Empty seat blues

[Frodo]

J
Just sayin, UCONN is not other arenas around the country, this is the best. Should be sell out every game. Season tickets should be sold out. I have been a Uconn fan for 20 years and have only seen road games in my area, but, would love the opportunity to have season tickets and drive to the game.

If they'd replace the bench seats, which are terribly uncomfortable, particularly for older fans, maybe they would sell out. Before we had season tickets, which we stopped this year, since our seats were getting worse every year, I went to a UNC game at Gampel back in 2002...almost couldn't make it through the game my back hurt so much. I haven't seen any photos of the crowd for Depaul and haven't watched the tape yet, but I'd be willing to be that most of the empty seats were the bench seats.

 

[topogigio]

Agree with all the posters above regarding the reason for declining attendance. I believe the main reason is that the University has effectively priced themselves out of many fans. I find Stub-Hub very useful for inexpensive tickets. Check their site frequently, especially in the days leading up to the game. I've have frequently scored very good seats (lower level in XL center) for less than $10.00 (fees do add a few more dollars, but you're generally well below listed prices.)

 

[tomcat]

Once again, pricing is a part of marketing. Some genius at UConn thinks it's more important to get 5000 people at $35 than it is to get 12000 people at $15 each. Yes, you make more on the tickets, but you do nothing to encourage new fans, you pass up the opportunity to sell food and tchotchkes to 7,000 additional people. It is hard for me to believe that anyone has done a professional marketing study that shows their pricing will get them the maximum crowd. And if that isn't their goal, I'd love to see what their marketing department's mission actually is.

 

[Monte]

Once again, pricing is a part of marketing. Some genius at UConn thinks it's more important to get 5000 people at $35 than it is to get 12000 people at $15 each. Yes, you make more on the tickets, but you do nothing to encourage new fans, you pass up the opportunity to sell food and tchotchkes to 7,000 additional people. It is hard for me to believe that anyone has done a professional marketing study that shows their pricing will get them the maximum crowd. And if that isn't their goal, I'd love to see what their marketing department's mission actually is.

I like your last sentence. In most "businesses," their first goal is: "What can I do to promote MY own salary?"

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

The decline in attendance has been noticeale to the group of four that I attend with. We attend most games, but only are season ticket holders at XL. I have to agree with you that UConn's dedicated fans have been taken for granted while the university continues to raise prices and implementing flex pricing where key match-ups are priced even higher. We bought the 3-ticket flex pack for SC, Baylor and DePaul that cost $80 plus fees. We went to Storrs to save on the fees at least. Now, I love this team, but $32 for a game that lasts under two hours is expensive; even for a marque match-up. But, once the team became popular that's just what the university has done. They keep increasing prices for home games and do us all a 'favor' by playing games around CT at Mohegan and Bridgeport that are priced even more. Our tickets for tomorrow at Mohegan is $37 (total cost for the day will be over $80 after lunch at the casino and gas).

UConn tickets are considerably more than other top 10'teams around the country. ND offers more options of tiered pricing with good senior discounts. SC tickets are less then $10. I understand the cost of living difference between SC and CT, but still?

I also worry where the next generation of fans are coming from? I think the university has turned its back on us and lacks a solid marketing effort to fill the stands. Geno insulted fans a few times in recent years complaining about the lack of attendance. But at these costs how can we continue to support this fantastic team? Unless they do something aggressive to turn this around attendance is going to continue to steadily decline. I could think of a dozen things that they could do to improve attendance and bring in a younger fan, but I think they're more interested in football and being in a P-5 conference than Women's BB? So, we will continue to do our part and support this fantastic team of wonderful women, cherish the wins and pray a president and AD that we pay over $1.5M year combined become interested in the sport that is the class of the NCAA Div I?

Those are steep ticket prices for WBB, I have to admit. On the price differences between UCONN and USC, though, football tickets are probably much more expensive at USC, so it all evens out. Even though my WBB season tickets are less than $100, my overall cost for football, MBB and WBB is over $2000 a year. I get 2 tickets for FB and MBB and 1 for WBB. (When I started getting WBB tickets, years ago, I couldn't bribe anyone to go with me)

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

you didnt need to post that here

Congrats on a good win today; I feel guilty for having not been there.

 

[zakalex]

I watched today's game vs Texas on TV today and the casino arena looked packed. Why? Free parking with easy access to the casino and no traffic jams leaving when the game is over. Also dining options of all kinds and fun stores to walk around and look at before and after the game. Finally, quick access to two highways, one going north and the other east/west. Frankly, driving to Storrs is a slog, especially if you didn't go to UConn and don't know the campus well and getting out of Hartford from the closest parking garage is usually a pain in the butt.

 

[Padutch5]

I watched today's game vs Texas on TV today and the casino arena looked packed. Why? Free parking with easy access to the casino and no traffic jams leaving when the game is over. Also dining options of all kinds and fun stores to walk around and look at before and after the game. Finally, quick access to two highways, one going north and the other east/west. Frankly, driving to Storrs is a slog, especially if you didn't go to UConn and don't know the campus well and getting out of Hartford from the closest parking garage is usually a pain in the butt.

