[LeeCoUKFan]

Yeah, I agree with Backwoods. I think that it would be a lot better for everyone involved if they had the games at EKU!

[LeeCoUKFan]

As it stands right now.

1A - 5386
2A - 7077
3A - 5360
4A - 7023
5A - not posted yet
6A - 6691

[cuppett777]

Class 6A: 6691

according to khsaa site at http://www.khsaa.org/football/2011/6a/xlive.htm


6A lower than 2A is bad. Trinity and Scott County fans did not travel well for this one.

Scott County had alot more than Trinity

[cuppett777]

Bowling Green just isn't somewhere I want to drive to for 4-5 hours just to watch football. Louisville had so much more to offer.

i drove the last to yrs from Arkansas to watch Belfry, glad i went both times..5hr trip

[cuppett777]

In 2010 the attendance was:

Class A 5761
Class AA 7964
Class AAA 5792
Class AAAA 13,167
Class AAAAA 5959
Class AAAAAA 9116

So far the Class A & AA & AAAAAA games were all more attended in 2010.

I would say AAAA will not surpass last year.

wow ,one would think that BG would have brought that number by themselves..

[PHSForever]

The state finals were held at Hangar field at EKU in Richmond in '73,'74 and '76,'77. The field has improved since then and has been renamed Roy Kidd Stadium. It seats 22,000 and has a nice SF II synthetic turf playing surface. Richmond is about as centrally located as you can get in Kentucky and have a place that can accomodate the crowds and an artificial surface. Sounds like a no-brainer to me,but,I would like to know why they stopped having the finals there in the first place. Anyone know?

Like another poster said, I suspect it has to do with hotel rooms. Simply not enough to accommodate all the teams. As an EKU alumni, I would personally love this though, since it is MUCH more centrally located than Louisville or Bowling Green. Here's hoping they can get a few more hotels and then make this happen. I think if they did, the crowds would be record-setting.

[LeeCoUKFan]

As it stands right now.

1A - 5386
2A - 7077
3A - 5360
4A - 7023
5A - not posted yet
6A - 6691

And the biggest blowout has the largest attendance with 8623! Ironic!!

[Fly Like a Duck]

1) How do some of you figure that Richmond is much more centrally located that Bowling Green?

2) I agree, Louisville is much more appealing as a city, but the venue sucks because even a 10-15K crowd would seem like nobody is there with how much bigger the Pizza Box is getting.

3) WKU and Bowling Green take a big crap on EKU and Richmond. Everything from the stadium(doesn't EKU still have rag tag metal bleachers on one side?). Richmond has nowhere near as many hotels as BG to accommodate and Bowling Green has more restaurants per capita than any other town in our country (real fact, it's something along the lines of that).

4) Let Richmond add 10+ hotels, have more restaurants than Hooter's, Cracker Barrell, Applebee's, O'charley's and your typical drive through joints then tear down their visitor side; build up a new one with maybe skybox are like at Papa John's and WKU and then, maybe then I could see the finals needing to be played in Richmond

[Backwoods]

1) How do some of you figure that Richmond is much more centrally located that Bowling Green?

2) I agree, Louisville is much more appealing as a city, but the venue sucks because even a 10-15K crowd would seem like nobody is there with how much bigger the Pizza Box is getting.

3) WKU and Bowling Green take a big crap on EKU and Richmond. Everything from the stadium(doesn't EKU still have rag tag metal bleachers on one side?). Richmond has nowhere near as many hotels as BG to accommodate and Bowling Green has more restaurants per capita than any other town in our country (real fact, it's something along the lines of that).

4) Let Richmond add 10+ hotels, have more restaurants than Hooter's, Cracker Barrell, Applebee's, O'charley's and your typical drive through joints then tear down their visitor side; build up a new one with maybe skybox are like at Papa John's and WKU and then, maybe then I could see the finals needing to be played in Richmond

1. Richmond is in the heart of Kentucky and Bowlingreen is in the west end of Kentucky.
2. Roy Kidd stadium just recieved a facelift in '09.
3. As far as Hotel's there are hotel's in Lexington (20 miles north) and as many as 14 hotel's and a few B&B's in Madison Co.
4. I think you left a few resturant's out,like,Red Lobster,Outback,Columbia Steakhouse,Boone Tavern,Fazzolie's,etc...
5. If EKU and Richmond can hold the All "A" Classic and the nearly 50,000+ fans with ease on there campus I'm sure they could handle what would show up for KHSAA football finals.
6. 99% of the fans at the final's don't use the skybox at the games.

