The UGA notebook: pricey new seats, fretting the Gators, etc.
Hoping to capitalize on the buzz about Bulldogs basketball, Georgia plans to add 28 premium and pricey courtside seats in Stegeman Coliseum for the 2010-11 season.
The plan is to add 12 sideline courtside seats, six on each side of the radio table, and 16 baseline courtside seats, eight on each side of the basket in a second row behind the existing baseline courtside seats.
The sideline seats will require a $2,500 per seat annual donation to qualify for, and the baseline seats will require a $1,750 per seat annual donation. Potential additional revenue: $58,000 if all of the new seats are sold.
The new seats will raise the total number of Stegeman’s premium courtside seats from 60 to 88.
*****
Georgia’s Athletic Association projects that it will bring in $18.76 million from ticket sales in the 2010-11 school year –- a whopping 92.8 percent of that from football.
The association projects football ticket revenue of $17.4 million, not including the donations made just for the right to buy the tickets. (Those donations total another $22.8 million.)
Ticket revenue from all other sports is projected to be $1.36 million, including $800,000 from men’s basketball, $250,000 from gymnastics, $175,000 from baseball and $135,000 from women’s basketball.
*****
The board of directors of the Georgia Athletic Association completed its two-day meetings Friday on St. Simons Island with a presentation from Steve Holeman, who was hired last month as UGA’s soccer coach after 15 years in the same position at Ole Miss.
Once again, Georgia’s concern about Florida’s recent athletics dominance surfaced during the board’s Q&A session with Holeman.
“In our short time that we have had soccer in this league, who has won the majority of the championships?” athletics director Damon Evans asked.
“Florida,” Holeman answered.
“I knew the answer,” Evans said, “but we need to start changing that. That’s all.”
“It used to be Florida,” Holeman replied.
*****
Although the Athletic Board approved spending $750,000 on new chairback seats for Foley Field, Evans acknowledged that more substantial improvements might be needed at the baseball stadium.
“We know at some point in time -– don’t know what that time is -– we need to take a hard look at Foley Field,” Evans said. “It’s a facility that is in some eyes dated. This conference has . . . really upgraded baseball facilties. There are some Taj Mahals in this conference in baseball.”
Evans said the new seats would continue to be used if any of various ideas for further changes to Foley Field are implemented later.
*****
Installing chairback seats at Foley Field is a simple project compared to others currently underway at Georgia athletics facilities -– the expansion of the Butts-Mehre building, the renovation of Stegeman Coliseum and the addition of an entry plaza behind the north stands of Sanford Stadium.
“I don’t know if in the athletic department we’ve ever had this many projects going on at one single time,” Evans said.
At Stegeman, the old concourses have basically been demolished this month. New concourses will be wider and brighter, and the exterior will be transformed by soaring new glass walls. It’s all supposed to be finished by the start of basketball season.
The Butts-Mehre construction, a massive $39.5 million project, is scheduled for completion in late November. After that, six weeks are allotted for installing furniture and equipment, and staff is scheduled to move into the new space in mid-January.
*****
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104 comments Add your comment
GoDOGS1
May 30th, 2010
9:24 pm
harold-I know you are a not a believer of “Don’t ask don’t tell’ but do your really have to confirm on a UGA blog?
Lonnie LaiL
May 30th, 2010
9:30 pm
oops “Close off”
Randy McMichael
May 30th, 2010
9:33 pm
RDR… The preseason talk is the same every year since 1980. And we see how that has worked out.
I can’t believe someone said that Damon needs to get a tv deal like Notre Dame. Really? 1 National Title in 50 years and you think that you’re going to get an elite individual tv deal? You arent even in the top 3 in the SEC. Idiot.
UGA owns you tasty bees..
