UA LITTLE ROCK FOOTBALL AND MARCHING BAND FEASIBILITY STUDY (PDF)



STUDY TO LOOK AT BRINGING FOOTBALL BACK TO UA LITTLE ROCK

July 12, 2017



LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - The University of Arkansas at Little Rock announced today plans to conduct a feasibility study to assess whether the university should consider adding a football and marching band program.



The study is a collaboration of UA Little Rock, the City of Little Rock, and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. UA Little Rock will go through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to hire a firm to conduct the study, with the city of Little Rock, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, and UA Little Rock paying equal parts of the study cost. The university will use private funds from the Athletic Department for its share of the expense.



Chancellor Andrew Rogerson and Little Rock Athletic Director Chasse Conque have fielded questions about bringing back a football program since Rogerson joined the university last September. This spring, a group of students presented the chancellor with a petition bearing 1,000 signatures in favor of a football program.



"Since that time, I've heard from many other students, alumni, community members, and business leaders who have expressed their interest in a Division I football program in greater Little Rock," Rogerson said. "As a scientist, I have a high regard for data, so conducting an objective study seems like the right approach to determine if a football program and marching band would be a wise and meaningful addition to the university and our community."



Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola and Parks and Tourism Director Kane Webb were among community leaders who favored a feasibility study.



"The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is a vital and critical educational component of our city, and I believe bringing football back would be yet another opportunity for our citizens, students, and alumni to rally behind our university," said Mayor Stodola. "The availability of War Memorial Stadium is a natural asset. However, we want to make sure that the economic and community potential that many of us perceive with a football and marching band program actually plays out on paper."



Webb added, "If the university determines through this feasibility study that a football program is a worthwhile pursuit, then War Memorial Stadium is a natural, ideal home for the Trojans. The timing of this is good, too, as the stadium is currently undergoing an outside study of its own to help us best plan for the future. We will let the data drive the decision, but the potential of UA Little Rock football is certainly worth taking a hard look at."



Little Rock Trojans Athletic Director Chasse Conque said the feasibility study will examine every aspect of starting a football program, including initial and annual costs, staffing, playing venue, facility construction, and economic and student enrollment impact. The study would put exact figures on both a start-up and annual cost for Little Rock football. The university will use this feasibility study to help determine if it will move forward with bringing college football back to Little Rock.



"We'll learn a lot through this study, and I am anxious to see the data," said Little Rock Athletic Director Chasse Conque. "The interest from our students and other stakeholders in the community is evidence that we are in the midst of exciting times for Little Rock Trojan athletics."



Once the feasibility study begins, the estimated time of completion is approximately six to seven months, Conque said. With an early fall start date, the study should be completed in the spring of 2018. Once the study is concluded and the findings presented, the Little Rock Athletic Department will reach out to numerous entities to determine if adding a football program and a marching band would be a logical decision. These entities would include the UA Little Rock faculty, staff, students, alumni, board members, and supporters of the Athletics Department, as well as city and state leaders from the central Arkansas community.



Little Rock Trojans have been in Division I athletics since the late 1970s and a Sun Belt Conference member since 1992, providing a clear path to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) membership with a football team on campus. Along with University of Texas Arlington, Little Rock is one of two full member universities in the Sun Belt Conference that does not currently field a football team.



When UA Little Rock was Little Rock Junior College, the Trojans fielded a successful football team. The college had many winning football seasons, including a 25-19 victory over Santa Ana in the 1949 Junior Rose Bowl Game, claiming the national championship. The Trojans also played in the Little Sugar Bowl in 1948 and captured the Mississippi Valley Conference championship in 1954.

The 1949 Little Rock football team won the Junior Rose Bowl game 25-19 over Santa Ana, capturing the national championship.



LITTLE ROCK FOOTBALL/MARCHING BAND FEASIBILITY STUDY FAQS



The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will conduct a football and marching band feasibility study in the coming months to determine if a football program and a marching band would be a wise and meaningful addition to UA Little Rock and the central Arkansas community. A collaborative project with the city of Little Rock and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, the study will examine every aspect of starting a football program, including costs, staffing, playing venue, facility construction and economic and enrollment impact. The study would put exact figures on both a startup and annual cost for Little Rock football. The university will use the study to help determine if it will move forward with bringing college football back to Little Rock.



