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The BU Dome?
- Thread starter SFP
- Start date
I know this may be just a rumor but I hope not.
tornado
New member
isn't BU in the planning stage for a large, inflatable practice facility that will give indoor fields for baseball, tennis, etc....?
Is this what you are referring to as the dome?
BTW -- There's extremely little out there officially on this planned "dome"...and it's been mentioned, I believe, only once by Dr. Cross
in March of 2012.... and never mentioned or reported in the newspaper...
http://www.1470wmbd.com/pages/12412950.php?
However - it actually was mentioned and discussed here on BradleyFans LONG before it was ever revealed anywhere else
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthrea...ill+be+dome+for+all+outside+sports#post238813
Is this what you are referring to as the dome?
BTW -- There's extremely little out there officially on this planned "dome"...and it's been mentioned, I believe, only once by Dr. Cross
in March of 2012.... and never mentioned or reported in the newspaper...
http://www.1470wmbd.com/pages/12412950.php?
However - it actually was mentioned and discussed here on BradleyFans LONG before it was ever revealed anywhere else
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showthrea...ill+be+dome+for+all+outside+sports#post238813
I remember this from a while back. If anything I would imagine it would be like a larger version of the Pekin Dragons Dome (Or Avanti's Dome or whatever they're calling it now). I dunno what I think about the idea. It would be great for year round accommodation of the Soccer team, maybe a future Men's Lacrosse team, Rugby team, Field Hockey team, etc. It could be interesting, but I would still like to see Football return to the hilltop! I'm dying to go to the War on 74 Football style!
Football is way to expensive so I doubt that will happen unless an alumnus becomes ultra-wealthy and donates those funds. Now on the dome, what would it take to build a 20K fan dome facility for sports. I can see someone slipping in a wood floor into those plans.
If they make it large enough for soccer you can bet a basketball floor could fit in it. We do need a bit of leverage around Carver. 8)Gary the Gargoyle
New member
I'm familiar with this potential project.
Football is way to expensive so I doubt that will happen unless an alumnus becomes ultra-wealthy and donates those funds. Now on the dome, what would it take to build a 20K fan dome facility for sports. I can see someone slipping in a wood floor into those plans.
Yep... If they want to build a dome, do it right!
This inflatable dome project has potential. Let me explain. Placed at Shea Stadium, it creates a 'soccer campus' by rewarding Coach DeRose with an indoor practice/seminar facility. It is a recruiting 'assist' for him.
But, that not only it..The dome serves as a practice facility for BU baseball, softball, and golf, giving BU a modest help against the southern schools climate advantage.
But here is the kicker. Put a 300M indoor track inside it and you draw state, future high school, and collegiate indoor meets here. You have the only one for several hundreds of miles. U of I doesn't have a 300M. None in Illinois and few in the midwest even...A recruiting gem for Coach Burns...
Now, make it public revenue subsidized but BU owned. Open it up for youth and U19 soccer matches, DeRose's youth seminars, baseball teams, private track events...All run, manned, by BU's student athletes earning money and managing a facility. Borrow against the endowment fund or directly from a bank at around 4% to get the project started. Enjoy the private revenue off of it, and BU athletes advantage using it.. Sure, it takes BU's commitment for a multi-million dollar project, but its worth it.
But, that not only it..The dome serves as a practice facility for BU baseball, softball, and golf, giving BU a modest help against the southern schools climate advantage.
But here is the kicker. Put a 300M indoor track inside it and you draw state, future high school, and collegiate indoor meets here. You have the only one for several hundreds of miles. U of I doesn't have a 300M. None in Illinois and few in the midwest even...A recruiting gem for Coach Burns...
Now, make it public revenue subsidized but BU owned. Open it up for youth and U19 soccer matches, DeRose's youth seminars, baseball teams, private track events...All run, manned, by BU's student athletes earning money and managing a facility. Borrow against the endowment fund or directly from a bank at around 4% to get the project started. Enjoy the private revenue off of it, and BU athletes advantage using it.. Sure, it takes BU's commitment for a multi-million dollar project, but its worth it.
Gary the Gargoyle
New member
In principle, I love the way that you're thinking, but I have a couple of questions.
1. Can you fit a regulation soccer pitch inside of a 300m track?
2. Are you sure that EIU doesn't have a 300m indoor track?
RedSeaElite1
New member
From what i've heard these will be fund-raised in two completely different ways... and the convergence center is going to cost upwards of $150 million for what they want. The dome will be a fraction of that cost...
