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Post by crusader12 on Jan 27, 2023 12:45:00 GMT -5
www.masslive.com/worcesterredsox/2023/01/wicked-worms-jerseys-bathroom-tvs-23-things-woosox-adding-to-polar-park-in-2023.htmlThis may be perhaps the worst thing to come out of the Athletics Department regarding football in 5 years. I'm sure they are getting some good TV money but you have to think they will lose +/- 10,000 fans on gameday by going to the smaller stadium. In September, with nice weather, a good team, against a cross town historic rival that is one of (if not the) best traveling team we play against at home? -1 ADKH but +100 for Chesney Contract. Keep these games at Fitton unless it is Georgetown/Bucknell in November!!!!!
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Post by hc89 on Jan 27, 2023 12:53:37 GMT -5
I expect, like the first two games played at Polar Park, that this will be a really fun event.
Great for our home City of Worcester, HC Football fans, players, coaches, etc.
This is great to see.
Well done HC!
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Post by DFW HOYA on Jan 27, 2023 13:20:27 GMT -5
Keep these games at Fitton unless it is Georgetown/Bucknell in November!!!!! I wonder if anyone at the PL office has done a deep dive on how much other schools "lose" when hosting Bucknell and Georgetown relative to walk-up attendance, parking, concessions, etc. |
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Post by hcpride on Jan 27, 2023 13:24:05 GMT -5
The combination of absolutely zero Bucknell fans within a hundred miles of Worcester AND the clear prospects of an unwatchable blowout kinda killed sellout hopes last year.
Even with very little Harvard fan interest in a football matchup, I can see us selling out Polar Park with a bounce back crowd.
I can also see a sold out Merrimack Polar Park game in our near future.
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Post by purplehaze on Jan 27, 2023 14:04:09 GMT -5
As I stated earlier when this news was first known- I also disagree with this Harvard game at Polar - the '23 preseason hype with be big and this game could draw upwards of 20k at Fitton - there must be some politics involved as the Lafayette date makes much more sense to me. if it's Harvard, let's set the ticket prices at levels that match the demand - I suggest $20-30 per seat
Last time i checked this is our 'only' legit 'revenue sport'
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Post by hcpride on Jan 27, 2023 17:11:00 GMT -5
As I stated earlier when this news was first known- I also disagree with this Harvard game at Polar - the '23 preseason hype with be big and this game could draw upwards of 20k at Fitton - there must be some politics involved as the Lafayette date makes much more sense to me. if it's Harvard, let's set the ticket prices at levels that match the demand - I suggest $20-30 per seat Last time i checked this is our 'only' legit 'revenue sport' Upwards of 20k? I don’t know. Last year’s Yale game on a gorgeous sunny and 70 homecoming day at Fitton drew 13.8K. I like the idea of selling out Polar Park under the lights and think it’s a nice event for a number of reasons…I think we can sell it out with Harvard (all HC fans BTW) in September (and I have my doubts we could it with Laffy OCT 21 …has Worcester even heard of of Laffy…it’d be the Bucknell situation all over again) |
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Post by ndgradbuthcfan on Jan 27, 2023 17:21:39 GMT -5
As I stated earlier when this news was first known- I also disagree with this Harvard game at Polar - the '23 preseason hype with be big and this game could draw upwards of 20k at Fitton - there must be some politics involved as the Lafayette date makes much more sense to me. if it's Harvard, let's set the ticket prices at levels that match the demand - I suggest $20-30 per seat Last time i checked this is our 'only' legit 'revenue sport' 20K, I seriously doubt that attendance would come close to that. HC/Harvard drew 7700 (not really) at Harvard last year and the majority of these were HC fans. We had defeated Yale and Buffalo and were 4-0 and getting a lot of hype and all of that did nothing to draw a big crowd. Polar will sell out and we'll lose some fans for sure, however. |
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Post by necfbfan on Jan 27, 2023 17:29:51 GMT -5
Didn't click on this thread expecting to see the finances of ticket sales discussed this heavily, and perhaps that's naive of me. As a non-alum, Holy Cross's football profile is rising rapidly in the area, and Polar Park is a hotspot to enjoy a sporting event on a budget (WooSox finished top 5 in all of MiLB in attendance). That combined with playing a high-profile school in the area, and I see this being a sellout that generates a lot of local hype. Just my $.02
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Post by HC92 on Jan 27, 2023 17:54:27 GMT -5
I’m pro Polar Park game. Would be good if they could find a large space nearby for a big tailgating lot. If they did that, it would be really good.