May 30th, 2010
9:51 pm
We may not deliver a beatdown against you (UF & “someone needs to be clued in”) like you have us the last couple of years, but you also have to recognize that you are without half of your starting offense, new QB also (yes, playing 1 qtr against Vandy and such doesn’t count) and more importantly, and new offensive philosophy. You mean to tell me you are a true UF fan, and you don’t know your team is moving from the spread to mainly pro style? C’mon Buddy, John Brantley does NOT have Tebow strenght, size, heart, etc. Defense? How about we have a brand new philosophy, which in our case is an upgrade, and if you don’t agree, you didn’t watch UGA-UF, or UGA-UT, b/c i can coach better than slick willy. Your team lost on of the best def. team builders in the entire nation, and you overconfidently believe that the next is an upgrade? Must be nice to have that security, but you and I both know that losing Charlie scares you Gators. What’s even worse? Losing 12+ starters to the NFL. You have got to be joking if you think this years the same as last. I’m not going to guarantee a win, because I can’t. But you better believe ill guarantee that we’ll compete the entire game, and this isn’t the same old song and dance. Get ready for October. You’re gonna need those two weeks to prepare.
GO DAWGS
jellybeandawg
May 30th, 2010
10:08 pm
lol @ Damon Evans. He talks a big game but the results are always the same regarding Florida. It has taken me a decade to accept it but the truth of the matter is that the UGA AA is just not committed to winning at the same level as UF.
While we (UGA) have equal if not better (in some areas) resources, facilities, and budget to compete at Florida’s level, we do not have the desire nor leadership.
Its the same old story year after year and it will not change until fundamental and positional changes are made within the program starting with and not excluded to Damon Evans. UGA & Damon Evans accepts and will continue to accept mediocrity while UF & Jeremy Foley does not.
End of Story.
col fot
May 30th, 2010
10:16 pm
no, techie Tucker, frettin’ UGA’s success is your problem!!
Jim Doanan as in Doans Pills
May 30th, 2010
10:53 pm
Dawg gone it Damon ! when are you gonna give Markie boy that indoor practice facility?
bardawg
May 30th, 2010
10:57 pm
Guys , we love the dawgs BUT it,,s just gotten so damn expensive that we got to ask Phil Shumney if it’s worth it? GO DA#WGS
P. Bull Terrier
May 30th, 2010
11:19 pm
“…wardrobe and … dance moves.” I have to give credit where credit is due, Urban Meyer. That’s pretty good.
I just wish the Tech trolls could come up with something creative every once in a while.
UGA_2001
May 30th, 2010
11:45 pm
Wow, Damon is really on top of things. We’ve been needing a new baseball stadium – or at least a major upgrade- for 10 years now.
And BTW, telling your coaches to beat Florida does not really help. There’s a lot more to it than that. I will be glad if UGA ever wakes up and starts hiring qualified people to run the school and the Ath Dept. Right now, it is just good ole boy central.
Typical
May 31st, 2010
12:49 am
Get us a deal like Notre Dame?
Swomp Bit:
May 31st, 2010
12:57 am
When you can win more than 3 games out of 21, then talk crap man. Your team and school suck!!! GO GATORS!
Swomp Bit:
May 31st, 2010
1:02 am
UGA owns you tasty bees.. You are one clueless dude. No way you beat UF. By the way, Brantley will be a better QB than Tebow ever was at UF. You better take an extra week to lose 19 of the last 21. LMFAO! That’s sad!
I see all your UGA fans give GT a hard time, but you can’t ever beat UF. I looked at the GT vs GA statistics and GT has won 8 in a row, when your team has won 7 in a row. Also, I think Nesbitt is light years ahead of your QB whomever that may be. Is it Joe Cox, or is he gone? No, my bad, it’s Mettlinburger……………..woops, he got tossed. Who is it? Get a life, you are goin down to UF and many other teams. See you in Jax!
18 of 21 soon to be 19 of 22:
May 31st, 2010
1:05 am
Nothing else needs to be said!!! GATORS ROMP YOUR TEAM EVERY YEAR! AT LEAST MAKE IT A GAME! YOU GUYS ARE WARM UPS FOR THE FSU GAME AT THE END OF THE YEAR!
GT RULES:
May 31st, 2010
1:16 am
UGAG: This is one sorry sad azz schedule. You play two ranked teams. WTF is up with that chitman! Pathetic and you still lose 4 or 5 coz you always chokkkkkooooooooooooooooke!
