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Yep. And the ACCN is headquartered in Charlotte which is another big clue IMO.
I mean, how often does an entity hire an independent firm to study (aka justify) a move/change and come away deciding NOT to make that move? Rare (I won't say never).
This is all about justifying the move. Essentially, these independent firms are cover. They won't provide any real information that hasn't been considered. They're just supplying that information in a manner to justify what has already been decided and to be another entity the ACC can point to to say "It's not just us saying we have to move."
20 years ago as a 9 team league, 5 of which were in the Carolinas and ALL of which were within a few hour drive, Greensboro was fine. Now that the league (and college athletics) is bigger business and has a broader footprint geographically, the ACC has outgrown Greensboro.
Actually the ACCN is based out of Bristol CT, while the SECN is in Charlotte. Why they just couldn't both be based out of the same studio.... i have no idea.
Reading through the original article in the Richmond newspaper, I was surprised to read that whenever they have league wide meetings, its on a rotational basis among the 15 schools.. though the winter meetings are usually held in Florida/Georgia.
I agree that the writing has been on the walls... I remember a few years back when they did the Football, and Men's and Women's Basketball media days.. they would be held at the Grandover. You would see all of the football coaches and players out on the golf course. Now they just fly into Charlotte, spend a day at the Westin, and then jet back out.
Actually the ACCN is based out of Bristol CT, while the SECN is in Charlotte. Why they just couldn't both be based out of the same studio.... i have no idea.
Reading through the original article in the Richmond newspaper, I was surprised to read that whenever they have league wide meetings, its on a rotational basis among the 15 schools.. though the winter meetings are usually held in Florida/Georgia.
I agree that the writing has been on the walls... I remember a few years back when they did the Football, and Men's and Women's Basketball media days.. they would be held at the Grandover. You would see all of the football coaches and players out on the golf course. Now they just fly into Charlotte, spend a day at the Westin, and then jet back out.
Fair enough on ACCN HQ you got me there... but a lot of the production is in Charlotte, none is in Greensboro.
I will say this, though - the area around the Coliseum is a total craphole. That matters to people who attend events a whole lot more than it did 15 years ago. While there's not much the city can do about the surrounding industrial areas, the Coliseum complex is a huge tract of land that is mostly wasted on surface parking. The city should be proactive in developing that land to create a more active district - hotels, restaurants, apartments, etc. There should also be dedicated shuttles to downtown during major events to connect with hotels and nightlife there. Greensboro definitely needs to step it up if it wants to stay in the game.
Yep! This is a big deal, especially in a town already at a disadvantage. If the arena were worked in as part of a larger development it would be one thing. But when it's essentially isolated from anything but a highly overrated BBQ shop, a couple breweries, and a small handful of chain or otherwise non-unique restaurants, it's another strike against Greensboro.
Greensboro has the tournament in 2023. After that, nothing is determined. But the mindset of tradition is making way for bigger markets which comes with brighter lights and better accommodations/amenities (hotels/airport/restaurants/etc).
I doubt the city is going to do much around the Coliseum unless they did a grand redevelopment and rescaling. Demolish the Coliseum, build a more appropriately sized arena (7-10k seats) in its place, attract an ECHL/AHL tenant as well as the G-League (or whatever it's called these days), as well as the arena league team and develop around that to support those minor league but more realistic endeavors.
Before long, the Coliseum is going to be a massive financial albatross, all for the benefit of bringing the ACC Tourney every few years and an occasional (2-3 times per year) concert.
Yep! This is a big deal, especially in a town already at a disadvantage. If the arena were worked in as part of a larger development it would be one thing. But when it's essentially isolated from anything but a highly overrated BBQ shop, a couple breweries, and a small handful of chain or otherwise non-unique restaurants, it's another strike against Greensboro.
Greensboro has the tournament in 2023. After that, nothing is determined. But the mindset of tradition is making way for bigger markets which comes with brighter lights and better accommodations/amenities (hotels/airport/restaurants/etc).
I doubt the city is going to do much around the Coliseum unless they did a grand redevelopment and rescaling. Demolish the Coliseum, build a more appropriately sized arena (7-10k seats) in its place, attract an ECHL/AHL tenant as well as the G-League (or whatever it's called these days), as well as the arena league team and develop around that to support those minor league but more realistic endeavors.
Before long, the Coliseum is going to be a massive financial albatross, all for the benefit of bringing the ACC Tourney every few years and an occasional (2-3 times per year) concert.
It is a dilemma, isn't it? I disagree with you on the proper arena size - I think Greensboro pulls a lot of shows and events that it wouldn't otherwise because of the combination of the size of the arena and the central location in the state. But the most recent expansion of the coliseum was 25 years ago, and since then there have been only minor replacements of things like seating, scoreboards, etc. Since then, industry trends have moved towards slightly smaller arenas with more luxury seating options, and of course towards downtown locations.
