Sid: Gophers season tickets 20,142 at present, down from 23,431 last year

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Sid:

• Perhaps it’s no surprise that the Vikings and not the Gophers are apparently getting all of the attention when it comes to selling season tickets this football season. While the Vikings are close to selling out U.S. Bank Stadium, the Gophers are down from 23,431 season tickets sold last year at this time to 20,142 at present. The student season-ticket sale to date is also down from 2,330 to 1,619. The Gophers will stage a promotional campaign to try to increase interest in their team.

http://www.startribune.com/troy-stoudermire-aims-to-show-vikings-he-can-do-it-all/383523831/

Go Gophers!!
 


The disaster many of us predicted with the outrageous "donation" increases. Hopefully, Coyle can remedy the situation. First thing is to assure STH the 2017 increase is suspended. I'm afraid TCF will be Mariucci East the next few years.
 

I doubt this has anything to do with the Vikings but as others have observed it relates to the poorly designed donation process which is just another failure of the Teague days. This is totally fixable by Coyle.
 

Donations should never be mandatory. We dropped our tickets after having them for 35 years. Out of our group of friends who have tickets, only one couple continued this year. We will do the two packs, and hopefully a bowl game.
 


proudgopher said:
I doubt this has anything to do with the Vikings but as others have observed it relates to the poorly designed donation process which is just another failure of the Teague days. This is totally fixable by Coyle.
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I wouldn't go that far. I imagine the new stadium is fueling interest along with the hype around the team. The faithful are talking super bowl.
 

With the great turn out for the Orlando Bowl game gopher football was on its way to filling up for most of their games. The donation scheme is a disaster - the big increase this year turned off too many long time season ticket holders! I switched to a cheaper area after 40 years in another spot. Increase game tickets or at least lessen the donation increases. It is so important to have people in the seats. It will be really embarrasing to have a crummy Viking exhibition game outdraw a Gopher opener this year!
 

proudgopher said:
I doubt this has anything to do with the Vikings but as others have observed it relates to the poorly designed donation process which is just another failure of the Teague days. This is totally fixable by Coyle.
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You doubt that there are people and/or corporations that have had both Vikings and Gopher season tickets? You don't think that some of them are choosing the Vikings? They are out there. Now with the U.S. Bank opening would guess (and know) that there are people out there who now have to choose how they are spending their money. Some surely are choosing the Vikings.

"Poorly designed"? More like too much too soon, but like how you try and make Teague the focus rather than the cost.:clap:
 

According to the likes of:

MplsGo4fan
Dope68
AchyBreaky

Sid must be a troll.
 



From a purely ticket numbers standpoint, and assuming season ticket price is a flat "x" (which isn't true as distribution of price is large and matters) the ticket sales are down by about 14%. With the increase in price is it safe to assume revenue is up? IIRC the price increases were more than 14%. Someone more in the know like Sid should key us in on the dollar numbers.
 

It's a combo of the donation, a very disappointing 2015 and a weak schedule.
 

If I remember correctly, someone connected with the ticket office made a statement saying the U was confident that, if they lost any current season-ticket holders due to the donation increase, they felt they would make up the difference through new sales. Can't remember the exact wording, but the U indicated they believed there were buyers out there - especially for the higher-priced tickets.

So, now that they've gone through the seat re-allocation process, the U is going to have to put on a big push to sell new season tickets. If the U is right, they'll replace the people who dropped season tickets with new people. If the U is wrong, there will be a lot of tickets available for single-game purchase and on the secondary markets.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If I remember correctly, someone connected with the ticket office made a statement saying the U was confident that, if they lost any current season-ticket holders due to the donation increase, they felt they would make up the difference through new sales. Can't remember the exact wording, but the U indicated they believed there were buyers out there - especially for the higher-priced tickets.

So, now that they've gone through the seat re-allocation process, the U is going to have to put on a big push to sell new season tickets. If the U is right, they'll replace the people who dropped season tickets with new people. If the U is wrong, there will be a lot of tickets available for single-game purchase and on the secondary markets.
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No doubt they were banking on this when the entire increase process went in to play. Team was moving in the right direction, fanbase had love affair with head coach, New Years Day Bowl.....and then last year happened.

Team fell flat on the field, popular coach has to retire and is replaced by a guy that might do fine but isn't someone that is going to energize a fanbase. I find it hard to believe there are a lot of new people out there just waiting to scoop up the high dollar seats but could certainly be wrong on that count. The U absolutely needs a good season from the football team of the season ticket holder numbers will drop again next year and at that point you start getting into ghost town mode in the stadium. We had those days at the dome, don't want to see the team headed back down that road again.
 



MNVCGUY said:
No doubt they were banking on this when the entire increase process went in to play. Team was moving in the right direction, fanbase had love affair with head coach, New Years Day Bowl.....and then last year happened.

