Neyland Stadium South End Zone Renovations

[ptcarter]

HD TV is the culprit, that and high ticket prices. I'm a homer, and have had access to season tickets since '77. Watched my first game in Neyland in '65. It's special for sure.
But, it's dated. Maybe that gives it character. Some things I love - where else can you pee in a bathtub?
For those who say it's the best in the SEC, it just isn't. It really needs a makeover.

I went to the TA&M game a few years ago. That is a nice stadium.

The upper deck, east side for example. Built in the '60's - where my season tickets are - Lots of rust - each year I look to see if it gets addressed and it doesn't. I've posted these shots before, and amazed they let this stuff go for so many years.



I'm not sure exactly what the solution is. I know that compared to TV revenue, butts in seats isn't the revenue generator it once was.
Big Ten TV signed a contract in 2016 for $2.64 Billion dollars, which when distributed to each school was $51 million. Let's add some zeros, shall we: $264,000,000,000. When SEC resigns it's contract, it should be in that ball park.

So why not drop the seat prices, just enough to where a middle class family can afford a game or two a season, and fill the stadium every time? The greatness of Neyland is how intimidating it can be when a good team is on the field and the stadium is full. And when that happens, recruits are impressed and the all things improve. Would love to also see at least 1 powder puff game go away. Yes, it's good for the freshman to get playing time, however it's hard to get in the car and drive 4 hours to Knoxville and watch a game when it's ETSU or UTC, then drive 4 hours back. Let's get Penn State, Ohio State, Florida State, UCLA, or one of those. Sure, it might be hard to get to a bowl, but it's better football.

One last thought - I miss the days when you could see the hill from the stadium. I know.. we can't go back that far, so don't scold me. Not advocating that. But it was a simpler time. (heavy sigh..)

 

[Pump Guy]

There are some crazy threads that pop up in the off season for sure. There are many on this site that have been to a lot of football games, but some, well.

What I find is that everyone is biased to their own team. Heck, I had someone try to tell me that Vanderbilt's stadium is a better game day experience than Neyland! I will say it is a fact that, unless you are in chair-back seats, no stadium is spacious or comfortable.

Having said that, it is a fact that Neyland Stadium is one of the most iconic stadiums in the country and I believe is clearly the most iconic in the SEC. I am good with renovations and upgrades, but taking out a whole part of the deck? That is silly. Also, these jumbotrons, especially Auburn's, are way to distracting. I have been to several Auburn games over the past couple of years, and I am amazed at how the players get distracted by that monstrosity. I remember seeing Saban watching the screen several times.

If you would rather watch a game on a big screen TV in the comfort of your own home, can't argue with that, everyone has their own preference. Me, the game day experience can't be beat. Also, watching the game from the stands, you can see so much more; holes develop, wide receivers break open, the should-be holding calls that Alabama gets away with, and seeing when a team is beat.

Neyland needs some work, but I don't know anybody who turns down a ticket when the team is winning. The stadium was in a lot worse shape in 1998, and you couldn't buy a ticket and yes, every game in 1998 was on TV. I don't believe renovations will put more people in the seats, I liken it more to repaving an interstate. Over time, this stuff has to be done.

 

[The Original Fade]

There are some crazy threads that pop up in the off season for sure. There are many on this site that have been to a lot of football games, but some, well.

What I find is that everyone is biased to their own team. Heck, I had someone try to tell me that Vanderbilt's stadium is a better game day experience than Neyland! I will say it is a fact that, unless you are in chair-back seats, no stadium is spacious or comfortable.

Having said that, it is a fact that Neyland Stadium is one of the most iconic stadiums in the country and I believe is clearly the most iconic in the SEC. I am good with renovations and upgrades, but taking out a whole part of the deck? That is silly. Also, these jumbotrons, especially Auburn's, are way to distracting. I have been to several Auburn games over the past couple of years, and I am amazed at how the players get distracted by that monstrosity. I remember seeing Saban watching the screen several times.

If you would rather watch a game on a big screen TV in the comfort of your own home, can't argue with that, everyone has their own preference. Me, the game day experience can't be beat. Also, watching the game from the stands, you can see so much more; holes develop, wide receivers break open, the should-be holding calls that Alabama gets away with, and seeing when a team is beat.

Neyland needs some work, but I don't know anybody who turns down a ticket when the team is winning. The stadium was in a lot worse shape in 1998, and you couldn't buy a ticket and yes, every game in 1998 was on TV. I don't believe renovations will put more people in the seats, I liken it more to repaving an interstate. Over time, this stuff has to be done.

I’d say the only reason to fight traffic, pay high ticket prices, deal with crowds, and overpriced food is to see a rivalry game about once every two years just to get the game day experience. Everything else I would watch from the comfort of my favorite chair where food and beverage is steps away and I can pause the game, post on VN, rewind big plays, and flip around during breaks and check other games. That’s just me

 

[solivols]

I’ve been to every stadium in the SEC except for Missouri and Mississippi State and you are dead wrong. Give it up. Poor logic, fundamentally weak argument.

