As the new home of Pioneer Men's Basketball, Pioneer Women's Basketball AND Pioneer Ice Hockey but that would keep the I Love Bridgeport fans very happy.
Don’t worry Claver. The Bluefish had an incredibly long run, esp for a non-affiliated team, until their bid to come back was rejected in favor of the ampi theater And the Sountigers are also long time tenants The failing of the Fairfield Men’s Basketball program is hardly indicative of the local sports market. And 73, what’s going to keep this “I love Bridgeport” guy happy is watching you complain about the new arena. You will. Apparently, it’s who you are
As the new home of Pioneer Men's Basketball, Pioneer Women's Basketball AND Pioneer Ice Hockey but that would keep the I Love Bridgeport fans very happy.
Don’t worry Claver. The Bluefish had an incredibly long run, esp for a non-affiliated team, until their bid to come back was rejected in favor of the ampi theater And the Sountigers are also long time tenants The failing of the Fairfield Men’s Basketball program is hardly indicative of the local sports market. And 73, what’s going to keep this “I love Bridgeport” guy happy is watching you complain about the new arena. You will. Apparently, it’s who you are
I very much enjoyed going to Bluefish games, and the team had a great start playing in Bridgeport. But to state that "the failing of the Fairfield Men's Basketball program is hardly indicative of the local sports market" is easily proven wrong by facts.
For the Bluefish, the support disappeared long before the amphitheater decision. You can track Atlantic Lg attendance back to 2011: alpb.bbstats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=174&seasonid=540. From 2011 through 2017 (the last season for the Bluefish), Bridgeport was last in attendance each year.
The Sound Tigers aren't doing much better at the gate, ranking 24th out of 31 AHL teams in attendance per game last season. They were 25th out of 30 the year before that.
Last Edit: Sept 12, 2019 9:21:13 GMT -5 by dannynoonan
But to state that "the failing of the Fairfield Men's Basketball program is hardly indicative of the local sports market" is easily proven wrong by facts....
In addition, Sacred Heart's Atlantic Hockey attendance at the WBA is virtually non existent (340) as is the University of Bridgeport's home attendance for Men's Basketball (227) on their Park Avenue campus.
Don’t worry Claver. The Bluefish had an incredibly long run, esp for a non-affiliated team, until their bid to come back was rejected in favor of the ampi theater And the Sountigers are also long time tenants The failing of the Fairfield Men’s Basketball program is hardly indicative of the local sports market. And 73, what’s going to keep this “I love Bridgeport” guy happy is watching you complain about the new arena. You will. Apparently, it’s who you are
I very much enjoyed going to Bluefish games, and the team had a great start playing in Bridgeport. But to state that "the failing of the Fairfield Men's Basketball program is hardly indicative of the local sports market" is easily proven wrong by facts.
For the Bluefish, the support disappeared long before the amphitheater decision. You can track Atlantic Lg attendance back to 2011: alpb.bbstats.pointstreak.com/attendance.html?leagueid=174&seasonid=540. From 2011 through 2017 (the last season for the Bluefish), Bridgeport was last in attendance each year.
The Sound Tigers aren't doing much better at the gate, ranking 24th out of 31 AHL teams in attendance per game last season. They were 25th out of 30 the year before that.
Those pesky facts!
Draw your own conclusions. Where would you rather play?
Summary by Venue Venue Games Total Attend Att/Game WBA 5 5,299 1,060 AH 7 21,185 1,740
Then Consider: -- Brand new on campus facility -- Operating Cost per game -- Weekend scheduling flexibility -- Convenience -- Fan cost per game -- Game Atmosphere -- Recruiting And Student Applications Advantage
Interesting. I sent my nephew whose son recently took a campus tour (BTW,he decided on Delaware), the virtual tour of the new CC. He replied, I don't remember a gym on the tour. LOL. I'm glad they were smart enough not to include the "classic" AH on the student tour.
Last Edit: Sept 12, 2019 16:50:53 GMT -5 by paulie74
Those pesky facts! Draw your own conclusions. Where would you rather play?
Any of us who lived on campus as students and weren't commuter students know that taking a bus off campus to downtown Bridgeport or anywhere else in Southern Connecticut was never going to consistently get the students to go to the games. Years later that still has not changed with the current students nor with the new incoming students every year.
The Case For Bringing Fairfield Hoops Back Home by Caroline Mahar April 3, 2019
"....Students prefer Alumni Hall because the location is convenient. Traveling to Bridgeport is a hassle that no student wants to take on. Many students admitted to never going to any games off campus because of the transportation issue – which is especially inconvenient for underclassman without cars....To the players as well, Alumni Hall is the better choice. Most of the team’s practices occur on campus making it feel more like their home court, as opposed to the arena, which explains why many players admit to feeling more comfortable playing at Alumni.
