Villanova Looks Like It May Be Big East Bound For Football

[Guest nybullsfan]

Talk about it in 'Nova Nation

Latest on the Villanova Football Upgrade Decision

As reported by VUSports on Friday and updated on Saturday, the Big East football schools met Sunday to consider Villanova's potential membership in the Big East for football.

The Big East decided to ask Villanova for more clarity on the proposed stadium solution included in the upgrade plan. Fr. Peter Donahue sent out an email to Villanovans indicating that the decision to move up will be postponed indefintely pending additional planning and fact-finding by the league and Villanova.

PPL Park, as currently configured, only seats 18,500. The stadium has standing room and temporary seating that can be used in the current configration to up the seating to the 20,000-21,00 range.

That may be acceptable to the Big East during the transition phase as Villanova ramps up to full Big East football membership. However, several Big East football member schools are not satisfied with PPL as a solution. Especially if Villanova can't present a definitized plan and timeline that demonstrate how the eventual expansion of the stadium to a 30-35K capacity would be orchestrated and funded.

The Villanova Board of Trustees was prepared to announce a move up to play Big East football this Tuesday had the Big East accepted all aspects of the Villanova upgrade plan.

The biggest hurdle now is that Villanova does not control it's own destiny in regards to PPL. The University has to work with the Philadelphia Union and the government entities that control PPL Park to craft a stadium expansion plan that is acceptable to all parties. Funding vehicles for the project must also be identified.

If this hurdle cannot be cleared then the only ray of hope for Villanova's upgrade chances is that other aspects of the proposal such as entry fees, away game appearance fees, revenue sharing, etc. can be negotiated to satisfy the schools that are currently against Villanova's move up under the current plan (believed to be Rutgers, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and one other) and Villanova.

Other stadium options are limited. Radnor Township balks at any attempt to increase the capacity of Villanova's on campus venue, Franklin Field is a dated stadium that is owned by the University of Pennsylvania, Lincoln Financial Field is run by the Philadelphia Eagles and Temple University currently has an agreement/lease that runs through 2017, and Citizens Bank Park (The Philadelphia Phillies Stadium) would most likely only be made available in November and December after completion of the World Series.

Just when it appeared that an announcement may finally be made the drama continues. 'Nova Nation continues to ride the emotional rollercoaster as the process runs it's course.

In the Southeast, football is king. In the Northeast, basketball brings more positive press to the Big East Conference than does football. At the end of the day will the basketball and the football members of the Big East come to the realization that the long-term success of the league and it's members is best served by balancing the football and basketball "products"?

Link for this?

http://villanova.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1210535

[TheBullies]

This sums up UCF fans and message boards...

[Mama_Bull]

PPL Park in Chester could expand for Villanova football

POSTED: April 12, 2011

Daily News Staff Report

While the Big East continues its fact-finding about Villanova football possibly joining the conference, the likely venue for the Wildcats could be expanding.

Union CEO and managing partner Nick Sakiewicz told the Daily News yesterday that increasing the capacity of PPL Park always has been a possibility, no matter what Villanova does.

"We designed the stadium for expansion, and it has been something that we have been discussing," Sakiewicz said. "Villanova could feasibly accelerate those plans as another tenant in the building."

Villanova was invited to join the Big East for football last year, meaning a jump from Division I-AA to a BCS conference. Following months of study among alumni, faculty and students, a scheduled Board of Trustees vote today on whether the Wildcats would accept the invitation was postponed. Villanova released a statement yesterday, saying in part, "the Big East needs more time to do its due diligence regarding Villanova's potential football membership."

Villanova's statement also said it is working with the Big East to "provide whatever additional information we can. It is the university's desire that in the near future its Board of Trustees will proceed with the vote as planned."

Some of the Big East's due diligence is the status of a stadium for Villanova, which has given PPL Park as a possible option. The Big East is thought to want more evidence that PPL Park will become a sustainable, long-term venue for college football.

