This info is all news to me. Wow!Josh Hamm wrote: Wed Nov 22, 2017 4:35 pmAs I stated earlier there are no longer any “officers” of the LNC. The executive board was done away with by the athletic administration.
Football Attendance Crisis
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sealhall74
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Was the LC ever a 501c separate from the University? I suspect the Athletic Dept felt they were doing all of the work anyway (managing the membership drive, running the auction, ...) there was no real need for external decision makers but I could be wrong here.
Embrace the pace of the race.
At Villanova, tailgate ends at kickoff and then resumes for 90 minutes after the game is over. There is no reentry to the game. New this year was "Field Festival" which is a tent section in the endzone that sells alcohol.
There is hardly any student support for football since Nova is a basketball school. Usually students will go to the first home game but never the rest, no matter how good the football team is. This year was not a great year for Nova, they lost about 18 players to season-ending injuries and finished 5-6. Nova competes in the CAA.
Nova attendance for 2017:
vs. Lafayette: 9,671
vs. Maine: 4,505
vs. Elon (Homecoming): 5,451
vs. Richmond: 3,508
vs. Delaware: 5,109 (This was the only game with "bad weather." it was cold and rainy, but it was "The Battle of the Blue" rivalry game.)
There is hardly any student support for football since Nova is a basketball school. Usually students will go to the first home game but never the rest, no matter how good the football team is. This year was not a great year for Nova, they lost about 18 players to season-ending injuries and finished 5-6. Nova competes in the CAA.
Nova attendance for 2017:
vs. Lafayette: 9,671
vs. Maine: 4,505
vs. Elon (Homecoming): 5,451
vs. Richmond: 3,508
vs. Delaware: 5,109 (This was the only game with "bad weather." it was cold and rainy, but it was "The Battle of the Blue" rivalry game.)
Western Illinois University '15
Villanova University '18
Marching Leatherneck 2011-2014
Villanova University '18
Marching Leatherneck 2011-2014
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1721Higgins
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- Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2016 8:50 pm
Wonder how expensive it is to advertise during the IHSA Football Championships? Watching on CSN Chicago, I've seen UNI commercials nearly every break. I figure anybody watching must like football, so maybe we attract more future students that enjoy watching football and we'll get more butts in the seats.
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leatherneckcountry
- Posts: 2549
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They also televise all of UNI home games if they love UNI so much maybe they should move to Iowa.1721Higgins wrote: Fri Nov 24, 2017 8:53 pm Wonder how expensive it is to advertise during the IHSA Football Championships? Watching on CSN Chicago, I've seen UNI commercials nearly every break. I figure anybody watching must like football, so maybe we attract more future students that enjoy watching football and we'll get more butts in the seats.
NBC Sports Chicago must have some partnership with Iowa high school athletics. They just had the Iowa high school football championship games on for both 11-men and 8-men football. They also had the Iowa high school volleyball championship games earlier this fall. And they also do some of the basketball championships.leatherneckcountry wrote: Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:11 pmThey also televise all of UNI home games. If they love UNI so much maybe they should move to Iowa.
I like all the ideas and, more importantly, the focus on this issue. As an outsider looking in, I have some ideas as well.
1) The team needs to get the students there. I liked what someone said about incenting the RAs to do what they can to get the kids in the dorms there. These are usually Freshman, so its important to get them interested in supporting the team early, hoping it will carry on for the next 3 to 4 years and beyond. I don't know who has the contract for food service at WIU, but maybe they could have a tailgate where the kids can use their meal plans?
2) I agree with closing the parking lot at some point at or before kick off. I also agree with an area that is beer, and wine, friendly. Maybe sell it on the East side and keep the West side "family" friendly? Since I seem to read the East side is usually the most scarcely filled. Not sure you want a tented or roped area for adult beverages, as this really doesn't increase the crowd that are into the game. We were pleased to find that Mo State sold beer when we visited there. In addition to maybe attracting more fans, it will also increase revenue, which is also a bonus.