I hate to be the party pooper but I didn't enjoy an hours drive from AVON/Farmington. While the seats are all chair backs, and have cup holders, they are pretty narrow and flimsy. May have need free parking access, but we made up for it with pretty steep ticket prices. $37 downstairs is steep even by XL standards.

 

[triaddukefan]

Congrats on a good win today; I feel guilty for having not been there.

I got to the campus area about a 12:45 or so..... and i saw the busloads that yall brought up... and a bunch of SC license plates as well. At the will call window... more garnet and black... went inside Cameron.... still more Garnet. I was thinking ... man.. they might actually have more fans than us this game. But the Duke fans turned out.... i would say the crowd was 60/40 Duke. Yall were loud in the pregame and early quarters....but the duke fans got real loud as the game went on. It was a great atmosphere.... your fans are great and glad to see the support they have for WCBB.

 

[alexrgct]

Not for us heterosexual females! And that's kind of creepy anyway.

I'm a heterosexual male, and I'd go gay for Anthony Kennedy in a heartbeat after his leadership on marriage equality.

Meanwhile, there is no heterosexual female tendency not to acknowledge that JW is stunningly beautiful and could somehow boost attendance. Nor is it creepy to point out that water is wet...

 

[OldAlum]

Oh, she is very pretty. Looks very much like Kerith - I guess SNY has a "type"!
But auctioning off a date is not a concept I can support to promote women's basketball. Just the wrong venue and message in this circumstance. And it wouldn't do much to diversify the audience either!
Interestingly, I saw a lot more families at Mohegan than I typically see at Gampel (Don't know about XL)

 

[Husky pride]

Okay, so none of us are getting younger. And as one BYer above noted, it's a lot easier to sit in a comfortable chair 20 feet from the toilet than in an arena, any arena.

But my point is NOT why we don't go to games any more. Uncomfortable seats, a long drive, cost, full bladders, I get all that. My question is this: Who replaces us? Or, rather, why can't UConn find people to replace us? I have a hard time believing that in a state where people grow up on the best brand of women's basketball in the world, an effective marketing effort could not come up with another 3,000, 5,000 or 6,000 people to fill the stands.

I'm afraid the powers-that-be in UConn sports marketing simply have not planned for the time when they needed to replace the faithful, warm bodies that have made it easy to sell out arenas since 1995. That time is past, and now we, and they, are feeling the consequences. On possibility: take a revenue hit and make it easier for kids and members of youth teams to see games. I was at the FSU game a few weeks ago. They got a good and loud crowd by charging very little for tickets.

This is all too true!
I've written to the powers-to-be at UConn numerous times in the past, asking that they consider using a little imagination and ingenuity in regard to sparking an increase in attendance.
Why not try to fill empty seats by cultivating attendance by youth groups such as Boys and Girls Clubs and other members of the younger set at dramatically reduced group pricing? Not only would it fill seats, make UConn more "attractive" during TV coverage and make the games all the more exciting with added noise and cheering...but of equal importance, if not of even more importance, begin to create a whole new following of young people who will mature into paying patrons. Why not have Senior Night specials ...making it less costly to attend and filling more empty seats? Why not sponsor corporate nights ...selling tickets, at a reduction, at the places of business and announcing , at the game , their attendance? Why not make it easier,,,regardless of the venue...for students to get transported to games with reduced, or periodically free, ticketing?
The point is...times are changing...and you just can't sit back and be complacent expecting the bubble to last forever! Come-up with ideas to encourage attendance instead of memoaning the lack thereof!!

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Once again, pricing is a part of marketing. Some genius at UConn thinks it's more important to get 5000 people at $35 than it is to get 12000 people at $15 each. Yes, you make more on the tickets, but you do nothing to encourage new fans, you pass up the opportunity to sell food and tchotchkes to 7,000 additional people. It is hard for me to believe that anyone has done a professional marketing study that shows their pricing will get them the maximum crowd. And if that isn't their goal, I'd love to see what their marketing department's mission actually is.

Technically, ticket sales revenue isn't a primary source of program support funds at most schools. Its useful, but like in the movie industry where I worked, more revenue can be generated in selling to a captive audience. OTH, many schools, Rutgers and Arizona included, used concession stands manned by volunteers as a way to make a donation. At Arizona I think it is only football, but at Rutgers it was also Women's Basketball. One game I was served by Mary Coyle Klinger, Pat Coyle's sister and teammate of Chris Daily, they were raising money for Rutgers Prep where Mary is / was WBB coach and AD.

My only comment on this thread in addition is that folks are mixing the 2 issues - retaining the aging fan base and drawing new fans (read families). Many of the comments in this thread are spot-on, I think, but I had to mentally divide them up between these issues.

 

[tomcat]

Alex hit the nail on the head. I really don't think UConn can do much to get back the people who used to go who, now that they're older, don't want to because of fixed incomes, bad backs, unwillingness to drive the distances involved, moving out of the area upon retirement, etc. What makes me crazy is the thought that UConn's marketing people seemingly have not come up with a plan to replace those people. This is not a shame because it costs UConn reveue; I really don't care about that. It is a shame because the university is failing to introduce a high-quality sport -- and the best-of-the-best who play it -- to new audiences, whose members would become loyal fans over time.

If they do have a plan and are implementing it, it is not working. I don't know which of these two options is scarier.