Why conduct this feasibility study now?

In spring 2017, a student petition acquired 1,000 signatures in hopes of starting a football program at the university. Since that time, interest from the student body and central Arkansas community members and business leaders has led to further discussions about football at UA Little Rock. The university and Department of Athletics are responding to the increased level of interest. In addition, Little Rock has been Division I since the late 1970s and a Sun Belt Conference member since 1992 providing a clear path to Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) membership with a football team on campus.



How will a firm be selected to conduct the feasibility study and how much will it cost?

UA Little Rock will go through a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The cost of the study, which will be determined by the RFP, will be split three ways between the City of Little Rock, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and Little Rock Athletics. The portion paid by the Athletic Department will come by way of private funds.



What's the timeline for this feasibility study to be completed?

Once the feasibility study begins, the estimated time of completion is approximately six to seven months. The RFP will be posted through the Office of Procurement in July with bids accepted until August 10th. Those bids will be evaluated with a selection made around the beginning of September and the firm beginning their study around the beginning of October. The study should be completed in the spring of 2018.



What's the next step after the study?

Once the study is concluded and the findings presented, the Little Rock Athletic Department will reach out to a number of entities to determine if adding a football program and a marching band would be a logical decision. These groups would include the UA Little Rock faculty and staff, students, alumni, and supporters of the Athletic Department, plus city and state leaders from central Arkansas.



What's Little Rock's football history?

When UA Little Rock was Little Rock Junior College, the Trojans fielded a successful football team. Little Rock football had many winning seasons, including a 25-19 victory over Santa Ana in the 1949 Junior Rose Bowl Game, claiming the national championship. The Trojans also played in the Little Sugar Bowl in 1948 and were the Mississippi Valley Conference champions in 1954. The team disbanded after the 1955 season. Members of the Junior Rose Bowl team were inducted into the Little Rock Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.



How would a football team benefit UA Little Rock and the city of Little Rock?

A football team could provide numerous potential benefits to the university and central Arkansas. Several factors will be considered, including increased school spirit and student enrollment and alumni and community engagement. Additionally, an FBS college football program could benefit the local economy, particularly hotels and restaurants in the Little Rock area. The Trojans have brought increased exposure to the university and to Little Rock in recent years since rebranding to "Little Rock" as well as success by both basketball programs in the NCAA tournament. The women's team has made numerous trips to the "Big Dance" over the past decade, including reaching the round of 32 in 2015, while the men advanced to the second round in 2016 off an upset of Purdue.



How would the football program and marching band be funded?

A substantial portion of any startup and annual costs for football and a marching band would need to be obtained from private donations to the Athletic Department. Once the study is complete, it will provide options and suggestions as to the specific costs involved. Those findings would then be analyzed and assessed for potential funding sources as well as revenue opportunities.



What's the difference between startup costs and annual costs?

Startup costs for football and a marching band would be a larger, initial outlay of funds that includes items like uniforms, playing and safety equipment, musical instruments, and facility construction and operation. Annual costs would be a lesser amount of money spent every year to maintain the two programs, including items such as operations and a practice complex. Little Rock would use the findings from the study to assess the costs associated with maintaining a football team as well as establishing a yearly budget.



What's the timeline for a first game?

Once the department receives the findings from the study, it will determine a timeline moving forward should a decision be made to add a football and marching band program. Since 2009, five universities have started FBS football programs in a similar manner with the time involved from the initial study to the first season of competition typically ranging from three to five years.



Would Little Rock football compete in the Sun Belt Conference?

Along with the University of Texas Arlington, Little Rock is one of two full members of the Sun Belt Conference that does not currently field a football team. If the Trojans were to reinstate football, Little Rock would have a transition period before the program could be added to the Sun Belt Conference. South Alabama - the most recent Sun Belt all-sports school to add football - launched a football program in 2009 and began SBC play in its fourth season (2012). South Alabama was eligible for the Sun Belt Championship and postseason play in 2013.



Where would the football team play?

A logical home venue would be War Memorial Stadium, which is located within two miles from campus and has a seating capacity of more than 54,000.