/thread

You've definitely changed some minds here with your detailed analysis. Neyland is great because it has character that other stadiums don't, but at the end of the day it looks like rusty scaffolding and walking through the south concourse feels like you're walking through catacombs. Neyland is worn and tired. It's hard to argue that places like Jordan Hare, Sanford for example aren't more aesthetically pleasing -- because they are. Neyland has some intangibles, but it's far from the best stadium even in the SEC.

 

[savannahfan]

I guess in business you have to change with the times. Sure, I love having such a big stadium, but people are simply staying home....regardless of who the team is. People are choosing to stay in the comforts of their homes or go to sports bars and hang out with friends. When making decisions like this, studies have been done, it's not someone making a decision off a whim.

Just curious, who are the people and who are the people "studied". Do "they" go find these people in sports bars, do they send out mail,etc.? I just wonder. I, as I feel many like me, never answer any kind of polling, (it's none of their business). Now in this age of social media enlightenment, young people seem to be more open to "polling" (and some older folks). What I am trying to ask is who do "they", "study' and for that matter, who are "they" and who pays them to study? Most polls or studies reflect to some degree what the person paying wants to see. That is unless you are Pres. Trump, he just fires pollsters if he doesn't like what they tell him!! That'll teach hum!

 

[Vfl2407]

Well, you gotta get rid of the troughs.
I don’t want to know my fellow Vol fans or them me that well.
I’d rather hold it for three hours.
And, remember, I’m the guy that poles our fan base on game days. Ironical, huh.

 

[twoffo]

If you haven’t noticed, visitor aren’t buying those seats anymore.

Only a fool would agree to buy seats in the worst seats in the stadium when you can buy much better seats from a third party. When was the last time you an SEC team sold out their allotment at an SEC stadium?

Some ‘fools’ are only able to afford the worst seats in the stadium.

The lowered demand has resulted in more reasonable prices, allowing many to attend games that otherwise could not afford it.

 

[XknoxvolsX]

Many college football stadiums around the country are scaling back their capacity to make the college game day experience better. Attendance across the board is down. With the exception of maybe teams like Nebraska. Colleges have literally done a lot of surveys and this is what they have found. This includes wifi as well.

 

[Sara Clark]

Just curious, who are the people and who are the people "studied". Do "they" go find these people in sports bars, do they send out mail,etc.? I just wonder. I, as I feel many like me, never answer any kind of polling, (it's none of their business). Now in this age of social media enlightenment, young people seem to be more open to "polling" (and some older folks). What I am trying to ask is who do "they", "study' and for that matter, who are "they" and who pays them to study? Most polls or studies reflect to some degree what the person paying wants to see. That is unless you are Pres. Trump, he just fires pollsters if he doesn't like what they tell him!! That'll teach hum!

I wouldn't know who TN uses for sports management studies or who the sample is. But many Universities outsource for studies aimed at combating less attendance to sporting events. We (Lee University) hired an outside firm to study the feasibility of bringing a football program to our school. It's just part of day to day business to do this.

 

[IndianapolisVol]

You've definitely changed some minds here with your detailed analysis. Neyland is great because it has character that other stadiums don't, but at the end of the day it looks like rusty scaffolding and walking through the south concourse feels like you're walking through catacombs. Neyland is worn and tired. It's hard to argue that places like Jordan Hare, Sanford for example aren't more aesthetically pleasing -- because they are. Neyland has some intangibles, but it's far from the best stadium even in the SEC.

I wasn’t arguing that Neyland is one of the best, I was arguing that Sanford Stadium ISN’T one of the best.

If you watch a game at Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M or LSU you will agree that Sanford is far from being one of the best in the conference. I would put Sanford Stadium slightly ahead of Vaught Hemingway stadium in Oxford (post renovation).

Of all of the stadiums in the southeastern conference the OP chose Sanford Stadium as an example of a stadium that we should aspire to be like, which is completely wild to me.

 

[Jaws]

I don't want to sacrifice capacity for a better view. I've always tooked pride in being one of the largest stadiums in college football. Just my two cents tho

I like the idea of UT somehow leveraging the view of that beautiful, iconic river.

And the era of “we’ve got the largest stadium” may be slowly dying with this new softer generation. The students are hurting attendance at most of the big SEC schools. When I was going to UF games in the 90’s, the students were the first ones in the stadium and they were insane from the time they entered until the game was over. Nowadays, students come strolling in 10 minutes after kickoff, and immediately begin tweeting about how hot it is. If their WiFi signal isn’t strong enough, they’ll get up and leave. The students and frankly many of the older alumni, can’t handle the cramped metal seating with no chair back support. The days of cramming 90,000-100,000 in a stadium, telling them to watch football on a cramped metal bleacher seat, with the closest bathroom and concession stand a 10 minute walk away, are fading away.

