Potential Soccer Stadium | Portland peninsula

The Alfond Foundation has funded millions of dollars to Colby, UMaine in Orono, UNE, the UMaine System and the Roux Institute for over 10+ year. All the facilities are University or College owned. If USM bought Fitzy, then I would see investment from the Alfond Foundation or New Balance, no foundation will fund a city facility without ROI and with the rotten relationship the city gives, I highly doubt we will see a nice facility. Would USM build a facility in Gorham on Campus owned land? maybe, but only a small facility with a multi-use surface. Now with Hockey being popular now at UMaine, everyone wants tickets to Alfond Arena, so then comes the expansion plans. How ironic.... Plus, it's the only game in town for anyone to attend, except Football, and women's bball at the PIT. Try attending a game at the campus, the traffic is worse than rt 1 in Saugus. No parking, only one way in and out depending what side of the island you are on...
 
PWMFlyer said:
The Alfond Foundation has funded millions of dollars to Colby, UMaine in Orono, UNE, the UMaine System and the Roux Institute for over 10+ year. All the facilities are University or College owned. If USM bought Fitzy, then I would see investment from the Alfond Foundation or New Balance, no foundation will fund a city facility without ROI and with the rotten relationship the city gives, I highly doubt we will see a nice facility. Would USM build a facility in Gorham on Campus owned land? maybe, but only a small facility with a multi-use surface. Now with Hockey being popular now at UMaine, everyone wants tickets to Alfond Arena, so then comes the expansion plans. How ironic.... Plus, it's the only game in town for anyone to attend, except Football, and women's bball at the PIT. Try attending a game at the campus, the traffic is worse than rt 1 in Saugus. No parking, only one way in and out depending what side of the island you are on...
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Do many fans in Portland drive up to Orono? It's a shorter drive to see Boston College hockey and basketball. The latter of which is a level or two above UMO. But you can see them play UNH when they do, an hour away.
 
I hate the drive to Orono. Even though its 2 hours, it seems like an eternity. UNH (aka the Whit) is a great place to watch hockey. Northeastern Matthews Arena is never full and is in a bad neighborhood. BU's Agganis Arena is great place to see a game and 6150 seats to boot for a hockey game and 8000 for a concert.
 
PWMFlyer said:
The Alfond Foundation has funded millions of dollars to Colby, UMaine in Orono, UNE, the UMaine System and the Roux Institute for over 10+ year. All the facilities are University or College owned. If USM bought Fitzy, then I would see investment from the Alfond Foundation or New Balance, no foundation will fund a city facility without ROI and with the rotten relationship the city gives, I highly doubt we will see a nice facility. Would USM build a facility in Gorham on Campus owned land? maybe, but only a small facility with a multi-use surface. Now with Hockey being popular now at UMaine, everyone wants tickets to Alfond Arena, so then comes the expansion plans. How ironic.... Plus, it's the only game in town for anyone to attend, except Football, and women's bball at the PIT. Try attending a game at the campus, the traffic is worse than rt 1 in Saugus. No parking, only one way in and out depending what side of the island you are
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PWM Flyer, I have not seen any plans regarding inside Alfond arena except the ribbon boards, center hung score board, and maybe wifi/ new sound system. Then back when the first renderings were presented, I heard the capacity may be decreased, which would be a shame. Personally I think they should have a capacity bigger than the Whit. The upper sections of Alfond needs some major updates. But then look at the Pit, those seats are from when the place was first built. I was actually hoping for a new 7-8k ice arena that would be more current than the Alfond. OH well.....
 
PWMFlyer said:
The Alfond Foundation has funded millions of dollars to Colby, UMaine in Orono, UNE, the UMaine System and the Roux Institute for over 10+ year. All the facilities are University or College owned. If USM bought Fitzy, then I would see investment from the Alfond Foundation or New Balance, no foundation will fund a city facility without ROI and with the rotten relationship the city gives, I highly doubt we will see a nice facility. Would USM build a facility in Gorham on Campus owned land? maybe, but only a small facility with a multi-use surface. Now with Hockey being popular now at UMaine, everyone wants tickets to Alfond Arena, so then comes the expansion plans. How ironic.... Plus, it's the only game in town for anyone to attend, except Football, and women's bball at the PIT. Try attending a game at the campus, the traffic is worse than rt 1 in Saugus. No parking, only one way in and out depending what side of the island you are on...
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There are actually 2 ways out....but point taken. The plans for UMaine's athletic campus are massive. For those who haven't been up there in a while.....it will not be recognizable in 5 years. UMaine BOT just approved $27 million for soccer and track plus more parking and new access road (Alfond Way) serving new facilities. On a side note....they also approveed $81 million "Factory of the Future" 3D lab and research facility (groundbreaking Aug.24).....and $25 million in electrical infrastructure improvements to serve new and existing facilities and add EV chargers to campus.
 
TC_zoid said:
Do many fans in Portland drive up to Orono? It's a shorter drive to see Boston College hockey and basketball. The latter of which is a level or two above UMO. But you can see them play UNH when they do, an hour away.
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Do you really think that UMaine alums want to see BC or UNH athletics? You do know that college sports fans have their favorite teams based on where they went to school and/or grew up with....right? Also.....Maine is at the same level in hockey.....they are in the same league (Hockey East) and went 1-0-1 vs. BC this season. Last season Maine played at BC in basketball and beat them 69-64.....oops.
 
