Improving Football Gameday Experience

[Dooley]

Just got this email from UCONN. I'd be interested to hear others' responses.


UConn Football Fans –


Thank you for your support this season!


With two games remaining in the regular season, UConn is working hard to make sure we provide you the ultimate fan experience on and off the field. We would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to provide your feedback on an array of topics related to game attendance and interaction with our organization.


Click on the link below to share your opinions as part of a brief marketing research survey. The survey, which should take approximately 10 minutes to complete, will be available for completion up to three days after you begin submitting answers.


For taking the time to complete our survey, all fans who participate will be entered into a drawing for UConn prizes including future game tickets, team gear, and more. Winners will be contacted at a later date via email with instructions on how to claim your prize.


CLICK HERE TO TAKE THE SURVEY:

http://fbsstudy.turnkeysurveyor.com/se.ashx?s=33640D7D1D563B85&cid=


Thank you in advance for your support and feedback. GO HUSKIES!

Dooley - I removed your email address from the URL link - Skibs

 

[Nostical]

Just got it too. Everyone should make their opinions known. This is the time to create the groundswell for what will I'm sure be a more in depth examination of improving the football experience.

 

[Dooley]

Just got it too. Everyone should make their opinions known. This is the time to create the groundswell for what will I'm sure be a more in depth examination of improving the football experience.

Completely agree. Now is the time season ticket holders / fans can voice their opinions. Although I'm fairly certain there are people at UCONN who occasionally scan this site to gauge the diehard fan thermometer, this is a good opportunity to let our opinions be known. 2015 is going to be a VERY difficult year to sell season tickets given the recent records and awful home schedule, so it's good to see the AD trying to get a jump on it now.

 

[Caronimo]

Done. Emphasized the importance of winning games, quality opponents and filling the student section.

 

[WestHartHusk]

I just got an email from the school with a link to a survey related to football season tickets. I encourage everyone to take it because it is a fairly thorough attempt by the school to understand who their fans are, what they want, and where they can improve (everything from schedule, record, student section, etc.). Also, it is finally your opportunity to nail the students (who have sucked for years on end now), tell them you don't care about the football team's grades and encourage them to win at all costs (sans breaking the actual law, not NCAA rules) - seriously, there are questions on those topics.

Additionally, the survey provides an open-ended question about improving the football team. I know we all have a lot of thoughts, so this is a chance to communicate them directly to the Athletic Department outside of the angry e-mails that never get read.

For your inspiration, I have included my recommendations below.

What is the one thing UConn can do to provide the optimal football ticket package holder experience?

Winning will some of the fan apathy problems, but not all of them.

UConn needs to be in a better conference. I will continue to support the football team, but it is really hard to find friends, family or alumni who care about seeing a game against Tulane, Temple, Tulsa, SMU, Houston, etc, regardless of our record. The lack of regional rivalries is killing this program and the fanbase, and I hope the school is doing everything possible to pursue a better conference affiliation, including: i) leveraging Connecticut's Congressional representatives as other schools like Louisville, Utah and Virginia Tech have done; ii) leveraging Connecticut's relationship with ESPN through the Governor's office; and iii) considering possible anti-trust litigation in conjunction with other similarly situated schools.

I know that my recommendation communicates a level of hysterics, but I firmly believe that our our conference situation is that desperate, and that until it is sorted out no improvements in parking or concessions will correct the fan apathy that is settling over the football program.

 

[WestHartHusk]

Crap, I just saw Dooley's thread...is there any way we can merge my thread into his?

And notice I said merge! There is some gold in this post that I don't want lost

 

[businesslawyer]

Great idea. But way too long and the boxes are so lightly outlined that I can't even find them. There is no way that whomever authorized the survey actually tried to fill it out before wasting my time with it.

 

[Skiblets]

Just finished it and directed them to the Boneyard. Can someone resurrect that thread from earlier in the year with improvement ideas?

Agree with Biz on the structure of the survey a bit long and overly repetitive. Also peculiar that this is being done with two games left this year instead of early summer before the season started. Nevertheless, it's kind of like voting, we can't bitch about the experience if we don't try to fix it. So let them hear from you.

I was surprised at how much they seemed to ask about game promotions. In all seriousness, those freaking things have no impact for me on whether or not I will go to the game. I did emphasize getting rid of all the mind numbing in game commercials and getting more marching band involvement. Oh yeah and a little thing called the on the field product

 

[TheJerk]

I was confused on the ethnic question at the end... I couldn't find "white Hispanic" anywhere

 

[Stinger92860]

Great idea. But way too long and the boxes are so lightly outlined that I can't even find them. There is no way that whomever authorized the survey actually tried to fill it out before wasting my time with it.

Worked for me, without glasses.

 

[J187Money]

Now we all know Dooley's email address.

 

[Skiblets]

Now we all know Dooley's email address.

Thanks J. I removed it for privacy reasons for him

 

[uconnell]

Done. Agree with the repetition of questions.

 

[BNich]

Worked for me, without glasses.

You're all too old to see anything. I had no issues.

 

[Skiblets]

And your to yung too spell corectlee

 

[Dooley]

Dooley - I removed your email address from the URL link - Skibs

Now we all know Dooley's email address.

Thanks J. I removed it for privacy reasons for him

Thanks for looking out for me guys!

