If I see another Atlanta fan cry about the stadium delay..... I have never seen a bigger bunch of ppeople crying about what? Oh you have to wait another month to play in a new stadium. Well at least you have a new stadium to move into. I'm an Atlanta fan, but come on. Here in DC we have been waiting for 10+ years for a new stadium and we are still waiting. Nobody handing us (fans) anything. Here in DC we have had to play 21 seasons in a pit they call RFK. So a team who gets a brand new, state of the are stadium in their first year, really Atlanta United fans should be thanking the soccer gods, not crying about a delay. Be thankful for what you have, not crying over the petty crap that any DC United fan would give his/her right arm to have.
I completely understand. What I'm saying is, yes it sucks to have to wait another month, I get that but are things really that bad. You are getting a new stadium in the first season and a state of the are stadium at that. Not some throw together pre packaged stadium like DC United is getting. A lot of things I have read on FB about the delay make you think it was the end of the world. Be thankful that you have this new stadium to play in. Atlanta has a wonderful organization, don't let the minor details deminish what has taken shape in Atlanta.
They haven't been sold half-truths for years though. They are a new team. They were sold a venue and match days. Both are changing now. Many weren't even sold on Bobby Dodd. United has been at RFK since the beginning. There have been plenty of lies along the way. They have sold on priority in a new stadium for more than 10 years. There is no way next year doesn't suck whenever the venue opens. The only way it's comparable is if next season ends up at RFK or some other venue again after the FO constantly selling fans on a new venue.
You are 100% correct, but in Atlanta fans were given what the front office knew unlike DC where the FO straight out lies and says the 2017 will be the final season in RFK. Sure Atlanta FO went off what they were told as far as the construction time line, but things happen. What pisses me off is that these delays happen and still DC United keeps thinking the new stadium will be available next season. What happens if DC plays next season in RFK and the people who thought they had priority seats in the new stadium, now don't because of the whole you have to have be a STH the year before the new stadium opens to get the priority seats. With delays and weather it is almost impossible to tell your fans that a stadium will be ready in what 18 months. Yet teh FO of DC United is still tells people it is the final season at RFK. In Atlanta they are only playing one extra game at GT.
I'm as big a sceptic as you will find with the construction timeline, but United has been telling people there will be a long roadtrip to begin the season next year. I refresh the still images of the site constantly and go down to the site at least once a week. I expect them to be playing there next season. I expect things to pop up quickly in the next two month after all of the piling is complete and a foundation is put in. It's mostly going vertical. If United opens at a different venue instead of audi Field, then it's comparable. Audi Field is not a complicated design and engineering feat. It's four stands. There isn't excavation needed or possible for much of the project and much of that was done by the DC government before handing the site over to United.
I'm just hoping this "road trip" is not longer then San Jose's or Houston's were. With that in mind I have a hard time seeing a stadium built in such a short time.
I appreciate the perspective, fellas, and am duly sympathetic to the cause for DCU fans, however please reserve the Audi Field/DCU talk for another thread. Thanks.
In other news, Pirez' red card punishment has been rescinded by the league so he is eligible to play this weekend in Salt Lake! Good news because it means Martinez and Peterson should be the only absences from the squad. Look for Villalba up front with Asad back in the left side. I'd maybe start Krantz on the right.
The reason the stadium situation irks me is that it has never seemed ideal to be the second banana in your own stadium, no matter how nice it is. And now we are just getting the confirmation that we felt in our guts all along -- NFL interests will come first. Is that the end of the world? No. And the silver lining (MBS) could be pretty thick. But that second-tier status will rear its head many times over the next decade, and each time it will suck. If other teams have their own soccer-specific stadia, they have some pros going for them that ATL won't have, even if they don't have MBS. Still, it's a long haul. It'll all be fine.
Last I checked the league darlings and current MLS Cup holders played as second fiddle in an NFL venue. Just sayin'. You're getting this fact now? No offense but that point was clear the moment Blank was declared the owner.
