I wish I could drink Rolling Rock. I frikken loved Rolling Rock.
I bring a six pack of Bold Rock down with me. Sadly, Shannon is with me this weekend and didnāt want to stop while we were still in Virginia.
āYou can get it when we get to Charlotteā she said. āIf they donāt have it you can get something else you likeā she said.
Worst part of all of this? If we pull off the win today, Iām going to have to stop drinking Bold Rock.
This is all her fault.
I still want the 49 yard lines marked.
I want to start a new winning streak.
Maybe to get the students interested we need to get a group of 1,000 alums to march through campus one day campaigning for students to show up. Reminding them tickets are free. Something. Today was more depressing than any sports moment of my life and Iām a freakin die hard Jags fan. For me to be apathetic at a sporting event is saying something.
I do hope that the school is pushing the fact that this Saturdayās game is a blackout to the students. I wonder if they will be selling blackout shirts like they do for b-ball.
Well, Iām pretty sure App State students go to games (as long as itās not raining or snowing or cold or windy)
Tickets are not free, all students pay a fee.
Yes. But that doesnāt count. That doesnāt come out of the majority of students pockets. With our awesome marketing we have convinced students tickets are $30. Heard it from multiple students again this week. āOh I didnāt know tickets were free. I thought we had to go online and buy them with that online request thingāā¦no idea how they know about online request but still donāt understand tickets are free. Trying to explain to your average college kid tickets are free but not free because you paid athletic fees but they are free because you donāt have to directly buy tickets etc is a terrible way of getting students to want to come to games
Could the AD market to students better, absolutely. However, itās not fucking rocket science to figure out ticketing or the cost.
Students are lazy, might as well make all student tickets for every game walk up tickets and do away with all requests. Allocate 2500 or 3000 for students, make the rest season tickets or single game sales.
saw last night that Kansas state all met together and walked off the field at halftime arms linked in about 6-8 rows.
I thought it was pretty cool.
If that is a long time KSU thing, i think it would be acceptable to copy since our first head coach played there and may have even been part of it himself.
clt sandy we should put sega dreamcasts at each student seat. Maybe they will stay then.
[quote=āNormsNinerNation, post:196, topic:27722ā]Drew,
Thanks for reaching out! Good student feedback is critical to finding the solutions that most of us in college athletics are searching for in reaching todayās student consumer. To take it somewhat point by point:
Ā· Student lot relocation ā we have been evaluating that and think we will have some workable options for next year in terms of the Silver Lot on North campus. Cuts the walk in half. This is something we looked at doing this year, but was soundly rejected by many students who preferred the insulation of being in a āstudent-onlyā area on east campus. We may end up with both Silver lot AND the existing lot as options. We recognize and embrace the energy students bring to the table for all of our games, and truthfully students drive the atmosphere at any venue across the country.
Ā· Black lot NNG tent/spaces ā quick discussion on that here leads me to believe this would be very doable ā but would need student leadership to make this a destination location for students. Our thoughts are a tented area (we provide) in the Black lot which NNG members could gather before the games and be closer to the Niner Walk and the stadium. People would bring their own tailgating supplies and congregate there. Possible issues with that would be IF we go with Silver Lot for students, or possibly even Silver Lot AND the existing space on east campus ā this would provide a third option, which could serve to dilute the student crowd which now would be disconnected over 3 lots. Need to still evaluate the benefits or unintended consequences of this.
Ā· Preferred seating - I think we can look at preferred seating, but were discouraged from doing that in the past because essentially all students are financially (maybe not emotionally) invested at the same level. Right now, the preferred seating locations are first come first served, but we understand that is counterproductive for those āsuperā student fans that want to tailgate as late as possible and not have to be at the stadium when the gates open.
Ā· Student section leadership ā Looking at some āyellā leader concepts for next year, possibly including some elevated platforms with amplified sound. Because of some seating configuration restrictions (visiting seat accommodations, Conference USA regulations on who can sit directly behind the visitorās bench which is between the 30ās, etc), we end up with a somewhat disconnected student section that creates some challenges. Working through those.
One of the more pressing issues is student utilization of tickets. While it is easy to tag it as a marketing failure and students ādonāt know about gamesā, we have generally found that only about 65% of those people that bothered to claim a ticket actually use the ticket. So, these students not only know about the games, but actually make some effort (claim, print, etc) which confirms their acknowledgement of a gameā¦ā¦but then donāt show. If the students showed up at a 90% rate, we would be having much less heartburn on this issue.