[Fly Like a Duck]

1. Richmond is in the heart of Kentucky and Bowlingreen is in the west end of Kentucky.
2. Roy Kidd stadium just recieved a facelift in '09.
3. As far as Hotel's there are hotel's in Lexington (20 miles north) and as many as 14 hotel's and a few B&B's in Madison Co.
4. I think you left a few resturant's out,like,Red Lobster,Outback,Columbia Steakhouse,Boone Tavern,Fazzolie's,etc...
5. If EKU and Richmond can hold the All "A" Classic and the nearly 50,000+ fans with ease on there campus I'm sure they could handle what would show up for KHSAA football finals.
6. 99% of the fans at the final's don't use the skybox at the games.

*Bowling Green is about as "Western" as Richmond is "Eastern". Truth be told, they could be looked at as the "Western"
And "Eastern" ends of Central KY. I never claimed it was centrally located, but it sure as h.e.l.l isn't lest centrally located than Richmond; that's for sure.

*What received a face lift outside of the football field house facility in the end zone? I noticed you didn't post a pic of the 1965 visiting side metal bleachers.

*As far as Lexinton having hotels, no joke. Why should people have to drive 20 extra miles (40) round trip to watch a ball game when chances are they are going to have just as much as a drive as they would to BG, yet can actually stay in BG.

*I've been to the All 'A' classic and it's nowhere near the event the football state finals are/is. 50,000 people spread out amongst 15 games run through the arena over a span of 4-5 days. The crowds are very average when you break it down in the numbers.

*You obviously haven't been on the skybox side of WKU the past three years, bc if you had, you'd know that entire upper level which also is all chair back seats have been filled up, every game (roughly 1,500 seats and that's a low estimate). I'd be double checking your math on that whole "99% of the crowd doesn't sit there anyway" deal.

*As far as restaurants, glad to see they added a few. Add about 20 more and get back with me. Please, next time, leave out a fast food joint like Fazolli's as a restaurant when pleading your case.

[Blau Vogel]

1) How do some of you figure that Richmond is much more centrally located that Bowling Green?

2) I agree, Louisville is much more appealing as a city, but the venue sucks because even a 10-15K crowd would seem like nobody is there with how much bigger the Pizza Box is getting.

3) WKU and Bowling Green take a big crap on EKU and Richmond. Everything from the stadium(doesn't EKU still have rag tag metal bleachers on one side?). Richmond has nowhere near as many hotels as BG to accommodate and Bowling Green has more restaurants per capita than any other town in our country (real fact, it's something along the lines of that).

4) Let Richmond add 10+ hotels, have more restaurants than Hooter's, Cracker Barrell, Applebee's, O'charley's and your typical drive through joints then tear down their visitor side; build up a new one with maybe skybox are like at Papa John's and WKU and then, maybe then I could see the finals needing to be played in Richmond

From another thread:

According to http://book.kentucky-hotels.org/city/?re...07997&t=mp there are 12 hotels in Richmond with an additional 47 within 23 miles.

EKU installed turf http://www.ekusports.com/news/2009/7/20/...91516.aspx in the summer of 2009, I assume at about the same time or after the last bid.

I am not in favor of or against games being played at EKU...It just surprised me a little that BG had a vast number more hotel rooms than Richmond.

Looks like plenty of restaurants too:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rls=co...d=0CAUQtgM

[Blau Vogel]

The geographic center of the state of Kentucky is 3 miles NNW of Lebanon, just off KY 429.

[Fly Like a Duck]

From another thread:



Looks like plenty of restaurants too:

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rls=co...d=0CAUQtgM

Again, I don't think that fans should be expected to stay 20+ miles away to stay at a hotel when chances are they are driving a good ways as is in most cases.

When I was talking about restaurants in BG, I wasn't even talking about fast food joints, but actual sit down restaurants.

They did install turf, but so has every NAIA (well, most) school in our state and we aren't playing the games there.

