Any plans to expand ?

[boomermagic]

I heard Bama added an addition to BD stadium now it seats somewhere around 110.000 I think.. Does OU have any plans to expand ?

[badger]

there's some games each year (Florida State, Tech two years ago, whenever the Pokes come to town) that I wish capacity was larger. Most games, feels about right.

[Frozen Sooner]

I can confirm that Bryant-Denny just finished an addition. Still a pain in the *** to find a seat. They even manage their student section semi-intelligently, with a large open seating area, then designated areas for all of the student organizations so you don't have idjits saving whole rows of seats in open seating.

[jkjsooner]

Let's say we do expand to 90k+. What will happen the next time we have a down period in the program?

I know people like to criticize our coaches but we've had an amazing run this century. We won't continue to win 50% of the Big 12 championships (or whatever conference we end up in).

I don't predict that we'll return to the Blake era but there will be down stretches. It was amazing that we filled the stadium up as much as we did during that era but I'd hate to see 20k empty seats if we have a stretch of mediocre seasons (and everyone has them).


Funny thing, I think we had better attendance during the Blake years than during the Gibbs years. I suppose I could look it up but that's my impression. The thing about Gibbs is that even though they had decent seasons, he just did not bring any enthusiasm to the program whatsoever...

[jkjsooner]

About Bryant Denny... That reminds me of an old Alabama fart I met at our stadium on the Friday before the OU/Bama home game years ago. He commented that he couldn't believe we didn't have an upper deck on both sides (the east side was just in the process of being built at the time) and a full bowl. He "expected more from Oklahoma."

I found that statement incredibly insulting but also ignorant. A guy as old as he was surely remembers that in the late '80s Bryant Denny was a measely 60k and didn't have their second upper deck until '98. They simply lead us in expansion a few years and that had a lot to do with the fact that we were down in the '90s when many programs started expanding.


I did go to our game in Tuscaloosa the next year. They do have a nice stadium but it wasn't always so.

[Harry Beanbag]

I know people like to criticize our coaches but we've had an amazing run this century. We won't continue to win 50% of the Big 12 championships (or whatever conference we end up in).

Why not? We won about 50% of the Big 8 championships. :)

[boomermagic]

Let's say we do expand to 90k+. What will happen the next time we have a down period in the program?

I know people like to criticize our coaches but we've had an amazing run this century. We won't continue to win 50% of the Big 12 championships (or whatever conference we end up in).

I don't predict that we'll return to the Blake era but there will be down stretches. It was amazing that we filled the stadium up as much as we did during that era but I'd hate to see 20k empty seats if we have a stretch of mediocre seasons (and everyone has them).


Funny thing, I think we had better attendance during the Blake years than during the Gibbs years. I suppose I could look it up but that's my impression. The thing about Gibbs is that even though they had decent seasons, he just did not bring any enthusiasm to the program whatsoever...

I believe we would fill up a 100.000 seat stadium every week..

[MamaMia]

It would be nice to build another club and some more seats above the NEZ.

[WichitaSooner]

I believe we would fill up a 100.000 seat stadium every week..

Sure we could... if we cut ticket prices in half...

But, then we'd make LESS revenue per game than we do now.

I understand the "need" of OU fans to crow about how large our stadium is, but it quite obviously continually comes from people that have absolutely zero knowledge of economics.

[Dan Thompson]

I would like to see them expand. Maybe one day we could host a bowl game, hey, if Bosie St can have one, we should have one also.

We are already bigger than Jerry's World, right? I would still like to see them close the North end.

[fwsooner22]

I would like to see them expand. Maybe one day we could host a bowl game, hey, if Bosie St can have one, we should have one also.

We are already bigger than Jerry's World, right? I would still like to see them close the North end.


We are NOT bigger than Jerry World.

[WichitaSooner]

We are NOT bigger than Jerry World.

capacity for people to actually sit in the stadium... yes we are...