Certainly need to continue to find effective ways to reach this target demographic with the information about the game ā but more importantly to get them to take the next step after they have already shown an interest.
On a side note, this student trend isnāt new, as I interact with a number of my BCS/Power 6 colleagues that are searching for that magic bullet as well. If someone really had it, they should drop out of school or quit their current job, and offer their marketing prowess in the college market. I know dozens of high resource schools that could make them a rich person.
Again, thanks for the proactive feedback. Any and all options are on the table!
Darin[/quote]. Kids know about games they just choose not to come end of story
[quote=āNormsNinerNation, post:196, topic:27722ā]Drew,
Thanks for reaching out! Good student feedback is critical to finding the solutions that most of us in college athletics are searching for in reaching todayās student consumer. To take it somewhat point by point:
Ā· Student lot relocation ā we have been evaluating that and think we will have some workable options for next year in terms of the Silver Lot on North campus. Cuts the walk in half. This is something we looked at doing this year, but was soundly rejected by many students who preferred the insulation of being in a āstudent-onlyā area on east campus. We may end up with both Silver lot AND the existing lot as options. We recognize and embrace the energy students bring to the table for all of our games, and truthfully students drive the atmosphere at any venue across the country.
Ā· Black lot NNG tent/spaces ā quick discussion on that here leads me to believe this would be very doable ā but would need student leadership to make this a destination location for students. Our thoughts are a tented area (we provide) in the Black lot which NNG members could gather before the games and be closer to the Niner Walk and the stadium. People would bring their own tailgating supplies and congregate there. Possible issues with that would be IF we go with Silver Lot for students, or possibly even Silver Lot AND the existing space on east campus ā this would provide a third option, which could serve to dilute the student crowd which now would be disconnected over 3 lots. Need to still evaluate the benefits or unintended consequences of this.
Ā· Preferred seating - I think we can look at preferred seating, but were discouraged from doing that in the past because essentially all students are financially (maybe not emotionally) invested at the same level. Right now, the preferred seating locations are first come first served, but we understand that is counterproductive for those āsuperā student fans that want to tailgate as late as possible and not have to be at the stadium when the gates open.
Ā· Student section leadership ā Looking at some āyellā leader concepts for next year, possibly including some elevated platforms with amplified sound. Because of some seating configuration restrictions (visiting seat accommodations, Conference USA regulations on who can sit directly behind the visitorās bench which is between the 30ās, etc), we end up with a somewhat disconnected student section that creates some challenges. Working through those.
One of the more pressing issues is student utilization of tickets. While it is easy to tag it as a marketing failure and students ādonāt know about gamesā, we have generally found that only about 65% of those people that bothered to claim a ticket actually use the ticket. So, these students not only know about the games, but actually make some effort (claim, print, etc) which confirms their acknowledgement of a gameā¦ā¦but then donāt show. If the students showed up at a 90% rate, we would be having much less heartburn on this issue.
Certainly need to continue to find effective ways to reach this target demographic with the information about the game ā but more importantly to get them to take the next step after they have already shown an interest.
On a side note, this student trend isnāt new, as I interact with a number of my BCS/Power 6 colleagues that are searching for that magic bullet as well. If someone really had it, they should drop out of school or quit their current job, and offer their marketing prowess in the college market. I know dozens of high resource schools that could make them a rich person.
Again, thanks for the proactive feedback. Any and all options are on the table!
Darin[/quote]
Thanks for sharing, enjoyed reading a ārealā response not filled with a bunch of fluff and bs. A little crazy to think 1/3 of students who claim tickets donāt actually use them but Darin is correct that it is a growing trend at some schools that even have some tradition of winning. I honestly donāt know how you get students to come to the game in large numbers consistantly without winning (and sometimes even thatās not enough).
this.
Student orgs, Alums, community affairs, etc should have their events planned around a home football game. Thereās just no camaraderie with our school, the community, the city and very little with the students.
That was a great response from Darin. Glad to see theyāre receptive to ideas and also that he took the time to give a detailed response instead of just a āthanks for the idea, weāll look into itā type response.
Iām sure weāre still trying to figure out what works and what doesnāt. Itās just a shame weāre losing so much though because that doesnāt work for anyone. We could hire a staff of marketing superstars and theyād look terrible after a 6 game losing streak.