LET ME FILL IN THE RESULTS FOR YOU:
Schedule
Date Opponent TV Result / Time
Sep. 4 vs. Louisiana-Lafayette TBA = Laugher, embarrasing to say the least, but UGAG wins this one (1 – 1)
Sep. 11 at South Carolina TBA = LOSS (1 – 2)
Sep. 18 vs. Arkansas TBA = LOSS (1 – 3)
Sep. 25 at Mississippi State TBA = Lauger (2 – 3)
Oct. 2 at Colorado TBA = Laugher (3 -3)
Oct. 9 vs. Tennessee TBA Laugher = (4 -3)
Oct. 16 vs. Vanderbilt TBA Laugher, but wait, you lost at homecoming = maybe win, but could choke. However, we give you this sorry azz game = (5 – 3) Your team is on a roll.
Oct. 23 at Kentucky TBA = KY JELLY = Laugher = (6 – 3) Mutts are rubbin one out now, as they have won some games and are 6 – 3. LMFAO!
Oct. 30 at 3 Florida TBA = ROMP = LOSS as ALWAYS = (6 – 4) UGAG is blaming CMR and the new D and saying it’s a rebuilding year. LMFAO!
Nov. 6 vs. Idaho State TBA = WTF is this? = Embarrassing, but you win = (7 -4)
Nov. 13 at Auburn TBA = LOSS = (7 – 5) Now, UGAG only has GT to beat to save their overated and easy azz schedule and they…………..
Nov. 27 vs. 13 Georgia Tech TBA = LOSE SORRY AZZ SCHEDULE YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED! THWG!
GT RULES:
May 31st, 2010
1:18 am
Any UGAG fan that can figure out the math error with the above entry wins a new single wide trailer. LOL!
Dawg Daily 31May: Leather Helmet Blog
May 31st, 2010
4:02 am
[...] Decatur (Ga.) Southwest DeKalb, Georgia Safety 1. Alec Ogletree, Newnan (Ga.), Georgia New court-side seats at Stegeman: The sideline seats will require a $2,500 per seat annual donation to qualify for, and the [...]
Urban Meyer
May 31st, 2010
4:17 am
“Mediocrity” doesn’t mean average intelligence, it means an average intelligence that consistently resents and envies the Gators.
Author Known
Dumb and dumber at Ga
May 31st, 2010
6:38 am
The question will that bring folks No winnin will plus if U would replace stegman with a New arena seats 12,500 U would get sale outs for sure.and u would get those players who see the trash heap u call a arena gone they will come.Other wise they will Go else where like fla are alabama are NC are That silly school in atlanta!No one wants to walk into a old arena that is so old the urinals overflow sorta like wrigley field today! Georgia replace stegman with a new stegman arena n people will come period…Other wise its 4,000 at best unless kentucky are fla comes are Yech um Tech u get 11,000 for them.Sorry evans n fox u lose
Bamafan
May 31st, 2010
7:39 am
It all sounds nice but really it is putting lipstick on a PIG!!! RTR
LMAO
May 31st, 2010
7:53 am
Anybody that would pay $2500 bucks to see a Georgia basketball game is a FOOL
Rico Suave...Big Cat Style!
May 31st, 2010
7:54 am
Dumb and Dumber at UGA: What in the world are you saying, man???
My abs are totally confused.
Gator Guy
May 31st, 2010
7:59 am
UGA owns you tasty bees.. So let me make sure I understand. New QB and new DC (from the NFL) = “A new era and expected improvement” for UGA but a new QB and new DC (from the NFL) =’big fall off and a loss to UGA” for UF?
Cindy Hendrix in 2012 – “We’ll see how good UF is now that they lost Brantley and 5 other starters!”
The Most Interesting Redneck in the World
May 31st, 2010
8:10 am
I may not own a TV but when I am at a friend’s trailer I always watch UGA football. Stay stupid by UGA friends.
Coach Small Johnson
May 31st, 2010
8:17 am
$40 million in ticket sales to watch a 10-10 record the last 4 years in the eastern div
Oh did I happen to mention continual blow outs by FL
Letting Willie Martinez allow Tim Teboy to break Herschel’s record against us, “AGAINST US” and not firing him the next day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh and not firing the idiot 2 yrs before
Dancing on the field and uniform changes to get the players motivated to play for UGA “TOO GET THEM MOTIVATED TO PLAY FOR UGA” Cmon
And My personal favorite short kickoffs game after game season after season when any smart coach knows kicking it in the endzone 92% of the returns never make it past the 22 yard line 98% never make past the 30 yard line yet most of ours ended between the 40 and 30. Leaving us with bad field position for our offense since our defense never could stop anyone.
