Re: Final Four Moving Back to Campus Sites
Combine the men's and women's at a single site - that is a no-brainer.
The combined DI/DIII finals is just a non-starter. The logistics on dates and the thought that even if the finals drew twice what they do at Placid would leave an incredible number of empty seats. Talk about people rattling around the venue. To me it makes no sense, while the combined men's/women's championship does. Norwich has shown with a combined ECAC East championship weekend the last two years that it can be done (and done very well), so the NCAA with all their resources could certainly pull it off.
Or from the promoters perspective -
Having the DIII and DI tournaments will enhance DI. I can't think of any reason why a DIII fan wouldn't jump on the chance to watch a DI game, what an opportunity. Having the DIII men and women's tournament at the same venue would marginalize the experence for the women. Also, a neutral site is much preferable than a college campus, the DI venue, known in advance, can provide for a much larger fan participation,(and $$ for NCAA), ease of public access and with a site that offers an economy of scale for both DI & DIII. DIII will provide upwards of 6,000 fans for a final, and that will help entice the marketing potential to the championship host.
Combine the men's and women's at a single site - that is a no-brainer.
The combined DI/DIII finals is just a non-starter. The logistics on dates and the thought that even if the finals drew twice what they do at Placid would leave an incredible number of empty seats. Talk about people rattling around the venue. To me it makes no sense, while the combined men's/women's championship does. Norwich has shown with a combined ECAC East championship weekend the last two years that it can be done (and done very well), so the NCAA with all their resources could certainly pull it off.