http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/UGA_logo.svg/150px-UGA_logo.svg.png
Georgia Bulldogs

College
1x Champions:
1980

opened 1929 and renovated 2004

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Where is the sanford?

Greece?

But this is MLB ?

Well, it should be clarified that this thread concerns a stadium located in Athens, Georgia, USA (hometown of the REM, among others) and not in Athens capital of Greece!

Greece has already their hands full with all the name disputes they need :D, do not bring us more :D :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

so this was the 2004 Olympic stadium :D
But where is the Calatrava roof :D

It confused me too!

Why does it look like it has some proper red seats in that 2nd and 3rd pic but is mostly just bleachers? Did they run out of money or did they all get broken? It looks very very stupid.

This is a college football stadium for the University of Georgia. Don't know why Athens is named as it is, sorry!

As for the broken-up colours there, those are actually called 'seat-backs' or something similar. College stadiums, unlike pro football stadiums, are generally bleachers or rows of seats, so the colleges sell these seat-backs for $20 or something and it attaches to the bench and then basically acts as a cushion/support like a seat would at an all-seater stadium. People just leave them there if they have season tickets.

At first hn i saw the thread i was like "wtf, has A.E.K gone insane? then i saw the photos. I knew something was worng here.

Then I saw someones Post, Athens in America...and i thought.. oh ok


Is Athens full of Greeks?

Which Athens? :D

Which Athens? :D

Athens in America

The Calatrava roof was put away for the summer for cleaning. They will bring it back next year. :)

Why Athens? As the US was healing from the ravages of the Civil War and coming into its own internationally, a lot of educators in the US were brought up in the classical traditions. Thus, they paid homage(s) to ancient Greece and Rome. So the home of UGA was named Athens. Thus, all those fraternites and sororities are named after the Greek alpahbet; a lot of college athletic teams are called the Spartans (SPARRRTAAHHH!! :lol: ), the Trojans, etc., etc.

So great was the infatuation of 19th century America with classical Greece, that the only complete, full-scale replica of the Parthenon -- and how it would've looked if it had not been destroyed -- stands in, of all places, the world capital of country music -- Nashville, TN. See in the link.

http://www.students.sbc.edu/mdavis04/The%20Parthenon,%20Nashville,%20Tennessee.htm

Such intelligent, educated responses in this thread...I'm very impressed.:ohno:

-Athens, GA U.S.A. was incorporated in 1806, 55 years before the start of the Civil War: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens,_Georgia

-The University of Georgia, home of Sanford Stadium, was founded in 1785 and is the oldest state supported university in the U.S. UGA is ranked #19 among the top 50 American universities. There are 34,000 students enrolled at UGA.

-Athens is one of America's classic college towns and has a well-known music scene that produced R.E.M. and the B-52's among others: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Athens%2C_Georgia


A couple of photos of Athens, GA

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/45/113576626_e7623224c6.jpg?v=0http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2247/2142012644_0442ff1aa4.jpg?v=1198784410
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loriwright/113576626/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/adrianpritchett/2142012644/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanfranannie/2473063589/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevanwitha/317437479/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/pjchmiel/242417967/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticdollhouse/2346003268/

This is a college football stadium for the University of Georgia. Don't know why Athens is named as it is, sorry!

As for the broken-up colours there, those are actually called 'seat-backs' or something similar. College stadiums, unlike pro football stadiums, are generally bleachers or rows of seats, so the colleges sell these seat-backs for $20 or something and it attaches to the bench and then basically acts as a cushion/support like a seat would at an all-seater stadium. People just leave them there if they have season tickets.

John Milledge, a former governor of Georgia, donated land for the university and named the area Athens, in honor of the ancient Greek center of culture and learning.

The Calatrava roof was put away for the summer for cleaning. They will bring it back next year. :)

Why Athens? As the US was healing from the ravages of the Civil War and coming into its own internationally, a lot of educators in the US were brought up in the classical traditions. Thus, they paid homage(s) to ancient Greece and Rome. So the home of UGA was named Athens. Thus, all those fraternites and sororities are named after the Greek alpahbet; a lot of college athletic teams are called the Spartans (SPARRRTAAHHH!! :lol: ), the Trojans, etc., etc.