“I believe it is very important that Fairfield basketball games are played on campus. I think playing games at Alumni Hall would enhance the school spirit and present us a better opportunity to get more fans and supporters to our games,” said Fairfield Basketball player Matija Milin ’19. "When it comes down to it, the players feed off of the crowd, which is always more lively and rowdy at the home court". Matija stressed the importance of the fans whom he believes often create the atmosphere. “I prefer playing at Alumni Hall. For me it means a lot when we have a lot of fans to cheer for us during the game. Whenever we play in Alumni Hall it is usually completely sold out and the fans are like a sixth player for us, and I don’t think that is the case with the Webster Bank Arena.”
It is clear that the environment at Alumni Hall, as well as the convenience of its location, and low cost tickets make it the best place to host Fairfield University men’s basketball games. The court is ultimately better at fostering Stag pride because it is closest to home in more ways than one".
Post by bridgeport on Sept 13, 2019 5:53:55 GMT -5
some thoughts i have. it is time to call it what it is, not so much as a convocation center, but a basketball palace also used for a few other events. proposed names, unless joe gives a LOT of money and wants it named after him. "the fred barakat basketball building " alumni hall " barakat building " will the court still be the george bissaca court ? will they announce a start date ? will they have a open house tour before the fist game ? do the president and ad read this site ? are they influenced by it ? how many people compared to season ticket holders read this ? how many post ? how often do i look ? often !
I guess I see it a little differently. The building is clearly more then a "basketball palace". Investing $45M for essentially 12-15 dates annually would not make any sense IMO. The message is, the new building is a center piece in the University master plan to have the best facilities that not only serve mens basketball, but serve womens sports as well as provides a modern facility for other venue activities. IT IS GOING TO BE A "CROWN JEWEL" IN THE CENTER OF CAMPUS, replacing a venerable but worn out Alumni Hall.
some thoughts i have. it is time to call it what it is, not so much as a convocation center, but a basketball palace also used for a few other events. proposed names, unless joe gives a LOT of money and wants it named after him. "the fred barakat basketball building " alumni hall " barakat building " will the court still be the george bissaca court ? !
I think its only a matter of time before someone or some business steps up with a donation to secure naming rights. Last time I spoke with people in the know that donation had not been received, but is been a while I wonder if securing that final big donation is what ultimately pushed this project forward.....
some thoughts i have. it is time to call it what it is, not so much as a convocation center, but a basketball palace also used for a few other events. proposed names, unless joe gives a LOT of money and wants it named after him. "the fred barakat basketball building " alumni hall " barakat building " will the court still be the george bissaca court ? !
I think its only a matter of time before someone or some business steps up with a donation to secure naming rights. Last time I spoke with people in the know that donation had not been received, but is been a while I wonder if securing that final big donation is what ultimately pushed this project forward.....
IMO, the naming donor is secured. The rumor was this is what was holding up the announcement. FU is too conservative to move forward without a major commitment.
Now they can "sell" naming rights for the Stags Club and Patio/Beer Garden.
Post by stagmania78 on Sept 20, 2019 3:14:59 GMT -5
Haven't checked in in a couple weeks and I see this??? As obviously mentioned, we alumni have been imploring this for who knows how long. I'm not sure how when this site caught on but I do know since I joined up it was basically everyone's dream. Wow. FU always provided us with other school's new arenas and also the costs etc. I know I always looked at them said when is it our turn. Maybe they heard our whispers and loud pleas too. FU usually included the construction costs and no way could I could fathom how much we would have to pay. A lot. Ha. I actually said to myself before typing that 45 Mil doesn't that bad. Imagine that ridiculous thought. When I went through the videos it looks like it could be a Pit. How great would a brand new arena also be a pit??? So proud of everyone who got this done. US INCLUDED. Ha.
For those of u interested in providing feedback/comments about the convocation center there is now a form on Fairfileldstags.com allowing u to do so. Go to the banner announcing the center and then choose the option for viewing the “ micro site” . Swipe all the way to the bottom and u should find the form. I made some comments this AM.
For those of u interested in providing feedback/comments about the convocation center there is now a form on Fairfileldstags.com allowing u to do so.
Questions and Feedback Please fill out this form to provide feedback or ask a question directly to Fairfield Athletics regarding the new Fairfield University Convocation Center. Please complete all fields to ensure a timely and complete response.
