Post by CC_Varmints on Jul 16, 2012 10:26:05 GMT -6
Setting its site
Will the state title games return to Cowboys Stadium, or will the venue rotate?
Anyone who was at Cowboys Stadium would have to agree that the UIL’s first attempt at a central-site state championship weekend for Texas high school football was a booming success.
Over the course of four days – December 9th for the 3A Division I state championship, and December 15-17 for the other nine championship games – Cowboys Stadium in Arlington hosted more than 200,000 fans in what became the UIL’s biggest spectacle yet. And let’s be honest: that’s what the Texas high school football state championship games should be. The nation’s best prep football is played here, and the championships should reflect that level of grandeur and pomp.
The most-attended game of the weekend – Aledo’s victory over Manvel – drew 43,369 fans. The star power involved in that game (especially with record-smashing RB Johnathan Gray) and the relative locality of Aledo to Cowboys Stadium obviously helps, but make no mistake: that’s not out of the ordinary. The state championship games would draw huge numbers regardless of venue and regardless of star players.
The only question remaining for 2012 is…where will the games be held?
The UIL has already said that it is committed to the idea of a central site for all of the 11-man state championship games (the six-man games, which also drew tremendous attendance, were played Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, and appear to be headed back there again). But will the governing body institute a rotation of that site?
UIL athletic director Mark Cousins recently told Corbett Smith of The Dallas Morning News that the only stadiums in the running for the 2012 state championship games are Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and the Alamodome in San Antonio. But could the games spread to other venues in the future?
The state has a number of legitimate candidates to host the state title games, but as far as I can see it, there are three very important criteria that the site must meet.
-The stadium has to be big. At this point, the record for highest attendance at a Texas high school football game is 49,953, for the 1977 state championship game between Plano and Port Neches-Groves. Recently, we’ve routinely seen crowds top out around 45,000. As a result, the stadium probably has to seat at least 50,000. That eliminates every high school stadium and most college stadiums.
-The stadium has to be relatively centrally located. Teams and fans will be coming from all around the state, so there has to be some sort of middle ground that they can all convene in. That probably eliminates El Paso’s Sun Bowl and Lubbock’s Jones SBC Stadium.
-The stadium has to be in a big city. Fair or not, these bids are going to go to locations with hundreds upon hundreds of hotel rooms and, more than likely, more than one hometown high school.
To me, there are four viable candidates for the state championship games in the future: the aforementioned Cowboys Stadium and the Alamodome, along with Houston’s Reliant Stadium and Austin’s Darrell K. Royal Stadium.
But DKR might be out of the running for one big reason: it’s the only one that’s not domed. I don’t think you can underestimate the value of a dome, especially with how unpredictable Texas weather can be in December. I also think the UIL knows that the game is better-served if it’s decided by the play on the field rather than the condition of the field.
And Reliant Stadium has its own unique problem: it’s the only one with natural grass. The Houston stadium has toyed with the idea of purchasing a portable artificial turf in order to host the games, but until that idea becomes a reality, it’s hard to imagine Reliant Stadium becoming a viable candidate to host nine games in three days.
So here we are, awaiting the UIL’s decision, likely to come at the annual Texas High School Coaches Association convention and coaching school in San Antonio at the end of the month. The decision is not a light one, as it could shape the precedent for the future. If the UIL chooses Cowboys Stadium for a second consecutive year, it could be a sign that the Arlington behemoth will be the UIL’s go-to stadium for the future. If the UIL chooses the Alamodome, the rotation could be on, and other stadiums could get a look in the future.
I would personally like to see the Alamodome get it for 2012 and then compare between Jerry's World and the Alamodome for the future site or for rotation. Eventually, I see Reliant Stadium in the mix in a few years. DKR in Austin, while being the most centrally located site, is too iffy with the weather as a factor.
Will the state title games return to Cowboys Stadium, or will the venue rotate?
Anyone who was at Cowboys Stadium would have to agree that the UIL’s first attempt at a central-site state championship weekend for Texas high school football was a booming success.
Over the course of four days – December 9th for the 3A Division I state championship, and December 15-17 for the other nine championship games – Cowboys Stadium in Arlington hosted more than 200,000 fans in what became the UIL’s biggest spectacle yet. And let’s be honest: that’s what the Texas high school football state championship games should be. The nation’s best prep football is played here, and the championships should reflect that level of grandeur and pomp.
The most-attended game of the weekend – Aledo’s victory over Manvel – drew 43,369 fans. The star power involved in that game (especially with record-smashing RB Johnathan Gray) and the relative locality of Aledo to Cowboys Stadium obviously helps, but make no mistake: that’s not out of the ordinary. The state championship games would draw huge numbers regardless of venue and regardless of star players.
The only question remaining for 2012 is…where will the games be held?
The UIL has already said that it is committed to the idea of a central site for all of the 11-man state championship games (the six-man games, which also drew tremendous attendance, were played Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, and appear to be headed back there again). But will the governing body institute a rotation of that site?
UIL athletic director Mark Cousins recently told Corbett Smith of The Dallas Morning News that the only stadiums in the running for the 2012 state championship games are Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and the Alamodome in San Antonio. But could the games spread to other venues in the future?
The state has a number of legitimate candidates to host the state title games, but as far as I can see it, there are three very important criteria that the site must meet.
-The stadium has to be big. At this point, the record for highest attendance at a Texas high school football game is 49,953, for the 1977 state championship game between Plano and Port Neches-Groves. Recently, we’ve routinely seen crowds top out around 45,000. As a result, the stadium probably has to seat at least 50,000. That eliminates every high school stadium and most college stadiums.
-The stadium has to be relatively centrally located. Teams and fans will be coming from all around the state, so there has to be some sort of middle ground that they can all convene in. That probably eliminates El Paso’s Sun Bowl and Lubbock’s Jones SBC Stadium.
-The stadium has to be in a big city. Fair or not, these bids are going to go to locations with hundreds upon hundreds of hotel rooms and, more than likely, more than one hometown high school.
To me, there are four viable candidates for the state championship games in the future: the aforementioned Cowboys Stadium and the Alamodome, along with Houston’s Reliant Stadium and Austin’s Darrell K. Royal Stadium.
But DKR might be out of the running for one big reason: it’s the only one that’s not domed. I don’t think you can underestimate the value of a dome, especially with how unpredictable Texas weather can be in December. I also think the UIL knows that the game is better-served if it’s decided by the play on the field rather than the condition of the field.
And Reliant Stadium has its own unique problem: it’s the only one with natural grass. The Houston stadium has toyed with the idea of purchasing a portable artificial turf in order to host the games, but until that idea becomes a reality, it’s hard to imagine Reliant Stadium becoming a viable candidate to host nine games in three days.
So here we are, awaiting the UIL’s decision, likely to come at the annual Texas High School Coaches Association convention and coaching school in San Antonio at the end of the month. The decision is not a light one, as it could shape the precedent for the future. If the UIL chooses Cowboys Stadium for a second consecutive year, it could be a sign that the Arlington behemoth will be the UIL’s go-to stadium for the future. If the UIL chooses the Alamodome, the rotation could be on, and other stadiums could get a look in the future.
I would personally like to see the Alamodome get it for 2012 and then compare between Jerry's World and the Alamodome for the future site or for rotation. Eventually, I see Reliant Stadium in the mix in a few years. DKR in Austin, while being the most centrally located site, is too iffy with the weather as a factor.