I was talking about how Big Soccer geeks are going to be wetting the bed once they see the Frisco field with grid iron marks on it from high school football. Everyone knew what Dragon Stadium looked like when they first started playing there. Unfortunately, I think all too many posters are unaware that football will be played at the SSS in Frisco and as such are going to get their panties in bind. Because of the direct tie to the school system in Frisco, I think this stadium will be the least "soccer specific" of the three that will be up and running next year. Andy
Except that Frisco will be a grass field, not field turf and the football lines won't be permanent like they were in Dragon. Or like they are in Giants. We are the main tenants, not the High School teams. Remember, we are talking about 3 or 4 home games that will be effected. HS football doesn't start until late August.
I am not disagreeing with you. However, if you don't think people around here are going to spazz big time, then you are being a bit niave. Andy
Ohhh...you are right about that, I'm just trying to inform those that don't know about the differences. Another thing to remember, the FC Dallas FO will be running the field maintenance in Frisco. So they can control how the football lines are painted on and how quickly they are taken off. This wasn't the case at the Cotton Bowl or Southlake or Giants or Arrowhead. Also, right now Frisco has two HS football teams, and one stadium. Which is all they need. The two teams play alternating home games and it works out fine. There won't be a third high school in the city until 2007 and even then they won't field a varsity team until 2008. Only then will the school district actually NEED a second stadium. I have no doubt that they will want to play some of thier bigger games at the soccer stadium before then. But it won't be every weekend.
Even the HDC is not immune from armpitball lines. High school football is king in Texas, and there's no way the school district would be involved in the project if there weren't plans to play it there.
You are right...they will...when there is a third high school....just like I stated earlier. The ISD had $20 million budgeted already for a new football stadium BEFORE HSG ever approached Frisco with a stadium deal...I know, I voted on the bond package that gave them the money. They had this in the budget because they knew a third high school would be coming on line in a few years and would need it. So it was really a fantastic deal for them. Put in the 20 that they would have needed to spend anyway, and get a $65+ million professional grade stadium in return. Yes high school football is king in Texas, but much more so in the rural areas that don't have big time professional sports available on a regular basis. Everyone watches/reads "Friday Night Lights" and thinks its that way all over the state. Frisco is a suburb of Dallas, the majority of those that have moved here in the last 10 years are NOT good ol' boy Texans. They are corporate relos from all over the country. Frisco's current HS football stadium is a bit smaller then the soccer stadium will be and they NEVER have a sold out game. Its a bit different here in the metroplex then it is the middle-of-nowhere West Texas.
Thanks for the info Texgator! This was the first I heard of this. From all I had read I just assume there would be a game every weekend. Andy
Eventually it will be, just not right away. At least, not necessarily. It might end up being the fact, I just don't think it will.....and it doesn't have to be.
Yeah....after reading it I realized it was bit of the old mumbo jumbo.....I probably should have edited it. Maybe I should get a job as W.'s speech writer.
Well. Then I will have to remind some of these limosneros con garrote that even in Mexico, professional soccer teams have to share the stadium with an american football team, i.e., UNAM Pumas, etc. El Chapulin Colorado
Mexicans and Mexican Americans don't necessarily dislike NFL football. I think it gets pretty good coverage on Univision & Telemundo. But re: the gridiron lines... At Spartan Stadium they're now doing a really good job of removing the lines for soccer matches. I think a lot of it depends on if they have just a day or if they have an entire week to remove the chalk lines. But for the past few games, we've seen just a 'ghost' of the gridiron lines. It's actually kind of nice for helping judge the quality of the offside calls.
In many respects, Monterrey is Texas' southernmost big city. Football's bigger there than in most other parts of Mexico. But yeah, Frisco's going to have football lines for some late season FC Dallas games. Big deal. It's the same thing that we had to deal with at the Cotton Bowl, once late September rolled around and they started marking up the field for the Prairie View-Grambling and the Texas-OU games. As texgator pointed out, the difference lies in who's controlling the marking up now. For one thing, the field markings won't be too elaborate because there are two high schools playing varsity games there. For another thing, they have the option of using something a little less permanent for the lines. As for Frisco being the less "soccer-specific" of all the new stadiums, I disagree. There will be 17 soccer fields surrounding Uncle Lamar's House of Whoop-Ass, and those fields will be in constant use, almost year-round. Between those fields and the stadium, there will be more soccer taking place at the Frisco Soccer and Entertainment Center than at any other stadium complex in the league. About the same amount of money is being spent on ULHOWA and the yard that they're building in Chicago -- the neighborhood of $60-70 million. In Chicago they're going to have a roof, but no fields around the stadium. In Frisco, they're going to have fields around the stadium, but no roof. If you were to ask me what I'd rather have, I think I'd rather have the fields that tie the stadium to the community Edit: Especially since those fields are big reason why the Frisco City Council and the Collin County Commissioners' Court approved the funding in the first place.
I think there are going to be two fields outside Bridgeview, isn't there? That's not a complex, obviously, but I thought there were going to be two fields. Maybe they didn't make it in.
Oh, and it worth remembering this: While Frisco Independent School District gets to use the stadium free of charge for high school varsity football games and doesn't have to pay anything for the upkeep of the stadium, Hunt Sports Group still gets all of the revenues from concessions, parking, and such for those games.
There will be 2. That's one of the reasons we moved to the 71st street site. It was going to be a bear even getting one field in at 79th.
I stand corrected. But my point stands. HSG is spending their money in different places, mostly because they made a commitment to the city and county to do so.
You're also wrong about where the money is being spent. The stadium in Chicago is being paid for by the City of Bridgeview. 100% of it. The fields/roof compromise you describe doesn't make any sense because there is no MLS money going into this stadium.
Hey, if Bridgeview wants to spend their money in different places, more power to them. But I'm just explaining why HSG made the choice that they did.
This is a very important point that many people seem to have missed on Big Soccer. apples and oranges Andy