PPL Park in Chester, which opened last year, seats 18,500 fans. For a team to become a BCS member, it must have 15,000 in actual or paid attendance for all games in its home stadium. The attendance requirement must be met in 1 year over a 2-year period. Villanova Stadium has a capacity of 12,000 and is unlikely to grow.

PPL Park has four possible sites where expansion could take place, raising the capacity from 20,000 to a little more than 30,000, according to Sakiewicz. The addition of an upper deck on the south end, or "River End," section would add about 2,000 seats. Additionally, the concourse level on both the east and west portions of the stadium and the east suites, or "Founding Members" section, can accommodate more seats.

Even with expansion, PPL Park would be the smallest football venue in the Big East. Cincinnati's Nippert Field seats 35,079.

On PPL's end, scheduling and field maintenance remain concerns. Villanova would begin play during the heart of the MLS season. MLS plays a 34-game regular-season from March through October.

"Our stance on this matter has always been the same," Sakiewicz said. "We plan on using this facility for multiple events and welcome the opportunity to host Villanova. We think they are a class organization, and [athletic director] Vince Nicastro is awesome. But it is a soccer stadium first, and we would like to ensure that the integrity of that [natural grass] pitch stays intact."

PPL Park will host the collegiate rugby championships on June 4-5, which should provide a true test of the integrity of PPL Park's Patriot Bermuda grass surface.

"Nick Sakiewicz and his team have been phenomenal in our ongoing discussions regarding PPL Park," Nicastro said. "The stadium is world class."

Representatives of the Big East's current eight football schools held a conference call Sunday to review Villanova's situation. Texas Christian, which does not join the conference as a full member until 2012-13, was not included.

The Wildcats have competed in the Big East in almost every other sport for about 3 decades. But in football, they've been at the I-AA level (now called the Football Championship Subdivision) since the program was restored in the mid-1980s. It had been disbanded some 5 years earlier, not long after Division I was split in two.

The Wildcats won the national FCS title in 2009 and made it to the semifinals last season. *

Daily News sports writers Kerith Gabriel and Mike Kern contributed to this report.

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/colleges/villanova/20110412_PPL_Park_in_Chester_could_expand_for_Villanova_football.html

[Mama_Bull]

April 12, 2011

Villanova in need of a stadium

Big East acceptance hinges on facilities

MORGANTOWN - The issue of Villanova football and the Big East Conference is not dead, but it appears now to be hooked to a life-support system that could be unplugged at any moment.

By Dave Hickman

MORGANTOWN - The issue of Villanova football and the Big East Conference is not dead, but it appears now to be hooked to a life-support system that could be unplugged at any moment.

When Villanova announced Monday that its Board of Trustees would not hold a scheduled vote on the matter at its Tuesday meeting, it was a clear signal that the school had received the message from the Big East that acceptance into the football side of the league was far from a done deal.

And the message appears to be quite simple: Find a more suitable place to play or the invitation is off.

"I think it was clear to everyone in the conference that at some point very soon Villanova was going to wind up hosting an important game late in the season,'' one league source said. "Imagine that a nationally ranked, perhaps unbeaten team plays Villanova on the road in November and the game is on national TV. And it's in an 18,000-seat soccer stadium.''

Big East officials won't comment on the matter and have instructed school representatives to refer all inquiries to the league. So no one is willing to speak on the record.

But two sources on Tuesday gave virtually the same account, which is that the stadium issue is the only reason the conference is reluctant to turn the informal invitation for Villanova to join that it made in September into a formal solicitation.

"From a football perspective, I don't think anyone doubts that if they commit the resources, that Villanova can't follow the Connecticut and South Florida models and move up quickly,'' one source said. "I don't think anyone is looking at Villanova and saying they can't do it on the field. But the stadium issue just won't go away.''

Villanova presently fields a football team in the FCS division and has fared very well of late. The Wildcats won the 2009 national championship and lost to the eventual national titlist in last year's semifinals.