All in all though, I just don't think that Richmond/EKU hold a candle to Bowling Green/WKU in terms of the total package (stadium, town, hotels, restaurants, etc). For some, keep in mind never did unsay that EKU and Richmond aren't nice places because they dang sure are. The same could be said about BG when comparing it to Louisville, also. I just think the current set up fits great, I really do; especially when considering all of the factors.

Nice research Blau.

[Fly Like a Duck]

The geographic center of the state of Kentucky is 3 miles NNW of Lebanon, just off KY 429.

I knew it was somewhere around Marion or Taylor Counties.

They perfect storm would be taking WKU's L.T Smith stadium and moving it to Louisville for that weekend.

[Blau Vogel]

Again, I don't think that fans should be expected to stay 20+ miles away to stay at a hotel when chances are they are driving a good ways as is in most cases.

When I was talking about restaurants in BG, I wasn't even talking about fast food joints, but actual sit down restaurants.

They did install turf, but so has every NAIA (well, most) school in our state and we aren't playing the games there.

All in all though, I just don't think that Richmond/EKU hold a candle to Bowling Green/WKU in terms of the total package (stadium, town, hotels, restaurants, etc). For some, keep in mind never did unsay that EKU and Richmond aren't nice places because they dang sure are. The same could be said about BG when comparing it to Louisville, also. I just think the current set up fits great, I really do; especially when considering all of the factors.

Nice research Blue.

Like I said, as long as Highlands keeps winning championships, I don't care if the games are on the moon. I just like to take the emotion out of things if possible. A little research can be a good thing.

Staying 20 miles out would be the exception, not the norm unless you want to include fun in Lex as part of you excursion. "Within 20 mile" means to me, most are A LOT closer to Richmond.

AGAIN...Have the game wherever as long as the Bird's are invited.

[Blau Vogel]

I knew it was somewhere around Marion or Taylor Counties.

The perfect storm would be taking WKU's L.T Smith stadium and moving it to Louisville for that weekend.

How about we just build a new 10,000-15,000 seat DOMED stadium at Marion County High School and build a 500 room Ritz-Carlton (with a casino, Maker's Mark Lounge and a cigar bar) connected to the venue. I know the state has all kinds of extra money laying around for such a project. hh:

[kypecos]

Geographic center is not as important as population center. IMO. The main population center in Kentucky is located in the triangle of Louisville, Lexington and Northern Kentucky. Anything that is a two hour drive away from the edges of that area presents a travelling hardship/impediment to a MAJORITY of the teams that play football in Kentucky. Northern Kentucky is obviously too far away from the rest of the state and that makes Louisville or Lexington the logical choice (both geographically and according to the greatest concentration of poplutation). In fact, since Louisville is more centrally located and has the greatest population (by far), it is the most obvious and most logical choice. But UofL cannot host the games due to Big East commitments (from what I understand) and UK's field is inferior and not up to the task. So that leaves the KHSAA with limited alternatives.

Having said all of that, most people love everything about the way that WKU handles the championships. The field is a great fit for a high school football game and the city has multiple things to do (restaurants, hotels, attractions, etc.). It is well run and accommodating. In a pie in the sky world, the best case scenario would be to move WKU's field to Louisville or Lexington. But that's not going to happen. So it appears that WKU is the best alternative for the time being. While the arguments regarding EKU are understandable, the fact is that it is more geographically isolated from the rest of the state and is still a 2 hour plus drive from even Louisville and Northern Kentucky, and its facilities and ameneties do not surpass or even equal what is available at WKU. So the KHSAA appears to have done the best that it can under the circumstances.

If you look at the attendance figures over the years, the greatest attendance always occurred when the games were played in Louisville. Probably for many of the reasons cited above and for the additional reason that Louisville is a very attractive city to visit. LOTS of things to do before and after the football games and many use it as an excuse for an extended stay (and maybe attend some of the other games as well as their own teams). So my personal preference (and the preference of most of the state according to the historical attendance figures) would be to see the games return to UofL in the near future. The PJCS is not as cozy as WKU's field but it is an awesome stadium, provides plenty of parking and is an easy drive for the majority of the state. But like others have said, wherever they play the games is where we will go. It's just a fact that more people would join us if the games were played in Louisville.