McGuirk Upgrade

[TruBluMaroon]

Not to make an even comparison, but parts of Beaver Stadium date back to 1909.

[vanmeter]

You can have a stadium like AT & T stadium in Dallas and if the team continues to be terrible who is gonna go. The first issue is to get a competitive team that people want to see. By talking about all the proposed things the school is going to do and the money spent etc is a way to divert attention from the terrible football product the athletic department has given us.

[Steve81]

You can have a stadium like AT & T stadium in Dallas and if the team continues to be terrible who is gonna go. The first issue is to get a competitive team that people want to see. By talking about all the proposed things the school is going to do and the money spent etc is a way to divert attention from the terrible football product the athletic department has given us.

My view is a bit different. The administration had an equal or more share in this with a decade of limited funding and being independent. We will limp along this year and hopefully benefit next year with some medical redshirts, and a staff that already has recruited 20 High School recruits. We have gain zero traction living on the portal and welcome the change to build a culture with High School recruits and supplement them with some transfers. Had no idea we had 67 open scholarships this year.

Back to the stadium. Welcome any improvements that are long overdue. Looking forward to seeing how the stadium from the east side will look in 2027. The gate and little boxes selling tickets is stark. 20-25M is a serious chunk of change and more than double the earlier plan.

Your right getting the team better is very important. The bulk of Episode #23 is with Pat MacWilliams from MassCo. Around the 35 minute mark there is a tiny bit on player roster and stadium.. https://youtu.be/DbFaRkPlRrs

Ryan talked about 3 three things from the 1-4:20 minute mark. The player roster management is #1, physical plant, and staffing resources.
https://youtu.be/0110cq6htLI

[Berkman]

So when is this going to happen?

[Steve81]

So when is this going to happen?

Next year minor stuff and then 2027 and 2028. The actual 3 step plan is planned to be rolled out in December. See the very end of my prior post to listen to the 7 minute mark.

[doubledribble]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/23/ ... nvestment/

Read the comments at the end of the article

[InnervisionsUMASS]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/23/ ... nvestment/

Read the comments at the end of the article

You already posted this in the Season thread.

I can't read it - it is behind a paywall and I don't subscribe to The Globe - but if you're referring to the user submitted comments section... it's pretty well known that is a cesspool of trolls.

[photoman]

Here's a visual on McGuirk "Phase 1"

[Used to be VOR]

The fact that this department is now charging ridiculous new parking fees for basketball and hockey games is just another sign (in my opinion) of how the "upgrade" of the football program will have a corrosive and parasitic affect on the other sports at the University. They can spin the allocation of the money for parking fees any way they like, but the truth is anyone with a brain understands the math in this situation.

The idiocy in the decision making of this departments administration is staggering. I cannot wait to see the impact this has on the attendance of those sports.

[eldonabe]

The fact that this department is now charging ridiculous new parking fees for basketball and hockey games is just another sign (in my opinion) of how the "upgrade" of the football program will have a corrosive and parasitic affect on the other sports at the University. They can spin the allocation of the money for parking fees any way they like, but the truth is anyone with a brain understands the math in this situation.

The idiocy in the decision making of this departments administration is staggering. I cannot wait to see the impact this has on the attendance of those sports.

Didn't you hear? THIS TIME IT'S DIFFERENT!

[Steve81]

The fact that this department is now charging ridiculous new parking fees for basketball and hockey games is just another sign (in my opinion) of how the "upgrade" of the football program will have a corrosive and parasitic affect on the other sports at the University. They can spin the allocation of the money for parking fees any way they like, but the truth is anyone with a brain understands the math in this situation.

The idiocy in the decision making of this departments administration is staggering. I cannot wait to see the impact this has on the attendance of those sports.

This will piss you off, but I'm tired of fans being pissed off contributing, kicking and screaming for any additional contribution to athletics in the NIL era. All those sports receive a NIL budget. My feeling is simple, as long as UMass offers a free parking option for season option or a U Script donation, I'm fine with parking fees. Hey, what was called 'P lot' #12 is free! I'd hate to say this, but money has always matter for anything premium, including parking location. Even long time Cage season ticket holders, were shuffled back for not contributing.)