So what is Greensboro to do? The Coliseum complex is a massive sunk investment, and parts of it are quite successful (the GAC, for instance). The city could attempt to build a modern downtown arena and convention complex to stay current, but the cost for that could easily run from $500M to $1B - a huge expense for a city Greensboro's size, and frankly a big gamble without a major anchor tenant. On the other hand, they could continue to invest in the current complex. That would be far from a sure thing, as the Coliseum would need major investment to stay relevant, and in the end it's still in a terrible location. I think the Coliseum is a tremendous asset to the city, but this ACC situation should be (another) wake-up call that times are changing, and the city needs to act boldly or risk falling further behind.
It is a dilemma, isn't it? I disagree with you on the proper arena size - I think Greensboro pulls a lot of shows and events that it wouldn't otherwise because of the combination of the size of the arena and the central location in the state. But the most recent expansion of the coliseum was 25 years ago, and since then there have been only minor replacements of things like seating, scoreboards, etc. Since then, industry trends have moved towards slightly smaller arenas with more luxury seating options, and of course towards downtown locations.
So what is Greensboro to do? The Coliseum complex is a massive sunk investment, and parts of it are quite successful (the GAC, for instance). The city could attempt to build a modern downtown arena and convention complex to stay current, but the cost for that could easily run from $500M to $1B - a huge expense for a city Greensboro's size, and frankly a big gamble without a major anchor tenant. On the other hand, they could continue to invest in the current complex. That would be far from a sure thing, as the Coliseum would need major investment to stay relevant, and in the end it's still in a terrible location. I think the Coliseum is a tremendous asset to the city, but this ACC situation should be (another) wake-up call that times are changing, and the city needs to act boldly or risk falling further behind.
I think that some are missing the point. It's not just about the coliseum, it's not even just about Greensboro's size compared to Charlotte. There are a whole host of issues that are probably leading the ACC in this direction.
One thing to point out. The ACC considered leaving Greensboro in the 1990s to move to Charlotte and decided to stay. The ACC commissioner said nothing is predetermined right now so we'll just have to see how this plays out. But yes Greensboro does need to step up its game.
It is a dilemma, isn't it? I disagree with you on the proper arena size - I think Greensboro pulls a lot of shows and events that it wouldn't otherwise because of the combination of the size of the arena and the central location in the state. But the most recent expansion of the coliseum was 25 years ago, and since then there have been only minor replacements of things like seating, scoreboards, etc. Since then, industry trends have moved towards slightly smaller arenas with more luxury seating options, and of course towards downtown locations.
So what is Greensboro to do? The Coliseum complex is a massive sunk investment, and parts of it are quite successful (the GAC, for instance). The city could attempt to build a modern downtown arena and convention complex to stay current, but the cost for that could easily run from $500M to $1B - a huge expense for a city Greensboro's size, and frankly a big gamble without a major anchor tenant. On the other hand, they could continue to invest in the current complex. That would be far from a sure thing, as the Coliseum would need major investment to stay relevant, and in the end it's still in a terrible location. I think the Coliseum is a tremendous asset to the city, but this ACC situation should be (another) wake-up call that times are changing, and the city needs to act boldly or risk falling further behind.
When I advocate demolishing the current arena and building a new one, I mean to keep it on the site and use the new properly sized arena as a catalyst forother development on site.
Continuing to invest in the current Coliseum might be feasible for a decade or so, but at a certain point without a major tenant, it comes time to cut bait. Some of the current concerts that come now will still come to a 10k seat arena. A few won't. But salvaging a few concerts a year and an occasional ACCT won't justify the 9 figure updates the Coliseum will need in another 10-15 years.
The bold risk is punting on those ACC Tourneys in favor of going all out on attracting an ECHL team and retaining the G-League team as well as the arena league team (who already covers much of the arena as is). Another option is to team up with UNC-G for a new home for the basketball team.
A part of me thinks Greensboro should find a place that's more toward downtown and make a whole new arena. Maybe sell.off what they can of the old one to a school or something. I mean heck didn't HPU by the whole Oak Hollow Mall spot. Maybe one of the school system could do something with the current coliseum and land? That aera around the coliseum just seems be abandoned by the city in favor of downtown and midtown growth.. I think if Greensboro invested in upgrades of the current coliseum then it would be putting money into a sinking ship.. I think Greensboro should be bold and make the move now instead of executing this 30 or so years from now and wasting all this potential opportunity that could happen now with a new arena. Then apart of me also feels like ..Could Greensboro pull a new arena off in a decent time frame. It probably would take them 30 years to complete it but the looks of their current track record ;p
In my opinion Greensboro should focus on another sports niche, as host to varying NCAA national championships in sports like Swimming and Diving, Volleyball, Gymnastics, Tennis, Golf and Soccer. Indianapolis albeit larger has managed to land some, as well as smaller cities like Eugene OR which has managed a somewhat suspect permanent home to much of the Track and Field events. The loss of the ACC is more symbolic given there's all of about 50 employees working in Greensboro, and attracting thousands for varying events would make that pretty forgettable.
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