What additional facility needs would be needed?

Besides having a place to play its home games, a Little Rock football team would need an operations facility to house staff, a weight room, and other training facilities as well as locker room space. There would also need to be facilities for additional athletic administration offices. The marching band would require a facility and practice space on campus.



In addition to a football staff, what other staff is needed?

The addition of a football team on campus would necessitate a significant staff size increase in the Department of Athletics. Coaches, athletic trainers, strength and conditioning staff, sales, ticketing, sports information, video, marketing, academic support, compliance and more would require an increase in staff size to accommodate the additional student-athletes as well as the external operations needed to effectively support a department with FBS football.



How many athletic scholarships will be allotted for football student-athletes?

The NCAA allows 85 full athletic scholarships to all FBS schools. Little Rock would expect to have a full complement of 85 scholarships to offer.



How would Title IX impact athletics with the addition of football?

The Department of Athletics remains committed to staying in compliance with all Title IX statutes. With the addition of 85 football scholarships, the department would explore multiple ways to increase opportunities for female student-athletes. These opportunities could include adding new women's sports to the department, increasing roster sizes of existing women's sports, or a combination of both of those options.





CSL CHOSEN TO CONDUCT LITTLE ROCK FOOTBALL FEASIBILITY STUDY

October 17, 2017



LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas - LITTLE ROCK - The University of Arkansas at Little Rock has selected a firm to conduct a football and marching band feasibility study following a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) process. The RFP committee chose Convention Sports & Leisure (CSL) of Plano, Texas, to lead the study, a collaborative effort involving CarrSports Consulting, LLC, Heery Sports, and The Grant Group. The proposal was chosen among four applicants. The selection is pending approval by the Arkansas Legislative Council.



The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether a football program and marching band would be a fiscal and meaningful addition to UA Little Rock and the central Arkansas community. A collaborative project with the city of Little Rock and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, the study will examine every aspect of starting a football program, including costs, staffing, playing venue, facility construction and economic and enrollment impact. The study would put exact figures on both a startup and annual cost for Little Rock football. The university will use the study to help determine if it will move forward with bringing college football back to Little Rock.



If the Convention Sports & Leisure firm is approved, the cost of the study will be divided among the city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock Athletics, and the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. The portion paid by the Athletic Department will come from private funds.



CSL is an advisory and planning firm specializing in consulting services to the convention, sport, entertainment, and visitor industries. CSL International has completed more than 500 consulting engagements throughout North America and abroad, focusing on a variety of event facility planning and economic development issues.



Founded in 1988, CSL has worked with clients throughout all levels of athletics, including a number of Major League Baseball, National Football League, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League franchises. At the collegiate level, CSL has experience working with over 50 Division I athletic programs, overseeing feasibility studies for programs such as North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Sun Belt Conference member Georgia Southern.



CarrSports Consulting, LLC, established in 1997, has become one of the nation's leaders in leadership placement and program advancement with Intercollegiate Athletics, helping counsel clients effectively in executive searches for head coaches, athletic directors and conference commissioners. CarrSports Consulting has worked with over 30 Division I programs to assess football feasibility, including Sun Belt Conference members Appalachian State University, Texas State University, Troy University and the University of South Alabama.



Heery Sports is a full-service architecture, interior design, engineering, program management and construction management firm, founded in 1952. Ranked as one of the top professional services firms by industry publications, Heery has overseen facility enhancement projects at institutions such as the University of Arkansas, Coastal Carolina University, Troy University and Georgia State University.



The Grant Group specializes in Title IX-Gender Equality related issues, bringing over 36 years of experience working with intercollegiate athletics on Title IX-Gender Equality issues. The company has consulted over 60 Division I athletic programs, including nearly half of current Sun Belt Conference institutions, as well as over 20 Power Five programs.

With approval, the firm will begin its study later this fall with an anticipated completion date in spring 2018.



Once the study is concluded and findings presented, the Little Rock Athletic Department will reach out to numerous entities to review the findings and then determine if adding a football program, as well as a marching band, would be a logical decision. These entities will include the UA Little Rock faculty, staff, students, alumni, board members and supporters of the Athletic Department, as well as city and state leaders from the central Arkansas community.

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