BSFS Expansion Thread

[Shooter Jones]

Help me out here... If you already have the field itself (turf) attached to your football facilities AND an indoor practice field - why do you need another entire field taking up space again?  Some of my fondest memories are of stumbling into or out of the stadium where that is in the rendering.   

I don't understand that either. It made sense back when the playing field was grass. However, now that the turf doesn't wear out, and you will have two existing fields (one indoor and one outdoor) I don't see the need for a third but it's not a deal breaker for me. I just want the sky bridge across Kimball.

That practice field and facility is so ridiculously located.

Agreed. I still don't understand why it's not located on the North side of Kimball in the existing ag lot.

Because that land isn't owned by K-State Athletics Inc.

This has never stopped K-State or other universities from moving land around from college to college before. It's simply a matter of priorities.

Honestly, I'd be okay with the new practice facility, and even new outdoor field in the locations as shown, but something needs to be done about the east side. Since everything else has improved, the east side upper deck clearly stands out now as an earlier addition. I don't think it needs to be demo'ed as others have stated, but we definitely need some kind of exterior upgrade, and some actual concession stands up there.

Naw, man. There is a serious chance we start receiving $15-20 mill less per year, the east side does not need anything put into it.

Don't touch the erector set. Continue to monitor attendance declines across the country and especially at K-State, see how the dominoes fall in realignment and re-evaluate in like 2028-2030.

Pretty decent chance it will/should be torn down/downsized then.

[wiley]

What is the possibility that if/when sports betting is finally legalized in Kansas, that they would put a sports book in the shamrock zone that would benefit both basketball and football (one space that is open during gameday).  Im not sure of the legalities of this so it may be a non-starter.  But i would assume that would be a nice financial gain to the university as a whole.  I've noticed NFL stadiums are starting to building these.

[star seed 7]

I can't see any college doing that

[wiley]

I can't see any college doing that

This is kind of what i figured.  Save maybe UNLV, who may partner with a local sports book

[DQ12]

i'm not griping too much because i'm sure the reasoning is sound but i think the placement of the practice field just kind of looks wonky.

[Trim]

If that additional outdoor field is to reduce wear & tear on the outdoor field within the stadium, they should calculate the cost of that extra field plus the opportunity cost of having it and weigh that against the cost of replacing the stadium field much more frequently.

[_33]

i'm not griping too much because i'm sure the reasoning is sound but i think the placement of the practice field just kind of looks wonky.

The birds eye view does look wonky.  But I think on the ground (where the humans live) it will look fine.

[DQ12]

i'm not griping too much because i'm sure the reasoning is sound but i think the placement of the practice field just kind of looks wonky.

The birds eye view does look wonky.  But I think on the ground (where the humans live) it will look fine.

yes i'm sure this is true.

[PurpleOil]

I can't see any college doing that

Yeah, university sports programs have never whored themselves out before for money or notoriety, or used their "student" athletes for financial gain.

[Katpappy]

I can't see any college doing that

Yeah, university sports programs have never whored themselves out before for money or notoriety, or used their "student" athletes for financial gain.

 

[Shooter Jones]

i'm not griping too much because i'm sure the reasoning is sound but i think the placement of the practice field just kind of looks wonky.

The birds eye view does look wonky.  But I think on the ground (where the humans live) it will look fine.

yes i'm sure this is true.

In my minds eye, there are significant elevation changes in that area. It feels like it would need to be elevated somewhere.

[tdaver]

i'm not griping too much because i'm sure the reasoning is sound but i think the placement of the practice field just kind of looks wonky.

The birds eye view does look wonky.  But I think on the ground (where the humans live) it will look fine.

yes i'm sure this is true.

In my minds eye, there are significant elevation changes in that area. It feels like it would need to be elevated somewhere.

Yep.  Either haul in a bunch of dirt and build a massive retaining wall along Kimball so the south end of the field is level with stadium concourse or dig a pit next to the stadium and have the field level with Kimball.  Or somewhere in between I guess.

[nicname]

You think the obvious place is in the NE corner, next to Vanier? If that's where it would go, it would either extend almost completely across Kimball Ave or if it went further south it would have to sit in the middle of the parking lot or they would have to tear down the NE upper deck and concourse to about the 30 yard line. The current building spans 450 feet and it stands to reason that the new one will be slightly bigger.

