It's nice in a way: that last week happened fast. If we were going to need a new basketball coach, and we were going to end up with Nate Oats, it's best that it did.
That's also given us a break from what we thought was the next big(gish) story: UB's "BIG" announcement at tonight's barbeque dinner.
Will UB joining us for our Bulls BBQ Bash on the 17th then the Blue & White Spring game on the 18th? #UBBulls pic.twitter.com/7Dux6XAwTD
— UB Football (@UBFootball) April 9, 2015
"Big" announcements have run the gamut over the past few years from underwhelming to truly big, so it was hard to do much in terms of guessing but throw anything out there. As it turns out, our best guess - a formal announcement and implementation of the long-planned East Club - wasn't far off.
In what appears to be a change in plans from the East Club - not an additional plan - UB will instead transform the midfield sections of the 200 level into premium loge seating. The "West Club" upon completion will include 400 outdoor seats and an indoor lounge area with the food, TV, and other amenities that you'd expect.
I am not certain why the plans shifted from the other side of the stadium to the West sideline (and I should point out that the only reason I've given up on the East Club has been total radio silence), but I imagine the already-extant infrastructure on that side played a role. It appears from the renderings available at the link above that the lounge area will take up a chunk of the suite level that includes not just big donor seating, but also the press box and broadcast area. How that all fits together remains to be seen.
In theory, the East Club and its more easily-implementable West Club progeny is a chance for UB Athletics to start making more money more quickly and fund much-needed facilities improvements. In practice, UB desperately needs a strong reception to this project.
The link a few paragraphs above is to the main page of the West Club project on the Blue and White Club's website. Deeper in their setup is the brochure for the club itself. That's where we find key information:
- "Coming August 2015." This is good. Like I said above, I bet this is an easier go than the East Club, and getting it functional ASAP is a must.
- Season ticket cost is now $125. This happens.
- Required donation for the West Club is $1,000/season (outdoor seats only) or $1,200/season (lounge access)
- Ten-year commitment.