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Sancet Field In Play For Football

  • How long might it be before Sancet Field is turned into A Football only practice facility?

    And if this happens, perhaps there is a chance to retain grass in Arizona Stadium? Hansen reports this week that RR is going to use Sancet as a practice area once August rolls around. This will allow the full month of August for the sod to take root. Two full months before he first game will be perfect.

    I had postulated that Sancet could be razed, and there would be enough room for both grass and Field Turf practice fields. Maybe a little extravagant, but it would be the best of both worlds -- enabling the team to practice on whatever surface they would be playing on the next week, which I think would provide a distinct advantage.

    The schematic of the North End Zone project shows a multi purpose practice field between the Library and the new facility, but don't pay any attention to that because the decision for the use of that space has not been made, and when the plans were drawn, Hi Corbett wasn't in play for the baseball team.

    BlkMtn

  • I believe the space is too valuable for commercial incometo be used as a praactice field thereby cutting the commercial area. andits value. Rember thisis not about football but about revenues.

    Jim

    jjones163 ●

  • Revenue can be generated by converting the practice facility into a beer garden on game day. This is what Oregon does and it's a great atmosphere. Given that Sancet is also next to McKale means it could be used for basketball games as well. http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205174864

    Wildcat_Brad

  • Sure it's about revenue, but right now Sancet isn't producing any revenue anyway, and the baseball team probably broke even with the rental of Hi Corbett, and can probably write its own ticket with the City of Tucson because Hi Corbett wasnt producing any revenue either. It's possible they even made a profit or paid for the cost of the program since baseball scholies a limited to 8 or 9.

    Anything built on the space of Sancet is likely to be a cost, not a revenue generator. So we'll see.

    BlkMtn

  • i have a good idea....lets put up a tent in monsoon country. that's a brilliant move! oh wait...we aren't assu!

    Wildcat_Brad

  • Better yet build a hotel and entertainment facility aand use the taxing district funding to build a practice facility and meet other building needs. This could provide greaat entertainment and accomodations for fans andopposing fanswho visit and help with raising money.

    Jim

    jjones163 ●

  • whatever goes there...one thing is for sure...it will be geared towards athletics. when it is all complete that "sports complex" (Az stadium, McKale, practice facility, etc...) is going to be an amazing spot.

    Wildcat_Brad

  • Wildcat_Brad said...

    whatever goes there...one thing is for sure...it will be geared towards athletics. when it is all complete that "sports complex" (Az stadium, McKale, practice facility, etc...) is going to be an amazing spot.

    Agreed. I also agree with jjones in that U of A could use another on or near campus hotel as the Sheraton is an absolute joke and the Marriott is nice, but not exactly breathtaking.

    Regardless, my educated guess is the current football practice area will be expanded enough into the existing Sancet field to provide two side-by-side 100-yard fields (currently they are two sid-by-side 40-yard fields). Beyond that, keep the ideas coming because UA must do something with Sancet. To big a space to allow it to sit idle for much longer.

    National Basketball Recruiting Analyst & Publisher of Wildcat Sports Report

    Gary Randazzo

  • I've heard Coach Rod mention twice that he is hoping to take over the baseball stadium as the practice field. I think this may happen next year.

    CTK3wildcat

  • the Sheraton is being converted to a swankier hotel...still withing the starwood family. Should be starting soon if not already.

    Wildcat_Brad

  • Thanks Wildcat_Brad, I was going to mention that the former Sheraton has been completely gutted on the inside. Everything on the exterior and interior has been taken out and the only thing that remains, basically, is the skeleton of the building.

    As for the space at Sancet, I doubt very much that there will be any commercial development on campus. I think it bears mentioning that the Football program now has the potential to be the largest generator of revenue in the AD. That should be the plan anyway, with the revenues from more season and walk up tickets, sell outs, TV revenues from a more successful program. RR should be able to get basically what he wants to get his program to an elite level.

    And again, from Hansen's column, it appears as though the baseball field is going to be put to use immediately for practice purposes.

    Additionally, it you look at the web cam of the stadium, it has been fully sodded, and they are watering the new sod in.

    Steve Buchanan

  • Steve there is no way thagt footballl passes Basketball inincome at Arizona inthe next several years. The net from basketvall is only beat by oone school inthe PaC 12 USC. The basketball program nets 14 to 15 million a year. In our best year 2 years ago in football we were at 10 million and our new addiiton only adds about 800 seats so they would have to raise priorty seattin donations a hell of a lot.

