Revolution Stadium Groundbreaking "12-24 months" Part XV

The grass field was horrible for both teams. They'd have to find a better way to grow/maintain it if they were to switch back.

And, now, with MLS starting earlier than it used to, it seems even harder to achieve. Imagine the Revs playing 2 home games in March after the Pats had been practicing/playing on the field through the 3rd week of January? They'd be playing on frozen dirt.

 

Huh? What happens to that scoreboard when the roof is open?

 

https://marinersblog.mlblogs.com/the-green-green-grass-of-home-2663edae1e3a

Here in the Pacific Northwest, light levels are fairly low all year, and shadows from the ballpark have always presented challenges for Christofferson and his crew. “We want it to be the best quality playing surface we can make it. The lights are just another tool to help us get there.”

SGL has systems in 96 locations around the world from Russia to Australia, The Philippines and across Europe. Next week, they plan to do an installation in Brazil. Safeco Field is SGL’s fourth installation in the U.S. The others are in Green Bay, Red Bull Arena in New York, and Minute Maid Park in Houston.​

So, if you're gonna spend let's say $400 million, do you build a 2nd facility that's going to sit vacant at least 300 nights/year, or do you spend that money to modernize the facility you've got?

Put some sort of retractable roof on Gillette, and suddenly the Krafts could host a Super Bowl, a Final Four, a major College Football Bowl Game, maybe a World Cup Quarterfinal or Semifinal??? If they're gonna make a major investment in a stadium, and a site in Boston becomes unrealistic, getting to THAT point makes a ton more sense than just building mini-Gillette in some rarely-used parking lot.

 

Same thing that happens to the scoreboard at AT&T Stadium when their roof is open???

 

Yes but I think you're missing a key ingredient in what Atlanta and Seattle have in commob. Both if those stadiums are located in the city. Maybe it's a small thing but they are both examples of a URBAN FSS. Location problem solved.

We don't have a good test case of another team in a FSS out in the suburbs. If DC United couldn't get that deal done and had to leave RFK to, for example, play at FedEx field in the Virginia 'burbs, there may not be the same rosy outlook for the MLS team. For best results, soccer stadiums in this country need to be in a city.

 

Not an engineer by any stretch but I think it's too late for that at Gillette. If they wanted to put a roof it would be a massive, expensive undertaking that would put the stadium out of commission for a year probably.

On the plus side if the revs couldn't play home games at Gillette maybe they'd play at Fenway in their own temporary urban SSS.

 

They'd have to do what stadiums in Germany and elsewhere have done for years and make the field retractable. Put the open end of the stadium to use.

 

I'm not an engineer, either. You might be right.

But I'd be surprised if the Krafts haven't looked at some sort of major renovation of Gillette, though.

 

I don't know the other stadiums that well, but aren't at least some of Dallas, KC, Chicago, Colorado in the suburbs (or am I misunderstanding what an FSS is?).

I think it depends on what kind of roof you're talking about. I think if you're talking about keeping the interior warm and dry, then yes, I think you're right. OTOH, if they just want something that would keep the stadium dry, I think they could create some kind of exoskeleton that could do that w/o huge investment.

But, back to the point of keeping a grass field playable all year, it could be heated, yes, but the key factor missing is light. Maybe artificial lighting technologies will advance enough to be able to use gro-lites at some point, but failing that ...

 

I found the following videos based on this post:

Arizona Cardinal Stadium Time Lapse

and

Dividing retractable football pitch for Tottenham Hotspur

 

I don’t think I’m missing it...

First, I would LOVE and PREFER a SSS in Boston. But I don’t think all owners want a SSS (urban or otherwise). I don’t think our owner thinks that a FSS in the burbs can’t work pretty much indefinitely (another 20 years for example, while he very seriously pursues the ideal deal in Boston). He’s used a suburban FSS for over 20 years. I said it in a much earlier post. He gets an average of what, 17K, now? Couldn’t he commit to say $20M a year in combined advertising, making the stadium feel more like a home, and players (DTAM, DPs) $10M even? Could he get 17K up to 30K even in the burbs? It is certainly a much lower initial investment and he can revisit it every year.

Another Elephant in the room here is that most posts obliquely admit that we’re talking about a multi-function building, not a SSS for the Revs. And yes, I’m negative enough about this ownership to wonder what life for the Revs will be like in that building. I can easily envision them as not being the primary revenue generator which means, to me, they could be treated like the second class citizens they already are in Foxborough

 

Another Elephant in the room here is that most posts obliquely admit that we’re talking about a multi-function building, not a SSS for the Revs. And yes, I’m negative enough about this ownership to wonder what life for the Revs will be like in that building. I can easily envision them as not being the primary revenue generator which means, to me, they could be treated like the second class citizens they already are in Foxborough[/QUOTE]

I'd bet it would be the same as it is in Gelette without the Patriots. Lets remember beside the Revs and Patriots there are many other events that currently utilize the stadium. What yould be different if our SSS also did concerts, other sport sporting events?

 

The Revs get to move dates, play on football lines (less often than before), play with the lines for a movie shoot, don't have much signage in the stadium at Gillette, play on Turf because the primary bill payer wants turf (will be disputed as the sun). The PATs are the major bill payer, have all the signage, play on the field with their markings all the time, don't play with movie shoot markings...

I think that could continue in a multi-function building (aka SSS), particularly if the concerts, truck pulls, and whatever else, are deemed to be the bigger bill payers.

Gillette is a FSS and HOME OF THE PATRIOTS that also hosts other events, not a multi-function building that also hosts an NFL team among numerous other things.

 

I'd bet it would be the same as it is in Gelette without the Patriots. Lets remember beside the Revs and Patriots there are many other events that currently utilize the stadium. What yould be different if our SSS also did concerts, other sport sporting events?[/QUOTE]
That's applicable to the Rd Sox, Celtics and bruins. In each case they have other events in their respective building. Hell, the Celtics don't even own the Garden.

 

I agree, they probably have. Just can't imagine them having the money or motivation for growing grass in that stadium for the revs. The pats - sure but not the revs.

 

I think Brian nailed it about the political climate in RI -- I would say this trend is also true of Mass, but RI has been even more corrupt in the past. With Buddy Cianci, it wasn't like Whitey's brother was running the state--more like Whitey was.

How does a team in Providence fulfill the "urban SSS" need? No public transportation to speak of, and 1/10 the population able to get there easily.

 

So true - but...

C'mon - isn't it obvious? It's clear that this is all about poaching the CT and White Plains/Larchmont/Westchester population away from RBNY and NYCFC.

BKIASB. Burns is steps ahead. And all the other platitudes and cliches.

It's all part of the immense grand vision that we just cannot apprehend, and within whose wake we hopefully yet blindly stumble, randomly latching onto the crumbs, spoils, leavings, and other detritus that make up the "castoff bits of insight". And we remain continuously and eternally grateful for being allowed to bask in this gracious generosity of the Royal Petulance - the Revs FO.

 

Or comprehend.

 

Maybe they'll give it to Kraft for free if the Pats win in 2 weeks!

 

An overpriced mixed-use development featuring expensive condos is going to look great at this site

 

FYP.

 

The gro-lite technology already does exist. I've been to stadium tours in Barcelona and Manchester in the winter and seen them in use. I'm sure they're used all over the world.

 

In Manchester, it's fully dark by 3:30 pm this time of year. Definitely not much of a growing season in winter.

 

"It's alive. O-o-oh, it's alive! It's alive!! It's alive!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!"

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_politics/2018/06/mayor_marty_walsh_says_building_soccer_stadium_in_boston_still_being

The saga continues.