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Post by matunuck on Feb 4, 2020 10:44:50 GMT -5
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 11:13:45 GMT -5
It was a disaster when it was in Worcester last time in 2005. I went to all six games. The DCU Center was cramped as its concourses were far too small to host an event that had long breaks between games. Three separate nearly five hour sessions are a lot for people to stay in their seats. You need to get up to use the restrooms and stretch your legs. That was near impossible in the three break periods of that weekend. You could barely move in the concourse. Lines to the bathrooms and concessions were long. There were then admission issues for the Friday night session. The facility had to be cleared out once the afternoon games concluded. Arena staff then had to clean up and restock supplies. It then did not not begin admitting people until near game time that Friday night. This short window of time for entry then created long lines of patrons waiting to get in. Many missed the tip of the UVM-Syracuse game because of this.
Even the city had issues hosting. There are no where near enough hotel rooms near the arena for teams and fans to stay at. Furthermore, the local restaurants could not handle crowds. I thought the nearly 2 hour break would be plenty of time for dinner. I was fortunate and got a table right away and seated. Ordered soon after. The kitchen however could not handle the rush of orders all at once. It took well over an hour from order time to get our dinner. We ate as fast as we could but we still missed part of the first Friday night game.
Furthermore, based on my last visit to see the URI-Holy Cross game there a year ago, the facility is looking run down and shabby these days. It would need a complete makeover.
The NCAA Hockey Tournament works in Worcester because it does not get the same sized crowds. The largest crowds it ever attracted were back in 2018 when Saturday’s games drew 8,441 and Sunday’s final was attended by 5,499. These numbers are well below the basketball tournament which would sell out all 13,000 seats (every venue in the northeast is typically always sold out months in advance annually) for every session. The hockey event typically also features mostly regional teams with not as many programs and fans needing accommodations.
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Post by hchoops on Feb 4, 2020 11:20:08 GMT -5
Well you certainly do not work for the Woo’s CoC
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 11:22:42 GMT -5
Well you certainly do not work for the Woo’s CoC
Just telling the the truth about my experience the last time the city hosted.
I think the city and venue are not equipped to handle the size of the crowds for this event. I think its ceiling may be the hockey tournament which gets about half as many people.
I have been to the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament in Boston, Providence, and Worcester. The best facility without a doubt was the Garden. It has multiple concourse levels which could handle the crowds even during the breaks between games. The Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, while up to date with recent renovations, had the same problem as the DCU Center with just a single concourse. It was very cramped. Downtown Providence outside the arena was however the best set up as the tournament took over the city. There are a lot of restaurants and there are now 2,800 hotel rooms within blocks of the DDC. Several smaller streets across from the arena in downtown Providence were closed off and converted into outdoor block parties with tents that served food and beer. There were even many port a johns for convenience. The open container law was suspended in the blocks near the DDC allowing people to walk around with a beer in hand. Providence made for the best outside the arena event experience.
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Post by hchoops on Feb 4, 2020 11:27:06 GMT -5
Just joking Thanks for your input
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Post by Ray on Feb 4, 2020 11:31:05 GMT -5
I had a more positive experience than rf1 in 2005, but no question the crowds were a strain on the nearby restaurants/hospitality infrastructure. I also recall issues with the floor at the DCU, though not sure if that was 1992 or 2005... and the NCAA solved that problem by purchasing custom floors that get delivered to each site anyway.
Given that it's a competitive bidding process, simply making a bid doesn't guarantee anything. But the NCAA does like to get geographic diversity, and there are only so many places you can go in the Northeast. Boston Garden and MSG seem to be in the rotation for regional semi/finals, not 1st/2nd rounds. 1st/2nd rounds were in Hartford in 2019, will be in Albany this year, Providence in 2021. Buffalo will be the northeast-most site in 2022.
Assuming Worcester can meet the hotel requirement, much probably hinges on post-event assessments from 2005, track record from the hockey events, and perhaps a rehab of the arena (especially if looking at 2025).
Overall, it would be fun to have the NCAAs come here again, but it seems like an uphill climb.
