All posts by Andrew

American Football

University Texas Longhorns v Kansas State University Cowboys

October 24, 2015 Andrew

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I

Big 12 Conference

Saturday 24th October 2015

Kick off 11.00

University Texas Longhorns 23 Kansas State University Cowboys 9 attendance 88,283

@ Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium

405 East 23rd Street,

Austin, TX 78712

$55 admission (resale) print at home ticket.

Programme free, 68 pages.

The stadium has been home to the Longhorns since 1924 and has a seating capacity of 100,119 making it the second largest stadium in Texas and the eighth largest in USA. There are plans to enclose the south end zone which will take capacity up to around the 115,000 mark.

Heavy rain had fallen all day Friday, the first rain we had encountered in our 7 weeks in Texas, and continued until around half an hour before kick off. Sadly, a matter of minutes into the game it returned and rained steadily for the next 3 hours. Not fun when you are in a stadium that has no roof. Despite the huge attendance, obviously based on ticket sales, rather than bums on seats, the true mark was more likely around 50,000. Had we not been down in Austin for the Formula 1 US Grand Prix the next day, then this would have been given a wide berth.

Football

San Antonio Scorpions F.C. V Fort Lauderdale Strikers F.C.

October 3, 2015 Andrew

North American Soccer League

Saturday 3rd October 2015

Kick off 19.30 Actual 19.36

San Antonio Scorpions F.C. 2 Fort Lauderdale Strikers F.C. 4 attendance 7,832

10′ 0-1 Stefano

15′ 0-2 Marlon Freitas

40′ 0-3 Stefano

56′ 1-3. K. Tyrpak

79′ 2-3. S. DeRoux

86′ 2-4 Stefano

@ Toyota Field

5106 David Edwards Drive,

San Antonio, TX 78233

$15 admission

Programme free, 12 pages.

This was such an improvement on the game I saw at F.C. Dallas, probably as the supporters here are real football people and actually understand the game.

At halftime it could easily have been 0-10 as SAS were totally overran by a rampant FLS. Really good game to watch as a neutral.

The capacity here is 8,296 and tonight’s attendance was the highest since the ground opened in April 2013. The ground is ‘soccer specific’ and designed to be increased up to 18,000 seats if required.

American Football

Prairie View A&M University Panthers v Grambling State University Tigers

September 26, 2015 Andrew

National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I

Southwestern Athletic Conference

State Fair Classic

Saturday 26th September 2015

Kick off 16.00

Prairie View A&M University Panthers 54 Grambling State University Tigers 70, attendance 51,328

@ The Cotton Bowl Stadium

3750 Cotton Bowl Plaza,

Dallas, TX 75210

$28 admission (including entrance to Texas State Fair)

Programme free, 24 pages.

The State Fair Classic is held annually at the neutral venue 92,100 capacity Cotton Bowl, a stadium that is seldom used as no team is now based here.

The stadium was opened in 1930, as Fair Park Stadium, and has been expanded four times, the latest being in 2008, when the seating was increased from 68,252 by completing the encircling of the upper tier.

It was home to Dallas Cowboys from 1960 to 1971 in the NFL and has also hosted soccer in both the NASL and MLS, as well as games in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1993 and the FIFA World Cup in 1994.

Football

F.C. Dallas v New York City F.C.

September 12, 2015 Andrew

Major League Soccer

Saturday 12th September 2015

Kick off 19.30 Actual 19.38

F.C. Dallas 2 New York City F.C. 1, attendance 16,937

45′ 1-0 T. Akindele

45+4′ 2-0 Michel

70′ 2-1 P. Mullins (pen)

@ Toyota Stadium

9200 World Cup Way,

Frisco, TX 75034

Admission $38

Programme free, 4 pages

Toyota Stadium cost $80 million to build and was opened on August 6th 2005 taking on the name of its current sponsor in September 2013 and has a capacity of 20,295.

When arriving at the ground, which is a fair drag north of Dallas, there was a long queue to get into the car park right next to the stadium, despite it being $20 for the privilege, but across the road, no more than 50 yards away it was free to park. Just shows that people really are lazy, or have money to burn. Probably the former.

When arriving here in Dallas, my plan was to get a season ticket here and when FC Dallas were away visit other stadiums. However, having endured a game sat amongst some of the least knowledgable football supporters you could ever come across, then this might be my only time I ever bother to visit here.

There was the loudmouth sat a few rows back giving a commentary to his mate, which was bad enough, especially as he hadn’t got much idea about the game, before the real clincher came when it was announced that a Dallas player had been awarded a yellow card, prompting a number of idiots to stand up and give a round of applause and whooping “go Dallas “! What an embarrassment.

I will probably have to get used to getting up and down in my seat as constant streams of late comers arrive well into the game and then having found their seat, come straight back out to go and get food and drink, before then missing the last 10 minutes of the half to go and get yet another drink and hot dog and repeating this action at least once more in the second half. Why on earth has the stadium been built with the seats facing the pitch ? A vast majority of the crowd have certainly not come to see any of the sport on offer, especially if it gets in the way of eating and drinking, followed by more eating and drinking.

As for the match. Very poor standard, despite Pirlo, Lampard and Villa in action for the visitors, although all three were substituted. Both sides would struggle in League Two in England on this showing.