I love how the donations just pour in.
Let me tell you Damon Evans, continue to lose to FL, continue to lose in the SEC east and a few more years of the antics and your donations are going to stop
jesse james
May 31st, 2010
8:31 am
Once again UGA is doing it the right way with facilities. One thing about it we don’t have to have the Olympics to upgrade our facilities. We don’t sit around feeling sorry for ourselves when we have a down year. Many schools would love to have a year like UGA had. Let’s see Fla. has fired a Football Coach, a Baseball Coach, a women’s basketball Coach, men’s coach just about went to NBA. So all has not been well in Gainsville. I agree and tip my hat to the Football Championships and Basketball Championships, but let’s judge you over a period of time.
The Truth Hurts
May 31st, 2010
8:34 am
Florida can fire any number of coaches – in fact they can play UGA without a coach on the sidelines and they will still kick UGA’s A*s
The SEC should remove the bulldawgs football team and put them in division II – or start a women’s football league so they can move UGA’s men’s team there – they are after all the Gator’s beatch!!
jesse james
May 31st, 2010
8:40 am
The Truth Hurts – Wait a minute, you say the Gators could win without coaches on the sidelines. Without the Great Urban (dehydrated) Meyer. We won’t go to that league. That is the league Fla. tried to get into during the 70’s and 80’s. Oh yea the truth hurts. Enjoy this streak the Gators have been on because all of us loyal Ga fans know it is going to change. When the going gets tough Uraban will hit the road or get dehydrated again. I am glad you have coaches or we may have had two eyes gouged out.
TampaGator
May 31st, 2010
8:40 am
It is obvious that “the Gators” are under every “Dawgs” skin, and it is an itch that isn’t going away! You may get a little, occasional relief, but the pain will keep coming back stronger than ever. So just take a pill for your illnees….and keep on dreaming.
TampaGator
May 31st, 2010
8:45 am
Really…just having some fun. I think Georgia is going to have a very good team in 2010. Much depends on your QB play and your new defense….both, big question marks. Your running game and OL are very good. I still think the Gators will have the better team…but closer then last year.
Winchester
May 31st, 2010
8:55 am
Jeremy Foley is to Georgia as Darth Vader was to the rebellion. He tells Damon Evans, “I am the master and your powers are weak”. Damon better find master Yoda soon or the orange & blue light saber will find him.
jesse james
May 31st, 2010
8:56 am
I agree TampaGator – I know Alabama won the NC, but I feel the Gators are still the team to beat. I hope UGA is closing the gap. I agree about our QB postion, but our defense will be the key. Field position is so big when you are inexperienced at the QB position. So I hope with improved special teams and defense we will be okay.
Reddjonn68
May 31st, 2010
8:58 am
Look Donovan is an outstanding recruiter but that’s as far as it goes. The talent he had on that team (2006,2007) any coach in the SEC could have won. Now with Fox finally dipping into the GA gene pool we will see some real GA b-ball
GaGator
May 31st, 2010
8:59 am
You dawgs really do have an inferiority complex when it comes to the Gators.
Nothing is going to change until you get over it.
What you really don’t understand is the Florida AD hires much better coaches
in all sports and the Florida AD runs circles around Damon Evans. Damon better
start firing and hiring better coaches than just wishing he could beat Florida.
Pi$$onaDAWG's gay lover
May 31st, 2010
9:15 am
I love GT’s obsession with UGA, but it is almost a little creepy. PJ will be fired in 4 years after 5 straight losses to UGA. GT you are irrelevant. How about winning a bowl game in the next five years and we will talk.
Taylor Wooten
May 31st, 2010
9:16 am
As a Georgia fan, it is painfully obvious the athletic program is average/mediocre. Those that think otherwise are simply blinded by bulldawg propaganda.
