OT: Washington Freedom Cricket Stadium

[MasonSAE4]

ok - can someone tell how you can have a single facility support Baseball and Cricket - checking online the fields look significantly different.

Think stadiums from the 60's and 70's that supported baseball and football. It can be done, but it will look ugly for both and no one will be happy.

 

[Pablo]

I don't see any issue with the outfield seats as we don't currently have outfield seating (just a fence and a hill) and the attendance for Mason baseball games will never exceed the seating area provided behind the dugouts/homeplate.

Think stadiums from the 60's and 70's that supported baseball and football. It can be done, but it will look ugly for both and no one will be happy.

We need to see the renderings for the seating for both sports and how "ugly" this stadium will be. My guess is that it will be a significant improvement for the baseball program.

 

[ProfessorCFK]

What do they call the original west campus now? Haha.

Prince William Campus, Manassas Campus, or more formally the "George Mason University - Science and Technology Campus."

 

[GMUgemini]

This is most likely true. At least for the foreseeable future. Never say never.

I think we can pretty confidently say that Mason will never be top 4 in the NCAA in attendance, which is what it would take. The No5 school, Texas, averaged 6,900 fans per game by the way.

 

[EXpatriot13]

You can find a recording of the meeting and a link to the presentation here: https://construction.gmu.edu/west-campus-planning

I just watched the meeting, some high-level takeaways:

- Goal to develop mixed-use facilities/space to benefit athletes/students and community on West Campus
- Partnerships will be key strategic pillar to offset costs, provide resources, and grow Mason brand
- AD Lewis highlighted existing baseball infrastructure and the critical need to address it
- This project is launching point for future development on WC; goal is to be cricket ready by summer
- There will be little to no permanent construction/infrastructure with the temporary ballpark

The hottest topic in the Q&A portion: Why temporary? What's the plan for a permanent stadium?

The short answer is that there is still work to be done to understand proof of concept and determine if MLC will be a viable sports property long term, and gauge whether or not it brings a positive impact to both Mason and the surrounding community. The ultimate goal is a permanent stadium, but they need to check those boxes first, so expect the temporary solution to be used thru at least 2025.

We'll have to sit back and watch this one unfold, but let's hope MLC takes off, because that's when the tangible, long-term benefit to Mason and the development of West Campus will kick in and come to life.

 

[Pablo]

You can find a recording of the meeting and a link to the presentation here: https://construction.gmu.edu/west-campus-planning

I just watched the meeting, some high-level takeaways:

- Goal to develop mixed-use facilities/space to benefit athletes/students and community on West Campus
- Partnerships will be key strategic pillar to offset costs, provide resources, and grow Mason brand
- AD Lewis highlighted existing baseball infrastructure and the critical need to address it
- This project is launching point for future development on WC; goal is to be cricket ready by summer
- There will be little to no permanent construction/infrastructure with the temporary ballpark

The hottest topic in the Q&A portion: Why temporary? What's the plan for a permanent stadium?

The short answer is that there is still work to be done to understand proof of concept and determine if MLC will be a viable sports property long term, and gauge whether or not it brings a positive impact to both Mason and the surrounding community. The ultimate goal is a permanent stadium, but they need to check those boxes first, so expect the temporary solution to be used thru at least 2025.

We'll have to sit back and watch this one unfold, but let's hope MLC takes off, because that's when the tangible, long-term benefit to Mason and the development of West Campus will kick in and come to life.

Very good write-up, although I did not interpret the answer to the question (temporary vs. permanent construction) as determining if MLC is a viable sports property long-term. Rather, is the project feasible and beneficial not just for the Washington Freedom but also Mason and the surrounding community members? The owner of the Washington Freedom said they plan to pay for the stadium, but I can understand Mason preferring a soft launch to perform an assessment prior to permanent construction.

Also, the plan is to have Mason baseball competitions there in the spring 2025.

 

[GMU79]

I think we can pretty confidently say that Mason will never be top 4 in the NCAA in attendance, which is what it would take. The No5 school, Texas, averaged 6,900 fans per game by the way.

Hmm. I had no idea.

 

[EXpatriot13]

Very good write-up, although I did not interpret the answer to the question (temporary vs. permanent construction) as determining if MLC is a viable sports property long-term. Rather, is the project feasible and beneficial not just for the Washington Freedom but also Mason and the surrounding community members? The owner of the Washington Freedom said they plan to pay for the stadium, but I can understand Mason preferring a soft launch to perform an assessment prior to permanent construction.

Also, the plan is to have the temporary facility ready for Mason baseball in the spring 2025.

I think it's a combination of all of those things, just depends which angle you look at it from. On the MLC side, they are in the very early stages of launching a new pro sports league in the US, with the Freedom being just a piece of that puzzle. They have yet to test this out at the individual market level (where they plan to have teams), and have a lot of work to do to continue to educate people on what it is, what the teams are, where you can watch, etc. and prove it'll be a profitable operation. They have to check those boxes before they start building multi-million dollar stadiums across the country.

The soft launch makes a ton of sense for Mason and MLC, for both shared and differing reasons.

 

[Pablo]

I think it's a combination of all of those things, just depends which angle you look at it from. On the MLC side, they are in the very early stages of launching a new pro sports league in the US, with the Freedom being just a piece of that puzzle. They have yet to test this out at the individual market level (where they plan to have teams), and have a lot of work to do to continue to educate people on what it is, what the teams are, where you can watch, etc. and prove it'll be a profitable operation. They have to check those boxes before they start building multi-million dollar stadiums across the country.

The soft launch makes a ton of sense for Mason and MLC, for both shared and differing reasons.

Perhaps you heard the Washington Freedom owner say that only the NFL generates more revenue for broadcast rights than cricket.

