Facility Notes
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Univ. Of Phoenix Stadium Strong Contender
To Receive Final Four Between 2012-2016 |
The NCAA Tuesday said that 10 cities are bidding for Division I men's basketball Final Fours between 2012-2016. An "undetermined number of finalists will be selected in August, and after site visits in September and October, the sites will be announced in November." Of the bidding cities, nine have either hosted previous Final Fours or will in the next three years. The other bid, the Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, is "considered a strong contender" (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 6/19).
ALL IN TOW: Towson Univ. (TU) has "scrapped plans to renovate 32-year-old Towson Center and instead wants to build a $45.4[M] multi-use arena that could open by July 2011." The arena would seat "slightly more than 5,000 and include video screens, entertainment suites and expanded lobbies" (Baltimore SUN, 6/19). TU's athletic department is "spending $1.6[M] on two new scoreboards, which the school hopes will help it bolster sponsorship revenue at Johnny Unitas Stadium." S.D.-based Daktronics Inc. is manufacturing both scoreboards (BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNALS, 6/13 issue).
ON THE SCOREBOARD: The Univ. of Virginia's (UVA) Board of Visitors has approved a new 32 feet by 57 feet video screen for the school's 60,000-seat Scott Stadium that will "more than triple the size of the current board." The new $2.4M board will be installed in time for the kickoff of UVA's fall '09 schedule. The board will be "paid for by CBS Collegiate Sports Properties, which has a 10-year, $29[M] multimedia agreement" with UVA's athletic department. As part of the deal, CBS has "committed to providing new video boards" at UVA's KICckner Stadium, Davenport Field and Scott Stadium by August 15, 2009 (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 6/18)....The Jackson County (MO) Sports Complex Authority "gave the Chiefs the go-ahead to choose a scoreboard design for Arrowhead Stadium." Authority Exec Dir Jim Rowland said that the new scoreboard is part of a $375M package of stadium improvements at Arrowhead (K.C. STAR, 6/17).
ALL IN FAVOR? Alameda County (CA) Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller yesterday ruled that the Univ. of California, Berkeley "could be able to move forward with plans to build a $125[M] sports training center soon but not before it answers a few more questions about its long-awaited project for the court." Miller was "ruling on three consolidated lawsuits to stop the project." The center would "house training facilities, offices, conference rooms and locker rooms for 13 varsity sports, including football" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 6/19).
NEW PITCH: English Premier League club Portsmouth has revealed plans for a 36,000-capacity waterfront stadium, which would "include an indoor exhibition centre/arena with a 10,000 capacity." The new stadium would move the team from Fratton Park to a site at the "gateway of Hampshire city." Swiss-based Herzog & de Meuron, which designed the Beijing National Stadium and the Allianz Arena stadium in Munich, is responsible for the design (London INDEPENDENT, 6/18).
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