[David Brinza]

Originally Posted by IndySam

The biggest thing is it's just too small, there is no room to grow.


But I think most of you are missing the #1 thing when searching for a new venue, cash. From sponsors, hotels, or wherever, the city that gets the next championship will be bringing money to the table.

With 100 teams in each division, I don't think Champs needs to grow (at least for FRC). The teams want to play more than 8 matches and, short of shrinking the size of divisions, the easy? way to do that is for longer days. Growing to six divisions creates other logistic issues discussed in other threads.

Will cities (or venues) bring cash to the table for FIRST (or any other event)? I think the dollars flow in the other direction. Cities benefit from the revenue generated by the visitors. FIRST pays for the facility. Will a local sponsor will foot the venue cost? Let's see: St. Louis has Anheiser-Busch (NOT gonna' happen), Atlanta has Coca-Cola (Oh-oh, a winner?)

An earlier post mentioned there was nothing else to do in the area. I spent almost every hour in the venue when it was open (Wed pm to Sat pm). I didn't have the time (or energy) to look for other things to do!! That said, the Arch is well-worth visiting (even if you don't ride to the top). City Museum is just a 10-minute walk away and has something for all ages groups. Forest Park (via Metro Rail) has a LOT: zoo, art museum, Science Center).