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Soccer Field

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Stupid question but I don't know anything about soccer, especially college soccer.

Why do we play our home conference match-ups in the soccer field tucked away behind the baseball practice field vs playing them either on the track'n'field or even the football stadium (since we play pro soccer there?)

My gut tells me that

- it must be an NCAA-designated field size issue?

- since the students paid for the new track'n'field with campus rec fees, it "can't" be used as our actual field because it needs to be open to students… but if this was the case, the football team wouldn't be able to practice there and they do in inclement weather. And I certainly don't believe it's a matter of, "Well, uh, we don't really have bleachers over there."

- it would cost too much to convert the football field to the soccer field for games? I don't know the conversion cost for laying down the paint and uprooting the goalposts but it can't be much. And it's not like it would be "too big" for our program's attendance… if anything that's a good problem to have.

I just feel like that's the one sport that could really get a "facility upgrade" by using better facilities that we already have… and that are more accessible.
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Re: Soccer Field

How many people actually attend FAU Soccer games?  A few hundred at most?  If there was demand, I'm sure playing at the football stadium would be an option, but I would guess that it would cost way too much money to operate the football stadium just for a few hundred fans to come watch.  It's not as easy as opening the gates and letting people in.  Regardless of crowd size, you still have to pay for electricity and utilities, staffing, security, insurance, etc.  I'm certain that playing FAU soccer games at the soccer venue is significantly more cost effective. 
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Re: Soccer Field

Right and that's probably the reason for the stadium. That I get.

But what about the track'n'field? There would be almost zero additional cost associated with that.

That's more what I was thinking about because if one day down the line (emphasis: down the line) we could afford, say, $1M to build permanent covered bleachers for 500+ people on the west side of that track, it could function as an excellent track and soccer stadium for us.

For instance, this is what UF has for their track team:



I could see us building something like that around the track'n'field and that could serve as our soccer facility. It's not so much about crowds, although it could be if the facility brings in better recruits and we start winning championships on the regular… see what I mean?

But obviously if there's something wrong with the track'n'field as a potential game surface then building the stands for soccer would be pointless.
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Re: Soccer Field

Can you play soccer on that turf? I imagine it's the best surface for sliding/tackling and it's rather bouncy.
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Re: Soccer Field

FAUfasho said

Can you play soccer on that turf? I imagine it's the best surface for sliding/tackling and it's rather bouncy.

Exactly. That's what I'm trying to find out.

The club sports definitely play soccer over there. I've seen it multiple times.
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Re: Soccer Field

I suppose they could play at the track facility, but why would they when they have their own stadium?  Is the track a better facility than the soccer stadium?  I'm not sure.  Plus, the soccer stadium is closer to the locker rooms at the Oxley Center. 
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Re: Soccer Field

Owl2Doc said

FAUfasho said

Can you play soccer on that turf? I imagine it's the best surface for sliding/tackling and it's rather bouncy.

Exactly. That's what I'm trying to find out.

The club sports definitely play soccer over there. I've seen it multiple times.

Yes you can. A handful of MLS teams have artificial turf at their venues.
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Re: Soccer Field

Soccer Field

Isn't the real cost like a couple million rather than 1 mil. Your talking about plumbing, installing all the things new for concessions, the press box, scoreboard, plus new fencing and entry areas?
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Re: Soccer Field

USMCOWL said

Isn't the real cost like a couple million rather than 1 mil. Your talking about plumbing, installing all the things new for concessions, the press box, scoreboard, plus new fencing and entry areas?

Yeah, probably. I guess it depends on the scale and how cheap you want to go.

For instance, we already have a scoreboard that they can migrate over and place at the north end of the track. The area itself is already fenced off fine, though they could add a ticket booth (like the softball one) on the south side. But that's not a lot of money to build basically a ten foot shack. Conceivably you could just do it the same way they do it with baseball, having tables and people out there. So the ticket booth is not even a necessary amenity.

The other aspects - press box, seating, concessions, etc all depend on scope. We just need to have a respectable space for like 500 people and maybe a handful of reporters. Concessions you're talking about same thing as baseball… doubt there'd be any reason to build a permanent facility there. Could just get by with a food truck or whatever. Do need bathrooms and do need locker rooms though. That part is true and that can inflate the number too, so yeah probably $5M to do it right, $1M to do it cheap. If it's a nice enough facility we can do things like host state championship track meets or high school championship games.

Again, a full build-out would be a consideration AFTER baseball, basketball and probably even softball are all set-up with new facilities.
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