Should State Finals be moved?

[CL123]

I agree the final game should be rotated to the better soccer fields around the state.

But I also think some soccer fields should be condemed and not allowed to be used in the play-offs. If a coach agrees to play on a sub-standard soccer field for a friendly game....fine but it the play-off....you locate better fields or agree to play against your opponent on their field if it is a good field or even a neutral field. The schools should have some pride and fix up their fields...if not, they foreit having home field advantage. Some of these soccer field are terrible.

[#19]

I agree but I can already see a problem with a school not wanting their school to be condemned WHat kills me is that we (Parkway) have a pretty nice field, but there was not a single game played on it all year. Got to love your athletic director.

[Footy365]

Yeah ours (Slidell's) field was terrible, and all that had to be done was one simple thing, get the kids off it at PE, these schools with bad fields could care less with soccer but why should we penalize the players with losing their homefield advantage for something the school won't take care of. Plus one of the qualities of a true champion is to be able to deal with adversity and bad fields could be considered an adversity, it's all part of teh game.

[hdkjga]

I like the idea of rotating the championship game. I think LSU women's field is capable of having it, Tad Gromely, and Indy in Shreveport. I think it will overall benefit the sport to do it. ShreveDad made the comment in another post that he has never seen Jesuit play. A lot of times the south teams get mad because fans of N. La build up their teams.......when you never or rarely see the top teams, you don't know what you are missing. I think it would do wonders for N. La teams to be able to go watch a state final played at Indy. Then coaches, players, and fans can understand the level of competition they need to be at. That's why SHreve and Magnet are good, is because they see the comp. by traveling to St. Paul and St. Louis. Also, if LSU womens' stadium can host the Chicago Fire vs. the Colorado Rapids, I think they can host a highschool state final.

About the money thing, I was under the impression that the two participating teams split the door and concessions....I could be wrong. Either way, a rotation is good for the state as a whole.....

[crespo]

I would rank the fields like this:

1) Independence Stad.
2) Tab Gormley
3) Barbe Soccer Field
4) LSU Field

These are easily the best surfaces in the state. All are wide enough to play a high level of soccer on, and well kept.

I know Barbe is not a stadium but I have been to the finals and Barbe has plenty of room for fans.

This would cover all areas of the state.

[bouree]

I'd change the order to:
Independence
LSU
Tad Gormley

[McScruff]

Barbe would be way to cramped for the finals, in my opinion. I don't think that would be a good atmosphere at all.

I have actually changed my mind on this. I don't think that there should be a rotating venue. The finals should be played in Lafayette every year.

[defencerules]

all 3 divisions should play at the same location; the girls one day, the boys the next.

fans would get to see all 3 division championship games.

don't understand why the sponsorship of div II (state farm, i think) has to cause those games to be played at a school field away from the other championships

[Bish]

Barbe's soccer field used to be one of the best kept fields in the state. I don't know if they kept it up as well this season, but it was awesome. If they put more bleachers in, which they surely have room for, it'd be perfect for a state championship match. Too bad their football field isn't good enough, because that stadium is awesome.

[1SuckyPlayer]

I also think if they set up a rotating system more teams will try to increase their field to a better quality in hopes to hosting the championship in upcoming years

[nunya89]

i think the finals should be held in the same place the select finals are...( i think its LSU) the field was in great shape and you would still have the stadium atmosphere b.r is also a central location for teams that usually make it to the finals

[McScruff]

If you are talking central location, then it has to be Lafayette. 3 hours from Shreve, 1 from LC and BR, 2 from Nola, 1.5 from Houma and Alexandria. It is where I-49 and Highway 90 meet I-10, connecting North, Shouth, East and West. No question about that.

I don't think it should be a static location, though, regardless of how accessible it is for everyone in the state. I like the rotating venue. And, I think it would encourage cities, like Lafayette, to improve their soccer complexes to accomodate such a game.

I mentioned Cajun Field and no one responded. Is it no good for soccer? I know the UL women play there. How is Indy any better...aren't they are both football stadiums?

[m]

I think Cajun Field would be a nice place to play the finals. I agree with the people that are saying it should be rotated. If it wasn't then the advantage would go to one particular area which started this whole thread to begin with.

[m]

I also think it could be held at other venues as well throughout the state. Like at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, possibly McNeese St., Nortwestern St., SLU and so on. I think it would be great for high school soccer and draw attention to it from different parts of the state.

[Brighi]

Nicholls has a women's soccer field, but no stadium, per se. It has a few bleachers. Across the road is John L. Guidry Stadium; I doubt NSU would allow a match to be played there, though, since it's used only for football. Yeah, this is all hypothetical, but I just feel as though it wouldn't be up for use, since the women's team doesn't even get to play there.

That said, there're a few places in Baton Rouge that could suffice. Off of I-110, there's (I think it's called) Memorial Stadium, where a few of the local high school football teams play. It can probably seat close to twenty thousand people, by my guesses. It's a horseshoe shape.

Oh, and yes, the finals should be moved year to year. Just look in Europe at the Champion's League.... Played in a different venue each year. That would be the perfect model to follow.

[timaeus]

Or look at the Super Bowl or college football national championship. There is no precedent other than the one set at the high school level for having the championship game played in the same city over and over again. Then again, it has done wonders for the big three sports in LA.

[ShreveDad]

I haven't seen the inside of Cajun Field. Is is grass or turf? The thing about Indy is that there is very little slope from the middle to the touch lines. The width is also close to 70 yards, (10 yards on each side of the football sideline). I think those other places would be fine as long as you can make it at least 65 yards wide.

[McScruff]

Yes, Cajun Field is grass. I don't about the height of the turtleback, though.

[m]

I think you could get the field 65-70 yards wide in most of the University stadiums. The problem would be getting the Universities to agree to it like someone mentioned above. I think if the LHSAA came to the Universities with a proposal they might say yes. Especially if they can keep Nokia involved with the sponsorship.

[ShreveDad]

After watching the boys D1 final in Tad Gormley. Here are my thoughts as to why they should move it around and why they most likely will not.

The playing surface looked fine. Some bare spots in front of the goals and in the middle, but they seemed dry and didn't affect play. Field size was normal U18 size field. Lighting was OK, not as good as Indy, but as good as anywhere else teams play. The one thing I didn't like about TG was how far you sit from the field. I sat on the top of the stands and I bet I was 30-40 yards away from the field. Hard for old eyes to see things that far away.

Why it won't move anytime soon? $$$$$$ I'm sure LSHAA has an easier time selling sponsorships with the matches in New Orleans than they would anywhere else in the state. While that really shouldn't be a determining factor, in this day and age money talks.