IHSA State Football to Illinois State
IHSA Board of Directors Selects Illinois State University's Hancock Stadium As Football State Final Host Site;
My Take: IHSA Heading to Illinois State starting in 2023
- Thread starter EdgyTim
- Start date
The same prolem with late, late games will continue at ISU. Folks attending 8A games will still be getting home at 2 in the morning.
From downtown Chicago, ISU, at 2 hrs and 10 mins, is only 12 minutes shorter of a ride than the trip from Champaign.
I'm not lobbying for Champaign. I simply can't understand why the IHSA, facing dwindling crowds for the 8 championship games, makes it so difficult for most people to get to the games.
The IHSA says that Hancock is centrally located. Yes, to a handful of the state's prep fans..
If ISU has more attractive facilities than NIU, so what? I'm just going to a game, not grad school.
From downtown Chicago, ISU, at 2 hrs and 10 mins, is only 12 minutes shorter of a ride than the trip from Champaign.
I'm not lobbying for Champaign. I simply can't understand why the IHSA, facing dwindling crowds for the 8 championship games, makes it so difficult for most people to get to the games.
The IHSA says that Hancock is centrally located. Yes, to a handful of the state's prep fans..
If ISU has more attractive facilities than NIU, so what? I'm just going to a game, not grad school.
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It's the damn state championship game! It happens once a year. It's not like Carmel is scheduling 10:30 pm games every Friday night and you get home past your bed time on a regular basis.
Get a damn hotel room!
So whiny.
Hancock IS centrally located. Of the 16 schools that participated in state championship games this year, nine were "northern" schools and seven were either "central" or "southern" schools. Seems like ISU a good location based on the schools represented.
MINUTES OF THE IHSA FOOTBALL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING December 8, 2021
TEMS OF DISCUSSION:
7. The committee discussed the State Finals schedule of playing the games in order 1A-8A.
something to seriously consider...thoughts @EdgyTim ? I know you've spoke about it on your podcasts
Does anyone think the fact that the IHSA office is only 3.9 miles away, as the crow fly's, from Hancock stadium had any part in the decision?
Perhaps some. I think it was more important that Champaign just recently got the boys hoops tourney back so they felt alright taking it away from Champaign.
It’s a good venue for the games. My belief is that it is only a 5-7 year solution. Once Bears a palooza is open in Arlington heights, that’s the no brainer.
Right now the Chicagoland area has no real turf options with 10k plus seating. New bears facility will offer that and more.
Closer to Chicago could help with attendance. But the more important thing will be being indoors. Right now the casual fan (parents of a senior soccer player who has a few friends on the football team) is not driving to spend 3-4 hours outside until 10pm on a day with a real feel of 27 and perhaps some rain. Covered dome and guaranteed 72 degrees, those people will come out.
ISU will be good for a while. I believe we will see them move the games to their permanent home in the next decade though.
Well the same can be said of Rochester playing that Friday night late game and having to drive 4 hours to get home from NIU.. ISU eliminates that problem
As long as there are 8 games spread out over two days at the same venue, and as long as that venue is not conveniently located to 90% of this state's population, then nobody should be surprised at lackluster crowds at the games.
The only redeeming quality about ISU in my mind is that the stadium won't look as empty.
The only redeeming quality about ISU in my mind is that the stadium won't look as empty.
ISU will draw just as well as any other venue in the state, again you forget about the small downstate schools like they don’t matter
5 to 7 years! My alumni status will be "emeritus"
I hope you enjoy the comfort of being indoors. You'll be paying through the gteeth for it..
So you want it in Chicagoland but not in the only Chicagoland venue that would meet the IHSA criteria when it is built?
I suppose NIU and Joliet Memorial meet the criteria as well, but it’s not like NIU brought great attendance.
Bridgeview, Soldier, and Northwestern would have to get turf. I suppose soldier may do that once the bears leave, but that would draw worse than Arlington would.
Again, not saying I want it. It’s just the obvious conclusion of this process when it is finally built. You yourself want it in Chicagoland. Looks like your options are traveling an hour to 90 minutes to NIU or ISU or paying $6.75 for an RC cola at Arlington.