Team fell flat on the field, popular coach has to retire and is replaced by a guy that might do fine but isn't someone that is going to energize a fanbase. I find it hard to believe there are a lot of new people out there just waiting to scoop up the high dollar seats but could certainly be wrong on that count. The U absolutely needs a good season from the football team of the season ticket holder numbers will drop again next year and at that point you start getting into ghost town mode in the stadium. We had those days at the dome, don't want to see the team headed back down that road again.
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You are correct. Doubt there's much corporate or other interest in new Gopher football tix at this point. Even good seats are tough to give away most games and when you add in the "donation" don't see significant new sales happening. Throw in the new Vikings stadiums hype, and I think that is where new money will be going.
 

I'D be surprised if the opener against the Beavers sells out. Even though they're a train wreck, they're in competition with the Twins. Add the Viking exhibition game , plus the State Fair, and you're looking at a crowd in the low 40's.
 

That's actually less than I expected, although I'm not sure this is all "donation" as the home schedule this year is pretty empty.
 


They will fill the lost ST seats with "Buy a Hot Dog, get a ticket" deals.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

The $5 living social deals will be hopping this year!


Sent from my keyboard using fingers.
 

A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
That's actually less than I expected, although I'm not sure this is all "donation" as the home schedule this year is pretty empty.
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I disagree. As a season ticket holder I have never looked at the schedule and thought there is no way I'm getting tickets this year. I have contemplated it when my tickets have rose 75% in about 24 months.

I'm crossing my fingers the "donation" will be reconsidered or we will be given a product that justifies me spending much more than I have in the past.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
From a purely ticket numbers standpoint, and assuming season ticket price is a flat "x" (which isn't true as distribution of price is large and matters) the ticket sales are down by about 14%. With the increase in price is it safe to assume revenue is up? IIRC the price increases were more than 14%. Someone more in the know like Sid should key us in on the dollar numbers.
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Most likely not. The donation increase is just a couple % higher in many cases. You'd have to assume that the ticket losses were mostly in the non-donation sections...highly unlikely. Teague seriously miscalculated. A longer step up would have helped.

Having three home games right out of the gate won't help either.
 

MNfootballfan said:
I disagree. As a season ticket holder I have never looked at the schedule and thought there is no way I'm getting tickets this year. I have contemplated it when my tickets have rose 75% in about 24 months.

I'm crossing my fingers the "donation" will be reconsidered or we will be given a product that justifies me spending much more than I have in the past.
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ESPN just signed on for 190 million per year. All told, tv payouts will be tripling for schools. I would think that lessens the need to fleece ticket holders, but the arms race will likely keep accelerating.

http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/06/20/Media/ESPN-Big-Ten.aspx?
 


I'm a history guy. History is is of course loaded with examples where supposedly smart people have made decisions that later turned out to be a disaster. The trick to harnessing history knowledge is to compare current events and current decisions to both disastrous and brilliant decisions in the past to get a feel for what is going to work and what will be a mistake. I am just a sports fan so I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to people that are paid to make big sports management decisions, coach D1 teams, etc. This is one instance where from day #1 the massive donation increases just felt wrong to me, and seemed like it would lead to a bad situation.

Decades of Gopher football had been pock marked with mediocre teams, metrodomes, and other things that seemed to continually gnaw away at the fan base. Jerry Kill was a breath of fresh air and gave casual fans a feeling they hadn't experienced since Lou Holtz. There was a general feeling of positivity and "big things are ahead" as that New Year's Bowl game with Missouri was announced. To pounce on the season ticket base THAT soon, to raise prices THAT much? It just didn't seem like a good idea to me. So what has happened since? The moment we all feared regarding Kill's health and coaching tenure arrived early. The team took a step back the very next season after that New Year's bowl. The BIG price increases hit right in the middle of all of this. It seems like a lot of effort is required to get a Gopher Football fan into a season ticket, and it doesn't take much to lose them.

I realize that huge price increases may mean there is in some cases more money being harvested at the price of more empty seats. But, simple supply/demand economics suggested to me that the goal should have been to first fill the stadium, then lock people in with an experience they wouldn't want to pass up (tailgating, extended team success, etc.) - and THEN, go for a price increase. They went with the price increase up front and the rest is HISTORY.
 

Schnauzer said:
I'm a history guy. History is is of course loaded with examples where supposedly smart people have made decisions that later turned out to be a disaster. The trick to harnessing history knowledge is to compare current events and current decisions to both disastrous and brilliant decisions in the past to get a feel for what is going to work and what will be a mistake. I am just a sports fan so I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to people that are paid to make big sports management decisions, coach D1 teams, etc. This is one instance where from day #1 the massive donation increases just felt wrong to me, and seemed like it would lead to a bad situation.

Decades of Gopher football had been pock marked with mediocre teams, metrodomes, and other things that seemed to continually gnaw away at the fan base. Jerry Kill was a breath of fresh air and gave casual fans a feeling they hadn't experienced since Lou Holtz. There was a general feeling of positivity and "big things are ahead" as that New Year's Bowl game with Missouri was announced. To pounce on the season ticket base THAT soon, to raise prices THAT much? It just didn't seem like a good idea to me. So what has happened since? The moment we all feared regarding Kill's health and coaching tenure arrived early. The team took a step back the very next season after that New Year's bowl. The BIG price increases hit right in the middle of all of this. It seems like a lot of effort is required to get a Gopher Football fan into a season ticket, and it doesn't take much to lose them.