Pi$$onaDAWG's gay lover
May 31st, 2010
9:17 am
All those that say Damon Evans is no good are basing that on nothing other than pure racism.
97 Dawg
May 31st, 2010
9:20 am
Damon Evans may be a great guy, but he comes across like a guy who’s awfully full of himself and his position:
“In our short time that we have had soccer in this league, who has won the majority of the championships?” athletics director Damon Evans asked.
“Florida,” Holeman answered.
“I knew the answer,” Evans said, “but we need to start changing that. That’s all.”
“That’s all”?! Sounds a little like Obama. Hopefully, Evans has more substance than that.
Reddjonn68
May 31st, 2010
9:26 am
After what Jim Harrick did too our program we are lucky 2 even think about expanding anything 2 do with basketball. I wonder if FLA or ALA or any of our rivals would be in the same positions after that type of incident. Evans has done a decent job, considering he was cleaning up after Dooley. So screw the race card, just stick to the facts.
Urban Meyer
May 31st, 2010
9:28 am
Hey Jesse James, as you mention all is not well in Gainesville. There’s actually three years in the last 23 where we didn’t win the “SEC All Sports Trophy” and it hurts. That’s the differece between the Dawgs and Gators, a commitment to excellence that goes well beyond dancing, uniforms and trash talking. And if UGA is doing it the right way, I hope Florida continues to wallow in mediocrity. Wake up Jesse, Georgia is the Clemson of the SEC, one National Championship that the program and the fans have been living off of for thirty years.
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/10990/florida-wins-sec-all-sports-trophy-again
FANS!
May 31st, 2010
9:29 am
What I never has grasped is why UGA does not market more tickets to sorts other than football to the town of Athens itself. Despite our terrible year in baseball, the one game I made it to (Ole Miss on a Saturday, I live in SC) people were crowding the 3rd base fence and Kudzu Hill. The people were mostly families. It seems putting up a grandstand in left field would be a nice way to allow these people seats. I also think expanding down the ist and 3rd baseline would be nice.
Basketball needs to just move more students closer to the court. They consistantly show up and deserve better seating. the entire section below the video board should be student seating IMO.
NoGaGator
May 31st, 2010
9:31 am
Pi$$onaDAWG’s gay lover –
As John McEnroe would say “you can’t be serious!”
collegeballfan
May 31st, 2010
9:33 am
The Stegeman upgrades are great! Great only if you UGA grads get off your butts and support the team with your prescence in the stands at all home games.
UGA is 30 years behind the SEC in basketball due to lousy support from the UGA grads. You guys need to get out and support the team. It is time to end the high school atmosphere at Stegeman.
SEC Memorial Day Headlines « MrSEC.com
May 31st, 2010
9:52 am
[...] name to a sponsor. (And we predicted this might happen last summer.)8. Georgia will be adding some expensive new courtside seats to Stegeman Coliseum next year.9. Here’s a thorough Q&A on the NCAA’s Eric [...]
Get Clued
May 31st, 2010
10:00 am
UGA = Top recruits,Little League Coaching, Puppet A.D. and Gator Envy.Learn it, Live it and Embrace it !
Phil Steele: Georgia Bulldogs ‘could very well run the table’ this year | UGA sports blog
May 31st, 2010
10:09 am
[...] Click here for our latest UGA notebook, with items on new up-close basketball seats, fretting the Gators and the future of Foley Field. [...]
jellybeandawg
May 31st, 2010
10:15 am
Get Clued you pretty much hit the nail on the head. The best coach UGA has ever had or probably ever will have was Susan Yoculan. If it were up to me I would fire Damon Evans and put Yoculan in as AD.
AltamahaDawg
May 31st, 2010
10:22 am
It’s less substance when your point is just to simply repeat it.
Bort
May 31st, 2010
10:24 am
@FANS
The entire section below the video board in Stegeman IS all students. For someone with such a strong opinion, you sure seem to display a poor grasp of facts.
And I’ll say this about the students, while they may have better attendance than the donors/general fans, the fact that they let about a dozen UGA students who are Kentucky fans line the baseline in the student section for that game was appalling.
obomaisaclown
May 31st, 2010
3:57 pm
Why not give your money to a good cause this is like buring money. What a waste of time and money?