Details for UVA’s Norfolk Scrimmage Announced
UVA will formally scrimmage at Foreman Field on the campus of Old Dominion University this Saturday, March 27 at 1:30PM. Gates will open at 11:30AM and admission is free. The scrimmage is expected to last two hours and the event will include some special promotions and enticements to get fans fired up about Cavalier Football.
Interest in the UVA Football program had waned. Some of the passion was drained as Al Groh’s football teams continued to disappoint the fanbase. Another culprit was the success of the Virginia Tech program. The Hokies have competed in BCS games, routinely beaten the Cavs, and have been the best football program in the state for at least the last ten years. The casual college football fan from the state has become a Tech fan.
Coach Mike London is out to change that. First of all, bringing UVA Football to Norfolk is a recruiting manuever. London wants to win the hearts and minds of 757 area recruitgs. Secondly, the fanbase needs to be reinforced. Lastly, London has every reason to reward UVA alumni with a visit to the area. The event is sure to be popular.
The weekend starts as the UVA and ODU Football staffs will host a joint coaches clinic at the Sheraton Norfolk Waterside on Friday, March 26 at 10AM. At the stadium on Saturday morning, UVA Football will set up a Fan Zone where fans can play interactive games and enter contests. The first 1500 fans at the event will receive a free UVA Football T-Shirt and the first 250 youth at the event will receive a free UVA mini-football.
Following the scrimmage, players from the team will sign autographs for thirty minutes. Coaches will not be accessible for autographs due to NCAA regulations.
You have to hand it to Coach London. The man has a vision and he’s working hard for the hearts and minds of in-state fans and recruits.
London Lands His 757 Showcase
It’s been rumored for weeks, now the deal is done. The Virginia Cavaliers Football Program will hold an organized practice at Foreman Field on the campus of ODU. The event will be held on March 27 and will be open to the public. UVA could plan any number of booster related activities, but the details of the event have not been announced as of yet.
The strategic nature of the event is obvious. Virginia Tech had kicked the Al Groh led Cavaliers up and down the streets of Hampton Roads when it came to recruiting. Virginia had a few recruiting victories here while Groh coached the team, but Tech brought in 757 players at a ratio somewhere near 3:1 compared to the Cavs. New coach Mike London is determined to change that.
First of all, London hired Old Dominion’s recruiting guru Chip West away from the Monarchs. London already has a history with playing football in the area and he recruited the area for Richmond in his tenure there. Now with a showcase event this spring, London has planted a flag in the 757 in an effort to show area recruits that he’s serious about drawing players out of here.
Considering that Old Dominion will have forty Hampton Roads players on the roster next year, how does Old Dominion see UVA? Wouldn’t UVA be a threat to ODU’s recruiting efforts? According to Rich Radford of the Virginian Pilot, Wilder has confirmed his approval of the event and was quoted as saying, “We think it’s a great opportunity to showcase one of the finest FCS facilities in the country in Foreman Field and expose a different set of fans and potential recruits to our venue. It’s an excellent chance for us to partner with UVA.”
Apparently Wilder thinks that Old Dominion will not be negatively affected by giving Mike London more of a voice here in Hampton Roads. If it were to come down to a choice between Old Dominion and UVA, would a recruit give both equal consideration? Perhaps, but you’d have to think that Virginia academics and the chance to play for a BCS program might outweigh the option to stay close to home and play in the CAA. It’s admirable for Wilder to take on the “bigger guy” and see the partnership as an opportunity instead of a defeat.
As for exposing more fans to ODU and Foreman Field, that’s useful too. There is the pesky problem of capacity, however. Old Dominion filled the stands for every game in 2009, selling out every seat to season ticket holders. If the program continues with that level of success, a stadium expansion has to be on the horizon for S.B. Ballard Stadium.
Cavalier Football Barnstorming Tour?
Mike London is in a heck of a spot as a first year coach. UVA Football has been on a decline and former Head Coach Al Groh left the program in a lull. Fan interest has been down, attendance has been down, even Groh’s last few recruiting classes weren’t up to par with some in previous years.
New Head Coach Mike London has been brought in to change that. London already has the Cavalier faithful fired up about a return to glory. The 2010 recruiting class is not a complete turn around for the Cavaliers, but it is a step in the right direction. Now a new guerilla marketing campaign is being crafted.
According to sources, the UVA Football staff is working on a concept that would bring the Cavalier Football team on a tour of the state for spring practices or scrimmages. It’s not yet known whether the staff will successfully schedule stops around the Commonwealth, but the desired impact is obvious. Virginia Tech has become “the state’s football team” due to their success on the field over the last decade plus while the Cavaliers faded into the background by comparison. The UVA teams of years past haven’t failed by any stretch. They’ve had their share of winning seasons and bowl appearances, but you can look at the head to head record against Tech over the last 15 years to see who’s won the hearts of the casual college football fan in Virginia. Over the last 15 years it’s been Virginia Tech 12, Virginia 3. Over the last 10 years it’s 9-1 in favor of Tech and the Hokies have won the last six games head to head.
The marketing concept has more local impact when you consider Virginia’s hopes for a local stop. Virginia Athletics officials have made contact with Old Dominion about using Foreman Field for a practice/scrimmage session possibly in late March. At this point, Old Dominion officials have acknowledged the contact, but have denied that talks have progressed. The impact could be significant if a deal is struck. The Old Dominion Football staff is working hard to establish The 757 as a recruiting hotbed and home turf for its program. For the 2010 season, 40 players on the ODU Football squad are from the Hampton Roads area. ODU and UVA have already battled head to head for several recruits, most recently for Stephen Lawe of Maury. Lawe decided to go to UVA. Monarch coach and Recruiting Coordinator Chip West left the ODU program a couple of months ago to join Mike London’s staff at UVA.
Virginia still has the upper hand against Old Dominion in Football and that’s no surprise. Virginia is a heritage school and a BCS program. Old Dominion is a football upstart, and only a few decades ago was known as the Norfolk Campus of William and Mary. In just a few recruiting classes and one year on the field Old Dominion’s Football staff has proven that they can compete for players.
UVA may yet succeed in marketing themselves with a grand tour of the Commonwealth. Just don’t expect them to get a showcase opportunity on Old Dominion’s campus.