Gophers football attendance ticks up but still not enough - Pioneer Press

Iceland12

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They need to do a lot more, both on and off the field, to get attendance back to where it needs to be, and next year's schedule means that they're not gonna get much, if any, help from the visitors.

"The Gophers have capped the scholarship seating increase that boosted both season-ticket prices and complaints from fans before last season. They’ve started a Fan Advisory Board for feedback on ways to improve the game-day experience, including more diverse food offerings and the Gopher Garden Pregame Fan Fest on the plaza in front of 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Gophers aren’t the only Big Ten team struggling to fill its football stadium. Wisconsin, which takes a 12-0 record into Saturday’s Big Ten title game, had its lowest homecoming game attendance since 1995. The Badgers announced a crowd of 78,085 for their Oct. 21 game against Maryland at Camp Randall Stadium, where capacity is 80,321.

Six of the Big Ten’s 14 teams averaged fewer fans for home games in 2017 than the year before: Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois and Rutgers.

Coyle acknowledged that announced attendance figures can differ from the real number of fans in the stands. “The challenge is not all those people are coming to the games, so how do we get people to come to the game?” he said."

http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/01/gophers-football-attendance-ticks-back-up-but-still-not-enough/
 

We should focus on being “the stadium is half-full” people, not “the stadium is half-empty” people!
 

We should focus on being “the stadium is half-full” people, not “the stadium is half-empty” people!

Might not be either next year.


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A very slight increase from last year but still a huge decrease from 2 years ago, even if you don't count the extra seats.

The fan advisory board is so they can say they're listening to fans, not to actually make improvements. Ticket prices are clearly the problem. Adding a few new food options doesn't cancel out raising ticket prices. If this past season was "year 0" ticket prices should have reflected that.
 

A very slight increase from last year but still a huge decrease from 2 years ago, even if you don't count the extra seats.

The fan advisory board is so they can say they're listening to fans, not to actually make improvements. Ticket prices are clearly the problem. Adding a few new food options doesn't cancel out raising ticket prices. If this past season was "year 0" ticket prices should have reflected that.

Ding, ding, ding.

Drop (or seriously roll back) the seat licenses, make some conciliatory phone calls, and watch people come pouring back in.

Won't happen of course. I'm guessing ticket revenue is still WAY up despite the drops in attendance due to the aforementioned price increases. No matter we've got Mariucci without the ice in terms of atmosphere and butts in seats...
 


I can't remember if they've done this, but sending a survey to past season ticket holders that no longer have tickets that asked why they left and how they could get them back would be a good idea. Obviously they're gonna hear things that they don't want to (i.e. lower ticket prices), but I think it's the best way to directly address the attendance problem. I've sure there's an optimal price vs attendance ratio that would maximize profit, which is probably what they are trying to find, even if it means the stadium isn't full. I think the best way to help atmosphere is to just get some more butts in seats. Doesn't need to sell out every game, but the atmosphere improves a ton when a lot of people are there. Also, getting more students to the games should be the second priority. A large, rowdy student section is also a large boost to the in game atmosphere.
 

Ding, ding, ding.

Drop (or seriously roll back) the seat licenses, make some conciliatory phone calls, and watch people come pouring back in.

Won't happen of course. I'm guessing ticket revenue is still WAY up despite the drops in attendance due to the aforementioned price increases. No matter we've got Mariucci without the ice in terms of atmosphere and butts in seats...

This is the problem. They're worried about balancing the budget for the next fiscal year rather than building a football program for a generation.
 




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