Home Away From Home???

[mcveyrl]

Mike Barber, in today's Daily News Record, is reporting that JMU is in talks with Richmond to host playoff games at City Stadium. I guess that's better than nothing...barely.

http://www.dnronline.com/sports_details ... HID=3&sub=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Paid access, so maybe somebody else could fill us in on the details...

[bluehenbillk]

Let's hope the JMU team is thinking about home playoff games on Saturday between say noon & 3:30. That way they won't notice Pierce & Devlin on the attack.

[Dukie95]

Not much else to it. Bourne is pretty silent, as are officials from the City of Richmond's parks and rec dept.

If we should be so lucky to get a home game, we'd probably draw better there than we would at bridgeforth, with some 85%+ of JMU alumni living within 2-3 hours of Richmond.

[89Hen]

Funny, I was just talking about this yesterday with a JMU alum. He didn't know the plans to shut down Bridgeforth immediately after the season and he said, why not play in Richmond.

[mcveyrl]

Not much else to it. Bourne is pretty silent, as are officials from the City of Richmond's parks and rec dept.

If we should be so lucky to get a home game, we'd probably draw better there than we would at bridgeforth, with some 85%+ of JMU alumni living within 2-3 hours of Richmond.

Sounds like this is just a guesstimate from Barber...

[Dukie95]

Not much else to it. Bourne is pretty silent, as are officials from the City of Richmond's parks and rec dept.

If we should be so lucky to get a home game, we'd probably draw better there than we would at bridgeforth, with some 85%+ of JMU alumni living within 2-3 hours of Richmond.

Sounds like this is just a guesstimate from Barber...

Yeah, but I'm sure his guesstimates are good...on the record, he's getting "no comments', off the record, I'm sure he knows that's who we're currently in negotiations with.

[urmite]

Why not? You haven't lost there in 8 years. Wins in '08, '06, '04 Losses in '02, '00, '98

Off Topic - looking at your old schedules what's with '91 &' 92 - Games against VA Tek, Cent FL, YSU, GSU, ASU both years? Ok I'm starting to ramble...

[89Hen]

BTW, how embarrassing is it that you'd have to move what would be a home game to Richmond because your facilities couldn't host?

[mcveyrl]

Why not? You haven't lost there in 8 years. Wins in '08, '06, '04 Losses in '02, '00, '98

Off Topic - looking at your old schedules what's with '91 &' 92 - Games against VA Tek, Cent FL, YSU, GSU, ASU both years? Ok I'm starting to ramble...

We were independent and I'm assuming we had home and homes with everybody but Va. Tech. UCF was I-AA then.

[mcveyrl]

BTW, how embarrassing is it that you'd have to move what would be a home game to Richmond because your facilities couldn't host?

You shut it!

[SunCoastBlueHen]

BTW, how embarrassing is it that you'd have to move what would be a home game to Richmond because your facilities couldn't host?

The scenario does seem to have a bit of familiarity to it.

[93henfan]

At least JMU's game hopefully wouldn't be against Richmond like ours was.

[weberwildcat]

Weber State's home away from home is Idaho State's Holt Arena indoor football stadium. Weber has beaten its rival the Bengals 23 times in 25 yrs.

[ur2K]

Seems like a reasonable idea if you can't host in the burg considering all the alumni in the Richmond area.

I wonder what the field will look like in Nov & Dec considering that UR no longer is responsible for it, the kickers are out of season and no rain this summer.

[mcveyrl]

Seems like a reasonable idea if you can't host in the burg considering all the alumni in the Richmond area.

I wonder what the field will look like in Nov & Dec considering that UR no longer is responsible for it, the kickers are out of season and no rain this summer.

I'm sure it would be magical. Any chance we can have a double header with the Spiders at the new stadium??

[urmite]

Why not? You haven't lost there in 8 years. Wins in '08, '06, '04 Losses in '02, '00, '98

Off Topic - looking at your old schedules what's with '91 &' 92 - Games against VA Tek, Cent FL, YSU, GSU, ASU both years? Ok I'm starting to ramble...