Without any sarcasm, i doubt if you'll get anything at all for less than $15. Over ten years ago, I had to pay $10 to park at the Sears Arena in Hoffman Estates for a HS basketball playoff game. It'll be $25 easily at the Bears facility (and don't think for a minute that they'll give prep fans a break).
Don't know, lot of times the 3A and 4A downstate crowds are about the same size as the 6A and 7A crowds
ISU is in the heart of Illinois. Perfect spot and size. Champaign is too cavernous and has no intimacy for the fans at this level. Enough of the Chicago snobbery. It’s for all of Illinois high school football, urban and rural.
As long as all the games are televised the seating will not be a problem.
I'm sure that someone with a lot of free-time will look into this. Until then, I'm very skeptical.
Marketing? The majority of people attending games are family of players, students and their parents. They’ll happily go wherever to support their team. Schmucks like us are the minority.
My school has a large contingent of alums at every playoff game. The size of that contingent depends on several factors, including distance.
Yes, it makes perfect sense that if Loyola is in the 8A game and the 6A game is ESL and Lemont, have the 8A game played at 1:00 and the 6A game at 7:00
Plus is it really fair for the 1A and 5A schools to always have the 10AM games???
Said a few years ago....keep start 1A thru 4A on Friday and 5A thru 8A on Saturday but then pull them out of a lotto ball deal each playoff season....now that would make it fair.
So what happens now if ISU were to get a home playoff game thanksgiving weekend?
Will just have to go on the road?
Considering that has happened once or twice in 25 years, they seem to be ok with that. Plus hosting an FCS playoff game is a massive money loser.
I don't think attendence really changes being at ISU, it will look a lot better on TV and feel better in the stadium. When we Played Providence in 98 the stadiun was nearly full. just like the first game at Gately where the stadium was filled and the sidewalks were 3 people deep outside the stadium. Games at U of I and NIU look more like Thursday afternoons at Rockne then they do to a State title game.
Honestly as a fan , unless my kids or nephews are playing in the game I highly doubt I will go to them anytime soon. Maybe long down the road some buddies will meet up and go but the TV experience is too good to drive and go.
With that being said I think it needs to be at ISU or UofI. It provides all teams an equal chance of having the game centrally located. I get that the 8A game is usually Chicagoland teams, but Edwardsville, Ofallon, and teams of the like deserve the same equal chance to meet in the middle of the state.
Also I am a huge fan of a lottery at the beginning of the season to randomize the game times. Hell, I would maybe even say mix all 8 classes over the two days. No reason why a team in 5-8A couldn't play on Friday.
With that being said I think it needs to be at ISU or UofI. It provides all teams an equal chance of having the game centrally located. I get that the 8A game is usually Chicagoland teams, but Edwardsville, Ofallon, and teams of the like deserve the same equal chance to meet in the middle of the state.
Also I am a huge fan of a lottery at the beginning of the season to randomize the game times. Hell, I would maybe even say mix all 8 classes over the two days. No reason why a team in 5-8A couldn't play on Friday.
You need to schedule the bigger schools at night to support advertising. No ads, no games.
My proposal is to schedule the 1, 3, 5, and 7A games on Friday, and the other 4 on Saturday.
The current schedule putting the 4A game on on Friday prime time is a complete waste. It might settle the chips on the shoulders of some downstaters, but it doesn't really work.
Stadium seating has been revamped since championship games were played at isu. South bleachers have been removed and very small visitors bleachers on east side have been removed and replaced with stands matching size of stands on west size. Home stands are now on east side.
Get a hotel room? Sure, after you've wasted so much of Saturday, waste most of Sunday. That's great advice.
I shouldn't have to get a hotel room. The tourney should be run properly.
Play the games where the vast majority of fans live.
Bloomington is convenient to Normal., After that, ?
I realize all of this is academic. The narrow minded board members of the IHSA board have covered their butts, and the fans ... well, too bad about them..
Get a hotel room? The Days Inn / Peoria has plenty of space.
How's that Pulitzer workin' for you?
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So what's your proposal? Besides complaining about quite literally everything else, I haven't seen a solution on your end.