But the school plays its games in a small on-campus stadium and its initial proposal for a larger venue to accommodate FBS games and crowds is 18,500-seat PPL Park, a soccer stadium 10 miles away in Chester, Pa. The school rightly notes that PPL Park is designed to be expanded to as much as 30,000 seats, but that would still be among the smallest in the country and the smallest of any school in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference.

"You can say that the stadium can be expanded, but the fact of the matter is it's not their stadium,'' a source said. "There's a reason those soccer teams are building 20,000-seat stadiums. That's what they expect to be drawing for the next 10 or 20 years.''

PPL Park is operated by the Philadelphia Union, an MLS soccer club. Union CEO and managing partner Nick Sakiewicz told the Philadelphia Daily News that expansion has always been an option.

"We designed the stadium for expansion and it has been something that we have been discussing,'' Sakiewicz said. "Villanova could feasibly accelerate those plans as another tenant in the building.''

The fact that the stadium can be expanded and that the soccer club says it is an option, however, is apparently not enough for the Big East to pull the trigger and extend a formal invitation.

"We're talking about a decision that is going to have ramifications for decades,'' a league source said. " 'We might' or 'We could' is not the same as 'We will.'''

Still, the issue is not completely dead, although it is squarely in Villanova's court now. That was thought to be the case all along until the stadium issue reared its head. And that was probably true. The Big East was more than willing to extend a formal invitation, provided Villanova was willing and had an acceptable plan in place.

"All along the [informal] invitation was contingent upon Villanova not only wanting to do this, but being able to do it to the league's standards,'' the league source said. "I think it's still a possibility, but there have to be some assurances made that [Villanova] is going to be up to it in every aspect, including the venue.''

The seemingly logical alternative is the Philadelphia Eagles stadium, Lincoln Financial Field. But there are concerns there on several levels, not the least of which is that it is at least 30 minutes away from Villanova's campus and the school has never shown an ability to draw there. When Villanova and Temple played there a year ago, a crowd of just over 32,000 was predominantly made up of Temple fans.

And, in fact, drawing crowds to Villanova games anywhere has been problematic. At a 12,000-seat on-campus stadium, the Wildcats fairly consistently average not much more than half of capacity. The argument there, of course, is that bigger, more important games will draw larger crowds.

The other issue with Lincoln Financial Field is that Temple has a lease to use the facility for at least seven more years and perhaps beyond that. The lease apparently grants Temple exclusive use of the facility on Saturdays during the football season.

"The only thing I know about leases is that they can usually be broken or modified,'' one source said. "I'm not sure if Villanova needs to do that or even wants to try, but it's an option.''

There are, apparently, options enough that the Big East has not closed the door on Villanova joining in football. But the league has clearly drawn a line in the sand regarding assurances that the school will find an appropriate venue.

If Villanova elects to withdraw from consideration, the Big East is apparently in no rush to find a 10th member to go along with TCU, which joins the league in 2012 (Villanova would not likely become a full member until 2014 anyway).

"I don't think anyone is in favor of adding just to be adding or to reach a number,'' a source said. "The usual suspects are all out there - East Carolina, Central Florida, Houston, Army and Navy, maybe even Air Force. But until someone proves that adds real value, I don't think there's a rush.''

link:  http://wvgazette.com/Sports/WVU/201104121107

[DELdaBull]

April 12, 2011

Villanova in need of a stadium

Big East acceptance hinges on facilities

MORGANTOWN - The issue of Villanova football and the Big East Conference is not dead, but it appears now to be hooked to a life-support system that could be unplugged at any moment.

By Dave Hickman

MORGANTOWN - The issue of Villanova football and the Big East Conference is not dead, but it appears now to be hooked to a life-support system that could be unplugged at any moment.

When Villanova announced Monday that its Board of Trustees would not hold a scheduled vote on the matter at its Tuesday meeting, it was a clear signal that the school had received the message from the Big East that acceptance into the football side of the league was far from a done deal.

And the message appears to be quite simple: Find a more suitable place to play or the invitation is off.