We were independent and I'm assuming we had home and homes with everybody but Va. Tech. UCF was I-AA then.

True, but looking back and seeing someone play ASU, YSU, and GSU (the only 3+ champs?) in 4 weeks does seem a bit much.

[ur2K]

Seems like a reasonable idea if you can't host in the burg considering all the alumni in the Richmond area.

I wonder what the field will look like in Nov & Dec considering that UR no longer is responsible for it, the kickers are out of season and no rain this summer.

I'm sure it would be magical. Any chance we can have a double header with the Spiders at the new stadium??

Slight chance but we're having a track meet in the stadium after our playoff game. Maybe after that. Have your guy call our guy and I'm sure we can get something worked out.

[mcveyrl]

I'm sure it would be magical. Any chance we can have a double header with the Spiders at the new stadium??

Slight chance but we're having a track meet in the stadium after our playoff game. Maybe after that. Have your guy call our guy and I'm sure we can get something worked out.

I KNEW IT!! I just KNEW there was a reason you guys built the track around that field.

[BDKJMU]

Not the whole article so I don't get in trouble:

"HARRISONBURG - If James Madison's football team reaches the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, it could be hosting games at a familiar-but-distant destination. With construction making the Dukes' home field - Bridgeforth Stadium - unavailable for the postseason, JMU officials are in talks with Richmond to play games at City Stadium, sources said Monday.

JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne confirmed that he was in discussions to secure a field for home playoff games, but he declined to name the site. The school apparently considered the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium, VMI's Foster Stadium as well as Richmond.

"We are into some very deep deliberations with another venue," Bourne said.

Bourne said if a deal is completed, JMU will bid to host each round of the I-AA playoffs.

City Stadium, a 21,319-seat facility owned by the city of Richmond, was the home of the University of Richmond Spiders - a conference foe of JMU's - until this season, when UR opened its on-campus Robins Stadium.

Since 2003, it has been the home field for the Richmond Kickers of the United Soccer League's second division.

Richmond director of parks and recreation J.R. Pope would not confirm that the city is talking to JMU about using City Stadium.

"I really can't," Pope said Monday. "I'll leave that for the press secretary."

Mike Wallace, public information office for the city of Richmond, did not return a call seeking comment.

The Dukes are 3-0 - their best start since 1996 - and remained No. 3 in The Sports Network's I-AA poll Monday. A 5-3 showing in their conference games, no sure thing in the brutally tough Colonial Athletic Association, would likely earn the team a spot in the expanded playoffs. Anything better than an 8-3 year could have JMU in the hunt to be a top seed in the postseason.

"I'm glad we're 3-0, but I hadn't really thought about all that," JMU coach Mickey Matthews said Monday during his weekly press conference. "There's never been any mention to our players that we're 3-0."

Asked after the press conference about the possibility of playing at Richmond, Matthews declined to discuss the topic.

"I wouldn't have any comment on that," said Matthews, who is 3-2 at City Stadium, winning in his last three trips there.

Bourne said JMU decided to secure a site to host playoff games prior to the Dukes' big upset of Virginia Tech on Sept. 11. He said giving fans a chance to attend a playoff game was a major reason, as was creating the best atmosphere for the Dukes to win postseason games.

"I think we have tremendous fan support," Bourne said. "We draw very well from the Northern Virginia, the Richmond area, Tidewater. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to give our team the best opportunity to succeed."

Although playing at an off-campus site two hours from Harrisonburg wouldn't offer the same home-field advantage Bridgeforth does, it would be more favorable for JMU than a road trip to somewhere like Boone, N.C., Lynchburg or Youngstown, Ohio - homes to Appalachian State, Liberty and Youngstown State.

"It certainly won't be like playing in Bridgeforth," Bourne said. "But it will be the next best thing."......................"