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Post by hchoops on Jan 27, 2023 18:04:52 GMT -5
Much rather FF, especially for a potentially very big game
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 27, 2023 18:52:58 GMT -5
As I stated earlier when this news was first known- I also disagree with this Harvard game at Polar - the '23 preseason hype with be big and this game could draw upwards of 20k at Fitton - there must be some politics involved as the Lafayette date makes much more sense to me. if it's Harvard, let's set the ticket prices at levels that match the demand - I suggest $20-30 per seat Last time i checked this is our 'only' legit 'revenue sport' 20K, I seriously doubt that attendance would come close to that. HC/Harvard drew 7700 (not really) at Harvard last year and the majority of these were HC fans. We had defeated Yale and Buffalo and were 4-0 and getting a lot of hype and all of that did nothing to draw a big crowd. Polar will sell out and we'll lose some fans for sure, however. To be fair, HC-Harvard was played the day that remnants of a major tropical storm raged through the Commonwealth. While we actually got lucky and it barely rained during the game, there's no doubt that the forecast kept a few thousand fans at home, at minimum. But you're right that no way would a Fitton game approach 20K IMO. Probably 13-15. I think Harvard at Polar was the right move. Remember, it takes two to tango. HC owes it to the WooSox to bring in opponents that will fill the place.I think 9500 strong, almost all of whom will be rooting for Holy Cross, will be a lot of fun under the lights. |
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Post by Pakachoag Phreek on Jan 27, 2023 19:06:57 GMT -5
What is HC's deal with the WooSox? The Sox keep all the concession revenue, the Crusaders keep all the ticket revenue, and don't pay for renting the place? If the ticket revenue is split, then HC would seem to be losing money by playing Harvard at Polar Park rather than at Fitton Field.
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Post by bfoley82 on Jan 27, 2023 19:40:34 GMT -5
www.masslive.com/worcesterredsox/2023/01/wicked-worms-jerseys-bathroom-tvs-23-things-woosox-adding-to-polar-park-in-2023.htmlThis may be perhaps the worst thing to come out of the Athletics Department regarding football in 5 years. I'm sure they are getting some good TV money but you have to think they will lose +/- 10,000 fans on gameday by going to the smaller stadium. In September, with nice weather, a good team, against a cross town historic rival that is one of (if not the) best traveling team we play against at home? -1 ADKH but +100 for Chesney Contract. Keep these games at Fitton unless it is Georgetown/Bucknell in November!!!!! What type of TV money you think they are getting? |
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Post by efg72 on Jan 27, 2023 20:19:05 GMT -5
I think i will make a proposal that would be an interesting option for us each year
6 PL games
1 ivy
1 strategic CAA
1Valley
2 FBS- one top 50 and one bottom 30
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Post by necfbfan on Jan 28, 2023 6:52:48 GMT -5
I think i will make a proposal that would be an interesting option for us each year 6 PL games 1 ivy 1 strategic CAA 1Valley 2 FBS- one top 50 and one bottom 30 I do think there's a strong case for 2 FBS games annually, if HC can keep operating at a high level when Ches is gone. If Holy Cross does sustain itself as a legitimate FCS power, then the Northeast FBS landscape is frankly ripe for the plucking. Think 1 game against the likes of Mass/UConn/Buffalo/Temple, and then another game against the likes of Boston College/Syracuse/Army/Navy. Interestingly, there's a fair number of MAC games scheduled throughout the decade. Honestly might be a better profile booster than playing UMass. |
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Post by hcpride on Jan 28, 2023 7:36:24 GMT -5
I think i will make a proposal that would be an interesting option for us each year 6 PL games 1 ivy 1 strategic CAA 1Valley 2 FBS- one top 50 and one bottom 30 6 PL, 3 CAA, 1 NEC or Ivy, 1 FBS (MAC or UMass) |
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 28, 2023 9:33:09 GMT -5
I'm generally not a fan of playing 2 FBS games unless it's a great opportunity that arises -- getting our first game at West Point in 21 years, in addition to another game against former arch-rival BC would certainly be considered a great opportunity. As would any 12-game season.
