Jordan-Hare Stadium Renovation

[abw0004 10,108]

The stadium isn't a piece of trash like many are implying it is.  It is not up to par with some other stadiums, sure.  But, it is not a bottom-tier stadium.  I enjoy my time every time I am in Jordan-Hare.  And this is coming from someone who does donate to the school.  One thing I did wish we would do is make all four corners of the stadium like the recruiting lounge corner, just to make it aesthetically pleasing.  No need to add more seats until we pack out the current seats, or it would just be more empty seats.  We could not even fill up the stadium when we were still contenders in the early part of the season which still boggles my mind.

[keesler 5,924]

17 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

Auburn just refuses to be a "cool" looking program outside of social media and a couple cool coaches. They do a good job with the athletics' merch considering its UNDER ARMOUR 

Auburn wants to be "cool" in a different sorta way. 

Big banners, flashy hype videos,  giant Aubietron,  neat tag lines, annual motto's and slogans,  Auburn Fast/All In/Earn It/Tough'n Together/Count on Me. 

Auburn is cool in an inexpensive way.  It's much cheaper to plaster billboards, work social media and create videos than it is to throw up actual brick 'n mortar.

[abw0004 10,108]

2 hours ago, keesler said:

Auburn wants to be "cool" in a different sorta way. 

Big banners, flashy hype videos,  giant Aubietron,  neat tag lines, annual motto's and slogans,  Auburn Fast/All In/Earn It/Tough'n Together/Count on Me. 

Auburn is cool in an inexpensive way.  It's much cheaper to plaster billboards, work social media and create videos than it is to throw up actual brick 'n mortar.

Hey I love those hype videos!  Those are my jam.  Keep em' comin'

[AUTigerTime 186]

5 hours ago, abw0004 said:

No need to add more seats until we pack out the current seats, or it would just be more empty seats.  We could not even fill up the stadium when we were still contenders in the early part of the season which still boggles my mind.

I'm not sure of the attendance numbers this year, but if we're selling out tickets for 50% of the games, then we need to expand.

It's similar to a restaurant. If you have a waiting list for 50% of the day, you probably need to expand your restaurant. You shouldn't wait until you have a waiting list for 100% of the day before you consider expanding. A lot of people just don't want to eat at 3pm.

There will obviously be busy times of the day (good games) and slow times of the day (cupcakes), and if you wait until you're always sold out, you will be missing out on a lot of people who wanted to come to dinner at the prime time, and chose to go somewhere else because the wait was 2hrs long.

When it comes to football, a lot of their money comes from donations. If people aren't able to get into the stadium to watch games (the good ones), then they aren't coming to the school as often or at all. They aren't bringing their kids. They lose that touch with the University and community. And in the long run, they lose donations/future alumni/interest.

If you think that we aren't selling seats, then i should be able to call up the ticket office a week or two before the game and buy tickets for face value to games like LSU, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Ms St. Is that possible right now?

[abw0004 10,108]

4 minutes ago, AUTigerTime said:

If you think that we aren't selling seats, then i should be able to call up the ticket office a week or two before the game and buy tickets for face value to games like LSU, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Ms St. Is that possible right now?

So two things:  In order to get tickets have you to make a donation as well so you will never be able to buy season tickets at face from Auburn.  And it has been well storied that we did not sell out our seats last year.  The Chick Fil A kick-off we did not sell out our allotment.  And yes that is possible.  That is why Auburn sells their "mini-seasons" once the season has started.  Not one time this year was the stadium packed.  I say that as someone who wants to see the stadium packed too so I say that sadly.

[keesler 5,924]

1 hour ago, abw0004 said:

Hey I love those hype videos!  Those are my jam.  Keep em' comin'

I had you in mind the very minute I stroked the keyboard abw. I know your affinity for the hype videos. 

[AUTigerTime 186]

17 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

 So two things:  In order to get tickets have you to make a donation as well so you will never be able to buy season tickets at face from Auburn.  And it has been well storied that we did not sell out our seats last year.  The Chick Fil A kick-off we did not sell out our allotment.  And yes that is possible.  That is why Auburn sells their "mini-seasons" once the season has started.  Not one time this year was the stadium packed.  I say that as someone who wants to see the stadium packed too so I say that sadly.

Well, maybe that's the problem. They should. People should be able to buy tickets directly from the ticket office if there are apparently "seats available". It's asinine to not sell a ticket that's available just because "you have to donate additional money", or have to buy packs of tickets. I completely understand if they want to sell those types of tickets first, but after a certain amount of time, they should be available to the general public.