I am coming from LA for your game against DCU as I wanted to see a game at Bobby Dodd on grass. Appears sold out now. Same sell out capacity as opening night? What is the actual soccer capacity of Dodd vs football capacity if any? I feel really good i got a hotel now on campus for after the game traffic wise and that i bought this ticket right after i saw you sell out opening night. Should be fun. I am actually in Orlando the night before vs. Colorado to check out their new place and have a 7am flight to Atlanta to see your game. Hop on the subway and head up to the campus. Going to be a great weekend, hope weather cooperates.
Meh... plenty of games in this club's future are not going to sell out for various reasons. There will be enough butts in seats at those games, tho, that it won't matter whether there's a cfb game being played nearby or not.
The stadium seats about 55k normally, however they're doing work on the upper deck of the north end zone so the remainder of the BDS games for AUFC will be restricted to 45k. Which actually works out better because it allows the north end to more comfortably handle the crowds for concessions and restroom capacity. There's no impact on the venue switching from gridiron to footie, but there is almost no room on the sides between the line and the wall. about 2.5 yards on one side and about 5 on the side with the teams' benches. I'm praying no player ends up being crunched into the wall because that could be truly serious. Hope you have a great trip and that the locals treat you well. And that AU wins, of course!
The stadium seats about 55k normally, however they're doing work on the upper deck of the north end zone so the remainder of the BDS games for AUFC will be restricted to 45k. Which actually works out better because it allows the north end to more comfortably handle the crowds for concessions and restroom capacity. There's no impact on the venue switching from gridiron to footie, but there is almost no room on the sides between the line and the wall. about 2.5 yards on one side and about 5 on the side with the teams' benches. I'm praying no player ends up being crunched into the wall because that could be truly serious. Hope you have a great trip and that the locals treat you well. And that AU wins, of course!
We ended up doing the 4 game package, so we could come to the DC game, our tickets are on the west stands in 205U. How is the view from there? Also, are there any pregame traditions or parties that would be suitable for an 11 year old? We ended up doing the 4 game pack. What's the best site to sale the other tickets?
Ha. Oh no, I got it. I guess I don't like being forcefully reminded of it of course. And I was told not to worry about that several times, so that may be part of it. Seattle is a great success story. I can only imagine what they might have if they had their own place, though. Still, plenty to be happy about, so que sera sera.
I don't see Seattle getting their own place soon. Doesn't Paul Allen own both the Seahawks and Sounders.
Should be good, albeit tight on the near sidelines. Like I said, the stadium was designed for gridiron, so the C-Value of your view drops as you look toward action closer to you, and may have some heads blocking the actual sidelines. But overall it should be nice and you'll have a clear view of the skyline. Plus there's more space-per-person for concessions in the upper west. Tough to call anything we do as a tradition seeing as this will only be the 3rd game ever! The area outside the north stands is the main hangout prior to the game, with food trucks, souvenir stands, etc. There should be a bus with the home team arriving that will garner some love from the supporters, but I can't recall how soon before the game they'll get there. Also, there will be a large golden railroad spike where people can sign it and get pics. This will get marched in prior to kickoff and "driven" into a staging area by a local celebrity ahead of the teams coming onto the pitch. That small act will take place to your lower left, adjacent to the main supporters' section. Hope you guys have fun, but lose the game of course! This I don't know but suggest you contact the team directly and see what they offer. They've been pretty good about intending to work with fans and would rather see them used than unused. Hopefully they have a means to take care of you. If they had to build their own then I imagine like Orlando they'd have built something smaller in scale simply due to the cost of construction. That or raise ticket prices, or both. Would we feel different about them if they were only filling a, say, 27k stadium? It's not a straight up/owns both condition but there is definitely a tie-in that allows Allen and Co. to enjoy essentially all the profit from each game and get priority scheduling after the 'Hawks. Plus the venue is fully decorated for the Sounders and most sponsors agreed to crossover deals so the facility feels tailored to the MLS team.
Can we change the image for the ATL United forum section to our badge? Not sure how to go about doing that.
I've reached out to other mods to figure that out, as I'm not finding the tools to let me do that myself. Not on a whole-board basis, anyway. Bide some time and we'll try to fix that by next gameday.