My wife and I now have season tickets to the Duke football team, and for many years, we held season tickets to an equally "cozy" Ryan Field (Northwestern Wildcats). Note that some of my views are framed in the context of Ryan Field, some are framed in the grand scheme of stadiums, and well, some are just framed in my own personal opinion:
Location on campus: 4 out of 5
Woot woot - a stadium that's actually within walking distance of the main part(s) of campus. While the walk from where we usually park is about 20 - 25 minutes from the stadium, we do have the added benefit of walking through some picturesque parts of campus such as the gardens, the row of picturesque WHOs, etc. At NU, that 20 minute walk would have been along one of the smaller arteries whose sole purpose was to connect the hospital and the stadium area with the rest of the campus. We have free parking, but parking rates are reasonable at 10$ a pop. If you elect to take a campus shuttle, remember that it drops you off close to (7 - 10 minute walk), but not right at, the entrance to the stadium, which can present mobility issues for some.
Layout and atmosphere: 3.5 out of 5
Eerily similar to how NU was set up - a small and old football stadium (33k for Wallace and 47k for Ryan) next to an equally small and old in proportion basketball arena (9.3k for Cameron, 8k for Welsh Ryan). There's some charm to this layout, but to others, I can see how it can come off as being outdated with no character.
Our seats are in section 8, which have the added bonus of having actual seats and chair backs, and not just benches/bleachers with the option to rent or buy seatbacks. The view is generally very good, as we're high enough not to be obstructed by the cheerleaders and dance team. My one legit gripe is that people who come from other teams are inevitably confused by the evens and odds. For example, our row consists of even section 8s and odd section 9s, which culminate in the middle with seats 17 and 19 for section 9, and seats 18 and 20 for section 8. I understand that the intent is to make things easier for fans, but conversely it adds a bit of confusion for some. The atmosphere is lively enough - I can't help but think that with Duke's bball success, football is sometimes overlooked. The most I saw WW filled this season was against UNC, and even then there were smatterings of empty seats.
While concession options are plentiful, restrooms are few and far between, and there is a very odd lack of drinking fountains. I get that buying a 3$ bottle of water is preferable in terms of $ to giving water away out of a spigot, but COME ON!
Customer service: 3 out of 5
A mix of interested and disinterested, just like any other stadium. The concessions that are run by student groups have enthusiastic folks, and some stands have disinterested looking folks. The ticket takers are similar in break-down: some are excited and will welcome you cheerfully, others just give you the perfunctory, "Welcome to Duke." I've yet to see how quickly security reacts to unruly fans, which may be actually be a testament to the civility of most fans here.
Value: 4 out of 5
Our season package comes down to roughly 20$ per ticket per game with my wife's employee discount. The free parking helps. Food options can be pricey, but that's expected at any venue, I guess. The best deals for beverages would be the souvenir cups, light ice. Not sure what the best bang for the buck is for actual food; sandwiches are at least 5$ at any stand.
Overall: 4 out of 5
More like a 3.7 out of 5 star experience, but the usual rounding convention gives it a bump up. Not an unpleasant experience by any means, but since neither of us have really deep ties to Duke, we may not renew our season tix in the years to come. read more