Neyland Full Capacity Reduced?

#1
AstonRoyal

AstonRoyal

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#1
According to Danny White, with the new projects to Neyland, it's looking like capacity may potentially dip below 100k.

Personally I have a lot of pride knowing that our stadium is one of the biggest in the country and I do feel like it's special to be over that 100,000 mark. I was at the oklahoma game in 2015 with 100k strong and I don't know if I've ever been in an environment like that.

I'd be curious as to everyone else's thoughts. How would you feel if Neyland was smaller than 100k?

Here's Danny's quote:
"One of the things I keep saying in our meetings, ” White said, I don’t want to be the person that determines how important being over or under 100,000 is. That’s going to be a topic of conversation as we engage in survey work and focus groups with football season-ticket holders.
“I’d like to know what our fans think about that. I need more analysis of what attendance looked like when we were good. We certainly don’t want to reduce too much and wish we had more seats when we get good again because we have every intention of doing that and competing for SEC and national championships."
“But there’s kind of a give and take there for the types of amenities we know fans want. The North end zone party deck and lower West club, there is seat reduction there. How much … is something we’ll be working on in coming months.’’

Source: Jimmy's Blog: Two projects will reduce Neyland Stadium capacity next year
 
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#3
#3
I want to see it get more seats and make it the biggest football stadium in the country.

I also want the seats to be updated so that would probably mean expansion. At that point we might as well build new stadium.

Kickstarter to rebuild Neyland?
 
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#4
#4
I do think a study would be in order. JMHO, but I am not sure, going forward, college football games anywhere will regularly draw the kinds of crowds they used to. The TV experience has just gotten so good, for one thing. Ticket prices continue to escalate. Parking is a chore. Concessions are absurdly overpriced. Covid has changed attitudes toward mass events too.

Cramming 105,000 people into a stadium, where they get a 12" by 12" section of aluminum bench to sit on, and someone else's knees in their back for 3 or 4 hours, is not appealing to a lot of people.

Lowering the capacity but providing a more comfortable, quality experience, would be a good thing.
 
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#6
#6
As much of a fan as I am of UT hiring Danny White, this is one area that I saw potential downside.
At the heart of it all, Danny White is an executive and every executive in the world has to eventually answer for the bottom line.
A huge part of the UTAD's bottom line is football revenue generation.

Assuming average ticket prince of $50 - If he can have a stadium at 95K that is always full with 500 premium tickets at $1000 each versus a stadium that seats 102,455 without those premium tickets, guess which one wins out?

One is 5.23 mill...the other is 5.12. Will he give up the title of "over 100K" to be close to 100K for that extra 110 to 120K each game day.
 
#7
#7
IndianaVol said:
As much of a fan as I am of UT hiring Danny White, this is one area that I saw potential downside.
At the heart of it all, Danny White is an executive and every executive in the world has to eventually answer for the bottom line.
A huge part of the UTAD's bottom line is football revenue generation.

Assuming average ticket prince of $50 - If he can have a stadium at 95K that is always full with 500 premium tickets at $1000 each versus a stadium that seats 102,455 without those premium tickets, guess which one wins out?

One is 5.23 mill...the other is 5.12. Will he give up the title of "over 100K" to be close to 100K for that extra 110 to 120K each game day.
Click to expand...
Well to be fair these projects were started by Fulmer
 
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#9
#9
Stop making the experience generic and like every other stadium already out there. If I wanted to go to an NFL game I'd go to an NFL game. People aren't skipping Neyland because you don't blast enough canned music. Which brings up number two-

Stop blasting me with canned music. You have a band. Get the band involved. Make it bigger, make it louder. It feels like the Pride is smaller these days. Beef it up. Maybe liven it up a little. Southern Cal does this neat thing where the band gets on the field and jams out for a half hour after games. They play all sorts of wacky stuff, obscure bits from their repertoire, etc. People love to hang around and listen, and you get the added bonus of waiting out out the traffic jams. How about you try that? Or at least take inspiration from that?

The real kicker is that a lot of this feels like trying to answer the question "how do we get people to come when the team isn't competitive on the field?" You can't buy your way out of that one, I suspect. You can't beat home. Make it different than home. Bring value. Focus on making a better experience on the field, and better value off the field. I said value. That doesn't mean assaulting me with flashing lights and constant music and whatever the heck else.

Although I will say I would like them to keep the ol' 12 inch pinch intact. Something about crowding everyone in closer makes it more intimidating to me, and I've never had a problem with it. My "I've been around here too long" hill to die on, I guess.
 
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#11
#11
Voltopia said:
Stop making the experience generic and like every other stadium already out there. If I wanted to go to an NFL game I'd go to an NFL game. People aren't skipping Neyland because you don't blast enough canned music. Which brings up number two-

Stop blasting me with canned music. You have a band. Get the band involved. Make it bigger, make it louder. It feels like the Pride is smaller these days. Beef it up. Maybe liven it up a little. Southern Cal does this neat thing where the band gets on the field and jams out for a half hour after games. They play all sorts of wacky stuff, obscure bits from their repertoire, etc. People love to hang around and listen, and you get the added bonus of waiting out out the traffic jams. How about you try that? Or at least take inspiration from that?

The real kicker is that a lot of this feels like trying to answer the question "how do we get people to come when the team isn't competitive on the field?" You can't buy your way out of that one, I suspect. You can't beat home. Make it different than home. Bring value. Focus on making a better experience on the field, and better value off the field. I said value. That doesn't mean assaulting me with flashing lights and constant music and whatever the heck else.

