[mainejeff]

Even if they converted the upper side sections to all chairbacks similar to the bottom of those sections, you'd lose about 650 seats.

I think think it's a mistake retaining that building for hockey. They really should build a new hockey arena and retrofit the Alfond for basketball only. To rely on Alfond to be the largest indoor facility on campus for the next half century is foolish at best.

They had designed a new facility for hockey but decided to bring hoops back to campus instead. I agree about the smallish capacity of these facilities.....for them to build a new basketball facility that seats only 2,500 for the next 50 years or more is ridiculous. I do applaud them for creating a new facilities for all team sports at UM, but had they used $110 million for just hockey and hoops.....they could have followed through with your proposed plan......$30 million for Alfond hoops retrofit.....and $80 million for new 6K hockey arena.

 

[ccd494]

I still think 2,500 is plenty. In person attendance for everything, everywhere is cratering. The nightmare is being too big. You need some scarcity to make people buy in advance and, in conjunction, show up.

 

[mainejeff]

I still think 2,500 is plenty. In person attendance for everything, everywhere is cratering. The nightmare is being too big. You need some scarcity to make people buy in advance and, in conjunction, show up.

They were getting 3,500 for AE women's tourney games at CIC.....I still think that shrinking your capacity THAT much for the next 50+ years is not a good business plan. I mean.....I'm talking 3.5K.....not a huge jump.

 

[benbartolomei]

The reason to have 3k is at some point Maine will be in a conference with larger fan bases which travel well for mid majors. Plus if they begin to win then I would expect about 2-3k a game. I suppose you could have those games in Bangor.

Is there a plan to do anything with the inside of the arena besides the scoreboards and sound system? The student section looks quite dated when it is not filled. Well the arena has not aged well, and I get it thats the Maine way- rustic and functional. But from a recruiting stand point Orono needs to have an edge over Durham NH and Alfond right now is inferior to the Whit.

 

[Wildcat18]

Maine isn't going to be in a new conference anytime soon..... Most AE schools are targeting around 3-5k
Personally I agree with most UMaine Posters, you should make a new hockey arena and take the old one and make it super nice and retro fitted for basketball. Could easily keep 3-4k as a capacity.
Making a new Arena...... I'd be writing letters to the school saying it should be 3500.... 2500 is way too small. I know you have the cross insurance arena 20 min away but still..

Either way super happy for you guys and the AE overall. Sick of seeing all these schools jump at "greener pastures" that are really past their prime of being worth it. Seems the AE schools are determined to
A. Stick together and
B. Raise the profile of all athletics and become a better overall conference.

I think college athletics in the northeast suffers due to the success and sheer number of professional teams, and the shitty weather, but with them becoming so bogged down with commercials and breaks and rule changes and PRICES OUT of control..... I think college athletics in the NE is slowly gaining more attention. No reason it shouldn't we are a conference of schools that represent their state or play second fiddle to the main campus that does (say UMBC to College Park).

 

[UVM Hoop Cat]

I think college athletics in the northeast suffers due to the success and sheer number of professional teams, and the shitty weather, but with them becoming so bogged down with commercials and breaks and rule changes and PRICES OUT of control..... I think college athletics in the NE is slowly gaining more attention. No reason it shouldn't we are a conference of schools that represent their state or play second fiddle to the main campus that does (say UMBC to College Park).

Prices are nuts. Celtics & Bruins only pro teams in town that might be able to justify it these days, but even then it's stupid.

Family of 4 to sit in any mildly decent Loge seat for Celtics (I won't do Bleachers anymore): $1,000 ++

Same family of 4 to see any BC/BU/NU/Harvard/UML men's college basketball game: About $70

I went to a number of St Sebs prep school games last year where the team had as much or more talent than most of the local D1 mid-majors & 5-6 D1 players including AJ Dybantsa, and cost for that was like $30/40.

Anyways, dropping $1,000+ to watch a single Celtics regular season game, while obviously super fun, makes little financial sense. Local College sports great alternative for those that like sports in general.

 

[benbartolomei]

Recruiting for UMaine must be the most challenging flagship univ. in the country to get actual talent, not only to go there, but to stay all four years. Thank God for the Alfond fund, they are helping fix the gap that other D1 schools enjoy, there is not a large population base close to Orono/Bangor. The Alfond needs work done INSIDE, not just the concourse. For basketball, the arena would need some major fixes, as the sightlines for basketball are terrible. Taking the ice out and building a new hockey arena is more costly than renovating the Alfond.