I live too far away to go to multiple games a year, and i don't want to spend an entire weekend away from the house and several hundred dollars to go see us play Crap State International in a blowout. I want to see real games, and i want to buy tickets directly from Auburn. That's not an unreasonable request.

[weagl1 1,781]

I always thought the excuse was that JJ was not trusted enough to be in change of any more renovation.  Now Gus seems to be the scapegoat.  You have to wonder what’s going on.  

[auburn4ever 1,266]

If Gus has another 8-5 record or even a 7-6 record, tickets buyers for 2020 are gonna drop like a rock. If that happens, I wonder if Auburn's President, AD and the BOT's will give Gus another year and more $.

[NCTiger1982 168]

2010 , 2013 & throw in 2017 if you have to. That is 3 double digit seasons where we were in the hunt. So 3 good seasons & 6 bad to mediocre ones. Flip that to 6 double digit win seasons with a couple championships (in the mix these 6 seasons) and 3 bad seasons and JH is full and money is pouring in for any investments needed. We have continued to have s*** leadership and going to games if you are outside the state is a minimum two night stay and expensive. While all of us have HOPE at the beginning of the season we have been conditioned to expect disappointment under Chizik & Gus unless you are ok with 7-8 win seasons. This impacts ticket sales. 

 

 

[keesler 5,924]

9 hours ago, NCTiger1982 said:

2010 , 2013 & throw in 2017 if you have to. That is 3 double digit seasons where we were in the hunt. So 3 good seasons & 6 bad to mediocre ones. Flip that to 6 double digit win seasons with a couple championships (in the mix these 6 seasons) and 3 bad seasons and JH is full and money is pouring in for any investments needed. We have continued to have s*** leadership and going to games if you are outside the state is a minimum two night stay and expensive. While all of us have HOPE at the beginning of the season we have been conditioned to expect disappointment under Chizik & Gus unless you are ok with 7-8 win seasons. This impacts ticket sales. 

 

 

I understand where you're coming from, but it makes us sound like "fair weather" fans.

In the last decade, Auburn football has experienced success at a historical level.  There have been ups/downs and a lot of staying in the middle, but the Admin, BOT and huge $$ donors could've and should've started a renovation/redevelopment project years ago.  A vision for JHS, and a football only complex and a long term plan for constant upgraded amenities all along the way.   

They simply do not care if Auburn "keeps up with the Joneses", the other elite programs in our region of football.  My concern now is they don't appear to care if Auburn "keeps up with the Johnston's", the average to mediocre programs anymore. 

When the Mississippi schools, Arkansas, So Carl, UK, etc show initiative and are able to find funding, and have a long term plan for the future, why does it feel like AU takes a backseat, and is content to sit back in the corner and watch those programs shine?

 

[CAReeves2010 627]

10 hours ago, NCTiger1982 said:

2010 , 2013 & throw in 2017 if you have to. That is 3 double digit seasons where we were in the hunt. So 3 good seasons & 6 bad to mediocre ones. Flip that to 6 double digit win seasons with a couple championships (in the mix these 6 seasons) and 3 bad seasons and JH is full and money is pouring in for any investments needed. We have continued to have s*** leadership and going to games if you are outside the state is a minimum two night stay and expensive. While all of us have HOPE at the beginning of the season we have been conditioned to expect disappointment under Chizik & Gus unless you are ok with 7-8 win seasons. This impacts ticket sales. 

 

 

I don't see what leadership has to do with how expensive it is to stay in Auburn because it's expensive everywhere. AU could go on a bama type run and I still don't think you'd see rows 26 and up in the upper decks full. I sat up there a few years ago and I'll never do it again because I spent most of the time watching a screen trying to figure out what was going on. Things are different today for everybody. I work with a big clemson fan and instead of dealing with traffic or his kids complaining about the heat, his family picks one night game a year to go to and they watch the rest at home. 

[abw0004 10,108]

10 hours ago, NCTiger1982 said:

2010 , 2013 & throw in 2017 if you have to. That is 3 double digit seasons where we were in the hunt. So 3 good seasons & 6 bad to mediocre ones. Flip that to 6 double digit win seasons with a couple championships (in the mix these 6 seasons) and 3 bad seasons and JH is full and money is pouring in for any investments needed. We have continued to have s*** leadership and going to games if you are outside the state is a minimum two night stay and expensive. While all of us have HOPE at the beginning of the season we have been conditioned to expect disappointment under Chizik & Gus unless you are ok with 7-8 win seasons. This impacts ticket sales. 

