I'm chilling out at TCU Amon Carter today.
This $168M renovation of the 47,000 capacity stadium has some nice attributes.
Big concession areas with flat screen TVs all over the place.
Escalators as well as elevators to the upper deck.
A robust wireless distributed antenna system so nobody is out of a signal.
Seatbacks between the 20's. The low seats have plenty of leg room. So much, in fact, that nobody needs to stand up to let somebody go by.
There are 7 different types of seats.
- flat aluminum bleachers without seat backs. The area where the band sits has asymmetrical spacing to allow room for the drums and big brass. Student sections have this.
- flat aluminum seats with flat aluminum backs. These are the entry level seats up high in the corners
- plastic fold-up seats with armrests and a drink holder with abundant legroom and width for fat asses. These are between the 20s
- plastic fold ups with a little less space between rows
-outdoor private logge boxes with upholstery.
- club seating (locked. No idea about appointments)
- special needs seating. There is room for 100 hoverchairs. Disabled people have it easy here. There are a bunch of courtesy carts which can cruise the concourse to help the blue hairs
The stadium looks big enough to sit 50,000 plus, but the generous seat spacing sacrifices attendance and noise for comfort.
These enhancements class up the joint, (aside from purple koolaid colors) and should be evaluated for a Folsom bleacher overhaul.
About the campus:
Impressive tennis facility. 18 courts in total. Tennis facility won design awards from US Tennis Association. Courts are down low surrounded by big grassy hills on all sides that provide amazing spectator views and enough capacity to host big tournaments.
Modern fan friendly baseball stadium, that is being used today for a tournament of 17 year olds looking for scholarships. The design is like a minor league grand stand that wraps from the far ends of both dugouts. It was a luxury to sit in the shaded bleachers and catch a few innings. With TCU in the CWS, it is clear that the frogs take baseball serious enough. Lots of banners to inform you of various conference championships and NCAA appearances.
TCU is a sports first school, and it shows.
Other notes: there are two playgrounds on campus for little kids. One is part of an on-campus child developmental program that appears to also serve as a small elementary school. The other playground is near the track, soccer, baseball and tennis facilities.
The campus clearly has multi-generations of fans in mind, with obvious consideration to old (and perhaps wealthy donors) as well as young families.