"I think it was clear to everyone in the conference that at some point very soon Villanova was going to wind up hosting an important game late in the season,'' one league source said. "Imagine that a nationally ranked, perhaps unbeaten team plays Villanova on the road in November and the game is on national TV. And it's in an 18,000-seat soccer stadium.''

Big East officials won't comment on the matter and have instructed school representatives to refer all inquiries to the league. So no one is willing to speak on the record.

But two sources on Tuesday gave virtually the same account, which is that the stadium issue is the only reason the conference is reluctant to turn the informal invitation for Villanova to join that it made in September into a formal solicitation.

"From a football perspective, I don't think anyone doubts that if they commit the resources, that Villanova can't follow the Connecticut and South Florida models and move up quickly,'' one source said. "I don't think anyone is looking at Villanova and saying they can't do it on the field. But the stadium issue just won't go away.''

Villanova presently fields a football team in the FCS division and has fared very well of late. The Wildcats won the 2009 national championship and lost to the eventual national titlist in last year's semifinals.

But the school plays its games in a small on-campus stadium and its initial proposal for a larger venue to accommodate FBS games and crowds is 18,500-seat PPL Park, a soccer stadium 10 miles away in Chester, Pa. The school rightly notes that PPL Park is designed to be expanded to as much as 30,000 seats, but that would still be among the smallest in the country and the smallest of any school in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference.

"You can say that the stadium can be expanded, but the fact of the matter is it's not their stadium,'' a source said. "There's a reason those soccer teams are building 20,000-seat stadiums. That's what they expect to be drawing for the next 10 or 20 years.''

PPL Park is operated by the Philadelphia Union, an MLS soccer club. Union CEO and managing partner Nick Sakiewicz told the Philadelphia Daily News that expansion has always been an option.

"We designed the stadium for expansion and it has been something that we have been discussing,'' Sakiewicz said. "Villanova could feasibly accelerate those plans as another tenant in the building.''

The fact that the stadium can be expanded and that the soccer club says it is an option, however, is apparently not enough for the Big East to pull the trigger and extend a formal invitation.

"We're talking about a decision that is going to have ramifications for decades,'' a league source said. " 'We might' or 'We could' is not the same as 'We will.'''

Still, the issue is not completely dead, although it is squarely in Villanova's court now. That was thought to be the case all along until the stadium issue reared its head. And that was probably true. The Big East was more than willing to extend a formal invitation, provided Villanova was willing and had an acceptable plan in place.

"All along the [informal] invitation was contingent upon Villanova not only wanting to do this, but being able to do it to the league's standards,'' the league source said. "I think it's still a possibility, but there have to be some assurances made that [Villanova] is going to be up to it in every aspect, including the venue.''

The seemingly logical alternative is the Philadelphia Eagles stadium, Lincoln Financial Field. But there are concerns there on several levels, not the least of which is that it is at least 30 minutes away from Villanova's campus and the school has never shown an ability to draw there. When Villanova and Temple played there a year ago, a crowd of just over 32,000 was predominantly made up of Temple fans.

And, in fact, drawing crowds to Villanova games anywhere has been problematic. At a 12,000-seat on-campus stadium, the Wildcats fairly consistently average not much more than half of capacity. The argument there, of course, is that bigger, more important games will draw larger crowds.

The other issue with Lincoln Financial Field is that Temple has a lease to use the facility for at least seven more years and perhaps beyond that. The lease apparently grants Temple exclusive use of the facility on Saturdays during the football season.

"The only thing I know about leases is that they can usually be broken or modified,'' one source said. "I'm not sure if Villanova needs to do that or even wants to try, but it's an option.''

There are, apparently, options enough that the Big East has not closed the door on Villanova joining in football. But the league has clearly drawn a line in the sand regarding assurances that the school will find an appropriate venue.

If Villanova elects to withdraw from consideration, the Big East is apparently in no rush to find a 10th member to go along with TCU, which joins the league in 2012 (Villanova would not likely become a full member until 2014 anyway).