Edit: Here's the official statement on capacity for jerryworld

The stadium has main seating capacity of 80,000 but is expandable to seat nearly 100,000 fans for large events such as the Super Bowl. The stadium does not feature traditional stadium seats that are bolted individually into the concrete grandstands. Instead the seats are fastened onto long, aluminum rails bolted into the concrete. The molded seats take up 24 inches of space with small gaps between the chairs. The Cowboys can squeeze the seats closer together, adding one or two chairs per row to increase the seating capacity to nearly 100,000.

[StoopTroup]

Sure we could... if we cut ticket prices in half...

But, then we'd make LESS revenue per game than we do now.

I understand the "need" of OU fans to crow about how large our stadium is, but it quite obviously continually comes from people that have absolutely zero knowledge of economics.

Could you expand more on the economics. Are you saying revenues would go down if OU was able to add more seats and expand the number of Season Tickets available? The last time I looked People were still on a waiting list for seats. I'm also
Not sure if all the boxes are sold. A few years back Joe Castiglione said that if he'd had 11 more confirmed buyers he would have tried to expand over the North EZ from the East to the West side I think.

Your economic view has confused me

[Taxman71]

The next big improvement should be the press box. The west side should be 2 to 3 level boxes from north to south on that side. That is the only area of our stadium that is lacking.

[EatLeadCommie]

The only thing I'd like to see done is the south side get bowled in, though I'm not sure that is architecturally possible. Would make the stadium louder though!

[SoonerPr8r]

Sure we could... if we cut ticket prices in half...

But, then we'd make LESS revenue per game than we do now.

I understand the "need" of OU fans to crow about how large our stadium is, but it quite obviously continually comes from people that have absolutely zero knowledge of economics.

I don't think it would take that drastic of a cut. At current ticket prices the stadium still has over capacity and the Big XII has some of the highest ticket prices across the board.

Also I don't think it would jump to 100k in the first expansion. Perhaps go to 90 or 95k then move up from there after they start selling games out again ( which shouldn't take too long) and generate some demand. All it would take is some decent marketing to advertise that there are 5 to 10 thousand more tickets on sale and you have a better chance of getting into a game.

[WichitaSooner]

Could you expand more on the economics. Are you saying revenues would go down if OU was able to add more seats and expand the number of Season Tickets available? The last time I looked People were still on a waiting list for seats. I'm also
Not sure if all the boxes are sold. A few years back Joe Castiglione said that if he'd had 11 more confirmed buyers he would have tried to expand over the North EZ from the East to the West side I think.

Your economic view has confused me

Yes, there is a waiting list... but it's really a list of people that don't want to donate, but still want tickets. You can donate to the Sooner Club right now and get season tickets for next year. And I believe we just now finally have a small waitlist for the luxury suites.

There is a certain threshold for scarcity... if you have too many seats and they are easy to get, then suddenly you see ticket prices drop dramatically as demand drops. The current administration is pretty savvy when it comes to keeping the demand at a decent level to keep the prices where they can generate the revenue they need to stay competitive... but in all honesty, we probably have a few too many seats already. With a few very small exceptions, you can walk up to the stadium on any gameday and get tickets for lower than face... I saw that even with the FSU game this year.

So, while it would be great to be able to brag about having 100,000+ in our stadium, it's MUCH better to be able to generate enough revenue to pay our coaches what it takes to stay competitive, and to provide our athletes the resources that are necessary to remain in the facility arms race that is always getting bigger, better, more expensive.

[sooner59]

Our current setup has a capacity of 82,000 (app.) and we normally average 84,500-85,500. At an average of $77 per ticket, you get around $6,500,000 per game in ticket sales.

If we bumped our capacity to 87,000 (app.) and could range on average of 89,500-90,500, we could drop average ticket prices by $5 and still be in the same ballpark on the net from ticket sales. Not taking into account extra revenue from concessions and merchandise.

