I love MBS, but wish they had used a translucent roof...

Discussion in 'Atlanta United FC' started by Coyote89, Jan 8, 2018.

  1. Coyote89

    Coyote89 Member

    Atlanta United
    United States
    May 18, 2017
    Both the new Rams and Raiders stadiums will have translucent roofs that will let the sunlight in. The Raiders stadium also has retractable window sections that provide for fresh air flow through the stadium when the temps are comfortable. These design elements will allow a dome stadium to feel like an open air stadium. Wish they had done the same with MBS. Awesome stadium and I'll probably enjoy MBS best when the roof is open, but just feeling kinda jealous about these new roof designs.

    LA Rams/Chargers:
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    Las Vegas Raiders:
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  2. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    That can be expensive as ******** and require a lot to maintain.
     
  3. Coyote89

    Coyote89 Member

    Atlanta United
    United States
    May 18, 2017
    Perhaps, but our one-of-a-kind retractable roof couldn't have been cheap and it's STILL not working properly. It caused two delays in the opening of the stadium and so far has only been open twice (1 Falcons game and 1 AUFC game). Plus, when it's closed, it often leaks as it did for the College Football National Championship game last night.

    Meanwhile, they have a partial translucent roof at the new stadium in Minnesota too. Must be strong enough to withstand snowfall if they are using it in Minny.

    Again, I hate to complain about a beautiful $1.6 billion stadium that has a ton of fan comforts and is very well-designed for soccer, not just football. Just pointing out that these new roofs allow a stadium to feature a ton of natural sunlight and even fresh air when the weather is comfortable. Makes it seem a lot more like an open-air venue rather than an indoor dome.

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  4. Gunner

    Gunner Member

    Apr 19, 1999
    Marietta, Ga USA
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    Screw the roof chat. Take a peek at this Coolray abomination!
     
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  5. Mach1

    Mach1 Member+

    Jun 27, 2004
    Acworth, GA
    Club:
    Atlanta United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't understand the logic of playing in a baseball stadium. How many people do they expect to show up per game? KSU is closer to the training ground and, you know, the field is rectangular shaped. That's just awful.
     
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  6. Gunner

    Gunner Member

    Apr 19, 1999
    Marietta, Ga USA

    I wonder if they talked to Georgia State to play at Turner Field. They've retrofitted that complex into a rectangular arena for football. smaller venue. centrally located. access to public transport (ish). has to be easier to get to from the training complex than Gwinnett as well
     
  7. sitruc

    sitruc Member+

    Jul 25, 2006
    Virginia
    That roof was a disaster too. That got scaled back a lot and that beam down the middle was a necessary pain in the ass.
    Considering how that stadium began, it's fun to think of it as retrofitted.
     
  8. Coyote89

    Coyote89 Member

    Atlanta United
    United States
    May 18, 2017
    Wow, so they are going to play right over the pitcher's mound and infield dirt? I assumed the configuration would be more like NYCFC in Yankee Stadium. But from the rendering I saw, the only way they can get dimensions of 70X110 is to go right over the infield.

    That's going to be a nightmare for the grounds crew as they will have to remove and rebuild the pitcher's mound on a weekly basis. It also means they'll have to use a LOT of temporary sod to cover the infield dirt.

    But for those wondering why they would use a baseball field, here are several reasons:
    • Fifth Third Bank stadium at Kennessaw State would have been ideal (5,000 seats, close to the training facility, and originally built for soccer - home of Atlanta Beat women's team). But it's in heavy use for KSU football, soccer, lacrosse and even rugby, plus Atlanta Blaze lacrosse, and couldn't accommodate the USL schedule.
    • I'm not totally clear on why they couldn't use Silverbacks' Park, but it may have something to do with AUFC basically rendering them irrelevant and essentially killing the club. It may also have something to do with this next point.
    • They want to be in the suburbs where they can attract soccer moms and dads and their kids and not compete directly with the MLS club downtown.
    • USL requires that they play in a stadium that seats at least 5,000 fans.
    • Using a HS football stadium is the only other realistic option, yet it cheapens the brand, most don't have the level of seating, concessions, bathrooms, parking, etc. that you'd want for a professional soccer club, and it presents challenges with having football lines on the field.
    • Coolray is desperate to get butts in the seats and probably offered them a great deal where they could play right away in 2018 and not wait to build or find a suitable soccer venue. Plus, Coolray does have certain advantages in terms of location and the quality of the seating, concessions, bathrooms, and parking, PA system and scoreboard, ticketing operation, luxury boxes and special event catering, etc.
    That said, this is most likely a temporary move to start the USL franchise. If they can't get things worked-out with KSU long-term, they could move to another facility or potentially build one eventually. A lot could depend on how big a following they develop in Gwinnett. If they decide to eventually build a SSS, they could probably do so for about $15-20 million and might be able to partner with a suburban college or even a county parks and req association for multi-use.

    That said, everything I'm sharing is just my perspective from what I've pieced together, not any official inside knowledge.
     
    Eleven Bravo repped this.

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