The majority of season ticket holders renew their tickets no matter what the season is projected to be.  Win or lose we are in that stadium.  There is more than the game itself to wanting to be there for gameday.  I was there in the 2012 season, and I was there for the 2010 and 2013 seasons.  It's the atmosphere, it's the people, it's the old memories, and the new ones to be made.  It is so much more than wins and losses.

The biggest factor that is impacting ticket sales is the ability to watch all of the games from the comfort of your own home.  The SEC Network really made sure of that.  And this is impacting all sports.  I have faith that Greene will make the right decisions going forward however.  Arenas and stadiums are now going for premium experience to entice fans to watch it in person.  Atlanta has done this recently with their new stadium with premium, low cost food and their Hawks arena remodel with TopGolf coming in and installing virtual bays and plush seating.  If I were Greene, I would start with continuing to upgrade the user experience before adding seating.  Right now we are good with everything outside of the stadium and our traffic plans.  We are out of Auburn within 10 minutes.  We got a good start with the state-of-the-art JBL sound system and video board and renovated bathrooms and TV's mounted everywhere.  Right now we are in the process of upgrading the suites.  My guess may be the concession stands, adding better food at lower prices.  Once attendance goes up, we add more seating.

[abw0004 10,108]

26 minutes ago, CAReeves2010 said:

I work with a big clemson fan and instead of dealing with traffic or his kids complaining about the heat, his family picks one night game a year to go to and they watch the rest at home. 

If anyone should be upset with their stadium, it should be Clemson.  With what their program is today, their stadium is much worse than ours is.  Their jumbotron is very tiny and standard definition and you can barely hear anything.  The seating is very confusing with trying to find your seat and the food wasn't good.  It was also difficult to find the gate to even get in the stadium.  Clemson's traffic plan is also the absolute worst.  To the point that they need to be embarrassed.  In 2017 it took us 2 hours alone to get out of town of Clemson. 

[eibua12 81]

22 minutes ago, CAReeves2010 said:

I don't see what leadership has to do with how expensive it is to stay in Auburn because it's expensive everywhere. AU could go on a bama type run and I still don't think you'd see rows 26 and up in the upper decks full. I sat up there a few years ago and I'll never do it again because I spent most of the time watching a screen trying to figure out what was going on. Things are different today for everybody. I work with a big clemson fan and instead of dealing with traffic or his kids complaining about the heat, his family picks one night game a year to go to and they watch the rest at home. 

They days of packed stadiums are gone and will never return.  There is too much competition for family activities that are year round which leads to the fact that going to an Auburn game regardless of the team's ability to succeed has moved way down the list for a lot of people.  Alumni are also spread all over the country more now then ever before and getting back to Auburn is tough for many reasons with cost being numero uno!   All in cost for a family of 4 for a decent game is at least $700 for the day if you live close and it goes up from there.  We attended the Liberty game this year it was at least $500 (tickets [I did buy 50 yard line so], food, gas, lemonade, etc) and if you add in gear $700.  This was the first game we have attended in years albeit we were in town for a couple others just didn't go to the games.  Limiting factors:  We are busy and coming to Auburn for an entire day is out of the question for most of the season!  Fact is people are putting a priority on other things regardless of cost, environment , and success of the team. 

TV killed the Stadium Star!

You can't compare other fan bases to our fan base they are all different for many reasons but I would like to see us upgrade our facilities to provide a great environment and venue for the fan base.  Most programs are no longer looking to expand their stadiums and in fact are contracting their overall capacity in favor of amenities such as suites etc.  Funny that was the mission behind the design for Basketball when you make it the same for all sport especially Football.  The right sized best game day experience, period!

[abw0004 10,108]

3 minutes ago, eibua12 said:

They days of packed stadiums are gone and will never return.  There is too much competition for family activities that are year round which leads to the fact that going to an Auburn game regardless of the team's ability to succeed has moved way down the list for a lot of people.  Alumni are also spread all over the country more now then ever before and getting back to Auburn is tough for many reasons with cost being numero uno!   All in cost for a family of 4 for a decent game is at least $700 for the day if you live close and it goes up from there.  We attended the Liberty game this year it was at least $500 (tickets [I did buy 50 yard line so], food, gas, lemonade, etc) and if you add in gear $700.  This was the first game we have attended in years albeit we were in town for a couple others just didn't go to the games.  Limiting factors:  We are busy and coming to Auburn for an entire day is out of the question for most of the season!  Fact is people are putting a priority on other things regardless of cost, environment , and success of the team. 

TV killed the Stadium Star!

