POLL: Season Opener Night Game at Goodman?

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Football POLL: Season Opener Night Game at Goodman?

This topic contains 29 replies, has 10 voices, and was last updated by sundayamqb sundayamqb 7 years, 3 months ago.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 30 total)
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  • #29925

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    #29929

    richb-1
    Participant

    I expect to be out west much of early september 2017. But Normally, I would like to see September games at 7:30 PM.

    October at 4:00 PM

    November 12:30 PM

    #29930
    marco
    marco
    Participant

    Night football.

    I’d attend out of curiosity… but really, I believe that there are other improvements that would make the home experience better and more in keeping with the 21st century.

    – Modernize the field house in the north end zone.

    – Install the best scoreboard/message board in the Patriot League.

    – Improve the press box. I am told that it’s too small and somewhat outdated

    – Do something about the sound system, it is poor.

    Night games for what? To learn the hard way that today’s student who has trouble making their way to the stadium (or into it) during the daytime will suddenly become rabid attendees? An unintended consequence might be that you’ll lose older fans with night games, not draw students and suffer a net loss of attendance. I say make the daytime experience more exciting and more in keeping with a standard that even (choke, gasp) Laffyette has adapted to.

    Besides, night games after mid-October become a matter of weather consideration.

    I refuse to believe that this University cannot raise the funds for at least a modest series of Goodman improvements.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by marco marco.
    #29933
    van
    van
    Participant

    when I was a season ticket holder I would have preferred 4pm starts for early Sept games, night game would have been a negative but I would likely still attend, now living 800 miles away attending is a rarity

    #29937

    richb-1
    Participant

    Labor Day Weekend is not necessarily the best test if we were to have a single game test. Too many students will go away for the weekend. Maybe an ideal test would be if we had back-to-back weekends. Rent lights for two weekends (I presume there would be no cost for the in-between days when they just sit there) One Saturday start at 7:30 PM, the next at 4:00 PM.

    Students. The North parking lot should be student parking (even though I often use that lot). Allow the kids to stay there as long as they want. Sleep/party overnight if they want. Only a couple of neighbors within half a mile. Only one exit from the lot, and that being with someone equipped with a breathalyzer. Don’t arrest someone trying to drive drunk, switch drivers. If there are no sober drivers, they will stay over night. Kids will learn if they drive to a drinking spot, carry a sleeping bag. I still do that, but I am only out 45 years.

    November 12:30 Starts. Sooner or later there will be a thunder storm at a game after clocks return to Standard Time. That is at least a one hour delay, meaning a game could be ending a half hour after sunset. Remember, there was lightening and thunder with storm that struck 3 hours after the Lafayette game. No reason it won’t happen 6 hours earlier next year. I have been to HS games interrupted by a storm, and delayed to Monday. It is one thing to do that with 2 HS 15 miles apart, and 2000 fans. How about it Happens vs Colgate on the Penultimate Saturday of the regular season, with The PL title on the line and 12,000 in attendance.

    #29939

    TMH
    Participant

    Richb,
    I believe we had your scenario a few years ago vs Penn (I think). The game was dealyed at halftime for lightening. I thought it really had an impact on momentum but I don’t remember darkness impacting the game, likely before DST.
    One of my fondest memories of Lehigh football however was Aylesworth throw to Klingerman in the lights of the scoreboard against Lafayette. It was both amazing and surreal.

    #29942
    wilsonfootball2
    wilsonfootball2
    Participant

    [quote quote=29930]Night football.

    I’d attend out of curiosity… but really, I believe that there are other improvements that would make the home experience better and more in keeping with the 21st century.

    – Modernize the field house in the north end zone.

    – Install the best scoreboard/message board in the Patriot League.

    – Improve the press box. I am told that it’s too small and somewhat outdated

    – Do something about the sound system, it is poor.

    Night games for what? To learn the hard way that today’s student who has trouble making their way to the stadium (or into it) during the daytime will suddenly become rabid attendees? An unintended consequence might be that you’ll lose older fans with night games, not draw students and suffer a net loss of attendance. I say make the daytime experience more exciting and more in keeping with a standard that even (choke, gasp) Laffyette has adapted to.

    Besides, night games after mid-October become a matter of weather consideration.

    I refuse to believe that this University cannot raise the funds for at least a modest series of Goodman improvements.

    [/quote]

    +1
    But this will be ignored, as it has been for years.

    #29943

    richb-1
    Participant

    That Penn game was apparently 2003. It was the 4th game of the season, so likely the weekend before Columbus day Weekend (oct-4) (I would have guessed it was a week or two after.) I believe the delay was with about 5 minutes to go in the third quarter. We could hear thunder for about 45 minutes, then the rule was wait another 45 minutes until play could resume. It definitely changed the momentum. I think we were up by 7 or more, and were driving the field when the delay happened. and we had nothing afterwards. Sunset was 6:41 that day so we could have played to 7:00, but I think the game was over about 5:00 PM (5:00 would probably be the drop dead time to start an overtime period for the Lafayette Game Day)

    #29944

    TMH
    Participant

    I have no idea what the impact would be but I continue to reflect on my last visit to Princeton. They have a beautiful stadium located right on campus. It was a night game with good weather and there were fireworks after the game. I think there may have been as many Lehigh fans as Princeton fans there.

    We put 2 video boards into Stabler Arena. There should have been a lot of hype after the finish of last season and the senior season for a 2 X POY but the attendance thus far has been less than stellar :-). I think we are fooling ourselves that these things really matter that much.

