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The Indiana Daily Student

sports football

Glass discusses changes to IU football stadium

Big Ten Media Days

For IU Athletics Director Fred Glass, football’s success is about more than winning and going to bowl games.

“It drives everything else,” Glass said. “The reason IU is last in the Big Ten in terms of how much money we have to spend per sport is because we don’t fill Memorial Stadium. Getting football right is not only important for football’s sake, but it’s important for the entire department.”

Glass spoke to members of the media Monday during the Big Ten Football Media Days about how he plans to do exactly that – fill the seats at The Rock.

The biggest part of the plan, known as the North End Zone project, has been under
construction since July 13, 2007, and was first developed by former IU president Adam Herbert, whose tenure ended in July 2008, and former athletics director Rick Greenspan before his resignation at the end of 2008.

“It’s very exciting, but I can’t really take much credit for that,” Glass said. “I inherited all of it.”

That doesn’t mean Glass has not taken the project under his wing. The project has been on schedule and is set for its debut Oct. 3 when the Hoosiers play Ohio State, Glass said.

Along with extra seating, the North End Zone will house a 25,000-square-foot strength and conditioning facility (the biggest of its kind in the country) and a 22,000-square-foot academic advisement center for student-athletes.

The Hall of Champions, a banquet area designed to attract corporations to the stadium, is another aspect of the North End Zone Project. The 425 seats in the area have already been sold-out for IU’s six home games this season.

“We’re trying not to rest on our laurels though,” Glass said, expressing his worry that the new development would look like a “finely cut diamond on the end of a worn-out cigar band.” “Since I’ve been the athletic director, we’ve embarked upon spending close to $3 million to really upgrade the balance of the stadium so we can really live up to our promise that this is a new stadium.”

In keeping with this strategy, Glass announced several other changes to Memorial Stadium in order to draw fans and recruits, including a new state-of-the-art sound system, repainting the stadium, the creation of a replica field in the South End Zone to be known as Knothole Park and other developmental changes.

These changes, Glass said, will aim to give fans a “college experience” and create a sense of ownership for members of the IU community of their field. Glass said he tells his staff to “think Little 500” when it comes to the environment at Memorial Stadium.
“It should be and needs to be even more of a collegiate experience,” Glass said.
“We’re going to really work on that.”

One example of this is Glass’ plan to allow greek organizations, dorms or other student organizations the opportunity to place their letters or symbol in the Knothole Park area should they purchase a certain number of tickets for the games.

Glass admitted the best thing for filling the seats at The Rock is winning, and he said he hopes the team will get there soon and there is a sense of urgency in that department. However, he also said he knows he and his staff can help the situation.

“I’m not going to sit back and accept that we, as administrators, can’t do anything to help drive attendance absent of consistent winning on the field,” he said.

IU football coach Bill Lynch said his team could directly benefit from the new stadium perks.

“We look at what’s inside that we’re going to use on a daily basis,” Lynch said. “What that’s going to do for our kids is unbelievable.”

Lynch said he hopes the “wow factor” created by the new facility and the different stadium atmosphere will draw fans and help create more of a home-field advantage than his team has had in the past.

“I guarantee, if you talk to our football players, they want to run out there in front of a big crowd,” he said. “They want to run out there in front of a group that’s involved and into it. I think everything that goes with it is important. They’re going to play better that way.”

A strong home-field atmosphere is also important for recruiting, Lynch said.
“You want to bring people into an environment where they want to come play,” he said. “You don’t want to bring them into an environment that’s stale and they’re thinking, ‘That’s not where I want to go play football.’”

Students looking to experience these changes will not have to dig deep into their pockets. Like several basketball games during the last season, IU football game tickets for students will be $5, with another plan to allow friends of students from other universities to reap the benefits of the program as well, with a student ID.

“This is college,” Glass said. “This is bands. This is cheerleaders. College kids being wacky. Let’s get them engaged and create an atmosphere that makes them want to come to the games.”

Glass admitted some of the plans he has are risky, but he said it is a risk worth taking.

“There will be some flops, but I’d much rather have a couple flops and be sort of out there than be way into our comfort zone and not doing the kind of things that I think really make a difference,” he said.

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