Illini Football 2023

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#201      

TriangleIL

T
TriangleIL
EyeoftheIllini said:
That appears to be where Josh is concentrating — game day experience — which makes perfect sense to me. He’s got a good football team to get people in the stadium and you don’t want to blow it with the new ticket buyers by them have a poor experience at the game. I can’t imagine a fan saying “good game, no big issues getting concessions, sound and scoreboards were great, but I don’t think I’ll go back cuz of all that grass behind the end zone.” Donors are more likely to pony up when team is good and stadium is selling out.

As to temporary bleachers in that space behind the end zone that other poster brought up, could there be issues with sight lines? Too high of bleachers and you block view for some in the permanent seating and too low and can’t see much of anything sitting in the temporary seats? And do they want to deal with those in the temporary seats essentially having access to field or setting up some kind of barriers so they don’t. Seems like with all that temporary bleachers could look worse that green space or kind of rinky dinky. Been a long time since I’ve been to game, so just spit balling here.
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There used to be bleachers there in the late 90s and early 2000s. That's where the Marching Illini used to sit prior to the NEZ renovation.
 
#202      

NJJ871

N
NJJ871
TriangleIL said:
There used to be bleachers there in the late 90s and early 2000s. That's where the Marching Illini used to sit prior to the NEZ renovation.
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That only started in the '80's when the Illini were rolling and selling 70k plus tickets a game. Prior to that they were next to Block I in the East main.
 
#203      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
NJJ871 said:
That only started in the '80's when the Illini were rolling and selling 70k plus tickets a game. Prior to that they were next to Block I in the East main.
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I think something like this would be so easy and make the stadium look a lot more complete when those seats were full ... if we are worried about not being able to justify these "extra seats," that is a simple solution, IMO - sell absolutely zero seats underneath the east balcony overhang until all visible seats are full.

champaign-urbana-illinois-university-of-illinois-aerial-view-of-memorial-stadium_u-l-q1i19gd0.jpg


I just think it looks so much better on that end filled in. Makes the stadium look complete, whereas now the Horseshoe looks kind of jarringly "small" compared to how grand the balconies are. It'd literally look better with no seats there and a structure like Oklahoma State has or something.

I'll let this one go now, though. :cool:
 
#204      

DReq

DReq
Always Illini
Central Illinois
DReq
NJJ871 said:
That only started in the '80's when the Illini were rolling and selling 70k plus tickets a game. Prior to that they were next to Block I in the East main.
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That is where I sat with MI for my 4 years. It would not have made any difference where we sat those years - the teams were not good.
 
#205      

chiefini

chiefini
Rockford, Illinois
chiefini
NJJ871 said:
That only started in the '80's when the Illini were rolling and selling 70k plus tickets a game. Prior to that they were next to Block I in the East main.
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My husband and I sat in those bleachers in the south end zone for the Illinois victory over Ohio State (the game before the Michigan victory to go to the Rose Bowl) in 1983. I thought for sure I was going to die because people were jumping up and down so hard the bleachers were literally moving and shaking, and I thought they were going to collapse. It would have been a great way to go though…

:chief::hailtotheorange::chief:
 
#206      

EyeoftheIllini

EyeoftheIllini
EyeoftheIllini
TriangleIL said:
There used to be bleachers there in the late 90s and early 2000s. That's where the Marching Illini used to sit prior to the NEZ renovation.
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Well there you go — learn something every week (too old to keep learning something new every day). Is one to assume that more than just Marching Illini sat there? I ask because the threshold for acceptable customer experience is probably lower for MI (do they have to purchase ticket?) than the general public. But that does mean that at least logistics for security and access to concessions and restrooms had been figured out.

From the photos posted, I don’t think it looks bad as is. So unless the seats are really needed and the benefit clearly out weighs the costs, not sure why they’d bother with a quick and easy fix. But maybe it is worse in person. Plus having worked for a boss who seemed to think there was a quick and easy fix to just about every problem, I think I have PTSD that is prompted by those words cuz most of his “solutions” were neither quick nor easy.
 
#209      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
illinoistradition said:
To reiterate, there is no excuse for Memorial Stadium to not be looking full this fall. DIA is doing everything right, and there will be a good product on the field. Will Illini fans step up?
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Unless we literally start off 0-2, I would consider it an epic fail and incredibly damning evidence that our fan base just isn't good if the Big Noon Kickoff PSU game is not VERY full. Given the evidence we have, it seems the DIA will do everything it can to get fans in the stands for that one. Getting my airbnb for that weekend today!
 
#210      

TheChief4Life

TheChief4Life
TheChief4Life
illinoistradition said:
To reiterate, there is no excuse for Memorial Stadium to not be looking full this fall. DIA is doing everything right, and there will be a good product on the field. Will Illini fans step up?
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I want to second this. There was a lot (and I mean A LOOOOT) of lamenting last year about all the things the DIA could be doing to get more people in the stadium.

They've been doing those things over the last few months.

Now we're about to find out where the real problem laid.
 
#223      

ptgrd23

ptgrd23
ptgrd23
GForce said:
There are ~5,000+ students from China/Taiwan within walking distance.
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When I was an undergrad many international students became passionate Illini football and basketball fans. The key was fellow classmates inviting them to go with them to games and having a good time (winning helps).

I was fortunate to go to school 1980-86 (BSEE and MSEE) during the resurgence of Illini football (Mike White era) and basketball (Lou Henson era). Memorial stadium and Assembly Hall were the place to be on Thursday Night (basketball) and Saturday (basketball and football).

We rocked Memorial Stadium so hard the concrete was falling from the upper deck and they had to put up nets then rebuild it.

illini 1879.jpg
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#224      

Shockey19

Shockey19
Shockey19
From the perspective of a current student, the student section sucks in about every way possible. It feels completely isolated from the rest of the stadium (because it is), and aesthetically makes the stadium look awkward, incomplete and far smaller than it actually is. It also heavily dampens the already dead student atmosphere. That problem has far more to do with a poor football culture, but the fact that you’re so far away from the game, especially vertically, doesn’t help in the slightest. It feels like we get sectioned off into our own little cage in the stadium and can’t escape it, which sucks considering how dead and boring the cage is. Especially compared to State Farm center, where it feels like we are the stadium, and every seat in the stadium, even all the way up to the nosebleeds, is involved in the action.
 
#225      

Mr. Tibbs

Mr. Tibbs
southeast DuPage
Mr. Tibbs
Shockey19 said:
From the perspective of a current student, the student section sucks in about every way possible. It feels completely isolated from the rest of the stadium (because it is), and aesthetically makes the stadium look awkward, incomplete and far smaller than it actually is. It also heavily dampens the already dead student atmosphere. That problem has far more to do with a poor football culture, but the fact that you’re so far away from the game, especially vertically, doesn’t help in the slightest. It feels like we get sectioned off into our own little cage in the stadium and can’t escape it, which sucks considering how dead and boring the cage is. Especially compared to State Farm center, where it feels like we are the stadium, and every seat in the stadium, even all the way up to the nosebleeds, is involved in the action.
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thanks to Ron Guenther
 
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