"I don't think anyone is in favor of adding just to be adding or to reach a number,'' a source said. "The usual suspects are all out there - East Carolina, Central Florida, Houston, Army and Navy, maybe even Air Force. But until someone proves that adds real value, I don't think there's a rush.''

link:  http://wvgazette.com/Sports/WVU/201104121107

Just in case you missed it.

[Mama_Bull]

April 12, 2011

Villanova in need of a stadium

Big East acceptance hinges on facilities

MORGANTOWN - The issue of Villanova football and the Big East Conference is not dead, but it appears now to be hooked to a life-support system that could be unplugged at any moment.

By Dave Hickman

MORGANTOWN - The issue of Villanova football and the Big East Conference is not dead, but it appears now to be hooked to a life-support system that could be unplugged at any moment.

When Villanova announced Monday that its Board of Trustees would not hold a scheduled vote on the matter at its Tuesday meeting, it was a clear signal that the school had received the message from the Big East that acceptance into the football side of the league was far from a done deal.

And the message appears to be quite simple: Find a more suitable place to play or the invitation is off.

"I think it was clear to everyone in the conference that at some point very soon Villanova was going to wind up hosting an important game late in the season,'' one league source said. "Imagine that a nationally ranked, perhaps unbeaten team plays Villanova on the road in November and the game is on national TV. And it's in an 18,000-seat soccer stadium.''

Big East officials won't comment on the matter and have instructed school representatives to refer all inquiries to the league. So no one is willing to speak on the record.

But two sources on Tuesday gave virtually the same account, which is that the stadium issue is the only reason the conference is reluctant to turn the informal invitation for Villanova to join that it made in September into a formal solicitation.

"From a football perspective, I don't think anyone doubts that if they commit the resources, that Villanova can't follow the Connecticut and South Florida models and move up quickly,'' one source said. "I don't think anyone is looking at Villanova and saying they can't do it on the field. But the stadium issue just won't go away.''

Villanova presently fields a football team in the FCS division and has fared very well of late. The Wildcats won the 2009 national championship and lost to the eventual national titlist in last year's semifinals.

But the school plays its games in a small on-campus stadium and its initial proposal for a larger venue to accommodate FBS games and crowds is 18,500-seat PPL Park, a soccer stadium 10 miles away in Chester, Pa. The school rightly notes that PPL Park is designed to be expanded to as much as 30,000 seats, but that would still be among the smallest in the country and the smallest of any school in a BCS automatic-qualifying conference.

"You can say that the stadium can be expanded, but the fact of the matter is it's not their stadium,'' a source said. "There's a reason those soccer teams are building 20,000-seat stadiums. That's what they expect to be drawing for the next 10 or 20 years.''

PPL Park is operated by the Philadelphia Union, an MLS soccer club. Union CEO and managing partner Nick Sakiewicz told the Philadelphia Daily News that expansion has always been an option.

"We designed the stadium for expansion and it has been something that we have been discussing,'' Sakiewicz said. "Villanova could feasibly accelerate those plans as another tenant in the building.''

The fact that the stadium can be expanded and that the soccer club says it is an option, however, is apparently not enough for the Big East to pull the trigger and extend a formal invitation.

"We're talking about a decision that is going to have ramifications for decades,'' a league source said. " 'We might' or 'We could' is not the same as 'We will.'''

Still, the issue is not completely dead, although it is squarely in Villanova's court now. That was thought to be the case all along until the stadium issue reared its head. And that was probably true. The Big East was more than willing to extend a formal invitation, provided Villanova was willing and had an acceptable plan in place.

"All along the [informal] invitation was contingent upon Villanova not only wanting to do this, but being able to do it to the league's standards,'' the league source said. "I think it's still a possibility, but there have to be some assurances made that [Villanova] is going to be up to it in every aspect, including the venue.''

The seemingly logical alternative is the Philadelphia Eagles stadium, Lincoln Financial Field. But there are concerns there on several levels, not the least of which is that it is at least 30 minutes away from Villanova's campus and the school has never shown an ability to draw there. When Villanova and Temple played there a year ago, a crowd of just over 32,000 was predominantly made up of Temple fans.