Seanflynn78 said:
PWM Flyer, I have not seen any plans regarding inside Alfond arena except the ribbon boards, center hung score board, and maybe wifi/ new sound system. Then back when the first renderings were presented, I heard the capacity may be decreased, which would be a shame. Personally I think they should have a capacity bigger than the Whit. The upper sections of Alfond needs some major updates. But then look at the Pit, those seats are from when the place was first built. I was actually hoping for a new 7-8k ice arena that would be more current than the Alfond. OH well.....
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Alfond Arena is getting a $45 million update with construction starting this spring......

goblackbears.com

Maine Athletics announces renovation plans for Harold Alfond Sports Arena, Shawn Walsh Hockey Center - University of Maine Athletics

The University of Maine and Maine Athletics have released plans for major renovations to Harold Alfond Sports Arena and the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center. The project
goblackbears.com goblackbears.com

alfond-arena-2024-rendering_rA77k.png
 
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mainejeff said:
Do you really think that UMaine alums want to see BC or UNH athletics? You do know that college sports fans have their favorite teams based on where they went to school and/or grew up with....right? Also.....Maine is at the same level in hockey.....they are in the same league (Hockey East) and went 1-0-1 vs. BC this season. Last season Maine played at BC in basketball and beat them 69-64.....oops.
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That was not my argument. You can see UMO basketball and hockey play at UNH was one (an hour's drive away), and the other, that Portland residents are closer to a much higher level of collegiate sports in Boston than they are in Maine, and that's unfortunate, or wrong. I'm not driving up to Orono. Few do. I follow the women's basketball team when it comes to Portland and that's it.
 
Portland is not a college sports town....I'm glad that the flagship is not located there.
 
TC_zoid said:
That was not my argument. You can see UMO basketball and hockey play at UNH was one (an hour's drive away), and the other, that Portland residents are closer to a much higher level of collegiate sports in Boston than they are in Maine, and that's unfortunate, or wrong. I'm not driving up to Orono. Few do. I follow the women's basketball team when it comes to Portland, and that's it.
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Well good for you. Go BC and UNH.....rah rah!

And by the way....you are the one that stated "The latter of which is a level or two above UMO" referring to BC hockey and basketball.....which based on recent results is patently false. I provided the rebuttal with recent head to head results in those 2 sports....you can look it up if you don't believe me. Sorry that it doesn't fit your narrative.
 
And, when Cooper Flagg starts playing at Duke, Boston (BC) will be less of a drive away to see him play than if he came to Orono (not happening, ever). He might become one of the top 5 players in the country and he's from Maine. No player of his stature is going up to Orono. A few years back, the UMO women had recruited some players from Europe and did not visit the campus beforehand. At the end of the season, they all transferred. It's why the Red Claws do well in Portland. It's an easy two-hour train ride to the guts of TD Garden, where they all want to eventually end up. Orono/Bangor is nowhere to these players. Recruiting even Maine players is hard (Mackenzie and Cooper).
 
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By the way.....no one calls it UMO anymore.....just like no one uses USM-POGO either.
 
TC_zoid said:
And, when Cooper Flagg starts playing at Duke, Boston (BC) will be less of a drive away to see him play than if he came to Orono (not happening, ever). He might become one of the top 5 players in the country and he's from Maine. No player of his stature is going up to Orono. A few years back, the UMO women had recruited some players from Europe and did not visit the campus beforehand. At the end of the season, they all transferred. It's why the Red Claws do well in Portland. It's an easy two-hour train ride to the guts of TD Garden, where they all went to eventually end up.
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What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Cooper Flagg is a one and done in college......yeah he went to his childhood dream school because he had a choice of anywhere in the country to play......he wasn't going to BC (a team that recently lost to Maine) or even UConn (national champion) for that matter. What's your point? Go grab your BC sweatshirt and root for them until you are blue in the face.....I'm done with this silly talk on a Portland Soccer Stadium thread though. I'll let you get back to your dreaming of turning Portland into mini-NYC......good luck with that!😉😂
 
Sorry, I didn't intend to disparage the school with all of its sports--they have done well with hockey and baseball--but realistically, it's not going to be prominent in the future with basketball AND soccer. Boston is too big of a draw for future players and others to ignore. If a covered soccer "field" is built, one that could also feature basketball and concerts, more Mainers (and visitors) would be able to enjoy all three. The city is now desperate for money, and the Portland Rec Dept. is not an independent entity with its own king (delusions of grandeur). As the proposal is now, I see an exciting and fun first season, but then a kind of tapering off over the years. Again, 7 months of the year it sits empty (watching sports outside in Maine in October can be brutal). The glass is half filled here, despite what the more provincial mindsets indicate, and so up the game, so to speak. Find a way. Portland is a de facto suburb of Boston now (or so says the Hardshore Distilling guy from Brooklyn). Be opportunistic 🤑, not pessimistic 😠.
 
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