What would you do to improve Memorial Stadium?
I haven't been to your stadium, but putting a roof on the side oposite the sky suites and moving the fans closer to the field would probably have a great impact on the volume on the field. Check out Husky stadium and Autzen.
Aesthetically speaking, something that highlights, or features, compliments or accents the 4 towers and columns. The most unique features and unmistakably Illinois.
Found this on Wikipedia, this would’ve been rad. How much are blocks of marble going for now?
Found this on Wikipedia, this would’ve been rad. How much are blocks of marble going for now?
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orange100
time to hop on the wife
eventually it will be State Farm or Kraft Foods Stadium. It's coming.
When I was at the reliaquest bowl 2 years ago at Raymon James Stadium, I looked down at my phone and saw that it had automatically switched to some sort of Verizon WiFi.
I didn’t select it or voluntarily seek it out, and I couldn’t get off it for some reason. It was like RJS had a deal with Verizon that once a phone went inside the stadium it would transition to the WiFi or something.
It was very fast (I was able to browse the net) and clear (I got a phone call from my airline letting me know about a delayed flight).
I’m sure it’s PRICEY but that sort of internet service screams “we’re in the connected age”. Not being able to connect due to towers being overloaded should be a 10-15 years ago problem for a school like the UofI.
I didn’t select it or voluntarily seek it out, and I couldn’t get off it for some reason. It was like RJS had a deal with Verizon that once a phone went inside the stadium it would transition to the WiFi or something.
It was very fast (I was able to browse the net) and clear (I got a phone call from my airline letting me know about a delayed flight).
I’m sure it’s PRICEY but that sort of internet service screams “we’re in the connected age”. Not being able to connect due to towers being overloaded should be a 10-15 years ago problem for a school like the UofI.
FWIW, I was at the PSU game and had almost zero cell service inside Beaver Stadium. It was worse than my recent experiences at Memorial Stadium.
Illini2010-11
- Sugar Grove
I would assume the primary differences could be explained by the 100,000+ occupancy at Beaver Stadium compared to 50-60,000 at MS.
Certainly. My main point was we're not the only ones with this problem.
And also that you need backend for all those added users, and state college is in the middle of nowhere
They need to redesign the sound system. There needs to be speakers throughout the stands because it's one thing to listen to music and another to listen to announcements and any verbal communication if you're in certain sections.
It's in the middle of Pennsylvania, specifically the geographic center of the state. A fun fact we picked up from the local crowd.
That was one of the things I mentioned in my original comment and I believe was part of the plan that was announced at the 2023 media round table. The current setup I imagine has issues on both ends of the spectrum. When you're extra far from the speakers, it can be harder to hear, but when you're in the horseshoe you could almost justify earplugs.
Not. It’s Memorial Stadium. It’s a monument to our fallen warriors. They might as well rename the Lincoln Memorial as BarcaLounger Arena.eventually it will be State Farm or Kraft Foods Stadium. It's coming.
MoCoMdIllini
- Montgomery County, Maryland
The Memorial at Lincoln Financial Park?
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I can't believe I have not brought this up in this thread yet (I certainly have before), but another VERY easy fix that annoys me is we should surround Grange Grove and the stadium with way more trees, wherever possible. Grange Grove is the obvious spot (guys ... it's supposed to be a G-R-O-V-E!), but what has always struck me about Champaign is that with absolutely nothing going for it from a topography point of view (i.e., flat corn land is not seen by your Average Joe as "scenic," especially once it gets cold out), there are a remarkable number of trees that have been planted in C-U that make certain areas look much more aesthetically pleasing. For example, compare the view of the farmland south of the stadium...
... with the much more wooded view west of the stadium:
Simply put, trees are aesthetically pleasing and provide an "environment" that allows fans to get a bit more lost in than a flat, utilitarian field. There are already some trees in Grange Grove, but the DIA is making a pretty lame mistake (JMO, of course) it prioritizes maintaining a strictly utilitarian flat grid of grass over an actual grove for practical reasons alone. People make tailgating work wherever, we don't need it to be cookie cutter.
I have posted these before, but I think our Grange Grove would benefit greatly from fans feeling like they are in actual grove like at some of the other premiere tailgating locations...
ILLINOIS
GEORGIA
OLE MISS ("The Grove")
INDIANA
I'm only hard on Memorial Stadium and Grange Grove because I see SO much potential in both. If we just had sort of a clunker that we loved "because it was ours" (as I frankly viewed Assembly Hall pre-renovation), I wouldn't get too worked up about improvements. However, we are blessed with such an ideal tailgating setup that only needs a few touch-ups to provide it with some actual character and atmosphere, and the beauty of Memorial Stadium (sans Horseshoe) needs no explanation.
... with the much more wooded view west of the stadium:
Simply put, trees are aesthetically pleasing and provide an "environment" that allows fans to get a bit more lost in than a flat, utilitarian field. There are already some trees in Grange Grove, but the DIA is making a pretty lame mistake (JMO, of course) it prioritizes maintaining a strictly utilitarian flat grid of grass over an actual grove for practical reasons alone. People make tailgating work wherever, we don't need it to be cookie cutter.
I have posted these before, but I think our Grange Grove would benefit greatly from fans feeling like they are in actual grove like at some of the other premiere tailgating locations...
ILLINOIS
GEORGIA
OLE MISS ("The Grove")
INDIANA
I'm only hard on Memorial Stadium and Grange Grove because I see SO much potential in both. If we just had sort of a clunker that we loved "because it was ours" (as I frankly viewed Assembly Hall pre-renovation), I wouldn't get too worked up about improvements. However, we are blessed with such an ideal tailgating setup that only needs a few touch-ups to provide it with some actual character and atmosphere, and the beauty of Memorial Stadium (sans Horseshoe) needs no explanation.
Especially if the are going to call it a “grove”. Grange Prairie, Grange Lawn, ok, but Grange Grove, then plant some trees.
Yes! Plant more trees! Plant some sugar maples for their orange fall color! While your at it rip out the turf and have a grass field. The ag department can maintain it for course credit. Doesn’t Penn State and Purdue have turf management classes and don’t they oversee the upkeep of their football fields? Why can’t Illinois do the same? An old historic stadium should have grass not turf!
So what I thought is confirmed. None of those areas pictured are immediately adjacent to their stadium. Does no one besides me think that makes a difference? Sure, plant more trees! They still take time to grow and become mature. Our NEW Grange Grove abuts the entrance to Memorial Stadium. No idea what that area was previously, I doubt they cut down trees to 'make' Grange Grove. I get that planting more trees there will make it more 'natural' and therefore more appealing. Context my friends, context..... it matters! And this just popped into my head, some part of my brain/memory tells me that it was formerly a parking lot.... amirite?
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Weren't there some tennis courts on that side of Memorial Stadium in the 70s and 80s? As a donor, I definitely remember parking outside in what is now Grange Grove back in the 80s.