And, in fact, drawing crowds to Villanova games anywhere has been problematic. At a 12,000-seat on-campus stadium, the Wildcats fairly consistently average not much more than half of capacity. The argument there, of course, is that bigger, more important games will draw larger crowds.

The other issue with Lincoln Financial Field is that Temple has a lease to use the facility for at least seven more years and perhaps beyond that. The lease apparently grants Temple exclusive use of the facility on Saturdays during the football season.

"The only thing I know about leases is that they can usually be broken or modified,'' one source said. "I'm not sure if Villanova needs to do that or even wants to try, but it's an option.''

There are, apparently, options enough that the Big East has not closed the door on Villanova joining in football. But the league has clearly drawn a line in the sand regarding assurances that the school will find an appropriate venue.

If Villanova elects to withdraw from consideration, the Big East is apparently in no rush to find a 10th member to go along with TCU, which joins the league in 2012 (Villanova would not likely become a full member until 2014 anyway).

"I don't think anyone is in favor of adding just to be adding or to reach a number,'' a source said. "The usual suspects are all out there - East Carolina, Central Florida, Houston, Army and Navy, maybe even Air Force. But until someone proves that adds real value, I don't think there's a rush.''

link:  http://wvgazette.com/Sports/WVU/201104121107

Just in case you missed it.

Why would you think I missed it, since I'm the one who posted the article?

But for those who might have, I bolded some additional text:

"I don't think anyone is in favor of adding just to be adding or to reach a number,'' a source said. "The usual suspects are all out there - East Carolina, Central Florida, Houston, Army and Navy, maybe even Air Force. But until someone proves that adds real value, I don't think there's a rush.''

[usf97]

I think the contradiction I see is the reason the league agreed to expand to 10 was in order to get the largest TV deal after the 2013 season, 10 football schools is the optimal number due to the added inventory. You can have 5 league games a week. 9 schools are nice for scheduling but that 10th team with 9 conference games was the number to get to because it maximizes TV revenue.

So I don't see a way forward to expand to 10 because the BB schools are probably pretty ticked off right now and want no part of an 18th member.

The only answer off the top of my head that would work is if you take ECU as a football only member. It will get addressed one way or another eventually because the league is not going to leave money on the table just because Nova got humiliated.

[South_Florida_Flip]

I think the contradiction I see is the reason the league agreed to expand to 10 was in order to get the largest TV deal after the 2013 season, 10 football schools is the optimal number due to the added inventory. You can have 5 league games a week. 9 schools are nice for scheduling but that 10th team with 9 conference games was the number to get to because it maximizes TV revenue.

So I don't see a way forward to expand to 10 because the BB schools are probably pretty ticked off right now and want no part of an 18th member.

The only answer off the top of my head that would work is if you take ECU as a football only member. It will get addressed one way or another eventually because the league is not going to leave money on the table just because Nova got humiliated.

The conspiracy theorist in me is saying that this was all a charade from the Big East office because they knew of the stadium issue that Villanova has. Now they can use this as fuel to break away from the non football schools and look at the KU/KSU/Mizzou trio to get to 12 programs and have a Conference Championship Game.

[Mama_Bull]

I think the primary reason behind wanting 10 teams has more to do with the real possibility that two current teams would bolt to another conference in the next round of expansion. If that happened, then at least there would still be 8 football teams remaining. 

Although TCU is well outside the Big East footprint, they certainly prop up the football side of the conference, in terms of quality and revenue, but they lessen the quality and take revenue away from the basketball schools. So, the BB schools proposed adding VU as the 10th member, because it wouldn't cost them anything.

Since, further expansion by other conferences is now somewhat on the back burner, I don't think the Big East football schools feel tha hard pressed to add anybody else. The usual suspects will stil be available.

[SRQ]

Mama, I think DelaBull was speaking to the 'collective' you.  Nine is fine for now and the KU/KSU/Mizzou alternative remains as viable as any other should another conference shakeup occur.  If two BE schools ever got taken, one of the suspects would jump at the chance to bring BE back to 8.