Should Semi-State be on neutral field?

[Jumper_Dad]

Every year, just like this year, there are discussions about long bus rides for this team or that team. 

Not even considering the length of travel, should Semi-State games be played at neutral sites?

I'd think at this point there are more than enough turf fields around the state that field conditions wouldn't be an issue. Have 20 or so fields ready for the 12 games, and chose the fields that would make the most logical sense between the two schools. 

I feel like it's been discussed before on here that several states, do play Semi-State at neutral sites. 

[AgainstTheGrain]

Teams have been traveling long distances for years and teams also earn those home games by winning their regular season games. Having neutral sites does nothing and only penalizes the teams that work hard to win games. This is a non issue that people are trying to make an issue. If you don't want to travel then find ways to win games. 

[jeff jackson]

IMO, this would defeat the purpose of playing for home field advantage. Plus, you're likely to be playing in front of sparce crowds, if both teams had to travel 150-250  miles, especially with all the live feeds on the internet showing a great deal of these games. People will stay home for the holidays and watch it on tv.

[theguru]

I like it the way it is.  However, determining home field by RPI vs. something like Calpreps is a travesty. 

[Jumper_Dad]

14 minutes ago, AgainstTheGrain said:

Teams have been traveling long distances for years and teams also earn those home games by winning their regular season games. Having neutral sites does nothing and only penalizes the teams that work hard to win games. This is a non issue that people are trying to make an issue. If you don't want to travel then find ways to win games. 

We have several teams with the same record facing off this week, using a flawed RPI to decide home field seems like an idea whose time may have past. 

[burreaux]

I would worry about attendance for some of these games, especially if this round would be the Friday after Thanksgiving.

[DearToday]

If my favorite team is on the road, yes. If my favorite team is at home, no. 

[FrankNicodemus]

Instead of neutral sites, Why NOT make these games (that require a long travel time) moved to Saturday....  I don't care if its an afternoon or evening game on Saturday (school decides).  Guess what next week during the State games at Kroger Field games will be played on Saturday so don't give me, based on tradition they should be played under the lights on Friday night.  Heck Bell County pulled a fast one on Highlands in 1992 to make us travel down and play on Thursday night (Thanksgiving night)!

Maybe throw a distance measurement in there, for example:  if your opponent is traveling further than 150 miles you must move the game to Saturday.  You still get the home field advantage but you don't get an unfair advantage making your opponents and their fans have to travel so far after a school/work day on a Friday night.

How about that wrinkle of a suggestion....

[Breds82]

I’m a flip-flopper here. I believe home field advantage is earned but before RPI it was just rotated depending if it was an odd number or even number year, so there was very little need to schedule tough. With RPI being used (flaws and all) I think it’s fine. If it ever goes back to the “good ole days” then I’d be up for neutral sight games. With neutral sight games though you have to have school that want to host the game. Like In Ohio, schools have to staff the event, concession, security facilities etc. 

[ATLCat]

Absolutely... With that said, it is a pipe dream so in my opinion a bare minimum should be that the host site has to prove that they have acceptable/ample threshold provided for:

Field Conditions

Visitor Seating

Parking 

Handicap/ADA Access

Visitor Locker Room facilities

 

Just because a computer algorithm says one team should be hosting shouldn't cause a team having a great season to have to be put at a disadvantage of comfort/planning or have that team also at a potential disadvantage of their fans being able to support them.

If all these things above is not an assurance of meeting a required threshold then I think a neutral site should be enforced.

Additionally, I say for the Semi-Finals if the distance exceeds 200 miles of travel then a neutral site should be enforced. Three and a half hours on a bus is a long time.

 

 

 

[TheDeuce]

How's the neutral site being paid for with no attendance? What's the point of home field advantage if you have to play at a random place in the most important game of the year?

Leave it the way it is. 

[Big East Zebra]

45 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

You still get the home field advantage but you don't get an unfair advantage making your opponents and their fans have to travel so far after a school/work day on a Friday night.

Kid's are out of school the day before and the day after Thanksgiving, and a lot of folks are off the day after Thanksgiving as well. So I see no unfair advantage there. 

[FrankNicodemus]

16 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

Instead of neutral sites, Why NOT make these games (that require a long travel time) moved to Saturday....  I don't care if its an afternoon or evening game on Saturday (school decides).  Guess what next week during the State games at Kroger Field games will be played on Saturday so don't give me, based on tradition they should be played under the lights on Friday night.  Heck Bell County pulled a fast one on Highlands in 1992 to make us travel down and play on Thursday night (Thanksgiving night)!

Maybe throw a distance measurement in there, for example:  if your opponent is traveling further than 150 miles you must move the game to Saturday.  You still get the home field advantage but you don't get an unfair advantage making your opponents and their fans have to travel so far after a school/work day on a Friday night.

How about that wrinkle of a suggestion....

Before someone calls me out on a minor detail above.  I realize that school isn't in session on Friday so its not the case about getting there in plenty of time since you won't have to wait until 3pm when the school bell rings to get to the site but what about the long drive homes for these teams after the games.  Paducah Tighlman coming 5 hours away to play Cov Cath.....are they spending the night after the game or will they be traveling home to PT and getting in at 2 or 3am?  How safe is that?  We live in the state with the biggest school bus accident ever basically in Carrolton disaster in 1988.....let's be smart about this, maybe move these games to Saturday afternoon's to allow a safe trip to the destination and a safe trip back HOME!  

[TheDeuce]

15 minutes ago, FrankNicodemus said:

Before someone calls me out on a minor detail above.  I realize that school isn't in session on Friday so its not the case about getting there in plenty of time since you won't have to wait until 3pm when the school bell rings to get to the site but what about the long drive homes for these teams after the games.  Paducah Tighlman coming 5 hours away to play Cov Cath.....are they spending the night after the game or will they be traveling home to PT and getting in at 2 or 3am?  How safe is that?  We live in the state with the biggest school bus accident ever basically in Carrolton disaster in 1988.....let's be smart about this, maybe move these games to Saturday afternoon's to allow a safe trip to the destination and a safe trip back HOME!  

CCH should charter a plane for PT from Paducah to CVG. 😎

[bugatti]

It would be cool, but get why it can't happen. Where I live they do semi-state and state at the same location.