But that said, I think we are fine at the number we are at right now.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

I believe we would fill up a 100.000 seat stadium every week..


Nope. We weren't at capacity for either Iowa State or CU this year. Their were lots of tix left for CU on the University's ticket exchange (resale tix from season ticket holders) the day of the game. [EDIT: Keeping in mind that "capacity" butts in the seat and "capacity" ticket sales can be two different things.]

Apathy is a weird bird. I was at the 1985 Iowa State game (when Jamelle and the wishbone had their coming out party) following the Miamuh loss and the upper half of the northeast corner of the stadium was almost entirely empty. Curiously by the NU game it had gone ahead and filled back up.

Next year, because of the excitement building for this team, you might be able to get 100K butts in the seats for a couple of the games... maybe.

The best growth plan for the stadium is the one Joe already has in place.... make sure there is more demand for the games than their is availability.

Our next expansion will probably be no more than about 5,000, so that on big games where we sell general admission/standing room only we just top around 90K.

A season ticket waiting list is a good thing for a university to have.

Just ask oSu.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Our current setup has a capacity of 82,000 (app.)

FYI for those who want to know... 82,112 official capacity.

[opksooner]

I heard there's something brewing about a Conoco Stadium to be built west of I-35. Anyone?

[usaosooner]

not with the economy in the tank... we got a ten thousand long waiting list...

[OK2U]

Parking is already is nightmare. (I'm lucky because I've got a family house on the corner of Monnett and Boyd.)
Where would another 10,000+ people park?
I haven't been to any of the larger stadiums--how do they handle it?

[MamaMia]

I believe we would fill up a 100.000 seat stadium every week..


Sure we could... if we cut ticket prices in half...

But, then we'd make LESS revenue per game than we do now.

I understand the "need" of OU fans to crow about how large our stadium is, but it quite obviously continually comes from people that have absolutely zero knowledge of economics.

Actually we have close to 6,000 people on the waiting list wanting to purchase 2 season tickets each. Over 4,000 of the people on the list are requesting 4 seats together. Thats at least 28,000 season tickets we could sell tomorrow. Its possible to jump the waiting list by making a donation. Last year over 5,000 Sooner fans did just that. Our official capacity now is 82,112, however there were 85,646 at the 2008 Texas Tech game. Not only would we be able to fill our stadium with 100,000 people but we would still have approximately 10,112 people wanting a season ticket in that stadium.

[MamaMia]

Parking is already is nightmare. (I'm lucky because I've got a family house on the corner of Monnett and Boyd.)
Where would another 10,000+ people park?
Take a shuttle. They would make arrangements for more shuttles if needed.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-2098545.html

[WichitaSooner]

Parking is already is nightmare. (I'm lucky because I've got a family house on the corner of Monnett and Boyd.)
Where would another 10,000+ people park?
I haven't been to any of the larger stadiums--how do they handle it?

Parking isn't a problem at all... Never had a hard time finding a spot.

[boomermagic]

Actually we have close to 6,000 people on the waiting list wanting to purchase 2 season tickets each. Over 4,000 of the people on the list are requesting 4 seats together. Thats at least 28,000 season tickets we could sell tomorrow. Its possible to jump the waiting list by making a donation. Last year over 5,000 Sooner fans did just that. Our official capacity now is 82,112, however there were 85,646 at the 2008 Texas Tech game. Not only would we be able to fill our stadium with 100,000 people but we would still have approximately 10,112 people wanting a season ticket in that stadium.

Thats what I thought.. The university is losing money by not expanding to 110.000

[Condescending Sooner]

The waiting list is not a reliable source for sales. A lot of people put their name on the list long ago, and are no longer interested in tickets. I tried to sell two tickets together for face value, and didn't even get a nibble.

Putting your name on a list is one thing, but when it comes time to write the check, a lot shy away.

