Stadium News and Speculation XXIV: Where Newbies Go to Get Flamed

Btw, once this FAQ gets posted I will no longer exercise restraint on morons asking "those questions"

I'm pretty sure that has been mentioned and begun a few times in these threads...

I'm not sure about that. The field irrigation improvements weren't good for United. The infield became a swamp since the system was actually removed from that portion of the field. The other major field work was the retractable mound. Other course the field was re-aligned for soccer and seating was permanently removed. The press box improvements were some cables and a new wireless router. The stadium got some spackle, but the field was permanently destroyed and the dugouts are permanent as well.

Re: Stadium News and Speculation XXIV: In Buzzard We Trust?

Remember this?

I agree with you. Eventually, DCU must get a new stadium or move/fold, but it's not because RFK is less-than-perfect for soccer.

Also, a suggestion for #2: You might want to add something about the cost and availability of appropriate land in the DC area -- maybe something like this:

Real estate in the DC area is very expensive, and unlike some cities DC has few brownfield sites (former industrial/commercial facilities available for re-redevelopment). Finding urban or close-in suburban tracts reasonably close to Metro (which DCU appears to believe to be crucial to long-term success) that are available, affordable, and that won't face a protracted NIMBY fight has been exceedingly difficult.

I thought we already had a wiki about this.

that being said, nice job Bootsy. I would move #3 to #1, and correct the statement that DCU gets no parking or concession money and call it a day

I also think anyone who says RFK is not a good soccer venue has never seen a game in Frisco, Columbus, or New Jersey.

Now, can we build a Bot that detects the phrases "why can't you just build" and "RFK" in the same sentence and automatically replies with a link?

1. Why does DCU need a new stadium at all? Why can't they just stay in RFK?

(Starting a few years ago, DC United started taking over management of the stadium (at least on game days) - They now control the concessions contracts, and I think they get the Parking fees - HOWEVER, I don't know how much the rent was re-structured or increased or decreased or what, so I can't tell if the flow of final total of money is better now than it was before)

(BUT, until DC United has its (more or less) own stadium, it won't be able to maximize revenue flows - Its not just DC United soccer - Its all those other international friendlies involving Central American teams, plus concerts, plus events, plus whatever else)

(Plus they DO have boxes and mezzanine seating - Not luxurious, but they are there - And they have also had for several years special Side-Line Seating (right in front of the supporter groups) and now End-Zone tickets for premium prices - These revenue streams are there - Its just that with their own stadium, they could customize these areas and boxes and mezzanines and get more revenue)

(The Nationals did pour a lot of money and made a lot of improvements and cleaning up below the stands - The locker rooms were cleaned, re-carpeted, expanded to improve visiting teams (and even accomodate FOUR teams when RFK has double-headers), training and PT rooms were improved, etc - And even the infamous "Elephant Room" (where visiting circuses would house the elephants) was cleaned and converted to batting cage, and is now used as a big warmup room)

(Of course there are still structural problems with RFK - Concrete, steel beams, movable stands, etc are all damaged - And that HUGE media section up above the 500 section on the quiet side is all closed - I think there is a costly Asbestos cleanup issue if they ever want to re-use that again)

Why not start a thread with what Bootsy wrote and then allow people to add their own comments? In fact, just transfer some of the posts that have been written. Or am I mistaken that it will be a locked thread?

Re: Stadium News and Speculation XXIV: In Buzzard We Trust?

The fact that most people who ask for a change don't get the meaning of it is reason enough to keep it forever.

In fact if our FO wasn't full of a bunch of self congratulatory douchers they'd have already put that up over the entrance to the visitors locker along with a devil on one side and the evil eye on the other to curse those whom we're about to sh¡t on.

Might want to add something somewhere that we are also looking for investors and such.

Of course; I'm the one that initially created it.

We did. It died. Almost no one was interested in maintaining it; no one here remembered it existed, so no one here referred people to it.

If someone here posts such a question, saying "Read the stickied thread on stadium questions" in reply seems to me a lot easier than digging up the wiki URL; it also seems a lot more likely that the reader will actually *do* it.

YMMV.

I agree (tho I am not all that excited about too many stickied threads, see Knave's endless post about them circa 2003 ) - I just had not thought about the wiki in a while and wondered if it ever actually got done or not.


The house near me that sits down in a natural "bowl" that I always think would make the perfect place for a stadium as I drive past every day is up for sale. Too bad it is on a dirt road about 30 miles from the nearest metro station

This might be too awkward, but could the open stadium thread have the title: "Stadium News and Speculation XXIV: Read the <closed stadium thread title> Before Posting - Ignorance Begets Flaming" or something more elegant to that effect? Otherwise the closed thread may not solve anything since tourists and new members may just jump to what looks like the most recent thread.

I say make the Why RFK Will Not Be Rebuilt thread an open one. That way, the question can be asked on that thread and just ignored. Kind of like a tree falling in the woods.

I know!

The Stadium Discussion™ needs its own sub-forum!!!!

Which, unfortunately, could have the same tagline as the main forum.

My only legit suggestion for the FAQ: Stadium for DCUnited: the Story of a Group of People Who Wandered in the Wilderness for (??) years . . . . is that the entire thing should be done in either a hyku or Dr. Suess style.

Can we put in a blurb on Poplar Point, case example of what was tried and failed? I think this highlights how the district operates as well as any... maybe a separate post in the sticky, closed thread once Riz posts it.

Sorry for the slow response -- I'm getting freaking hammered with work today, and will until tomorrow afternoon. I'll keep track of it all.

John L, if possible, can you (or anyone else) provide links re: DCU getting concession/stadium money; or can anyone point to anything that resembles official confirmation of this? I hadn't heard this, and it's a little surprising for a number of reasons, not the least being that I got berated two Saturdays ago by a guy advertising himself as being in charge of parking for RFK who told me that DCU couldn't have anything to say to him.

"This has all happened before; and will all happen again."

Yep

Yep

But seriously, thank you guys for putting this together. Rather than a link to another thread, I think just cut and pasting the entire FAQ into the first post of each thread would be better. I could be wrong.