You can't compare other fan bases to our fan base they are all different for many reasons but I would like to see us upgrade our facilities to provide a great environment and venue for the fan base.  Most programs are no longer looking to expand their stadiums and in fact are contracting their overall capacity in favor of amenities such as suites etc.  Funny that was the mission behind the design for Basketball when you make it the same for all sport especially Football.  The right sized best game day experience, period!

That is also a good point.  You may see in the coming years, some stadiums downsizing because empty upper decks to not look good on TV.  How many times have we seen some bowl games where the bowl sponsor covered sections of seating with advertising tarps due to unsold tickets?  In the long run, not adding seats may help Auburn if they allocate their money to other aspects of upgrading the stadium.  As I say this, that means the ticket prices will remain high as their are less seats to go around, which is a downside.

[CAReeves2010 627]

14 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

If anyone should be upset with their stadium, it should be Clemson.  With what their program is today, their stadium is much worse than ours is.  Their jumbotron is very tiny and standard definition and you can barely hear anything.  The seating is very confusing with trying to find your seat and the food wasn't good.  It was also difficult to find the gate to even get in the stadium.  Clemson's traffic plan is also the absolute worst.  To the point that they need to be embarrassed.  In 2017 it took us 2 hours alone to get out of town of Clemson. 

Dang. I was actually thinking about taking my family this year just to check it out but if it's that bad we may go to Columbia or watch AU play Florida. 

[abw0004 10,108]

13 minutes ago, CAReeves2010 said:

Dang. I was actually thinking about taking my family this year just to check it out but if it's that bad we may go to Columbia or watch AU play Florida. 

The whole campus really makes you appreciate Auburn's campus a lot more.  It is Auburn's ugly twin.  I applaud Auburn for their work outside of the stadium, making sure the brick matches on new buildings, creating walkways for pedestrians, easy to navigate traffic routes, etc.  All Clemson has on us is Lake Hartwell, which is my favorite lake to go to.  Want to know something funny, Clemson's copy of our Samford Hall, their clock tower is fake.  It doesn't work, never did.  

[logan adams 333]

On 1/16/2019 at 4:09 PM, meh130 said:

As I recall, when the East upper deck was being built, it was built so the West and East upper decks could be connected via a horseshoe North end zone upper deck. I faintly remember this being mentioned, perhaps by Pat Dye.

The reason Bryant Denny Stadium has disconnected end zone upper decks is because the two sideline upper decks are at different heights.

This is the same case with Jordan Hare. They aren’t at the exact same height. 

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

54 minutes ago, abw0004 said:

The majority of season ticket holders renew their tickets no matter what the season is projected to be.  Win or lose we are in that stadium.  There is more than the game itself to wanting to be there for gameday.  I was there in the 2012 season, and I was there for the 2010 and 2013 seasons.  It's the atmosphere, it's the people, it's the old memories, and the new ones to be made.  It is so much more than wins and losses.

The biggest factor that is impacting ticket sales is the ability to watch all of the games from the comfort of your own home.  The SEC Network really made sure of that.  And this is impacting all sports.  I have faith that Greene will make the right decisions going forward however.  Arenas and stadiums are now going for premium experience to entice fans to watch it in person.  Atlanta has done this recently with their new stadium with premium, low cost food and their Hawks arena remodel with TopGolf coming in and installing virtual bays and plush seating.  If I were Greene, I would start with continuing to upgrade the user experience before adding seating.  Right now we are good with everything outside of the stadium and our traffic plans.  We are out of Auburn within 10 minutes.  We got a good start with the state-of-the-art JBL sound system and video board and renovated bathrooms and TV's mounted everywhere.  Right now we are in the process of upgrading the suites.  My guess may be the concession stands, adding better food at lower prices.  Once attendance goes up, we add more seating.

The SEC network does hurt attendance but the money from the network more than replaces the attendance.  I am not angry about it but I am not a fan of the premium paid tailgate spots all over campus.  It was great to load the family up, get there early on Saturday, and set your spot up first come first served.  Those days are gone.  Couple that with all of the thousands of spots you are no longer allowed to park in and our game day experience has changed to the one in Athens.  Either riding the transit bus from 15 miles away or parking 2 miles from the stadium and no more tailgating.  It was a blast to set up, cook out, watch other games on TV, enjoy an adult beverage, and then go to the game.  That has turned into drive 3 hours, find parking, get out and hope to make it to Tiger Walk.