Iāve said this before, if you want students to come and stay at the game, you need to engage them.
We do a really s**ty job of doing that, the games feel like a high school environment.
[quote=āNinerfan2012, post:216, topic:27722ā]Iāve said this before, if you want students to come and stay at the game, you need to engage them.
We do a really s**ty job of doing that, the games feel like a high school environment.[/quote]
[size=2]Not engaged? What engagement do you want? 12rh man isnāt enough, m[font=Verdana]aybe we should allow them to be an 11th man. Weāll have a random drawing and let one student suit up for a minimum of one play. Probably punter, b/c that could actually help. [/font][/size]
[quote=āninerID, post:217, topic:27722ā][quote=āNinerfan2012, post:216, topic:27722ā]Iāve said this before, if you want students to come and stay at the game, you need to engage them.
We do a really s**ty job of doing that, the games feel like a high school environment.[/quote]
[size=2]Not engaged? What engagement do you want? 12rh man isnāt enough, m[font=Verdana]aybe we should allow them to be an 11th man. Weāll have a random drawing and let one student suit up for a minimum of one play. Probably punter, b/c that could actually help. [/font][/size][/quote]
I think todayās college students are entitled to receive a cash stipend for attending their schoolās football games. I wonder if $20 per game is enough? Maybe add another $10 if they get there in the 1st quarter and do not leave until the 4th?
[quote=āninerID, post:217, topic:27722ā][quote=āNinerfan2012, post:216, topic:27722ā]Iāve said this before, if you want students to come and stay at the game, you need to engage them.
We do a really s**ty job of doing that, the games feel like a high school environment.[/quote]
[size=2]Not engaged? What engagement do you want? 12rh man isnāt enough, m[font=Verdana]aybe we should allow them to be an 11th man. Weāll have a random drawing and let one student suit up for a minimum of one play. Probably punter, b/c that could actually help. [/font][/size][/quote]
Do whatever it takes to get students involved. I think the āyell leadersā concept is a very good idea, Iām glad to hear that the AD is looking into it.
Some students attend football games because they like football. Those students are the ones that were there yesterday, and the student seats that were occupied yesterday are the ones that will continue to be occupied. The students who sat in them are going to return to them, because theyāre good seats.
Other students attend football games because football games, especially college games, are events that not only accept but encourage them to act a little crazy. They donāt care so much about the game as they do about being loud and going a little bit wild. Give those students the corner, and turn it into a party. Throw a DJ or something down there, and keep that end of the stadium jumping.
Something else that got the wheels turning was the statement of a āhigh school atmosphere.ā I donāt disagree. However, bear with me on this segueā¦
One of our biggest issues as far as student support stems from the fact that the students weāre trying to entice to come to games have been following other programs their entire lives. We have to compete with those programs, who are more than likely on TV. If youāre Johnny Freshman who still hasnāt let go of (insert more established program here) football, whatāre you more likely to do: walk across campus to a stadium, or sit in your room and watch your childhood favorite program on TV? Weāve acknowledged this, even members of the AD have acknowledged this. This is a long-term issue with a long-term solution, but that long-term solution may have short term benefits.
Why are we waiting for these students to enroll at UNC Charlotte before we try to attract them? Why not start four years earlier?
Instead of offering 7500 student tickets like we currently doā¦ offer 7500 GA tickets. First-come, first serve. Students can continue to claim and reserve tickets the week before the game, affording them the first right of refusal. Set aside The Gold Mine (the party corner) as āstudents only.ā The only way to get into these sections is by claiming and printing a ticket online. This effectively cuts the student section itself by a substantial margin without cutting the potential supply of student tickets.
The remaining tickets are sold as day of game general admission tickets. Students who didnāt claim a ticket prior to game day can still get a free GA ticket with their student ID. Until the stadium is full (desired outcome) no student will be turned away. Without a student ID, sell the GA seats at about $20 to the general publicā¦ alumni who didnāt/couldnāt afford FSLās, area folks who just like football, etc. Additionally, offer tickets at a steep discount to students at area high schools. Work with the schools in the area that we deem to be the āState of Charlotteā to get the word outā¦ but make sure that cost isnāt a barrier for local high schoolers to attend our games. Get them on campus and attending football games before theyāre on campus attending classesā¦ and thereās a solid chance that we can become that school that we once had to compete with.
Since we already have their money, offer a semesterās worth of books to 2 students that are in the stadium at the end of each quarter.