In other/related news, I just won the Nigerian lottery! And all I have to do is mail a check for $20,000 to claim my prize.

 

[Skiblets]

You're all too old to see anything. I had no issues.

Curse that edit function BNich

 

[Marty Jackson]

Great idea. But way too long and the boxes are so lightly outlined that I can't even find them. There is no way that whomever authorized the survey actually tried to fill it out before wasting my time with it.

took 10 minutes... yes the boxes are light, but if you go straight across I'm pretty sure you find them. If it helps the program figure out gameday experience, I'll waste 10 minutes.

 

[Wildgopher]

I would like to see us get a new announcer. This guy is a dud. Get someone with some loud enthusiasm. I'd like to hear the announcer say "what a hit by Vann as he crunched him for a 3 yard loss" Just announce our players names, not theirs.

 

[huskypantz]

I was confused on the ethnic question at the end... I couldn't find "white Hispanic" anywhere

I always enjoy the surveys where you can only pick one ethnicity. People that create surveys like that don't get out much.

 

[Dooley]

I could not fit everything in under 1500 characters, but this was what I sent back in the free-form "one thing" answer box...

I do not have "one thing" to suggest. I have several:

1. offer season ticket holders an opportunity to renew early to save money (ex - save 50% if renew by April 1). This would offset the in-season ticket discount promotions that alienate season ticket holders;
2. allow for season tickets packages to be transferred to a new person. We have a group of 6 and the name that our tickets are in moved to Florida. It would be helpful to allow our tickets to be transferred to someone local without losing points;
3. increasing wi-fi inside the stadium. I can not text message my wife during games from my seats and that is troubling in the event of an emergency;
4. tailgating hours should be extended to allow fans from all over the northeast to attend and make better plans;
5. I understand the team needs to sell tickets to get into a better conference, but it's tough for season ticket holders to shell out $350/yr when you could get free/very cheap tickets in the parking lots or through promotions through the school. Seems like a punishment to season ticket holders;
6. Bob Diaco gets a 1 year mulligan for 2014. I understand this was a "colossal mess" when he was hired. But I don't want to hear excuses after losses in 2015 like the ones we heard after losing to Army. I expect the team to begin to come together and compete given our AAC schedule. If we lose, no "colossal mess" excuses. Sends a wrong message to fans/players;
7. offer away/bowl game discounts to season tickets...

 

[EJHarrington]

I received it.

JUST WIN GAMES.

Everything else is top-notch.

 

[BNich]

I could not fit everything in under 1500 characters, but this was what I sent back in the free-form "one thing" answer box...

I do not have "one thing" to suggest. I have several:

1. offer season ticket holders an opportunity to renew early to save money (ex - save 50% if renew by April 1). This would offset the in-season ticket discount promotions that alienate season ticket holders;
2. allow for season tickets packages to be transferred to a new person. We have a group of 6 and the name that our tickets are in moved to Florida. It would be helpful to allow our tickets to be transferred to someone local without losing points;
3. increasing wi-fi inside the stadium. I can not text message my wife during games from my seats and that is troubling in the event of an emergency;
4. tailgating hours should be extended to allow fans from all over the northeast to attend and make better plans;
5. I understand the team needs to sell tickets to get into a better conference, but it's tough for season ticket holders to shell out $350/yr when you could get free/very cheap tickets in the parking lots or through promotions through the school. Seems like a punishment to season ticket holders;
6. Bob Diaco gets a 1 year mulligan for 2014. I understand this was a "colossal mess" when he was hired. But I don't want to hear excuses after losses in 2015 like the ones we heard after losing to Army. I expect the team to begin to come together and compete given our AAC schedule. If we lose, no "colossal mess" excuses. Sends a wrong message to fans/players;
7. offer away/bowl game discounts to season tickets...

You can afford season tickets, but have to use wifi to text your wife? The more wifi, the more eyes and attention diverted away from the field. IMO, no wifi is needed at athletic events such as a football game. I have never looked/searched for wifi nor do I expect to.

Also, cheap and scalped tickets, this is happening with every team in every conference, in every state in every parking lot. If every season ticket holder felt the same way, no team would have a decent crowd. If Uconn offered away/bowl game discounts it would be the first of its kind.

 

[huskypantz]

If Uconn offered away/bowl game discounts it would be the first of its kind.

Not true. Cincinnati did a $50 bowl ticket credit with some season tickets a few years ago.

 

[Dooley]

You can afford season tickets, but have to use wifi to text your wife? The more wifi, the more eyes and attention diverted away from the field. IMO, no wifi is needed at athletic events such as a football game. I have never looked/searched for wifi nor do I expect to.

Also, cheap and scalped tickets, this is happening with every team in every conference, in every state in every parking lot. If every season ticket holder felt the same way, no team would have a decent crowd. If Uconn offered away/bowl game discounts it would be the first of its kind.

Phone stays in my pocket on vibrate, in case of emergencies. I check at halftime and can never send/receive texts. We had an emergency a year ago and I didn't know about it until after the game. Sorry, but family comes first (we all know how much I love UCONN).

Re-read #1 for my proposal to help this.

That's why it would be a perk to be a season ticket holder. UCONN is about to get jacked by season ticket cancellations. Need to come up with incentives to entice people to renew/buy. If not away/bowl game discounts, something.