I don't see a regular annual game against the Missouri Valley happening so I'd go with this in general for 11-game seasons:
6 PL games
Harvard
Dartmouth OR Yale
FBS Opponent => rotate through our "favorites" BC, UConn, UMass, Syracuse, Army as much as possible
Wild Card 1) => Most often a New England-area CAA team or could also be utilized for opportunity to play someone like Villanova, Delaware, Princeton, Furman, SDSU (use imagination)
Wild Card 2) => Local opponent that's generally winnable (Merrimack, Bryant, Brown, SHU, CCSU, etc.)
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Post by necfbfan on Jan 28, 2023 10:16:01 GMT -5
I'm generally not a fan of playing 2 FBS games unless it's a great opportunity that arises -- getting our first game at West Point in 21 years, in addition to another game against former arch-rival BC would certainly be considered a great opportunity. As would any 12-game season. I don't see a regular annual game against the Missouri Valley happening so I'd go with this in general for 11-game seasons: 6 PL games Harvard Dartmouth OR Yale FBS Opponent => rotate through our "favorites" BC, UConn, UMass, Syracuse, Army as much as possible Wild Card 1) => Most often a New England-area CAA team or could also be utilized for opportunity to play someone like Villanova, Delaware, Princeton, Furman, SDSU (use imagination) Wild Card 2) => Local opponent that's generally winnable (Merrimack, Bryant, Brown, SHU, CCSU, etc.) You do make an interesting point with the second wild card. Most teams in FBS and FCS schedule one "lighter" opponent as a defacto preseason game in Week 1. If Holy Cross plays 2 FBS, 1 CAA, 1 IVY, and 1 Valley, there's no lighter opponent to sort of segway you into the bulk of the schedule (Basically a NEC team.) How much does Holy Cross value a Week 1 segway vs an overall tougher and more prestigious schedule? On the flip side, you could also argue that playing Stonehill/Merrimack in Week 1 before playing an FBS team in Week 2 would be too steep a turnaround. Imagine playing Merrimack right before playing BC Well, that's what's happening in 2023. The difference in athleticism between the two rosters could be shocking. I'm interested to see how HC handles it. |
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Post by cmo on Jan 28, 2023 10:22:33 GMT -5
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Post by Tom on Jan 28, 2023 10:37:39 GMT -5
Harvard will help keep attendance up. I think Polar model is going to be similar to night games at Fitton. The first one was awesome. Declining attendance as the novelty wore off until the whole thing was discontinued. Polar has the advantage it gives a good town/gown vibe. Opponents like Harvard can help this tradition live longer than night football at Fitton
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Post by hcpride on Jan 28, 2023 11:20:30 GMT -5
Harvard will help keep attendance up. I think Polar model is going to be similar to night games at Fitton. The first one was awesome. Declining attendance as the novelty wore off until the whole thing was discontinued. Polar has the advantage it gives a good town/gown vibe. Opponents like Harvard can help this tradition live longer than night football at Fitton Agreed. Although Harvard fans this century have zero interest in HC football, at least folks in Worcester have heard of Harvard. Sooo it is a good fit with Polar Park (unlike Laffy, Bucknell, Lehigh…) and therefore a shot at a sellout. |
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Post by nycrusader2010 on Jan 28, 2023 11:24:32 GMT -5
With regards to night games at Fitton, the "novelty" may or may not have worn off. The first 2 night games against marquee regional opponents (UMASS and UNH) were well attended.
The third game was against Monmouth in 2013, an opponent that excited no one back then. The quality of HC teams was also declining each year at that time.
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Sertorius
Climbing Mt. St. James
Haters everywhere I go
Posts: 64
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Post by Sertorius on Jan 29, 2023 0:29:57 GMT -5
Football games in baseball stadiums are bad
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Post by sader1970 on Jan 29, 2023 5:33:28 GMT -5
Yeah, I’d really hate to see the Crusaders play at Fenway! That’d be so 1940’s. 😉😂
A bit more seriously, while I’d much rather see our home games at home in Fitton, I understand why we do it and more to help solidify the College’s relationship with the city of Worcester while being able to have a night game without renting or installing lights. I am very curious about the financial aspects of the game.
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Post by Non Alum Dave on Jan 29, 2023 8:46:02 GMT -5
The opening of Polar coinciding with this great stretch of HC football can't be bad. I can't remember the last time I heard HC football being discussed on a local radio station like I did Friday. Win win!
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