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Post by bringbackcaro on Feb 4, 2020 11:34:54 GMT -5
It was a disaster when it was in Worcester last time in 2005. I went to all six games. The DCU Center was cramped as its concourses were far too small to host an event that had long breaks between games. Three separate nearly five hour sessions are a lot for people to stay in their seats. You need to get up to use the restrooms and stretch your legs. That was near impossible in the three break periods of that weekend. You could barely move in the concourse. Lines to the bathrooms and concessions were long. There were then admission issues for the Friday night session. The facility had to be cleared out once the afternoon games concluded. Arena staff then had to clean up and restock supplies. It then did not not begin admitting people until near game time that Friday night. This short window of time for entry then created long lines of patrons waiting to get in. Many missed the tip of the UVM-Syracuse game because of this. Even the city had issues hosting. There are no where near enough hotel rooms near the arena for teams and fans to stay at. Furthermore, the local restaurants could not handle crowds. I thought the nearly 2 hour break would be plenty of time for dinner. I was fortunate and got a table right away and seated. Ordered soon after. The kitchen however could not handle the rush of orders all at once. It took well over an hour from order time to get our dinner. We ate as fast as we could but we still missed part of the first Friday night game. Furthermore, based on my last visit to see the URI-Holy Cross game there a year ago, the facility is looking run down and shabby these days. It would need a complete makeover. The NCAA Hockey Tournament works in Worcester because it does not get the same sized crowds. The largest crowds it ever attracted were back in 2018 when Saturday’s games drew 8,441 and Sunday’s final was attended by 5,499. These numbers are well below the basketball tournament which would sell out all 13,000 seats (every venue in the northeast is typically always sold out months in advance annually). The hockey event typically also features mostly regional teams with not as many programs and fans needing accommodations. Maybe Pawtucket would be a good host? I hear there's going to be an empty baseball stadium, so if someone can toss a roof on there, they'd be good to go!
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Post by gks on Feb 4, 2020 11:35:09 GMT -5
The two times the DCU has hosted the NCAA Hoop tourney they've had great draws and great crowds. IMO DCU is a perfect size for first two rounds. HC has bid many times since hosting in 2005...lack of full service hotels in the city has been a problem. When they hosted prior they were able to count Westborough, Marlborough, and other suburbs towards total.
Love to see it here again.
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 11:48:49 GMT -5
The two times the DCU has hosted the NCAA Hoop tourney they've had great draws and great crowds. IMO DCU is a perfect size for first two rounds. HC has bid many times since hosting in 2005...lack of full service hotels in the city has been a problem. When they hosted prior they were able to count Westborough, Marlborough, and other suburbs towards total. Love to see it here again.
The men's tournament in the northeast, unlike some other parts of the country, sells out every venue annually. It does not matter where it is held for it to attract a crowd. It typically sells out months in advance and has had to use a lottery in the past due to demand. The dense population of the northeast, much of it also wealthy, guarantees success.
The 2005 field in Worcester the last time it hosted was probably among the best ever assembled for the early rounds anywhere anytime. Four of its eight teams were former national champions of the last few decades - UConn, Syracuse, Michigan State, and NC State. Even the lesser teams were better than most with UNC-Charlotte, Old Dominion, Vermont, and UCF.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Feb 4, 2020 11:49:29 GMT -5
I remember crowds, and having to scramble to get dinner, but I didn't let it bother me because 1) I had such a great time watching Vermont crush the spirits of the obnoxious Syracuse fans, and 2) I was still on a high from an event earlier in the week in South Bend, IN, that I was fortunate enough to attend.
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 11:55:51 GMT -5
It was a disaster when it was in Worcester last time in 2005. I went to all six games. The DCU Center was cramped as its concourses were far too small to host an event that had long breaks between games. Three separate nearly five hour sessions are a lot for people to stay in their seats. You need to get up to use the restrooms and stretch your legs. That was near impossible in the three break periods of that weekend. You could barely move in the concourse. Lines to the bathrooms and concessions were long. There were then admission issues for the Friday night session. The facility had to be cleared out once the afternoon games concluded. Arena staff then had to clean up and restock supplies. It then did not not begin admitting people until near game time that Friday night. This short window of time for entry then created long lines of patrons waiting to get in. Many missed the tip of the UVM-Syracuse game because of this. Even the city had issues hosting. There are no where near enough hotel rooms near the arena for teams and fans to stay at. Furthermore, the local restaurants could not handle crowds. I thought the nearly 2 hour break would be plenty of time for dinner. I was fortunate and got a table right away and seated. Ordered soon after. The kitchen however could not handle the rush of orders all at once. It took well over an hour from order time to get our dinner. We ate as fast as we could but we still missed part of the first Friday night game. Furthermore, based on my last visit to see the URI-Holy Cross game there a year ago, the facility is looking run down and shabby these days. It would need a complete makeover. The NCAA Hockey Tournament works in Worcester because it does not get the same sized crowds. The largest crowds it ever attracted were back in 2018 when Saturday’s games drew 8,441 and Sunday’s final was attended by 5,499. These numbers are well below the basketball tournament which would sell out all 13,000 seats (every venue in the northeast is typically always sold out months in advance annually). The hockey event typically also features mostly regional teams with not as many programs and fans needing accommodations. Maybe Pawtucket would be a good host? I hear there's going to be an empty baseball stadium, so if someone can toss a roof on there, they'd be good to go!