The other issues impacting attendance is that visiting team fan bases aren’t traveling to away games like they used to. Used to be, you could guarantee 12,000-15,000 opposing fans for any big SEC game. I read a stat and I’m going off memory so my apologies if this number is slightly off, but I think the average is now down to 5,000-7,000 traveling fans.

So combining these issues, I think AD’s and Presidents think it makes more sense to renovate stadiums that cater more toward comfort, ability to freely interact on social media, and basically allow people as many of the comforts of “watching at home” as possible. The question is, and fans should definitely have a say in this, would you rather lose some capacity for a superior game day experience? Would you like a nice chair back, comfortable seat with a little more room, concessions and bathroom right outside your seating area, air conditioned concourses with big screen, high def TV’s, etc, but your stadium capacity may go from 100k plus in Neyland to say 90k, or from 90k plus in the Swamp to 80k?

Those are questions all SEC programs will have to deal with eventually. Personally, I’d like to find a happy medium. I do not want a SEC college game day becoming like the NFL. The college atmosphere is distinctly different, fans are so into the game that not much else matters. When you add too many perks and amenities, fan attention is on other things and the game day atmosphere is lessened. I’ve been to college games where people literally never leave their seat and some never even sit down until half time. Conversely, I’ve been to NFL games where people would rather stand in the air conditioned concourse and sip martinis, than sit in their actual seats. TIAA Bank Field where the Jaguars play has swimming pools for crying out loud (which are actually pretty cool). But I can’t imagine swimming pools in SEC stadiums.

 

[ptcarter]

I like the idea of UT somehow leveraging the view of that beautiful, iconic river.

And the era of “we’ve got the largest stadium” may be slowly dying with this new softer generation. The students are hurting attendance at most of the big SEC schools. When I was going to UF games in the 90’s, the students were the first ones in the stadium and they were insane from the time they entered until the game was over. Nowadays, students come strolling in 10 minutes after kickoff, and immediately begin tweeting about how hot it is. If their WiFi signal isn’t strong enough, they’ll get up and leave. The students and frankly many of the older alumni, can’t handle the cramped metal seating with no chair back support. The days of cramming 90,000-100,000 in a stadium, telling them to watch football on a cramped metal bleacher seat, with the closest bathroom and concession stand a 10 minute walk away, are fading away.

The other issues impacting attendance is that visiting team fan bases aren’t traveling to away games like they used to. Used to be, you could guarantee 12,000-15,000 opposing fans for any big SEC game. I read a stat and I’m going off memory so my apologies if this number is slightly off, but I think the average is now down to 5,000-7,000 traveling fans.

So combining these issues, I think AD’s and Presidents think it makes more sense to renovate stadiums that cater more toward comfort, ability to freely interact on social media, and basically allow people as many of the comforts of “watching at home” as possible. The question is, and fans should definitely have a say in this, would you rather lose some capacity for a superior game day experience? Would you like a nice chair back, comfortable seat with a little more room, concessions and bathroom right outside your seating area, air conditioned concourses with big screen, high def TV’s, etc, but your stadium capacity may go from 100k plus in Neyland to say 90k, or from 90k plus in the Swamp to 80k?

Those are questions all SEC programs will have to deal with eventually. Personally, I’d like to find a happy medium. I do not want a SEC college game day becoming like the NFL. The college atmosphere is distinctly different, fans are so into the game that not much else matters. When you add too many perks and amenities, fan attention is on other things and the game day atmosphere is lessened. I’ve been to college games where people literally never leave their seat and some never even sit down until half time. Conversely, I’ve been to NFL games where people would rather stand in the air conditioned concourse and sip martinis, than sit in their actual seats. TIAA Bank Field where the Jaguars play has swimming pools for crying out loud (which are actually pretty cool). But I can’t imagine swimming pools in SEC stadiums.

^^This^^
Yep, student body is getting soft. Maybe just us old farts reminiscing. Think this era of student could stand to watch football behind a chicken fence? (Now actually, this is waaaay before my time, but it shows how things have changed).. CLICK ON PICS to make larger.

 

[Pride85]

Man, when will the off season be over?

 

[NorCalVol67]

Man, when will the off season be over?

August 31

 

[Sara Clark]

Man, when will the off season be over?

It's almost time. I placed an order for some new clothes this morning!

 

[TAF]

The upper deck, east side for example. Built in the '60's - where my season tickets are - Lots of rust - each year I look to see if it gets addressed and it doesn't. I've posted these shots before, and amazed they let this stuff go for so many years.