Gary the Gargoyle
New member
You're exactly right. The dome fundraising would be handled by athletic development, and probably cost in the neighborhood of $1 million. Someone correct me if they've heard otherwise.
So, think smaller for the inflatable dome. Not big enough for a complete soccer stadium, but serving as a turfed practice facility for, again, baseball, men's soccer, softball, golf, and heck, throw in a future potential sport of women's soccer.
I don't believe the eiu facility is 300 meter. I believe there is potential revenue and facility usage if you place a 300M inside (if feasible and cost acceptable).
Going inside the engineering and business facilities, it is absolutely essential that the president and the trustees develop a plan for a prompt resolution to the CONVERGENCE CENTER'S BUILDING START. THESE ARE TWO HIGHLY RATED SCHOOLS.. With this comes the deans' responsibility to start new educational opportunities (MAJORS) for these areas, in the areas of finance especially. We risk our national collegiate rankings leaving this area of our institution exposed.
hey, just my thoughts...
I don't believe the eiu facility is 300 meter. I believe there is potential revenue and facility usage if you place a 300M inside (if feasible and cost acceptable).
Going inside the engineering and business facilities, it is absolutely essential that the president and the trustees develop a plan for a prompt resolution to the CONVERGENCE CENTER'S BUILDING START. THESE ARE TWO HIGHLY RATED SCHOOLS.. With this comes the deans' responsibility to start new educational opportunities (MAJORS) for these areas, in the areas of finance especially. We risk our national collegiate rankings leaving this area of our institution exposed.
hey, just my thoughts...
My old high school also has a dome (we call it the bubble) and its been a great practice facilty for every sport. It only has a 200m flat track and 4 basketball courts side by side inside the track, all of its a rubber floor. You could fit a full size soccer field in it, but you obviously can't fit a track around it without it being a 400m track and a structure twice as large.
It also only cost about 1.5million and I believe less than $60k to operate each year. Its a good solution for BU to get a lot of indoor practice space for cheap. The skin is guaranteed for 15 years and is easy to replace when it wears out.
It also only cost about 1.5million and I believe less than $60k to operate each year. Its a good solution for BU to get a lot of indoor practice space for cheap. The skin is guaranteed for 15 years and is easy to replace when it wears out.
tornado
New member
The dimensions of a college soccer field as stated in NCAA rules may vary...
The width can be no less than 65 yards wide and no more than 80 yards wide.
The length must be between 110 - 120 yards.
PLUS if approved before the game by both oponents - even a smaller field may be used...
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/rules/fielddiagrams/soccer.pdf
but if you are only going to use the field for practice then I suppose it could be any dimensions.
In answer to your other quesitons - no legal sized field would fit in the infield of a 300m track
Here is Kent State's indoor 300m track and it just barely fits a football field which is smaller than a soccer field
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...n&safe=strict&sa=N&gbv=2&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1
http://www.kentstatesports.com/sports/track/2010-11/photos/0004/Track-001.jpg?max_width=450
BTW - since there's very little been made public of this - at least the one comment quoted form the WMBD site clearly identifies this is not a secret plan - so it's been made public....
if they build this on the oval next to the soccer stadium then where do people park? - during peak use that infield of the old track was used to park over 400 cars -
The width can be no less than 65 yards wide and no more than 80 yards wide.
The length must be between 110 - 120 yards.
PLUS if approved before the game by both oponents - even a smaller field may be used...
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/rules/fielddiagrams/soccer.pdf
but if you are only going to use the field for practice then I suppose it could be any dimensions.
In answer to your other quesitons - no legal sized field would fit in the infield of a 300m track
Here is Kent State's indoor 300m track and it just barely fits a football field which is smaller than a soccer field
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...n&safe=strict&sa=N&gbv=2&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1
http://www.kentstatesports.com/sports/track/2010-11/photos/0004/Track-001.jpg?max_width=450
BTW - since there's very little been made public of this - at least the one comment quoted form the WMBD site clearly identifies this is not a secret plan - so it's been made public....
if they build this on the oval next to the soccer stadium then where do people park? - during peak use that infield of the old track was used to park over 400 cars -
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At the Ag Lab.
The inflatable was previously mentioned on this board and in the media last year if I remember correctly. So, it is not secret. Back then, the talk was about discussions with potential builders.
The project needs a push start, someone to agree to push the accelerator down and steer. Larger donation...builder/BU partnership...Or, how about BU ownership and public rentals...Run it like a business...
The project needs a push start, someone to agree to push the accelerator down and steer. Larger donation...builder/BU partnership...Or, how about BU ownership and public rentals...Run it like a business...
I think something could be percolating.