[eldonabe]

The fact that this department is now charging ridiculous new parking fees for basketball and hockey games is just another sign (in my opinion) of how the "upgrade" of the football program will have a corrosive and parasitic affect on the other sports at the University. They can spin the allocation of the money for parking fees any way they like, but the truth is anyone with a brain understands the math in this situation.

The idiocy in the decision making of this departments administration is staggering. I cannot wait to see the impact this has on the attendance of those sports.

This will piss you off, but I'm tired of fans being pissed off contributing, kicking and screaming for any additional contribution to athletics in the NIL era. All those sports receive a NIL budget. My feeling is simple, as long as UMass offers a free parking option for season option or a contribution a U Script donation, I'm fine with parking fees. Hey, season ticket holders still park in Lot 25 for free and was called 'P lot' #12 is free!

Steve - I know you are not understanding this, and that is OK. But I am telling you, if Bamford had been doing a good job to this point, nobody would blink an eye at this stuff.

I will tell you with complete honesty, I am not sure anyone who was put in his position 11 years ago could have done any better, but the fact remains that he is the person in that position and he is the one with no credibility with 98% of this fan base. Until proven otherwise - and it has to be actually proven for real and not a bunch of "this time, it's different" promises, this will be the reactions you get for everything. Regardless of who's fault this is, Bamford is the fall guy. At least he's made 4 or 5 million in salary to fall back on.


There is no quick fix for Bamford but there is a quick fix for the attitude of the fan base and the goodwill with the school.... Start fresh with a new AD. A new guy will come in here, come up with a plan, announce it and execute it just like Bamford is going to try to do in a couple months. It can be the EXACT same plan and timetable; but nobody has faith Bamford will execute, and at least a new person would have buy in for a while and settle people down.

[InnervisionsUMASS]

They should have been charging for parking years ago. $5 at most, obviously. But of course the University got in its own way on that until recently. Now, instead of doing it reasonably, they have come up with ridiculous $ figures and a stupid process. And in addition, giving people more reason to shit on the department and, for some reason, football. And yes, I recognize there are ways to get around the paid parking situation... the department should be promoting that - want premium, pay; want to not pay, park further away. It's what they do at Gillette now.

You cannot make this shit up.

[Juice Stand]

There is no quick fix for Bamford but there is a quick fix for the attitude of the fan base and the goodwill with the school....

It can be the EXACT same plan and timetable; but nobody has faith Bamford will execute, and at least a new person would have buy in for a while and settle people down.

This is it for me. I'm willing to give Bamford through the end of basketball season, but if we can't find a couple wins in football and finish top 3 in basketball, then he needs to go. The only thing that might save him at that point is if hockey goes on another title run. It doesn't even matter if the failures are his fault or if it's institutional and above his pay grade. The noise gets louder by the day, and a change will need to be made just to get the fan base and donors back on board.

[Used to be VOR]

They should have been charging for parking years ago. $5 at most, obviously. But of course the University got in its own way on that until recently. Now, instead of doing it reasonably, they have come up with ridiculous $ figures and a stupid process. And in addition, giving people more reason to shit on the department and, for some reason, football. And yes, I recognize there are ways to get around the paid parking situation... the department should be promoting that - want premium, pay; want to not pay, park further away. It's what they do at Gillette now.

You cannot make this shit up.

Shockingly I do not disagree with this.

A reasonable parking charge for premium spots is not unreasonable. However, the optics of this when the department has botched so many things so badly, and are now seeking to throw a high-speed bandaid on the death bed patient that is football is just terrible. I find it hard to believe they could be so tone-deaf.

This is going to affect casual fans attending basketball and hockey games, there is no doubt about that. There are going to be a lot of people who do not know and are shocked and pissed when they attend their first game of the season. There is nothing positive that comes from this.

And we know why they need the money.