College football is more than just a sport. It’s a tradition and a source of pride that millions tune in to watch each week. While there are many iconic symbols and traditions that weave themselves into the very fabric of the sport, there’s one in particular – the Allstate Field Goal Net – that has become a recognizable thread in the tapestry of college football.
Allstate’s “Good Hands” Field Goal Nets program is widely recognized as one of the most iconic and effective advertising programs in sports. Yet, many fans don’t know the origins of the program, the significance for athletes and marketers, or that Van Wagner was instrumental in its inception. The history and impact of Allstate’s Field Goal Net program in the realm of college football is a story that deserves to be celebrated.
In the realm of college football, the visibility and exposure of advertising have long been a challenge, especially in comparison to the courtside signage seen in college basketball. With its vast stadiums and wide-open spaces, college football posed a unique challenge for advertisers looking to make an impact on TV screens nationwide. The question that loomed was: How could college football advertisers achieve TV exposure on par with their basketball counterparts?
One of those advertisers was Allstate, a purpose-driven Fortune 100 insurance company and prominent sponsor in college sports for decades. While the company was eager to grow their brand visibility, they also desired to find new ways to give back to the college football community and make a positive impact on student-athletes. As the global leader in TV-visible signage, there was no one better positioned than Van Wagner’s TV-Visible Signage team to introduce a unique initiative that would tackle the challenge head-on.
In , Van Wagner collaborated with Allstate, ESPN, and ABC to develop one of the most iconic and effective TV-visible signage programs in the world of sports – the Allstate Field Goal Nets Program.
The idea was simple yet revolutionary: to paint Allstate’s familiar “good hands” icon on goalpost nets that would be hung in college football stadiums across the country. What started as a straightforward concept evolved into a new and powerful brand-building platform for advertisers seeking to make their mark in the highly visible space of college football.
That first season, in record-breaking time, branded field goal nets were delivered to more than 30 NCAA Division I football stadiums across the US. The “Good Hands” net made its on Thursday, September 1, , during a Temple University season-opening game at Arizona State. The valuable product placement not only generated brand awareness and visibility to the thousands of fans in-stadium but was also seen by millions of viewers watching on TV.
In , fewer than 30 percent of college football stadiums were using field goal nets like they did in NFL stadiums. For most college teams that scored a field goal, the ball was collected and returned by fans in the stands.
The Van Wagner team had to engineer and test rigging systems that would quickly lift a net into place during kicks, and then lower it immediately after. The solution also had to be adaptable. Stadiums were all set up differently, some with goal posts secured in the ground and others where nets would have to be attached to the stadium structure itself.
There were countless site visits and performance tests, in recreated game conditions, and in day and night lighting scenarios to test visibility. Today, each branded net is still hand-painted and weighs around 100 pounds.
As reported by Sports Business Journal in this article, “If the operational issues weren’t challenging enough, the political obstacles were downright intimidating. Schools, conferences and rights holders had to be sold in. Van Wagner’s many college relationships helped forge a path. Van Wagner had a large inventory of college signage that it sold, so its contacts proved beneficial.”
Today, the Allstate Field Goal Nets Program is one of the most iconic and effective TV-visible signage programs in sports. Celebrating its 19th year, the Allstate “Good Hands” nets will be seen in more than 650 games including regular season, Conference Championships and Bowl Games.
Fast forward to the present day, and the Allstate Field Goal Nets Program has become an integral part of the college football experience. These nets have woven themselves into the very fabric of the game, making appearances in hundreds of matchups, official bowl games, and conference championships. In doing so, they have provided advertisers with unprecedented brand awareness, added impressions, and product placement in some of the most-watched college football games in America.
But the significance of this program goes beyond advertising. Allstate added a charitable dimension to their involvement, pledging to make a donation to each school’s general scholarship fund for every field goal and extra point that found its way through an Allstate-branded net during home games. They also supported Red Cross disaster relief efforts in . This philanthropic aspect further solidified the program’s importance by not only enhancing the college football experience but also contributing to the educational aspirations of student-athletes.
The Allstate Field Goal Nets Program stands as a testament to innovation and determination. It began as a solution to a significant challenge in college football advertising and has since grown into a symbol of the sport’s enduring spirit and the power of collaboration between sports, advertisers, and education. As we continue to witness these iconic nets grace the screens of college football broadcasts, we are reminded of the impact a simple idea can have when executed with passion and purpose.
The Best 10 Football Stadiums in the World
Football is one of the world’s most popular sports. The football pitch, floor type, and spectator capacity affect the game quality. To experience the enthusiasm of football, all conditions must be met in the best way possible. For this, artificial turf used on the ground of the football field, the quality of the seats used in the stands, and the architectural structure of the field constitute the most important components of football.Below, we will examine the 10 best stadiums in the world. Professional stadiums are being built for football fans all over the world with their wonderful designs. Let’s examine in detail the 10 most perfect stadiums of football giants, especially England, Argentina, and Spain.