    Thesod does look nice.

    Jim

    jjones163 ●

  • Jim, the Basketball numbers have always been impressive, usually near the top of all schools as you say. That said, BBall is pretty much at a ceiling unless they can squeeze some more seats in.

    Given 8 games x 55K yeilds 440,000 in attendance vs maybe half that at capacity for BB.

    If the program is successful, adding in TV revenue, concessions, football can catch up. But winning comes first. But even at only $20 per ticket, the revenue is almost 9 million. The more successful a program becomes, the more opportunity from TV etc, which is split, but still adds. It won't happen overnight, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Football give BB a run for it's money.

    Steve Buchanan

  • Steve I hope it turns out you are right. In my following of arizona football since 1952 we have had one season 8-1-1 in 1961 , 2 seasons of 9-2 in 1975 and 1993 and one with 11 wins in 1998. NOT the type of winning pattern that would generate that support. TV revenues sould not be included in the discussion because they are generated by all sports under our new TV deal although shares from the C CG and Bowls ceertainly are football specific. Very little of our past Basketball revenues were from TV revenues as most were from Ticket Sales and donations in order to obtain tickets.

    JIM

    jjones163 ●

  • Your intrepid reporter went by Sancet Field twice in course of normal business yesterday and I noticed two things.

    1. A large piece of equipment was making passes over the baseball turf. It looked to me like they were aerating the field, similar to what golf courses do by "plugging" the turf to allow more oxygen to get to the roots. Normally, this would be followed by a layer of sand. But just aerating the turf is a healthy practice and allows for better growth.
    2. In centerfield, they have placed some old style goal posts -- the two pronged style, in use still in many high school stadiums, rather than the safer, one prong, or extension goal post. I'll get more information from the AD and report back, but it may have been for alignment purposes.

    Steve Buchanan

  • Maybe they are going to turn it into a rugby stadium...........flex

    wato

  • I say go with affordable housing. It could serve to take all the homeless off the streets in Souithern Arizona and be a halfway for hardened men just out of prison.

    Personally, I'd set up a court house an try all the good folks in Guantanamo.

    With either option, the motto "Bear Down" would take on a new meaning.

    NogalesJerry

  • a state-of-the-art practice facility would be a great addition to campus. I like the idea of having two practice fields with one having a natural grass surface, and the other being the artificial turf surface since we'll be seeing more and more of at various venues. Now that we've got the North Endzone structure going up, and with the addition of an improved practice facitily, the football program could really take off! it would be a great way to add some $$ to the atheltic dept and take a little pressure off of the non-revenue sports.

    Bear Down Arizona

    Ben J ●

  • I know it would never happen here but in Amsterdam they have naughty clubs right outside the AJAX Football Stadium. It would be great for all involved, particularly the girls "working their way through college"

    Seriously, it would come down to what benefited the program more. If its going to be a practice field it needs to be indoors, and not a stupid tent like asu has. Not really because we need it but for recruiting. But, if you put in proper rowdy bars and nightlife it would really add to fan experience and help with the atmosphere in the stadium, which is pretty good at times but it really would help the atmosphere in McKale which is Garbage.

    A Rose Bowl before I die Please!!!!

    King of Daleks

  • NogalesJerry said...

    I say go with affordable housing. It could serve to take all the homeless off the streets in Souithern Arizona and be a halfway for hardened men just out of prison.

    Personally, I'd set up a court house an try all the good folks in Guantanamo.

    With either option, the motto "Bear Down" would take on a new meaning.

    I think it would be far better to take our homeless off the streets of Arizona, where it is so unearthly hot and no one can survive outside, and give them all a bus ticket to New Jersey, where they can get appropriate comfort and help with the expansive social services in that progressive state!

    Steve Buchanan

  • Steve Buchanan said...

    I think it would be far better to take our homeless off the streets of Arizona, where it is so unearthly hot and no one can survive outside, and give them all a bus ticket to New Jersey, where they can get appropriate comfort and help with the expansive social services in that progressive state!

    Great Idea, but that busing thing is already a cottage industry in New Jersey. Ironically, some Republican state legislators are opposed to it.
    http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/05/13/two-nj-assemblyman-want-one-way-tickets-for-homeless-put-to-an-end/

    I like the whore house idea, however.

    NogalesJerry

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