good breeze). It's a good way to burn some kid energy, then go back to your seat. On the other hand, the horseshoe has easier access to the "milling around" areas outside both sides of the stadium and below the horseshoe, where they can also run around a bit. Harder to see the video board though.
Welcome fellow horseshoeman. It’s my third year now, all in the horseshoe and it might be the greatest ticket deal in all of college football.
I've been in the HS for 15 years. Early we were in 118 and seeing scoreboard required cranking your neck around.
In 120 now and it's not as bad. It's also not as loud once we turned the corner into 120.
If you go with the HS, I would recommend row 50. Yes, it's the last row and furthest from the field but there is one massive perk to row 50, the railing is behind you.
I love that nobody is kneeing me in the back and I have a built-in back rest. The only downside is on a cold and windy day there is nothing to break the wind.
I toyed with moving during my reseat appointment back on 4/8, but nothing that was left interested me as much as that railing at my back. It also allows us to stand during the game and nobody's telling you to sit down.
Here's the view from 120, row 50.
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Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
I had seats in the East Balcony for 10+ years, about five in first row. I decided to move down to east sideline for added cost, since the front row was taken in balcony by the time my slot came up. A few things:
1) As mentioned earlier, the concession lines are very long upstairs -- expect to have to walk down ramp to main level for variety and shorter lines
2) If you have young children, the ramps can be fun but overwhelming
3) The angle is much different in balcony vs horseshoe -- comes down to what you like
4) In horseshoe, the scoreboard will be behind you -- you have very clear view from the east balcony
If it were me, I would probably go with East Balcony if you are within the first 10 or so rows. After that it is a coin flip of horseshoe vs balcony. The sun beating down on us was unbearable at times with my toddler, so I made the decision to pick new seats under the East Balcony but with no view restrictions. It will provide better weather protection for my toddler and my expected infant.
Dang you. I am notorious for second guessing myself…and why couldn’t you haven’t posted this 5 hours ago before I picked!
My seats were in East Balcony section 207 row 7 for the past few years, and I agree with what has been said already. Biggest pro is great view of the game & value, and biggest con was concession availability. Never a line for bathrooms though, and didn't think the ramps were too bad.
With the reseat we upgraded to 107. I was happy to stay in 207, but my husband and boys pushed for the better seats, which still seems to be a good deal in comparison to other Big Ten schools.
With the reseat we upgraded to 107. I was happy to stay in 207, but my husband and boys pushed for the better seats, which still seems to be a good deal in comparison to other Big Ten schools.
Love all the discussion and debate on horseshoe vs east balcony. Sounds like there's no right or wrong answer. I ended up going with east balc. I might try to sneak into the horseshoe if there's a blowout and it thins out and see what it's like for next year.
Now to figure out if I get the parking pass or not.
See everyone in Memorial Stadium in the Fall!
Now to figure out if I get the parking pass or not.
See everyone in Memorial Stadium in the Fall!
I will be in the horse shoe this fall.
Same and same! I reselected my seats in section 118 the other day. My friend and I split tickets and we decided to up our allotment from 4 to 6. My friend's parents also wanted tickets this year so that increased our ticket block to 8. My brother-in-law and his wife (2) are sitting in the row behind us. And my cousin's family (4) is in the row in front of us. There are now 14 adjacent seats across three rows of my friends and family (watch out, section 118). Really cool to see the buzz and excitement people have in the program build year after year.
Nice! I have 4 in 112 now. If you would have told me 10, even 5 years ago that I would get football season tickets before basketball season tickets, I would have laughed for about a whole day about it. But it’s been great watching Bret build this thing. I’ll never forget being in Vegas for the basketball tournament that we played in 2022 and it was the same weekend we lost that painful game to Michigan in football. I just remember thinking Bret really has something going here and started doing season tickets in 2023 and don’t regret it one bit.
Illinir1
- Camdenton, MO
I have always opted for the extra cost of hard tickets. As a season ticket holder since 1981, through the years when the hard ticket books were the way tickets were distributed, I have a saved collection of big win games. I've written the victorious score on the back of each. It's fun to occassionally review them for a stroll down memory lane. And I've gotten a couple signed which I turned into framed tributes for display in my Illini mancave. Framed tributes (and signed tickets) of Ty Douthard's 1993 winning touchdown in the snow vs. Minnesota (held by Ty Douthard and Johnny Johnson (who threw the pass)) and John Paddock's 2023 Memorial Stadium record 507 yards passing vs Indiana.
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