I realize that huge price increases may mean there is in some cases more money being harvested at the price of more empty seats. But, simple supply/demand economics suggested to me that the goal should have been to first fill the stadium, then lock people in with an experience they wouldn't want to pass up (tailgating, extended team success, etc.) - and THEN, go for a price increase. They went with the price increase up front and the rest is HISTORY.
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Well said. The timing was godawful.
 

The way it should have happened was waiting until we had a consistent 8-9-10 win team (however long that took), and at least a season off mostly, if not all, sellouts of TCF for home games. Now this seems like it will never happen (and who knows, maybe it might not), but only then should you think about increasing ticket price, and even then it should be a base ticket price increase, not a "donation". Given that it would be on all the tickets (except possibly the students, to help keep the attendance up), it could be less to have an equal increase in revenue. Its simple economics, supply and demand, you can increase the price when the demand outweighs the supply.
 

Schnauzer said:
I'm a history guy. History is is of course loaded with examples where supposedly smart people have made decisions that later turned out to be a disaster. The trick to harnessing history knowledge is to compare current events and current decisions to both disastrous and brilliant decisions in the past to get a feel for what is going to work and what will be a mistake. I am just a sports fan so I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to people that are paid to make big sports management decisions, coach D1 teams, etc. This is one instance where from day #1 the massive donation increases just felt wrong to me, and seemed like it would lead to a bad situation.
Click to expand...

Plus, I would start the history with the 2009 TCF Bank Stadium "Gopher Points" seat selection process. I thought that was okay; but then, as you say, that was tossed aside for required donation seating.
 

Two great points by posters that have lead to a lot of non-renewals of season tickets

"Schnauzer: But, simple supply/demand economics suggested to me that the goal should have been to first fill the stadium, then lock people in with an experience they wouldn't want to pass up (tailgating, extended team success, etc.) - and THEN, go for a price increase. They went with the price increase up front and the rest is HISTORY.

Ignatius L Hoops said:
Plus, I would start the history with the 2009 TCF Bank Stadium "Gopher Points" seat selection process. I thought that was okay; but then, as you say, that was tossed aside for required donation seating.
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They went for the big price increase to fast, just like they did the parking donation levels. The U never let any positive Vibe build about the TCF bank experience, if they were going to do the seat donations like parking they should have been upfront about it. One semi-successful season does not negate 15+ years of mediocre football.

A lot of long time season ticket holders have sat through a lot of suck level to really poor football games, against poor opponents and at the same time having a team that hasn't finished near the top of the conference in 40+ years. That is part of the tax or penalty we have already paid.

The AD should have known people would be taken aback by and a little offended by the loyalty points "Gopher Points" being dumped just like in Men's basketball or Hockey. Some people were not going to be able to afford seats at the high level of donations requested for the luxury of having a chair backed seat. I applaud those that have been able to stay on and pay the donations. The rest of us that had to give up our seats with families and kids that play games on Saturdays will just have to follow from afar and get to a couple 1 or two games we can afford. Bench seats in the corners are not good value for a season ticket. Mega-tongue was out of touch and never understood that Minnesotan's are cheap and like value for the money they spend, that and we do not make East coast or Chicago like salary's here, and there is a lot of competition for entertainment dollars that are scarce.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Mega-tongue was out of touch and never understood that Minnesotan's are cheap and like value for the money they spend, that and we do not make East coast or Chicago like salary's here, and there is a lot of competition for entertainment dollars that are scarce.
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I don't know if it's even that we're that cheap. I think it just comes down to competition and the size of the market. There are 4 pro sports teams and Gopher football, hockey, basketball all competing for fan dollars. I suppose you could even throw the Saints, Lynx, and whatever the soccer team is called into equation as well. All of these in the 16th largest market in the country. With this much competition for the sports dollar you are bound to be picky where you spend your money.
 

One of the problems I have is that I chose the seats I chose specifically because they didn't have a donation. Then to get told:

* Now I have a donation.
* My donation is higher than all but the 50 yard line center section was in the beginning.
* If I was one row back my donation would be half of what it is (I'm row 9 upper level).
* Even though my Gopher points are higher than the people in that row, I can't bump them to move and I just have to take the best available tickets if I move.

That's a hard pill to swallow. I know there was a lot of people upset about the seat reshuffle at Williams and Mariucci, but what is the point of the Gopher Points system if it doesn't allow you to get your choice of tickets if you have a higher score?

Frankly, I was leaning toward dropping this year but my buddy convinced me to stay. I don't think that's going to happen next year unless something changes.

I'm not the ultimate fan, but I went to a game on my wedding day (which I and my wedding party wore Gopher jerseys rather than tuxes), I delayed a buddy of mine's wedding to wait for the end of the 2003 Wisconsin game and I skipped another buddy's wedding for the opening game of TCF Bank Stadium. So I'm not exactly a casual fan, either.

I've said it multiple times - the U's customer service is awful, and if they were a company rather than an institution I cared about I would have quit doing business with them many years ago. It may happen next year...
 

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