[boomermagic]

The waiting list is not a reliable source for sales. A lot of people put their name on the list long ago, and are no longer interested in tickets. I tried to sell two tickets together for face value, and didn't even get a nibble.

Putting your name on a list is one thing, but when it comes time to write the check, a lot shy away.

Trying to sell two tickets yourself is not an indication of school marketing either.. I gotta believe if it works at Alabama and schools like Michigan where they also seat well over 100.000 it would be benificial at OU as well. Those schools aren't any bigger football wise than we are..

[WichitaSooner]

Thats what I thought.. The university is losing money by not expanding to 110.000


Look, we will lose money and our sellout streak if we try anything near 100,000....

The waiting list is a great thing for the AD to throw around for marketing purposes, but it's NOT an indicator of true demand.

Besides, why do you want over 100,000 so bad???? We are fine with our 85,000ish, robust revenue for the university, and cheap readily available tickets on the secondary market.

We don't need to prove how big our penis is.... The world already knows.

[CatfishSooner]

mehhhhhhhh...bowl in the south....see,

[jkjsooner]

I heard there's something brewing about a Conoco Stadium to be built west of I-35. Anyone?

I heard that too. It's the new "flat seating" design isn't it?

[Taxman71]

OU will/should never expand seating to the point that retaining season tickets becomes worthless. Alot of fans would take a year or two off from buying tickets (due to the economy, having kids, work travel, rebuilding year, etc.) if they knew they could walk up and get similar seats any season they wanted. OU wants to force fans to retain season tickets if nothing else to retain the right to keep getting them.

[CrimsonCommando]

About Bryant Denny... That reminds me of an old Alabama fart I met at our stadium on the Friday before the OU/Bama home game years ago. He commented that he couldn't believe we didn't have an upper deck on both sides (the east side was just in the process of being built at the time) and a full bowl. He "expected more from Oklahoma."

I found that statement incredibly insulting but also ignorant. A guy as old as he was surely remembers that in the late '80s Bryant Denny was a measely 60k and didn't have their second upper deck until '98. They simply lead us in expansion a few years and that had a lot to do with the fact that we were down in the '90s when many programs started expanding.


I did go to our game in Tuscaloosa the next year. They do have a nice stadium but it wasn't always so.

I must have met the same old guy in Tuscallosa the next year, he was beaming about their stadium and starting yapping about our need to expand so I kicked him in the nuts and he fell over, so I kicked him in the junk a couple more times and said let's see if these things "expand." We won that game.

[HolaKyle]

Agreed with all the points about the wait list not being an accurate representation of demand.

I'm on the wait list. I live in Orlando. If they called me tomorrow, I'm not going to buy them. Maybe in a few years if I move back to Oklahoma.

[opksooner]

I heard that too. It's the new "flat seating" design isn't it?
Yes, the Conoco Concept has taken into consideration those who wish to communicate with Mother Earth.

[sooner59]

WTF is this Conoco stuff? :confused:

[StoopTroup]

I think we could build an arch over the stadium where people could look down to watch the games...:D

[sooner59]

Rule is....if a punt his it, you have to play it live. :D

[PDXsooner]

Let's say we do expand to 90k+. What will happen the next time we have a down period in the program?

I know people like to criticize our coaches but we've had an amazing run this century. We won't continue to win 50% of the Big 12 championships (or whatever conference we end up in).

I don't predict that we'll return to the Blake era but there will be down stretches. It was amazing that we filled the stadium up as much as we did during that era but I'd hate to see 20k empty seats if we have a stretch of mediocre seasons (and everyone has them).


Funny thing, I think we had better attendance during the Blake years than during the Gibbs years. I suppose I could look it up but that's my impression. The thing about Gibbs is that even though they had decent seasons, he just did not bring any enthusiasm to the program whatsoever...

That pretty much sums it up. Yes, we could do 100K now. Three or four 7 win seasons in a row and I doubt we would sell that many.