As Ekip Grass is a company that deals with every field of football such as artificial grass manufacturing, grandstand construction, and artificial turf football pitch construction, it cares about the quality of world-class pitches. We aim to produce the best quality artificial turf, produce the most comfortable grandstand seats and bring the most professional carpet pitch and stadiums together with the audience and football players.
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Now let’s examine the top 10 stadiums in the world in detail.
Wembley Stadium, which is the largest stadium in England with a capacity of 90,000 people, is a multi-purpose sports complex. All matches of the England national team are played here. The stadium is huge and besides football, concerts are also held here.
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Wembley Stadium is famous for its grandstand. The audience capacity is so great that it broke the record with a total of 504,000 spectators in 7 Michael Jackson concerts. When we examine the grandstand of Wembley Stadium, we see that red-backed tribune seats are used. Tribune seats with backrests are very comfortable seats. In stadiums with high spectator capacity, grandstand construction is very important. The stands should be of high quality and durable so that they can carry more spectators.
Wembley Stadium is very popular with both the ground and the grandstand and therefore hosts many professional matches. It is one of the rare sports complexes where hybrid grass is used on the field ground. Hybrid grass is obtained by combining artificial grass and natural grass. Its use has become widespread in recent years. If you are wondering about hybrid grass, which is reinforced natural grass, you can check it by clicking the link. In addition, you can reach detailed information about the construction of the grandstand by clicking the link.
It is the football stadium with the largest and most spectator capacity in Brazil. The stadium hosts 200,000 people for important matches. Although the stadium is quite large, the audience capacity has been reduced to 95,000 people to comply with FIFA standards. The audience capacity is quite high and the grandstand is made using very high-quality materials. For this reason, no injuries have been experienced in the tribune of the field until today.
The construction of the stadium was completed in 17 years. While Maracana Stadium uses artificial turf as a ground type, it has been announced that it will be converted to a hybrid turf field with the decision made this year.
Established in the city of Montevideo, Uruguay, the stadium has 76,609 seats even though it has a capacity of 100,000 people. The FIFA World Cup final match was played on this field. Uruguay National Team football matches are played on this field. The audience capacity of the field is 65,000 people.
While white grandstand seats are used on the field, artificial grass is used on the ground. Artificial turf is used in most stadiums today. So how is artificial turf carpet pitch made? You can get detailed information by clicking the link for artificial turf carpet field construction.
The football field, which belongs to Real Madrid, one of the most popular football teams in Spain, has a capacity of 85,000 spectators. The stadium was established in . While the spectator capacity of the stadium was 120,000, the spectator capacity was reduced to 81,044 to comply with UEFA standards. In addition, seats with backrests were used in the construction of the grandstand, like the fields in UEFA standards.
Stadium grandstands are built with seats with backrests to comply with UEFA and FIFA standards.
Camp Nou, the largest stadium in Europe, has a capacity of 99,354 spectators. Barcelona will play their home matches in this stadium. The stadium was established in . The grandstand of the stadium is designed with red and blue seats, which are the colors of the Barcelona team. The stadium, which uses natural grass on the ground, has been rearranged using hybrid grass in these past years.
The pitch was built using tribune seats with backrests to comply with UEFA standards.
It is the best football field in Italy. It has an audience capacity of 80,000 people. In the field designed according to UEFA criteria, tribune seats with backrests are used. Milan and Italy national team use this field. The tribune seats on the field are designed with red and blue colors. Mixed turf application was made on the field ground. Grass must be heated. It is a type of covered field.
Located in Mexico, it is the national stadium of the Mexican national team. The stadium is owned by the Mexican club CF America. During the construction of the grandstand, a covered style was preferred. All of the grandstand seats have backrests. It has a capacity of 104,000 people. It is the second-largest stadium in the world in terms of capacity. Apart from football, the stadium also hosts big events such as concerts.
Artificial grass is used on the field ground.
Established in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, the field has a capacity of 49.000. The field belonging to the Boca Juniors team has the minimum field capacity determined by FIFA. (105 x 64.7 meters) The government also carries out social activities in this field besides football. The site includes the club museum and restaurants.
The grandstand of the field is designed with blue and yellow-backed seats. It has one of the best field exterior designs in the world. Here we see how important carpet pitch construction is. Every beautifully designed field attracts attention and attention in this way.
Click for artificial grass carpet field construction.
Celtic Park is a 60,000-capacity soccer field built in Glasgow, Scotland. It is dazzling with its field design belonging to the Celtic team. The field tribunes are designed with blue and green seats.
Natural grass ground is used in the field. There is grass heating under the floor. The field is closed. This makes it easy to play football on the field during the winter months. Even if the field is not covered, if the ground was artificial grass, it would be easier to use in winter.
Artificial turf football fields are a very professional field type suitable for use in winter.
The field was built in and has a capacity of 45,000. The field stands, which belong to England’s Liverpool team, are designed with red-backed seats. The story of the field is quite interesting. Anfield Road stadium is an idle stadium and Liverpool FC was founded for this stadium. The founding story of Liverpool is tied to this football field.
Mixed grass is used on the field ground. The site must be underfloor heated.
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