What happened to renovating the Pit, will it at least get new seats and an inside paint job? I know back 40 years ago they were able to squeeze 2k and change into the old barn. I know the pillars supporting the Gym were a major factor in the decision not the renovate the Pit back in 2012.

 

[RF1]

For some attendance perspective:


These were the top ten average D1 men's basketball average attendance numbers in the 2022-23 season for schools in the New England/New York State/NJ region per the NCAA:

Syracuse 19,102 (2nd nationally)
UConn 11,446
Providence 10,608
Seton Hall 8,977
Rutgers 8,220
St John's 7,379
Siena 6,415
Boston College 5,230
Rhode Island 5,158
St Bonaventure 3,764

(UMass was 11th at 3,580)



These were the averages for the America East schools in 2022-23:

Vermont 2,366
Binhamton 2,110
UMBC 1,605
Albany 1,247
Bryant 986
UMass-Lowell 899
Maine 846
New Hampshire 653
NJIT 447

Source: http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/2024/Attend.pdf

 

[benbartolomei]

That is some awesome data! Thank you for posting those numbers.

 

[mainejeff]

Maine should aspire to be St. Bonaventure attendance wise.

 

[mainejeff]

A question for Vermont fans…IF they ever build a new basketball facility in Burlington….would you be happy with 2,500 capacity? What is Albany’s renovated facility capacity again? What is Binghamton’s capacity?

 

[VT Cats Fan]

Well, the plan WAS to be about the same size as it is now ~3300, perhaps even a little bit smaller. Those that were involved in the planning were adamant that the fanbase not get lost in the size of the arena. I think that there is some wisdom in that. Even if you lead the league in attendance, it's probably not great to be playing in a half empty venue.

If it were me, I'd try to build in some flexibility around capacity so that more people could be admitted for bigger events but also make it feel like there is a "good" crowd even if it's only 1200.

 

[ccd494]

I'll paste my point exactly over from the UMaine board:

More seriously, you don't build to the "maybe once or twice a year we can fill it" number. You build to what you can aspirationally fill on a game to game basis. If the women played Indiana or something on campus, could they fill 4,000? Absolutely. Is that going to happen more than once every five years at best? No. The Maine women playing on campus in a 2,500 seat arena could become one of the best atmospheres in the country, with a routinely packed arena, lots of noise, lots of highly invested people.

In the absolute rosiest future for the men, they become Vermont. That's the absolute, little chance of reaching it, best case scenario. UVM averages under 2,500. Sure, a conference championship game might pack in more people. But that's once a year. And if that ticket is a really tough get, it will incentivize people to buy season tickets and fill seats during the year to guarantee access to conference tournament games.

Maybe that number is 3,000 instead of 2,500. But it isn't much higher than that.

 

[mainejeff]

No one is arguing for a 5K venue…or even 4K. In person sporting event attendance will never be what it once was…anywhere. I do think that Maine needs to consider attendance growth for UM basketball….I mean we are pretty much starting from ground zero in a state that loves basketball…and the reality of the situation is that this facility is going to be around for many decades. I’m sticking with my 3.5K….knowing that it will max out at 3K…or less. One thing that we can all agree on is that I hope it is a beautiful hoops facility and fan friendly. The admin and bean counters will make the ultimate decisions.

 

[Dane96]

A question for Vermont fans…IF they ever build a new basketball facility in Burlington….would you be happy with 2,500 capacity? What is Albany’s renovated facility capacity again? What is Binghamton’s capacity?

3,800 for basketball...probably 4,500 or so for concerts (depending on the stage setup, maybe 5,000?! Building can have up to 9000.

 

[mainejeff]

New Balance adds another unbelievable gift......



We'll have the best athletic facilities at a school that no one wants in their league. Oh well....

 

[Goblackbears]

Soccer needs that field badly

 

[Wildcat18]

Wow great for Maine. I wish Nike would give UNH 7 million for athletic facilities…. I mean geez, Nike started in Exeter after all….

 

[Dane96]

Saw this on Twitter. Excellent news.

 

[mainejeff]

Alfond Foundation announces another $80 million gift......this brings the Alfond Foundation total to $170 million....this will be added to the $20 million match already pledged and an additional $18 million match by athletic dept. fundraising for a grand total of $208 million in athletic facility improvements.

This goes way beyond AE level IMO......but what do I know?

Maine Athletics, Harold Alfond Foundation announce $80 million gift - University of Maine Athletics

The University of Maine, University of Maine Athletics, and the University of Maine System announced today an $80 million supplement in financial support from the

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