Crap on Pawtucket all you want. It was however a Pawtucket native that made the most out of the tournament when it was last in Worcester back in 2005. His name was TJ Sorrentine and his many long distance threes led Vermont to a vanquishing of Syracuse in OT.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Feb 4, 2020 12:00:47 GMT -5
It was a disaster when it was in Worcester last time in 2005. I went to all six games. The DCU Center was cramped as its concourses were far too small to host an event that had long breaks between games. Three separate nearly five hour sessions are a lot for people to stay in their seats. You need to get up to use the restrooms and stretch your legs. That was near impossible in the three break periods of that weekend. You could barely move in the concourse. Lines to the bathrooms and concessions were long. There were then admission issues for the Friday night session. The facility had to be cleared out once the afternoon games concluded. Arena staff then had to clean up and restock supplies. It then did not not begin admitting people until near game time that Friday night. This short window of time for entry then created long lines of patrons waiting to get in. Many missed the tip of the UVM-Syracuse game because of this. Even the city had issues hosting. There are no where near enough hotel rooms near the arena for teams and fans to stay at. Furthermore, the local restaurants could not handle crowds. I thought the nearly 2 hour break would be plenty of time for dinner. I was fortunate and got a table right away and seated. Ordered soon after. The kitchen however could not handle the rush of orders all at once. It took well over an hour from order time to get our dinner. We ate as fast as we could but we still missed part of the first Friday night game. Furthermore, based on my last visit to see the URI-Holy Cross game there a year ago, the facility is looking run down and shabby these days. It would need a complete makeover. The NCAA Hockey Tournament works in Worcester because it does not get the same sized crowds. The largest crowds it ever attracted were back in 2018 when Saturday’s games drew 8,441 and Sunday’s final was attended by 5,499. These numbers are well below the basketball tournament which would sell out all 13,000 seats (every venue in the northeast is typically always sold out months in advance annually) for every session. The hockey event typically also features mostly regional teams with not as many programs and fans needing accommodations. What a terrible problem to have when Worcester draws huge crowds. Especially when you watch the first round on tv and see a sea of empty seats. You are still bitter about the pawsox. Move on.
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 12:03:14 GMT -5
There were also lot of problems in Hartford last year as well. Many complaints from attendees about the arena. Concourses were overcrowded, not enough restrooms, concessions ran out of food, and arena entry lines too long and slow making many miss part of the games.
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 12:05:48 GMT -5
It was a disaster when it was in Worcester last time in 2005. I went to all six games. The DCU Center was cramped as its concourses were far too small to host an event that had long breaks between games. Three separate nearly five hour sessions are a lot for people to stay in their seats. You need to get up to use the restrooms and stretch your legs. That was near impossible in the three break periods of that weekend. You could barely move in the concourse. Lines to the bathrooms and concessions were long. There were then admission issues for the Friday night session. The facility had to be cleared out once the afternoon games concluded. Arena staff then had to clean up and restock supplies. It then did not not begin admitting people until near game time that Friday night. This short window of time for entry then created long lines of patrons waiting to get in. Many missed the tip of the UVM-Syracuse game because of this. Even the city had issues hosting. There are no where near enough hotel rooms near the arena for teams and fans to stay at. Furthermore, the local restaurants could not handle crowds. I thought the nearly 2 hour break would be plenty of time for dinner. I was fortunate and got a table right away and seated. Ordered soon after. The kitchen however could not handle the rush of orders all at once. It took well over an hour from order time to get our dinner. We ate as fast as we could but we still missed part of the first Friday night game. Furthermore, based on my last visit to see the URI-Holy Cross game there a year ago, the facility is looking run down and shabby these days. It would need a complete makeover. The NCAA Hockey Tournament works in Worcester because it does not get the same sized crowds. The largest crowds it ever attracted were back in 2018 when Saturday’s games drew 8,441 and Sunday’s final was attended by 5,499. These numbers are well below the basketball tournament which would sell out all 13,000 seats (every venue in the northeast is typically always sold out months in advance annually) for every session. The hockey event typically also features mostly regional teams with not as many programs and fans needing accommodations. What a terrible problem to have when Worcester draws huge crowds. Especially when you watch the first round on tv and see a sea of empty seats. You are still bitter about the pawsox. Move on.
