Stadium Central

Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, has decided to scrap their natural turf and install Field Turf. The field crew has had a difficult time maintaining the grass, and numerous people have complained about the condition. This conversion increases the number of teams with artificial turf fields in the NFL to 14, with 18 still using natural grass. While the new artificial turfs are much easier on the eyes of viewers, I am still a purist who loves to see the grass stains on uniforms and the mud on those rainy days. Time will tell how many more teams decide to go with artificial turf. Already, Baltimore, Cincinnati, New Yorks, and NE have converted grass fields to artificial turf. If I had to guess who would convert to artificial next, I would have to put my money on Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, two northern cities where the NFL stadium also plays host to college football. Let's hope, however, that this trend will not continue and field crews can figure out a way to keep a grass field looking good throughout a season.

Plans for Cisco Field, the anticipated future home for the Oakland A's (or perhaps, the Oakland A's of Fremont?), are starting to emerge. A press release from the A's indicates that the stadium will have the lowest seating capacity in the majors (~34000) but will feature numerous unique aspects. Images shown at the A's website show an intimate stadium that has a feel of a ballpark tucked in an urban area. It remains to be seen how the stadium takes shape in this Silicon Valley suburb. The ballpark is being touted as a "Stadium of the Future," with numerous uses of Cisco technology to provide advanced IT infrastructure for ticketing, marketing, and concessions.

Beyond centerfield will lie a park-like area from which can be seen a video board where action from inside the stadium can be seen. Perhaps the most defining feature will be the buildings that will be constructed beyond the left-field and right-field bleachers. Streets between the stadium and the buildings will be closed off for games. Architectural plans are still being finalized, but the promise of this new ballpark will be a joy to A's fans who have endured through games at McAfee Coliseum.

The image below is displayed at BallparksofBaseball.com. Check that site and the A's official website for other pictures.

The New York Mets broke ground Sunday on CitiField, the replacement to dillapidated Shea Stadium. The $800 million dollar stadium will be located adjacent to Shea Stadium. Designs plan for a venue similar to Ebbets Field. Plans call for the stadium to be ready by opening day of the 2009 season. The sponsorship by Citibank will provide an average of $20 million per year for 20 years.

The San Francisco 49ers announced their intent to build their new stadium in Santa Clara, departing Candlestick Point because of problems with that location. The 49ers intend to construct mixed-use development along with the stadium, and the Candlestick location proved to have too many obstacles, such as parking, site cleanup, transportation, and access to land. Officials of the 49ers hope to open the stadium for the 2012 season, with designs for the new location to be the same as those that were planned for Candlestick Point. This announcement is the second this week in which a professional sports team intends to move from the core of the San Francisco/Oakland area to the Silicon Valley area.

The decision had far-reaching consequences. The city of San Francisco's planned bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics was derailed by this decision since there would be no place to hold Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Track & Field.

The Oakland A's have been looking for a better place to play ball than the football-centric McAfee Coliseum. A number of options had emerged, including a new ballpark in Oakland, relocation to another market, and relocation to a site in the San Francisco Bay Area. A move to San Jose would appear to have been a great option, but San Jose and Santa Clara County are designated as a territory for the San Francisco Giants. The A's haveapparently skirted that issue by agreeing with the city of Fremont, just across the Santa Clara County border in Alameda County, to locate a new stadium in that city. The stadium site will be on land currently owned by the city and leased by Cisco Systems. According to ESPN.com, plans call for a 36,000 seat ballpark that will be privately funded.

Cisco announced plans to help turn the new stadium into a "stadium of the future." CNN reports plans to allow fans to store electronic tickets on their cellphones, to permit spectators to have access to different replays at their seats, and to beam targeted advertisements based on the crowd.

Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, FL is the home of the Florida State Seminoles. What was once ridiculed as a glorified erector set because of the visible steel bleachers is now a brick-faced monument to college football. The renovation that took place in the 1990's resulted in a beautiful structure in the capital of Florida.

Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida State University
Visual Appeal: 9
Fan Friendly: 8
Settings and Surroundings: 6
Quirks: 6
Blend of Modern and Classic: 5
Total: 33

I usually don't give much credit to single-tiered stadiums, but Doak Campbell Stadium is a very interesting venue for college football. The beautiful brick exterior, the seating bowl that surrounds the field, the ring of luxury boxes around the top of the stadium, and football offices in the North End Zone create a unified structure that focuses a fan's attention on the field. The luxury box towers behind both sidelines are well-proportioned and are placed so as to increase the intimacy of the lower seating bowl. All of these features allow all 83000+ fans to have a great view of the field and feel very close to the action.
The brick exterior allows the stadium to blend in well with the rest of the Florida State Campus. Amid the tree strewn campus, the approach to the stadium is enhanced by the large brick exterior.
While a single tiered stadium doesn't usually lead to many quirks, the presence of the football offices in the North End Zone and an academic building embedded in the South End Zone are interesting features. The ring of luxury suites around the top also add a nice touch to the stadium.
Renovations have done an excellent job of converting the classic look of Doak Campbell Stadium into a modern cathedral of college football. This first class stadium demonstrates the resources available for the Seminole football program. Those resources have not been wasted; this stadium is well-designed as a complete package. The rabid fans make the stadium a must-see venue for college football fans.