The picture makes it look to me like the building is roughly the same size as the field, so I’m suggesting putting the building where they propose having the field. If they’re not the same size, they could rotate the building 90 degrees and accomplish the same thing.

The detached garage approach to the building, coupled with it being a walk-block on the walking path to the stadium, is my core annoyance. Everything else can be worked out after fixing that.

Gimme Shooter’s rendo and add another practice field right next to the other one.

[MakeItRain]

What is the possibility that if/when sports betting is finally legalized in Kansas, that they would put a sports book in the shamrock zone that would benefit both basketball and football (one space that is open during gameday).  Im not sure of the legalities of this so it may be a non-starter.  But i would assume that would be a nice financial gain to the university as a whole.  I've noticed NFL stadiums are starting to building these.

Unless the law written prohibits it, which is very possible, it will 100% eventually happen.

[Shooter Jones]

BSFS night game this week. New Shamrock EZFZ ribbon boards and video boards causing seizures. T's & P's to those attending.

[steve dave]

get'em out boys

[Poster formerly known as jthutch]

Can the indoor practice facility be completely underground then the outdoor facility on top of it.  It could double as a fall out shelter when WW III hits.

[chum1]

Why can't they both go under the stadium? Just need to turn the stadium field into a retractable roof/field.

Ground level                              _____
BSFS field level                         _____
Outdoor practice field level     _____
Indoor practice field level        _____

[cfbandyman]

cat cave 

[MakeItRain]

how does a 404 message pop up that quickly?

[CHONGS]

Why can't they both go under the stadium? Just need to turn the stadium field into a retractable roof/field.

Ground level                              _____
BSFS field level                         _____
Outdoor practice field level     _____
Indoor practice field level        _____

Our elite AE program can surely design a system where different fields can be rotated up and down as needed.  Oh a tornado is about to hit and it's game time? Brrrrrrrr... the protective shield rotates to the top and game goes on underground.

[Poster formerly known as jthutch]

Why can't they both go under the stadium? Just need to turn the stadium field into a retractable roof/field.

Ground level                              _____
BSFS field level                         _____
Outdoor practice field level     _____
Indoor practice field level        _____

We need to rename the outdoor practice field if it is 250 feet below ground.  How about the underground training bunker.

[Shooter Jones]

Was digging through pics for a work project and came across this one. Looked online but couldn't cross reference which release/video it came from.

Note all the trees, Bramlage, and obviously the T&F facilities.

[Shooter Jones]

It is Kansas State, however, that has the bigger project on tap for Regents approval. K-State is seeking approval to spend $43 million on a volleyball venue and Olympic training center and $31 million for a new indoor football practice facility.

The volleyball center is expected to seat about 3,100 spectators, which would make it large enough to host NCAA postseason events and would be about 800 seats larger than KU’s Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The Olympic training portion of the facility would provide weight room facilities, sports medicine areas and other such functions for K-State’s track and field, cross country, tennis and rowing programs, according to plans filed with the Regents.

The center would be built on land southwest of K-State’s football stadium and just beyond the outfield walls of K-State’s baseball stadium.

The indoor football facility would measure about 92,000 square feet — about the same size as KU’s indoor football facility — and would be built just east of the K-State football stadium on space that currently is used for parking.

K-State currently has an indoor practice facility, but the plans submitted to the Regents said the facility doesn’t provide good access to the football stadium and has poor air circulation. The plans said the site of the existing indoor football facility has been identified as a potential location for an indoor track facility.

K-State has been raising funds for the indoor football project for months and plans to use a mix of donor money and operations funds dedicated to the athletic department to pay for the project.

The nearly $75 million worth of projects come at a time when schools in the Big 12 Conference are openly questioning what their finances may look like in the near future. Both Texas and Oklahoma have announced plans to leave the conference, and the Big 12 commissioner has publicly said their departures could devalue future television contracts for the league by about half. If that’s the case, schools like KU and K-State could see a reduction of $20 million or more in television revenues that they receive from the league annually.

Despite the uncertainty, the K-State building request is on the Regents’ consent agenda, a sign that it is expected to be easily approved.

K-State estimates both the volleyball/Olympic facility and the indoor football center will open in June 2023.

The Regents are scheduled to act on the requests at their Sept. 16 meeting in Topeka.