You should get out of Worcester some time and see the rest of the world. It might surprise you.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Feb 4, 2020 12:11:01 GMT -5
What a terrible problem to have when Worcester draws huge crowds. Especially when you watch the first round on tv and see a sea of empty seats. You are still bitter about the pawsox. Move on.
You should get out of Worcester some time and see the rest of the world. It might surprise you.
Really? So you have nothing to stand on. Just sour grapes.
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Post by Tom on Feb 4, 2020 12:11:43 GMT -5
I don't remember having the issues rf1 had.
1992 was better than 2005. In 92, the old galleria was open with a big food court and beer garden in the middle. That took off the strain on local places between sessions on day 1.
Providence does a better job as a host city than Worcester. I can't picture Worcester closing off streets near the Centrum. Yes things cost more but with the corruption in Providence, they can get anything done.
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 12:23:11 GMT -5
You should get out of Worcester some time and see the rest of the world. It might surprise you.
Really? So you have nothing to stand on. Just sour grapes.
No. I just tell it like it is. I offer my perspective from my own ACTUAL experiences. I get out to many places in New England and walk around taking it all in with my eyes open. You should try this approach some time as you clearly have not been around much if you truly think Worcester is the place you continually claim.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Feb 4, 2020 13:21:05 GMT -5
Really? So you have nothing to stand on. Just sour grapes.
No. I just tell it like it is. I offer my perspective from my own ACTUAL experiences. I get out to many places in New England and walk around taking it all in with my eyes open. You should try this approach some time as you clearly have not been around much if you truly think Worcester is the place you continually claim.
I’ve been to arenas, stadiums and ballparks from Massachusetts to Florida to California to Canada to Ireland. I know what I’m taking about from my ACTUAL experience.
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Post by rf1 on Feb 4, 2020 13:24:36 GMT -5
No. I just tell it like it is. I offer my perspective from my own ACTUAL experiences. I get out to many places in New England and walk around taking it all in with my eyes open. You should try this approach some time as you clearly have not been around much if you truly think Worcester is the place you continually claim.
I’ve been to arenas, stadiums and ballparks from Massachusetts to Florida to California to Canada to Ireland. I know what I’m taking about from my ACTUAL experience.
And how many NCAA Men's basketball tournaments and at what sites have you been to? I have personally been to many in several cities which include Boston, Providence, and Worcester. I have direct experience with the tournament in Worcester and posted about the issues there several years back. My opinion is the same as it was then. The venue and the city were not adequately equipped to handle the event. The fact that the event has not returned to the city in 15 years since it last hosted would seem to corroborate my concerns and speaks volumes.
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Feb 4, 2020 13:29:14 GMT -5
I’ve been to arenas, stadiums and ballparks from Massachusetts to Florida to California to Canada to Ireland. I know what I’m taking about from my ACTUAL experience.
And how many NCAA Men's basketball tournaments and at what sites have you been to? I have personally been to many in several cities which include Boston, Providence, and Worcester.
Boston and Worcester. I’ll watch a game any time at the DCU over the Garden. Much better sight lines. Don’t need binoculars to watch the game. Next
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Post by cmo on Feb 4, 2020 13:56:03 GMT -5
Boston a better venue, but the crowds are terrible.
Keep Boston for sweet 16 / elite 8.
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Post by KY Crusader 75 on Feb 4, 2020 13:57:42 GMT -5
Mom—they’re fighting again!!
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Post by Wormtown Railers Fan on Feb 4, 2020 14:08:31 GMT -5
Mom—they’re fighting again!! ha ha, no more comments from me
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Post by thecrossisback on Feb 4, 2020 14:31:23 GMT -5
Hope they get this at the DCU would be nice to go see and would draw really well.
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Post by rickii on Feb 4, 2020 14:42:20 GMT -5
Money talks these days with the NCAA.
The DCU is very probably now too small at +- 13,000. Wake Forest's Joel Coliseum seats 14,600 ( 14,400 with press rows ) and has also hosted a Regional but not recently....also deemed too small. There's plenty of parking on site as well as via the lots at the football stadium next door. Winston-Salem does have at least 10 name motor inns / motels as well as 2-3 upscale hotels all within 2-3 miles of Joel.
Nowadays, I believe the NCAA much prefers arenas seating 17-18,000+ for their regionals.
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