View attachment 210069View attachment 210070

GOOD for you posting these...I had seats that looked onto this type of lack of care/heavy rust in a game last year...I couldn't find the pics, but THIS is an atrocious look, that is EASILY remedied, with some TLC by the University.

 

[onevol74]

People can't afford to come like they once did because it is too expensive for the working middle class. Now, they want to make things luxurious. Its blowing up right in their faces. They've taken the game and football out of the equation. It's about comfort, ritzy sky boxes, flashy things and raking in large amounts of money. It's not about the game and having as many people as you can jam in there to see it. Remember those 108,000 and 109,000 attendance games? That's what was fun. We can't afford the ridiculous prices now so they have to turn it into a circus or some kind of four star hotel accommodations. We can only look back, now, with the best of memories as to how enjoyable it was to attend a football game with the masses. The liberals have came along and ruined sports as we knew it and had held dear to our hearts and culture.

This exactly. Neyland was never over built. When they started filling it with over 100,000 they jacked up all the prices thinking they could gouge the fans. The atmosphere in Neyland is nothing like it used to be when we were mediocre back in the 80’s. In the 90’s we were the ONLY southern school that could fill a stadium that size.

I think the reputation of the stadium has suffered recently and, in effect, our recruiting. Especially with the downsizing. Tennessee was the shining star in the south years ago and now is viewed as a has been.

 

[basspond]

I had South End Zone upper deck season tickets for several years. I had no problem at all. I did take binoculars to better see plays and players but, that's only part of it. The atmosphere of 100,000+ people roaring at every play is what makes it a great environment. Honestly, I see mostly empty seats up in the sky boxes on the East side at the games I've been to in the last 6-8 years than that in the South End Zone. When they start winning again, all the seats will fill up again.

 

[MAD]

I have always complained about the downfall in attendance on the Titans moving to Tennessee. The Vikings/Golden Gophers are a perfect comparison. Vikings are also one of the few NFL teams that choose to use the state as their name just like the Titans.

I took this from a Minnesota article.....
”The Minnesota Golden Gopher football program has had real trouble gaining and maintaining a strong fan base over the past 40 years or so. For some folks, the reason why is simple: the downfall of the once powerful Gopher program coincides almost exactly with the creation and rise of the NFL Minnesota Vikings. Since the late 60's Minnesota has been dominated by the Vikings, and the Gophers have been a complete afterthought.”

 

[MWAVolfan]

Looks like something is about to be announced...

When Phillip Fulmer expects Tennessee's Neyland Stadium renovation to begin

This is what we should do (minus the dressing room). It gets rid of the upper deck that we can’t sell tickets in, opens the stadium to the iconic view of the river and makes room for a new, larger size video board (move the old one to the north side).

View attachment 209973

If we win like we ought to, selling out those seats will be no problem. We have had one of the largest stadiums in the country forever and there's no reason to go backwards because of a couple bonehead coaches.

 

[MWAVolfan]

I have always complained about the downfall in attendance on the Titans moving to Tennessee. The Vikings/Golden Gophers are a perfect comparison. Vikings are also one of the few NFL teams that choose to use the state as their name just like the Titans.

I took this from a Minnesota article.....
”The Minnesota Golden Gopher football program has had real trouble gaining and maintaining a strong fan base over the past 40 years or so. For some folks, the reason why is simple: the downfall of the once powerful Gopher program coincides almost exactly with the creation and rise of the NFL Minnesota Vikings. Since the late 60's Minnesota has been dominated by the Vikings, and the Gophers have been a complete afterthought.”

also the Gophers suck at football. Hard to keep a fanbase with decades of losing.

If UT is winning, the Titans will be overshadowed.

Most Titans fans dont overlap with Tennessee fans anyhow because most Nashvillians are transplants from the north, which is part of the reason Nashville can support an NFL team to begin with.

If UT wins, literally none of this matters.

 

[Pride85]

August 31

Not soon enough. Even our stadium is trash now

 

[XknoxvolsX]

How many of you know that when the land was donated for the football field that the contract stated the North end was to remain open where students would be able to sit on the hill and watch games?

Then, in the 80's when they went to put in the upper deck, they had to actually go back to court to have that changed.

 

[Savannahbayvol]

I don't think it has to be that low but let's be honest. It's a 100k capacity crammed into a 90k space.

Ha, remember what I said the first time(89) I went to the Rose bowl when we played UCLA. I sat down and said, geez, if Doug Dickey was in charge of this place it would seat 130,000!. The Rose Bowl has downsized over the years. No way Neyland avoids it, like T-B's upper deck.

 

[FormerLadyVolFan]

The lousy tickets that UT and other SEC teams send to the visiting teams are full price $100+ tickets.

Some ‘fools’ are only able to afford the worst seats in the stadium.

The lowered demand has resulted in more reasonable prices, allowing many to attend games that otherwise could not afford it.