 

[tblack33]

Perhaps you heard the Washington Freedom owner say that only the NFL generates more revenue for broadcast rights than cricket - https://www.timesnownews.com/sports...league-over-per-game-revenue-article-92193906

This is such a wildly misleading statement by the Freedom owner.

 

[Pablo]

This is such a wildly misleading statement by the Freedom owner.

This may be true, but there is no doubt about the massive broadcast (TV and digital) audience for cricket.

 

[MasonSAE4]

You can find a recording of the meeting and a link to the presentation here: https://construction.gmu.edu/west-campus-planning

I just watched the meeting, some high-level takeaways:

- Goal to develop mixed-use facilities/space to benefit athletes/students and community on West Campus
- Partnerships will be key strategic pillar to offset costs, provide resources, and grow Mason brand
- AD Lewis highlighted existing baseball infrastructure and the critical need to address it
- This project is launching point for future development on WC; goal is to be cricket ready by summer
- There will be little to no permanent construction/infrastructure with the temporary ballpark

The hottest topic in the Q&A portion: Why temporary? What's the plan for a permanent stadium?

The short answer is that there is still work to be done to understand proof of concept and determine if MLC will be a viable sports property long term, and gauge whether or not it brings a positive impact to both Mason and the surrounding community. The ultimate goal is a permanent stadium, but they need to check those boxes first, so expect the temporary solution to be used thru at least 2025.

We'll have to sit back and watch this one unfold, but let's hope MLC takes off, because that's when the tangible, long-term benefit to Mason and the development of West Campus will kick in and come to life.

Well at least they realize this is a giant house of cards

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Well at least they realize this is a giant house of cards

Just build a god baseball stadium and put the temporary crickets stadium in the Science and Tech Campus in Prince William.

 

[Where's the party?]

Interesting videos. But if anything they should make it very clear the amount of effort that goes into the changeover. Is Mason going to pay to convert it back and forth? The problem I have with this, is that baseball will be the proverbial "red headed step-child" in this relationship. They will have a crappy temporary outfield wall, likely portable crappy bleachers in lieu of individual seats (unless folks want to be a mile from the action), and I doubt they'll have cages or bullpens anywhere close either. The baseball experience will be like games at the old giant mutli-use stadiums. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

 

[tblack33]

This may be true, but there is no doubt about the massive broadcast (TV and digital) audience for cricket.

There absolutely is a doubt. Those numbers are global, compared to US numbers for football.

 

[Falco]

Prince William Campus, Manassas Campus, or more formally the "George Mason University - Science and Technology Campus."

It’s been so long, now I’m second guessing myself. The Prince William campus was called West Campus back in the day right?

 

[Pablo]

There absolutely is a doubt. Those numbers are global, compared to US numbers for football.

I don't want to debate whether the Washington Freedom owner's statement is misleading. I only pointed it out because he specifically mentioned it during the presentation. So, evidently, he believes that he's made a good investment in a sport with global appeal and the potential to generate significant broadcast revenue.

I also think it will be a win-win for Mason both athletically and academically if the Washington Freedom pays for and completes the permanent stadium.

Interesting videos. But if anything they should make it very clear the amount of effort that goes into the changeover. Is Mason going to pay to convert it back and forth? The problem I have with this, is that baseball will be the proverbial "red headed step-child" in this relationship. They will have a crappy temporary outfield wall, likely portable crappy bleachers in lieu of individual seats (unless folks want to be a mile from the action), and I doubt they'll have cages or bullpens anywhere close either. The baseball experience will be like games at the old giant mutli-use stadiums. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

I've attended games at Spuhler Field, so I'm used to sitting on crappy bleachers at Mason baseball games.

 

[Pablo]

Populous Reuses Formula 1 Grandstands for Modular International Cricket Stadium in New York

Experience the excitement of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, designed by Populous for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

www.archdaily.com

"Designed by the sports and entertainment-focused architecture office Populous, the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium will be located in Eisenhower Park, 30 miles east of Manhattan, and is planned to host eight matches during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The stadium, having a capacity of 34,000 seats with additional VIP and hospitality units, is scheduled to be completed within 3 months. The accelerated process is made possible by the modular system, typically employed in other sports such as Formula 1, Golf, and the Olympic Games.

The project marks the first time that a modular construction system is used for a cricket stadium. Focused on sustainability, the project reuses the grandstands used in the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, with work on the infrastructure scheduled to commence in February. The site in Nassau County is currently being prepared and demarcated, marking the first step in the construction process. The stadium is planned to be completed by the beginning of May 2024, hosting the first of the eight matches on June 3.

In addition to the VIP and hospitality spaces, the venue includes a party deck and cabanas, as it is scheduled to also host a cricket carnival. A dedicated fan zone offers food and beverage outlets, while the media and broadcast companies are provided with strategically placed dedicated areas. The drop-in pitch is designed and curated in Australia, but grown in Florida. It will be transported to New York in early May."

 

[MasonSAE4]

This is all such a gamble, and probably a bad one. Maso is betting on demographics here, but if demographics were indeed destiny I would be sitting in a packed 40,000 seat Audi Field every week. Global cricket is popular, MLC will not be for years, if not decades.

 

[GMUgemini]

This is all such a gamble, and probably a bad one. Maso is betting on demographics here, but if demographics were indeed destiny I would be sitting in a packed 40,000 seat Audi Field every week. Global cricket is popular, MLC will not be for years, if not decades.

To be fair, there are MLS teams who average 30-40k in attendance (average attendance for all teams in 2023 was 22,000 with Atlanta topping the list at 47k and Houston at the bottom with 15k). DC United might have been one of them if an investor who actually knew what they were doing and had true ambition owned the team.