3) The fans that attend games today, need to bring a friend with them. Host a tailgate, get some other people involved that wouldn't normally get to a game. They may not become season tic holders, but most will at lest come back to more games. I agree, the school should better market their product, a grass roots campaign always helps. If you have a group of 4 at most games, try and grow your group to 8 or 10. If your number is at 10, try and grow to 20-25.
With the product on the field, it shouldn't take much to increase attendance. That being said, every school has its "number" that they can expect at games. Sellouts may not be realistic. But 10,000 ave? 7500 ave? Both are big improvements.
1) The team needs to get the students there. I liked what someone said about incenting the RAs to do what they can to get the kids in the dorms there. These are usually Freshman, so its important to get them interested in supporting the team early, hoping it will carry on for the next 3 to 4 years and beyond. I don't know who has the contract for food service at WIU, but maybe they could have a tailgate where the kids can use their meal plans?
2) I agree with closing the parking lot at some point at or before kick off. I also agree with an area that is beer, and wine, friendly. Maybe sell it on the East side and keep the West side "family" friendly? Since I seem to read the East side is usually the most scarcely filled. Not sure you want a tented or roped area for adult beverages, as this really doesn't increase the crowd that are into the game. We were pleased to find that Mo State sold beer when we visited there. In addition to maybe attracting more fans, it will also increase revenue, which is also a bonus.
3) The fans that attend games today, need to bring a friend with them. Host a tailgate, get some other people involved that wouldn't normally get to a game. They may not become season tic holders, but most will at lest come back to more games. I agree, the school should better market their product, a grass roots campaign always helps. If you have a group of 4 at most games, try and grow your group to 8 or 10. If your number is at 10, try and grow to 20-25.
With the product on the field, it shouldn't take much to increase attendance. That being said, every school has its "number" that they can expect at games. Sellouts may not be realistic. But 10,000 ave? 7500 ave? Both are big improvements.
Yup...if South Dakota can average just under 9000 with nearly the same enrollment, town size, and rural area, we should be able to get close to that. We don't have a dome, but weather is only a small part of the problem. Especially in the early part of the season, we need to work to make home games more of an "event" that people are excited about going to. Get them involved while they're freshmen (or sooner, ideally) and attendance will grow.GV Dad wrote: Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:55 pm With the product on the field, it shouldn't take much to increase attendance. That being said, every school has its "number" that they can expect at games. Sellouts may not be realistic. But 10,000 ave? 7500 ave? Both are big improvements.
Scott Lawson - Board AdminWestern Illinois University Alum/Fan/Employee
Member of the Marching Leathernecks - 1996-2000
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sealhall74
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- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:18 pm
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Except Vermillion is only hour away from the Sioux Falls which is the most populous city in the state. Macomb not quite that lucky. It would be interesting to know just what kind of draw we are getting from the neighboring areas. When I was young, my Dad and I would often make the drive to the Maple City to catch some Saturday afternoon college football action. We never took a seat but instead stood behind the endzones or as close to the sidelines as we could get where you could actually hear the crack of the helmets and pads. Nothing like it.ST_Lawson wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:45 amYup...if South Dakota can average just under 9000 with nearly the same enrollment, town size, and rural area, we should be able to get close to that. We don't have a dome, but weather is only a small part of the problem. Especially in the early part of the season, we need to work to make home games more of an "event" that people are excited about going to. Get them involved while they're freshmen (or sooner, ideally) and attendance will grow.GV Dad wrote: Sun Nov 26, 2017 5:55 pm With the product on the field, it shouldn't take much to increase attendance. That being said, every school has its "number" that they can expect at games. Sellouts may not be realistic. But 10,000 ave? 7500 ave? Both are big improvements.
If you have ever been to a NASCAR race, you probably know that it is a sport that engages all of the human senses. In fact, if you are close enough to the fence, you can actually feel the small bits of rubber from tires hitting you in the face. Maybe a few well-placed microphones along the field to capture the sounds of the battle would improve the fan experience.
Embrace the pace of the race.