So great was the infatuation of 19th century America with classical Greece, that the only complete, full-scale replica of the Parthenon -- and how it would've looked if it had not been destroyed -- stands in, of all places, the world capital of country music -- Nashville, TN. See in the link.

http://www.students.sbc.edu/mdavis04/The%20Parthenon,%20Nashville,%20Tennessee.htm

Fraternities and sororities were established with Greek letter titles in the early part of the 19th century. Phi Beta Kappa began the trend, then several fraternities followed beginning with Kappa Alpha in 1825...36 years prior to the beginning of the Civil War.

Neither the naming of Athens in 1801 or the association of Greek symbols and letters had anything to do with the Civil War in America. American "infatuation" with ancient Greece has much more to do with honoring the advancements of Greek culture that are still evident in modern society. It's an homage, not an infatuation.

Well, all I will say is that Athens, GA is a great place to party and the stadium is great!

Athens GA. Home of the R.E.M.

I've been to a game in Sanford Stadium, it's quite an experience.

The finals of the 1996 Olympic Soccer competitions took place in Sanford Stadium. It was located outside of the host city (Atlanta). Because the required dimensions of a soccer field are wider than those of an American Football field, the hedges that surrounded the field needed to be removed for the event. Why can't all American football stadiums fit a soccer pitch properly?

The finals of the 1996 Olympic Soccer competitions took place in Sanford Stadium. It was located outside of the host city (Atlanta). Because the required dimensions of a soccer field are wider than those of an American Football field, the hedges that surrounded the field needed to be removed for the event. Why can't all American football stadiums fit a soccer pitch properly?

Why?

They're built with other things in mind.

Why can't all American football stadiums fit a soccer pitch properly?

Because they're designed to fit around an American football field, and built accordingly.

Damn this thread's name......

Because they're designed to fit around an American football field, and built accordingly.

Yes, but they are foolishly denying themselves the possibility of hosting soccer games, which is a shame. After all, how many games per season does the University of Georgia play in that stadium? Seven, eight at the most? And the rest of the year, what do they do with such a massive stadium? Just look at it?

This place was built in 1929. It's not a new stadium that is built for all these events. It was built for Georgia football because that's all there was then.

Yes, but they are foolishly denying themselves the possibility of hosting soccer games, which is a shame. After all, how many games per season does the University of Georgia play in that stadium? Seven, eight at the most? And the rest of the year, what do they do with such a massive stadium? Just look at it?
Why would anyone host association football matches in a college town like Athens, instead of a more heavily populated, cosmopolitan city such as Atlanta?

Home of Widespread Panic too...quite the town for music, I see!

Yes, but they are foolishly denying themselves the possibility of hosting soccer games, which is a shame. After all, how many games per season does the University of Georgia play in that stadium? Seven, eight at the most? And the rest of the year, what do they do with such a massive stadium? Just look at it?

I'm guessing in the US we have something like 125-150 football stadiums with 30,000+ seats between the NFL and all the college stadiums so most stadiums are not needed to fit a soccer field for the few soccer matches that are played here that need that much seating.

One thing: I don't even like American Football, especially the stadiums that can't easily be fitted with a soccer field. Are there any other American Football stadiums that can't fit a soccer field?

And I hope that an Olympic soccer final will never be held outside a host city's metropolitan area again.

One thing: I don't even like American Football, especially the stadiums that can't easily be fitted with a soccer field. Are there any other American Football stadiums that can't fit a soccer field?

And I hope that an Olympic soccer final will never be held outside a host city's metropolitan area again.

First, thats a pretty dumb thing to say. You can condemn a stadium for not being able to host a sport it wasnt built for. Thats like hating soccer stadiums for having poor sight lines for American Football. Well no shit they have bad sightlines...wrong sport!

Just wow...

Most American Football stadiums can host a soccer match, just not up to regulation. Very few are big enough.

That statement is not dumb. Regulation soccer is 105 x 68 metres. American Football is 110 x 50, and Canadian Football is 136 x 59.

That statement is not dumb. Regulation soccer is 105 x 68 metres. American Football is 110 x 50, and Canadian Football is 136 x 59.

Ok...?

Your point is what?

We already know that American football stadiums arent wide enough.

Why would anyone host association football matches in a college town like Athens, instead of a more heavily populated, cosmopolitan city such as Atlanta?