Although I will say I would like them to keep the ol' 12 inch pinch intact. Something about crowding everyone in closer makes it more intimidating to me, and I've never had a problem with it. My "I've been around here too long" hill to die on, I guess.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. There's a reason pro sports are getting so boring- every stadium experience is generic, the teams are boring, there's nothing unique about anywhere. What makes college unique is the different atmospheres at all the different places. This reduction to flashing lights and legitimately ****** canned music is making Neyland just like every other stadium on earth. It's no wonder people don't go, aside from the losses- it's just so bland.
 
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#12
#12
AstonRoyal said:
According to Danny White, with the new projects to Neyland, it's looking like capacity may potentially dip below 100k.

Personally I have a lot of pride knowing that our stadium is one of the biggest in the country and I do feel like it's special to be over that 100,000 mark. I was at the oklahoma game in 2015 with 100k strong and I don't know if I've ever been in an environment like that.

I'd be curious as to everyone else's thoughts. How would you feel if Neyland was smaller than 100k?

Here's Danny's quote:
"One of the things I keep saying in our meetings, ” White said, I don’t want to be the person that determines how important being over or under 100,000 is. That’s going to be a topic of conversation as we engage in survey work and focus groups with football season-ticket holders.
“I’d like to know what our fans think about that. I need more analysis of what attendance looked like when we were good. We certainly don’t want to reduce too much and wish we had more seats when we get good again because we have every intention of doing that and competing for SEC and national championships."
“But there’s kind of a give and take there for the types of amenities we know fans want. The North end zone party deck and lower West club, there is seat reduction there. How much … is something we’ll be working on in coming months.’’

Source: Jimmy's Blog: Two projects will reduce Neyland Stadium capacity next year
Click to expand...
“When we were good”😂
I hope his football players don’t hear or read his statement.🤦‍♂️
GBO!!
 
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#14
#14
golfballs said:
Those are bygone days. A reduced seating capacity makes sense for a number of reasons.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's the future everywhere.

I do think there is a chance to avoid that outcome which would be the Power 5 schools breaking away from the NCAA and only playing themselves.

But, no one is going to sell out games anymore against directional schools. I don't even know if there is a school that sells out season tickets anymore.
 
#16
#16
ButchPlz said:
I agree with you. There's a reason pro sports are getting so boring- every stadium experience is generic, the teams are boring, there's nothing unique about anywhere. What makes college unique is the different atmospheres at all the different places. This reduction to flashing lights and legitimately ****** canned music is making Neyland just like every other stadium on earth. It's no wonder people don't go, aside from the losses- it's just so bland.
Click to expand...
Have you been to a game at Arrowhead? Giants stadium? What about Lambeau? Completely different experiences at each of those places

Edit: the best of the best playing each other is never boring. Packers-49ers game was boring? Chiefs-Chargers game was boring? Raiders-Ravens game first week was boring? Dolphins-Raiders? Cowboys-Bucs?
 
Last edited:
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#17
#17
I am old and as an old person I don’t care for flashing lights or canned music.
If I was 18 or 19 and only been to high school games, then I might be really awestruck by the atmosphere at Neyland with the flashing lights, etc..
So even though I don’t care for it, I am okay with it if the students like it.
 
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#18
#18
Folks all across country are getting more comfortable watching from home on higher definition and bigger screen tvs. They then are picking 1 or 2 games to see in person instead of the religious tailgate for every home game. And then add on our situation where we arent very good some folks that would normally dependably go just dont. And with ticket prices always going up its harder to fault anyone for making those choices.

But to answer your question I do think being apart of the 100k club is special. But as time marches on I wouldn't be surprised to see more seats eliminated to make like major league baseball parks with fun zones or whatever they call them of bounce houses for the kids and moms who arent interested in the games at all to goof off till daddy says game over lets go. Sad but I believe that to be true.
 
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#19
#19
This is just the way of the world, stadiums are focusing more on quality over quantity and I think it would be great to see Neyland get a full renovation to modernize it. I personally would like to see them rip out the bleachers and put in actual seats, if that costs us 10-15k seats I'm okay with that.
 
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#22
#22
USAFgolferVol said:
Have you been to a game at Arrowhead? Giants stadium? What about Lambeau? Completely different experiences at each of those places

Edit: the best of the best playing each other is never boring. Packers-49ers game was boring? Chiefs-Chargers game was boring? Raiders-Ravens game first week was boring? Dolphins-Raiders? Cowboys-Bucs?
Click to expand...
All of those stadiums are quiet and sterile except for KC
 
#23
#23
MyVolsDropped said:
If it's less than 100k they can just eff right off.

Neyland is special. A seat reduction would take some of that away.

Why can't they expand and add seats along with the amenities?

At least add the ones that would have otherwise been lost.
Click to expand...

All stadiums will be downsized within the next decade. Ohio State just had their lowest attendance since the 70s.
Nebraska's billion game streak of sellouts ended except for 2 donors that bought up seats to keep the streak going.

Combination of factors. Good tv options. Hassle of traveling. Hassle of being around overly drunk rednecks...that said I still love the GameDay experience, good and bad.
 
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#25
#25
here is the problem. There is only one game that matters. kill the a word. everything else takes care of it's self.
 
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