[j-von]

K-State Athletics Hits $96.5M Raised as Three New

Athletics Facilities Announced as Part of Building Champions
 
 
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following the official opening of the Shamrock Zone, K-State Athletics is proud to announce the next phase of its Building Champions initiative as the department will begin construction on a new volleyball arena, Olympic performance center and football indoor center to further enhance the overall experience for both student-athletes and fans, Athletics Director Gene Taylor announced.

Pending approval by the Kansas Board of Regents, construction of these new facilities will begin in early 2022 with the volleyball arena and Olympic performance center, while all three are slated to be completed by Fall 2023. To date, more than 138 total gifts have been made, two of which were eight figure commitments and an astounding 18 seven figure commitments, as K-State Athletics has raised $96.5 million of the new approximate overall $126.5 million cost to begin construction on these three additional facilities, which includes the newly-opened $50 million Shamrock Zone.

“Today is an exciting day as we announce the latest facility projects of our Building Champions initiative,” Taylor said. “Our donors have stepped up in a big way to make this a reality, and the impact that these projects will have on all of our student-athletes is immeasurable. All three of these facilities will provide an edge in recruiting and player development and continue to show that we are invested in maintaining our position as an elite program at the highest level of college athletics.”

“Thanks to the continued generosity of our outstanding supporters, K-State has athletic facilities that rival the best in the nation,” said Richard Myers, K-State president. “The construction of a new volleyball arena, indoor football practice facility and Olympic training center brings us to world-class status for all sports. We appreciate the hard work put in by our athletic department to make these facilities a reality.”


The new indoor football center, which will include an accompanying outdoor practice field, will provide an enormous recruiting and operational advantage for the football program and allow it to operate in a more efficient manner throughout the year. This new facility will feature a full outdoor turf practice field, 130-yard indoor turf practice field, accessibility to the Vanier Family Football Complex and a limestone exterior to match stadium and campus architecture.

“The new indoor and practice field facility will not only benefit our players and program from a recruiting perspective, but the close proximity to the Vanier Complex will provide us a significant convenience factor year-round,” head football coach Chris Klieman said. “The commitment by our donors and administration to a project like this solidifies us as a Big 12 leader in football facilities.”

The volleyball arena will dramatically enhance the student-athlete and fan experience at K-State volleyball matches. The arena will include a seating capacity of approximately 3,100, two practice courts with retractable seating, two video boards, team meeting rooms, locker room, team theater and coaching offices.

“It’s important for our student-athletes and fans to see the commitment to volleyball,” head volleyball coach Suzie Fritz said. “What this facility does more than anything is show a strong commitment from K-State Athletics to our sport, that it’s important and that our athletes, who work hard every day, deserve to play in great facilities. And we plan to make it a very intimate, loud arena that becomes a real home-court advantage.”

Attached to the new volleyball arena will be the new Olympic performance center, which will improve the student-athlete experience, training and strength and conditioning opportunities of multiple Wildcat teams. The facility will feature a 14,000 square foot strength and conditioning center, 8,000 square foot second level multi-use turf area, plyometric ramp, sports medicine rehab space, hydrotherapy recovery area, nutrition and refueling station, office space for athletic training and strength staffs along with a state-of-the-art Mental Health and Wellness space which will house all of the necessary tools for overall wellness and performance enhancement.

“I can’t express how excited I am for the new Olympic weight room,” said Danny Cavender, head strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports. “This facility will be a game changer for our student athletes and will give them the ability to train in a state-of-the-art facility and the tools they need to be successful on the field or court.”

With the construction of these new facilities, parking around the K-State Athletics campus will be impacted beginning in the spring of 2022 until the facilities are completed. The new indoor football center will be located on the east side of LHC Bill Snyder Family Stadium and will impact some football season ticket holders who park on the east side of the stadium. K-State Athletics has plans to rearrange parking on the east side of the stadium, and all season ticket holders affected by construction will be relocated to a new parking space.

Parking spaces on the east side will not decrease due to the new east parking lot reconfiguration. In the coming months, K-State Athletics will be in contact with Ahearn Fund donors and season ticket holders to communicate these parking changes in more detail and provide an exact timeline of changes. Fans are encouraged to visit the K-State Athletics parking page to view the reconfigured east parking map and answer questions.

For more information on the project visit www.kstatesports.com/buildingchampions.