Doesn't the University of Georgia field a soccer team? How about playing their home games in that stadium? You may say, Hey, that stadium is way too big for them. But, who knows? Maybe in a not too far distant future soccer could become really popular with the college sports fans.

Doesn't the University of Georgia field a soccer team? How about playing their home games in that stadium? You may say, Hey, that stadium is way too big for them. But, who knows? Maybe in a not too far distant future soccer could become really popular with the college sports fans.

Thats really doubtful.

Doesn't the University of Georgia field a soccer team? How about playing their home games in that stadium? You may say, Hey, that stadium is way too big for them. But, who knows? Maybe in a not too far distant future soccer could become really popular with the college sports fans.Having games in a stadium that large will have a negative effect on sport's popularity. And I'm not making an indictment on soccer in the US.

But the rules of Title IX (US law for gender equality in college athletics) make growing the popularity of soccer very difficult at the college level. I won't go into a detailed debate about the law, but the result is that very few universities can fund non-revenue generating sports (basically everything outside of football and men's basketball) including soccer.

In the case of Georgia (like many other universities these days), they can only field a women's team due to scholarship rules and funding. Again, not trying to disparage women's sports, but they don't draw nearly the money or fans as the men's sports do.

They play in separate stadium. To give a sense of difference in support from men's football to women's soccer, I took the following excerpts from the UGA athletics website about their soccer facilities:

The Bulldogs felt right at home as they advanced to their first-ever tournament final, facing eventual champion Florida in front of 2,265 fans, the fourth largest crowd in facility history.

Total capacity for the stadium is approximately 1,750 spectators.As you can see, even with heavy promotion, it would very difficult for the Georgia soccer team to fill even a small fraction of Sanford stadium. As long as Title IX stays in effect, all men's sports outside of football and basketball will be severely limited.

^^ The athletics conference in which Georgia competes, the Southeastern Conference, doesn't even sponsor men's soccer -- Kentucky and South Carolina's men's soccer teams play in Conference USA as a result.

Yes, but they are foolishly denying themselves the possibility of hosting soccer games, which is a shame. After all, how many games per season does the University of Georgia play in that stadium? Seven, eight at the most? And the rest of the year, what do they do with such a massive stadium? Just look at it?

Well, yeah.

Although Sanford is huge, it fits snugly into the middle of Georgia's campus:

http://i.pbase.com/u46/prevacidman/large/35397421.P1010057.jpg

You can look right into it on one of the main campus arteries. It's a sweet view.

As for soccer...it wouldn't be a good use of resources, either. Georgia doesn't field a men's team above intramural level, and the women only get thousand or so fans at best. A thousand fans in that stadium would be a lousy atmosphere.

opned 1929 and renovated 2004



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i can see that there are some scattered plastic seats here like on the florida stadium, for those people who pay extra for a seat. at first you would think that the capacity would drop if everybody payed for the seat , since the 92 746 capacity is with mostly bleachers. But since the have to keep in mind that every ticket holder might want a seat, and if one seat would be slightly larger than the bleacher space assigned to each ticket, every row would risk getting messed up.

so wouldnt this mean that this stadium should be a 92 700 seater even when every seat is a plastic seat ? since those seats realistically have to take up the same amount of space as the bleacher space assigned to each ticket , hence same capacity with seats as with bleachers ?

Those clamped-on seats are the same width as the marked width on the bleachers, so yes you get the same capacity with those clamped-on seats as you do without them. I believe the big difference in the capacity comes from the fact that permanent seats come with arm rests. Instead of a thin line of tape separating seats, you now have a physical space separating seats... thus a lower capacity with all-seaters.

One thing: I don't even like American Football, especially the stadiums that can't easily be fitted with a soccer field. Are there any other American Football stadiums that can't fit a soccer field?

And I hope that an Olympic soccer final will never be held outside a host city's metropolitan area again.

It isn't important because Soccer is not very popular in the U.S. Most Soccer stadiums here are tiny.

Could we rename the thread to " Athens, GA - Sanford Stadium ( 92,746)" ?
It really is quite misleading. I've been to both of those Athens and was positively surprised, but the first thing that comes to ones mind is indeed Athens in Greece.

It doesn't look like a 92,000 seater stadium so those seats put in must be narrower than usual. Still, if they're useable then perhaps we could see college stadiums become a conventional all-seater.

Conventional all seaters? Psh.

Alright poor choice of words but then again I'd call these 'bleachers' benches.

