Pioneer Press: Gophers football season-ticket holders increasing since P.J. Fleck

BleedGopher

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per Greder:

The Gophers football program has added about 1,000 new season-ticket holders since head coach P.J. Fleck was hired in January.

That’s a reversal from a loss of more than 20 percent the program suffered since 2015. The U’s season-ticket base went from 27,885 in 2015 to 22,792 in the days before the 2016 season opener.

The number of season-ticket holders continued to trend downward until Fleck was hired. As of Saturday, the season-ticket base has rebounded to 22,359, according to the Gophers athletics department. The department expects that number to grow before the Gophers play host to Buffalo in the 2017 season opener on Aug. 31 at TCF Bank Stadium.

http://www.twincities.com/2017/05/2...t-holders-increasing-since-p-j-flecks-hiring/

Go Gophers!!
 

How can going from 22,792 to 22,359 be considered to be "rebounded"? I'd say the dramatic downward spiral has stopped, but to be "rebounded" wouldn't we need to see season ticket levels get at least into the 27,000 range? I'd also add that the downward spiral would have continued even with Fleck if the third year planned rise in scholarship seating required donations had gone through. And yes, I do realize this is somewhat of an apples-to-oranges statement until the final number is known in the week prior to the first game.
 

I talked to someone a few weeks ago in the ticket office, and they stated the season ticket renewal was up over 10% compared to the same time last year. This did not include the near 1000 new season tickets, which was well above last year's pace.
 

I'd like to see the larger numbers.

14 was a great year and I think that drove 15 attendance... and 15 was an absolute **** show with injuries, jerry gone, etc.

It seems a bit off the mark to compare / contrast that combo with preliminary 17 numbers.

Either way, more sales good.
 

How can going from 22,792 to 22,359 be considered to be "rebounded"?

You must've missed this sentence right before it:

The number of season-ticket holders continued to trend downward until Fleck was hired.
 


MN fans will buy tickets when they think the cost of the tickets provides fair value in return for the quality of the entertainment being offered.

If the U offered some significant discounts or price cuts, that would get fans back quicker. But, barring some new financial incentive, it's going to take time and lots of big wins to get fans ponying up for season tickets again.
 

You must've missed this sentence right before it:

The number of season-ticket holders continued to trend downward until Fleck was hired.

That's not factually possible. If we had 22792 season ticket holders to begin the season then we had at least that many to end the season. Ticket renewal process didn't start until long after PJ was hired so no way for it to trend down from that number prior to his hire. It probably means there are 1000 more sold right now than same time last year. You could argue that that doesn't mean much because they put a full court press on late last year including announcing suspending the proposed future price increase. This was done in a panic to manage a historic ticket dump of 20% non-renewal. I would argue they have been pushing much harder much earlier this year and it's not a great sign that we are past renewal, into seat shuffling and still 500 season tickets south of what we started the year with last year.

I think there is a prevalent wait and see reservation on the ticket buying public and you can't blame them. It seems reasonable to assume that with new coaches, new qb, this is a tread water year. Whether we end up with 5 wins or 10 wins it seems far fetched that this team could be heading to the rose bowl this year. If they can do well this year I think they could sell hope for the future and gain back all they lost and more, If they are mediocre or poor it will turn next year into more of the same.
 

MN fans will buy tickets when they think the cost of the tickets provides fair value in return for the quality of the entertainment being offered.

If the U offered some significant discounts or price cuts, that would get fans back quicker. But, barring some new financial incentive, it's going to take time and lots of big wins to get fans ponying up for season tickets again.

It's not an investment... folks aren't making anything back. Lower the price, folks still might not come. There is no sure thing there.
 

I wonder if you take out corporate season tickets for the Vikings, how many individuals have season tickets? One area I believe has taken a hit for the U is the drop in corporate seats. Also, the new staff alone and their family probably are a significant part of the new 1000. The real measure will be next year.
 



That's not factually possible. If we had 22792 season ticket holders to begin the season then we had at least that many to end the season. Ticket renewal process didn't start until long after PJ was hired so no way for it to trend down from that number prior to his hire. It probably means there are 1000 more sold right now than same time last year. You could argue that that doesn't mean much because they put a full court press on late last year including announcing suspending the proposed future price increase. This was done in a panic to manage a historic ticket dump of 20% non-renewal. I would argue they have been pushing much harder much earlier this year and it's not a great sign that we are past renewal, into seat shuffling and still 500 season tickets south of what we started the year with last year.

I think there is a prevalent wait and see reservation on the ticket buying public and you can't blame them. It seems reasonable to assume that with new coaches, new qb, this is a tread water year. Whether we end up with 5 wins or 10 wins it seems far fetched that this team could be heading to the rose bowl this year. If they can do well this year I think they could sell hope for the future and gain back all they lost and more, If they are mediocre or poor it will turn next year into more of the same.

The quote was new tickets. Doesn't tell me anything about how many renewed.
 

I wonder if you take out corporate season tickets for the Vikings, how many individuals have season tickets? One area I believe has taken a hit for the U is the drop in corporate seats. Also, the new staff alone and their family probably are a significant part of the new 1000. The real measure will be next year.

What is this supposed to mean? Are you saying the new staff is buying season tickets?
 


I wonder if you take out corporate season tickets for the Vikings, how many individuals have season tickets? One area I believe has taken a hit for the U is the drop in corporate seats. Also, the new staff alone and their family probably are a significant part of the new 1000. The real measure will be next year.

The new staff and their families would only make up comparably to what was lost from the old staff and their families. In either case I doubt it's anywhere close to 1000 season tickets bought at the ticket office like the rest of us.


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Since Claeys was a single guy and PJ is not, we have a net gain in the ticket buying of staff. :p
 

The quote was new tickets. Doesn't tell me anything about how many renewed.

My point was that season ticket holders couldn't "continue to trend down" during the season because they are already sold for that season and not for sale for the upcoming season until after Fleck was hired.
 

The new staff and their families would only make up comparably to what was lost from the old staff and their families. In either case I doubt it's anywhere close to 1000 season tickets bought at the ticket office like the rest of us.


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Staff tickets are comped tickets per their contract. They are not considered new season ticket holders. Just a number of tickets used from the Athletics Department allotment.
 

Staff tickets are comped tickets per their contract. They are not considered new season ticket holders. Just a number of tickets used from the Athletics Department allotment.

Thank you. I wasn't positive but I figured it had to be something like that. That's guy saying that the 1000 is mostly the new staff and their families seemed... inaccurate, to put it nicely [emoji18]. Too much conflict on gopherhole these days. Right Jhonny n Spoof? [emoji23]


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Yeah, the math is fishy. No need to massage the numbers. Winning will fill the stadium, along with some price cuts.
 

My point was that season ticket holders couldn't "continue to trend down" during the season because they are already sold for that season and not for sale for the upcoming season until after Fleck was hired.

I was not disagreeing, the base number as reported absolutely is lower even with the new season tickets. You posted "It probably means there are 1000 more sold right now than same time last year." and I was commenting on that...1000 newly added, not 1000 more. Would have context if they said how many new season tickets were sold last year.
 

This article is math or English challenged. Possibly both.


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