[CAReeves2010 627]

48 minutes ago, eibua12 said:

They days of packed stadiums are gone and will never return.  There is too much competition for family activities that are year round which leads to the fact that going to an Auburn game regardless of the team's ability to succeed has moved way down the list for a lot of people.  Alumni are also spread all over the country more now then ever before and getting back to Auburn is tough for many reasons with cost being numero uno!   All in cost for a family of 4 for a decent game is at least $700 for the day if you live close and it goes up from there.  We attended the Liberty game this year it was at least $500 (tickets [I did buy 50 yard line so], food, gas, lemonade, etc) and if you add in gear $700.  This was the first game we have attended in years albeit we were in town for a couple others just didn't go to the games.  Limiting factors:  We are busy and coming to Auburn for an entire day is out of the question for most of the season!  Fact is people are putting a priority on other things regardless of cost, environment , and success of the team. 

TV killed the Stadium Star!

You can't compare other fan bases to our fan base they are all different for many reasons but I would like to see us upgrade our facilities to provide a great environment and venue for the fan base.  Most programs are no longer looking to expand their stadiums and in fact are contracting their overall capacity in favor of amenities such as suites etc.  Funny that was the mission behind the design for Basketball when you make it the same for all sport especially Football.  The right sized best game day experience, period!

I definitely agree with you except my 4 and 6 year olds probably deal with sitting in the heat about the same as any kid. I wasn't comparing fan bases but if you have kids then that plays a part in it.

[NorthGATiger 1,801]

Just now, CAReeves2010 said:

I definitely agree with you except my 4 and 6 year olds probably deal with sitting in the heat about the same as any kid. I wasn't comparing fan bases but if you have kids then that plays a part in it.

Yes.  The dreaded 3:30 EST CBS kickoff.  $300-$500 dollars for tickets for a family to cook medium rare when you can watch from home.  I had to drop my season tickets due to having a young child.  No tailgating, everything is reserved, no parking, and the microwave factor.

[abw0004 10,108]

7 minutes ago, NorthGATiger said:

The SEC network does hurt attendance but the money from the network more than replaces the attendance.  I am not angry about it but I am not a fan of the premium paid tailgate spots all over campus.  It was great to load the family up, get there early on Saturday, and set your spot up first come first served.  Those days are gone.  Couple that with all of the thousands of spots you are no longer allowed to park in and our game day experience has changed to the one in Athens.  Either riding the transit bus from 15 miles away or parking 2 miles from the stadium and no more tailgating.  It was a blast to set up, cook out, watch other games on TV, enjoy an adult beverage, and then go to the game.  That has turned into drive 3 hours, find parking, get out and hope to make it to Tiger Walk.

Oh I love the SEC Network.  If I can't go to A-Day, or an away game that is not nationally televised I can watch it there.  Same with Auburn basketball.  I can't not watch an Auburn game.  I would say The Tailgate Guys are a wash since inception.  On one end, if you wanted the spots they occupy now you had to be there reserving the spot Friday morning and had to stay there until 4:00 PM before you could stake your claim.  With them, you have the spot reserved and set up for you.  You also don't have to worry about your tent, chairs, TV, etc. being taken because it's not yours to worry about.  The downside is all of the tents look the same.  It was fun to see tents of different shapes, sizes and colors.  Gave it a more authentic feel and less streamlined.  But there are still plenty of spots to do your own tailgate!

[IronMan70 3,277]

You can count me as one who would rather see nice armchair seating instead of bench seating and an 87k capacity. If JH had to have a reduced capacity of 5k fewer seats to make room then so be it. Add in the NEZ improvements, exterior brick veneer work and you would really have a classy stadium. At that point JH would become one of the jewels of the SEC. That makes a lot more sense to me in light of the competition from TV.

BTW, football 'powerhouse' Kentucky funded their improvements by floating a 25 year bond issue at low interest rates. That is the way most large capital projects are funded. All this talk about the big money boys funding this thing up front is just nonsense. They can be a secondary guarantor behind Auburn on the quarterly interest bond payment. If they want to put some money up front on this project then that's fine too.

[IronMan70 3,277]

3 hours ago, keesler said:

I understand where you're coming from, but it makes us sound like "fair weather" fans.

In the last decade, Auburn football has experienced success at a historical level.  There have been ups/downs and a lot of staying in the middle, but the Admin, BOT and huge $$ donors could've and should've started a renovation/redevelopment project years ago.  A vision for JHS, and a football only complex and a long term plan for constant upgraded amenities all along the way.   

They simply do not care if Auburn "keeps up with the Joneses", the other elite programs in our region of football.  My concern now is they don't appear to care if Auburn "keeps up with the Johnston's", the average to mediocre programs anymore. 

When the Mississippi schools, Arkansas, So Carl, UK, etc show initiative and are able to find funding, and have a long term plan for the future, why does it feel like AU takes a backseat, and is content to sit back in the corner and watch those programs shine?

 

You nailed it.