ewueagle2010 said:
Last season, the average regular season attendance was 9,578. Two of the five crowds were over 10,000 (MSU and Cal Poly). The year before, the average regular season attendance was 10,217 with four of the six being over 10,000 and two of the six being over 11,000 (UM and Idaho State). The old days in which EWU would only draw big crowds when the Montana's were in town are just not true anymore. ...
The key will be the type of seating and the proximity of fans to the field to keep the atmosphere hostile and fun. EWU facilities will never be better than UM's, but they can at least be closer. It's crazy to see what EWU has been able to do with the current facilities and the sky is the limit if you invest in your programs.
I visit EWU a couple of times a year for my team sports, and have always enjoyed the experience. Despite the regular "fan banter," I admire the way that EWU has really come a long ways over the years, and is justifiably proud of its achievements.
Joe Albi could use some "tightening up" for sure. A million bucks would go a long ways there; the basic facility is a sound venue. It is a credit to its designers that it provides a serviceable facility after all these years compared to EWU's current facility which does not. A point of school pride is to have its own venue; but that certainly is an expensive alternative. The timing is certainly auspicious. With some outstanding examples of great venues now available, its an opportunity to design a small/medium size facility with outstanding characteristics and still leave room for future expansion.
UM's "investment in facilities" certainly paid off. It is a remarkable story, really. EWU may be at a place and point in time to be able to benefit from good hindsight and design in some good foresight. The proposed location is sweet for a stadium.
On the other hand, it is an expensive way to get rid of the red turf, which I suspect is the real motivation for all of this.