Alright poor choice of words but then again I'd call these 'bleachers' benches.

they may be benches but they are still individually marked seats.

Are they comfortable or does it not matter at all?

But chairs with armrests - whats that about?

Are they comfortable or does it not matter at all?

But chairs with armrests - whats that about?

A lot of people stand, so it doesnt matter, but its still completely different from terracing.

And by armrests, i mean armrests.

http://collectiblestadiumseats.com/db2/00200/collectiblestadiumseats.com/_uimages/GiletteStadiumSeat3-17-08.jpg

Are they comfortable or does it not matter at all?

But chairs with armrests - whats that about?

Having been to quite a few games at Sanford, I can attest that you can sit comfortably.

Fire code usually allows a minimum of 18 inches per spectator. Its the same as seats in most non-club sections. The difference is, the arm rest space is missing.

thats interesting .. cause i think the 100 000 college stadiums really look like 100 000 stadiums , just by the physical size of the seating bowl. but then i heard some people say that bleachers increase capacity, which is one reason alot of college stadiums have so huge capacities, and saying that the huge college stadiums only are big because of bleachers..

but stadiums in europe dont have armrests in general , so that should mean that a 92 000 bleacher seated college bowl = 92 000 european plastic seat stadium = maybe 75-80 000 nfl stadium ?

which means that this stadium really is bigger than san siro and stade the france even with plastic seats, the confusion that this is not the case is reffering to AMERICAN pro stadium seats taking more space compared to bleachers, not european stadiums compared to bleachers?

am i right?

Leg room probably comes into it as well. European stadiums will have large sections devoted to press and VIPs but that must be the same for NFL stadiums.

It just doesn't look big enough to be 92,000 when you compare it to Soccer city (91,000+) or Wembley (90,000).

Leg room probably comes into it as well. European stadiums will have large sections devoted to press and VIPs but that must be the same for NFL stadiums.

It just doesn't look big enough to be 92,000 when you compare it to Soccer city (91,000+) or Wembley (90,000).

American stadiums use press boxes. The media doesnt sit out in the open.

It doesn't look like a 92,000 seater stadium so those seats put in must be narrower than usual. Still, if they're useable then perhaps we could see college stadiums become a conventional all-seater.
Trust me, elite college teams usually cram far more fans into their stadiums than their denoted capcities allow (much to many a fire marshal's chagrin).

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/2009/Internet/attendance/FBS_CAPACITY.pdf

I think the size of these college stadiums is far underestimated. They aren't as tall as NFL stadiums because they don't have as many levels of suites. JerryWorld has freakin 5 levels of suites. Still they have to maintain 18" per seat

You don't get 100+ % by cramming more people into the stands. Every stadium has a set capacity and that's how many they seat. But there's also attendance. You get there in 2 ways. 1.) attendance is a measure of everyone at the game including security, guests and media on the field. That can swell the attendance by up to 1,000 sometimes. A big game will have the field surrounded by a swell of media and VIPs. 2.) Non-seated guests in the suites and clubs. The capacity can only count the number of seats in each suite and club area, but if Exxon or Nike is having a party in their suite they will have more than the 12 or so seats in the areas behind the suites.

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Does the hedge symbolize anything other than being a hedge? Because Kenan Stadium has one too and I've always wondered.

Georgia apparently started the trend when this stadium was built. Don't know why, but always thought it looked good.

Does the hedge symbolize anything other than being a hedge? Because Kenan Stadium has one too and I've always wondered.
A lot of Southern college football stadiums have hedges, except in the states of Kentucky and Virginia.

I think the size of these college stadiums is far underestimated. They aren't as tall as NFL stadiums because they don't have as many levels of suites.

Many college stadiums are adding multiple level suites as well during renovations.

Michigan:
http://www.mgoblue.com/uploadedImages/Photo_Gallery/Pictures/Football/2008-2009/20090106-stadium/inside-east-pan-010609_640.jpg

University of Illinois:
http://z.about.com/d/collegebasketball/1/0/8/2/-/-/illini-practice_0042.jpg

Many college stadiums are adding multiple level suites as well during renovations.

But in college stadiums suites are usually built on top of the seating bowl, not into it.

