Not many in western ky that would have turf but is a great idea

Not many in western ky that would have turf but is a great idea

 

Doing each of the 12 semis at neutral fields (12 neutral sites hosting one game apiece) could be disastrous.

If predetermined, you could have some long treks.

If you want both teams to agree, that could take a while.

You could also involve Louisville or Lexington hosting a game without a Louisville or Lexington team in it. While you are in the two biggest media markets, you'll possibly get ignored because those tv stations/newspapers could be traveling to watch the Louisville/Lexington teams.

Plus, what if Elizabethtown (a central location with a turf field and easy access to I-65/31-W/BG Parkway/WK Parkway/Lincoln Parkway) is playing the same night? You think E'town would want to host? I doubt it.

 

You could involve the colleges, but not many are centrally located. Campbellsville, Lindsey and Union, for example, are pains to get to. Pikeville (east) and Murray (west) are seen as far points.

 

Georgetown and EKU would be fine. Bellarmine once the new stadium is completed. Morehead I guess. Not sure about Thomas More's or Kentucky Christian's or Kentucky State's seating capacity or turf situation. Forgot about KWC too, which would give WKY two hosting colleges possibly (Murray and KWC).

 

But I'm not sure colleges would want to host just one game. Wouldn't be worth their while, especially if it involves two small schools which both have to drive over an hour to get there.

 

It's not like the Campbellsville University bowl (two nights with two games each night) drew all that great and it had closer schools AND better weather.

 

And if you do the semis on Saturday (multiple games at one site) after Thanksgiving, you run the risk of going head to head with Louisville-Kentucky (they're at noon Saturday).

 

It's a good idea that could work.

 

But there are a ton of logistics to work out.

I'm not a fan of multiple sites. I've always thought you pick one site for the east and play ALL eastern half state semi finals there and do the same for the west. Make it a Friday/Saturday event just like the finals. Match up the Saturday semis to the Saturday finals to even out prep time (i.e. If 2A state finals are on Saturday then 2A semis are on Saturday). I think everyone agrees that the state finals are a great experience in part because every class is on display and you get to see a lot of football. How much fun would it be to have that kind of experience two weekends in a row?!

If done right, i like the idea of a neutral site for the semi-finals, but you need 2 things that the KHSAA doesn't have: common sense and a commissioner that doesn't mind spending a few bucks

Turf

Seating on both sides of the stadium

Site should be closer to the #1 seed(or highest seed left)

Parking to accommodate parking

Concession stands (On both side of the stadium)

Restrooms. If bring in portable units are needed, bring them in.

Ohio can figure it out, and in their selection process. You would also not have teams losing 50-0 in the semifinals. Turf fields, better parking, ability to televise games, I watch all of Ohio high school football games on TV. Why can't Kentucky figure this out?

Ohio can figure it out, and in their selection process. You would also not have teams losing 50-0 in the semifinals. Turf fields, better parking, ability to televise games, I watch all of Ohio high school football games on TV. Why can't Kentucky figure this out?

 

Careful. It's blasphemy to mention anything that state up north does in a positive light. Lived there all my life, save the last 2 and a half. Perhaps I'm bias, but they do it light years better. Highest seed hosts Rd 1, then that's it. I believe no grass fields after round 2 is their policy. Sites predetermined, but not assigned until teams are decided. They just hosted a Colerain Elder game at a HS stadium, not sure any game outside of Trinity St X would bring that type of crowd. Plenty of big stadiums in Lexington and Louisville that could host almost any game and not require an all day trek.

Until the last two weekends I did not think this was a topic that would be taken seriously. But insight was gained

 

 

1. Plenty of seating for both home and visitors. Do not care if its on both sides or not.

2. Wheelchair accommodations in stands for both teams. (this should be requirement regardless).

3. Neutral chain-gang and clock operator.

 

Visitor stands at many schools do not support a semi-final crowd for the visitors. Its a basic fact that is not a judgement since the stands are not needed most games and the cost to upgrade is to high. I will say that visitor stands should meet ADA rules and be wheelchair accessible in general.

 

Note that I do not care if the stands are all on one side or not. The SK-Lafayette story seems to have some 'how-not-to-do-things' lessons. But single side stands work if- a) there is a clear home/visitor division and b) there is lots of seating in general. It also makes the ADA requirements easier to address if all the stands are on one side of a facility.

Turf field would be my #1 requirement. Games of this magnitude should be decided by the teams, not by field conditions.

 

To me, it would not matter if it were a college field, high school stadium, or a community stadium. It would not necessarily matter to me if it were in a "central" location to both teams. For me, it is all about the playing surface. Much more important to me than fan experience.

And at this point, I will open the can of worms. If you are going to the trouble of having neutral locations host semis, then wouldn't it be logical to seed them at the same time?

#1 - I LOVE the idea of neutral sites.

#2 - These sites should be in the center of the state (E'town, Louisville, Lex, B G, Owensboro, e.g.) and as centralized as possible for participants.

#3 - Type of field is an issue only because of playing 4 games at one location (2 on Friday and 2 on Saturday) so turf would be a huge plus.

#4 - Sites should be picked before the season starts, although participants at each location would be determined the Saturday prior. ( should have at least 6 sites chosen, this could serve as back up plan, and rotate every year) This throws scheduling conflicts out the window. Miss your turn, too bad.

#5 - Seeding teams should be done by KHSAA. I do not care how. Polls would be the best answer.

#6 - Home field advantage is lost through this process, and should be at this point of the playoffs. At least theoretically.

DELETE

Make up the revenue that both teams would lose. Right now the 2 teams involved in a semi-final game split the profits.

Edited November 30, 201510 yr by All Tell