    #29945

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=29937]Labor Day Weekend is not necessarily the best test if we were to have a single game test. Too many students will go away for the weekend. Maybe an ideal test would be if we had back-to-back weekends. Rent lights for two weekends (I presume there would be no cost for the in-between days when they just sit there) One Saturday start at 7:30 PM, the next at 4:00 PM.[/quote]

    That’s a really interesting observation which I hadn’t considered – the idea of renting lights for two weekends and keeping the same “setup” there for a double period. I’ll have to see if it’s possible with the schedule the way it is.

    The reason I thought of Labor Day weekend as a “test bed” for this possibility was not only the fact that it was the home opener, but the thought that the game could also be potentially moved to Thursday, 8/31 (when Freshmen are on campus, I believe). A lot of FCS home season openers are on Thursday evenings for good reason: it’s a less crowded schedule (so more college football fans can tune in), classes haven’t started or have just started (so students have the time to enjoy a game), and families with Labor Day plans can attend the game (a Thursday night before Labor Day can usually be finagled in some way). Additionally, opening day is a special hype day – a night game can be a part of that.

    For Lehigh, there’s an extra incentive: getting away from Penn State’s home opener. Play a game on Thursday, 6PM, with no Penn State, and suddenly the sports page is yours for a day. These things matter.

    I’ve seen a debate of what the costs might be for such a setup, but I keep hearing conflicting reports. It would be nice to know an actual plan – what does a real plan look like to make that happen?

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by  lfnadmin.
    #29947
    Go Lehigh TU Owl
    Go Lehigh TU Owl
    Participant

    Lehigh needs to figure out the light situation for the playoffs. To exclude themselves from hosting moving forward would be dumb. Lehigh goes 11-0 next year and they hit the road again to play a 7-4 CAA team? That shouldn’t be a possibility.

    Get permanent lighting for the stadium and bring in temps for the walkway to Stabler. PSU user temp lighting but there’s also some areas that are rather dark. I understand there’s some liability issues but c’mon. I went to a night NASCAR race at Kentucky Speedway this year. Outside of your cell phone and lights from the track the parking lot was dark. The arena area already has lighting.

    Get it done. Start a fundraising campaign…

    #29950

    hawktalker
    Participant

    Until there’s a change in athletic administration, this conversation is purely academic (pun not intended). Night games are highly unlikely under current leadership.
    And, by the way, night games have done nothing for attendance at the other D1 school in the market

    #29951

    TMH
    Participant

    Just wondering…has it been confirmed that lighting was even a factor in not getting a home game in the playoffs?

    The NCAA puts out a list of requirements but I don’t remember lighting being one of them but then again I plead dementia.

    #29953

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    [quote quote=29951]Just wondering…has it been confirmed that lighting was even a factor in not getting a home game in the playoffs?

    The NCAA puts out a list of requirements but I don’t remember lighting being one of them but then again I plead dementia.[/quote]

    The criteria for choosing hosts in the FCS playoffs has been shopped as a straightforward process, but when you look at the rules, there is lots of fudge room.

    When determining host institutions for playoff games when both teams are unseeded, criteria shall apply as follows: (1) quality of facility, (2) revenue potential plus estimated net receipts, (3) attendance history and potential, (4) team’s performance (i.e., conference place finish, head-to-head results and number of Division I opponents), and (5) student-athlete well-being (e.g., travel and missed class time).

    What we do know is, UNH was stacked vs. Lehigh in these five head-to-head categories. Ignore the fact that for (2) and (3), UNH outperformed Lehigh this year, (4) Lehigh outperformed UNH, and (5) was pretty much a wash. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that for criteria (2) through (5), UNH and Lehigh were even. Let’s focus on (1).

    Also in the rulebook:

    First, second and quarterfinal-round games broadcast on ESPN3 may start no earlier than 1 p.m. local time. Preferred game times will be taken into strong consideration; however, finalized game times will ultimately be determined by ESPN in consultation with the NCAA.”

    ESPN has dictated this new “rule” (why? I have no earthly idea.) Suddenly, “quality of facility” comes into play. A December playoff game starting at 1pm at Goodman without lights in best case scenario ends at 4pm, which is about the time the sun comes down. Now Lehigh can ask to host, and ask for a noon kickoff for their game. But if you’re a committee member choosing between battling to make a special exception for Lehigh to kick off at noon vs. shipping Lehigh off to New Hampshire, which has lights, so that it conforms with ESPN’s broadcast whims to broadcast at 2PM, which would you choose?

    For my part, I am not 100% convinced that Lehigh needs permanent lights at Goodman. But to me, if Lehigh wants to host one (or more) FCS playoff games at Goodman, there at least needs to be a plan on how it could be done budget-wise and safety-wise. This would be true even if Lehigh were the No. 1 seed overall.

    • This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by  lfnadmin.
    #29955

    lfnadmin
    Keymaster

    One more thing unrelated to FCS playoff bids that I’d like to mention/pitch. In terms of Goodman hosting a night game for the 2017 season opener, that would have to be done with temporary lighting, of course. Whether that would be a gateway towards permanent Goodman lighting, it’s impossible to say.

    But at a bare minimum it could be a one-time event, “the first-ever night game at Murray Goodman Stadium”, perhaps get a few more fans there, spark some excitement about the Patriot League Championship-winning program, and then people would also have an idea going forward or whether to proceed towards permanent lighting.

    What I’m thinking is fundamentally different than what Lafayette did, which was install permanent lights then proceed to have many, many night games.

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