Exactly. In college you usually see this

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or this

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Notice that the club seats are usually integrated into stands below the suites

in the NFL you usually see this

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2075/2250240960_a4762e5f58_b.jpg

or this

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2641/3721689278_cb0b3f2d92_b.jpg

in the NFL stadiums, you usually have a seperated club level tier or two as well as suites between the highest seats. Mount Davis and Cowboys Stadium are probably the most extreme examples.


On the other hand, Ford Field and Lambeau Field are college like in execution. Notice how short the stands look in comparison to other NFL venues.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2209/2066648669_eea5733c74_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1324/1242325828_62930bcc3c_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2076/1995574465_9cc1c5c3ba_b.jpg

Soldier Field is probably the best compromise between the philosophies
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2635/3772570295_5ab6d29038_b.jpg

Its like the club and suite situation creates an optical illusion that makes college stadiums seem so much shorter

^^ Ford Field has arguably the best upper deck in the NFL.

Lambeau Field looks stunning as ever and the boxes at Soldier Field look incredibly high!

It doesn't look like a 92,000 seater stadium so those seats put in must be narrower than usual. Still, if they're useable then perhaps we could see college stadiums become a conventional all-seater.

I think college football stadiums should become all-seaters. They are always filled with bench seating, and bench seating may make a stadium exceed its designated capacity. If NFL stadiums have proper seating, then why can't college football stadiums have proper seating?

One last thing about the issue: I think the IOC or FIFA does not want bench seating in Olympic or FIFA WC venues. They only want all-seater stadiums. You use a college football stadium for an Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup and you have to remove ALL of the bench seating and replace it with regular individual seating (even when it is only temporary, in that case you have to put all of the bench seating back after the big event).

I think college football stadiums should become all-seaters. They are always filled with bench seating, and bench seating may make a stadium exceed its designated capacity. If NFL stadiums have proper seating, then why can't college football stadiums have proper seating?

One last thing about the issue: I think the IOC or FIFA does not want bench seating in Olympic or FIFA WC venues. They only want all-seater stadiums. You use a college football stadium for an Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup and you have to remove ALL of the bench seating and replace it with regular individual seating (even when it is only temporary, in that case you have to put all of the bench seating back after the big event).

college stadiums ARE all seaters. A bench is a proper seat.

Why dont they have individual seats? Do you realize how expensive that is to do?

And a college stadium will never be used in a WC match, so it doesnt matter anyway.

Look, Individual seating in a stadium seat only one person. Benches in stadiums seat more than one person. That is how come stadiums with bench seating suffer capacity overflows in every event. Nobody wants a stadium that has seats that can fit more than one person.

Look, Individual seating in a stadium seat only one person. Benches in stadiums seat more than one person. That is how come stadiums with bench seating suffer capacity overflows in every event. Nobody wants a stadium that has seats that can fit more than one person.

Maby its different in other contries but thats not a problem in college stadiums since each seat of a bench is marked and ticketed individually so there are no capacity overflows that you speak of.

Look, Individual seating in a stadium seat only one person. Benches in stadiums seat more than one person. That is how come stadiums with bench seating suffer capacity overflows in every event. Nobody wants a stadium that has seats that can fit more than one person.

http://www.extremeskins.com/images/smilies/doh.gif
Each bench has individual seating spaces marked off...you dont sell more than you can hold.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3065/2366096484_0c69b65b00.jpg

Nothing wrong with bench seating, as long as each individual place is marked, as it is in American stadiums. As a matter of fact in World Cup USA 94 most of the stadiums used had bench seating: Rose Bowl, Stanford Stadium, Cotton Bowl, Citrus Bowl, et cetera.

^^Well then, that is acceptable.

Look, Individual seating in a stadium seat only one person. Benches in stadiums seat more than one person. That is how come stadiums with bench seating suffer capacity overflows in every event. Nobody wants a stadium that has seats that can fit more than one person.

Um, this is a college football stadium. College football fans don't care.

Um, this is a college football stadium. College football fans don't care.

I agree. The people bitching about bench seating really don't understand the culture of NCAA college football. Most college football fans don't sit anyway. Some stand the entire game.

stadium is upgraded as of now. The northern stands have another level + box seats for VIPs.

stadium is upgraded as of now. The northern stands have another level + box seats for VIPs.

pics?

again? they expanded the north side in 04. are they ever to expand the west side or does the want too protect the view from/of the road? it most be tough for the qb then the sun is going down while attacking to west.