It's been 12 years since we started playing 1A football

[Palatine]

In 2003, when DanO threw the first TD pass in the newly opened Rent to O'Neal Wlison, today's high school seniors were in 4th grade. UConn played in bowl when they were in 5th grade.

The UConn graduating Class of 2007 never sat in Memorial Stadium. 2010 produced 7,000 alumni including 4,600 with bachelor degrees. That's up from 2,800 bachelors in 2001. Which means by the June 2012, there will be enough alumni (with bachelors) who have experienced UConn playing football at the highest level to sell out out the Rent by themselves. Not that they would, just sayin.Besides, the real effect is much, much larger, add in everyone that spent anytime at UConn, parents, family, faculty, staff, contractors anyone who has direct contact with the university and the number multiples several times. And that's just direct connection.

The Rolling Stones said time is on our side. It is starting to be, in two crucial areas, recruiting and fan base.

 

[Woof 101]

I would have to believe this upcoming seasons ticket sales will tell a story.

 

[coachcap]

I would have to believe this upcoming seasons ticket sales will tell a story.

Especially if there is a substantial price increase on the new 3 year plan.

 

[Dann]

for really the first time we are hearing some ct kids saying things like thats my home state school, dream to play for ct....yea one is a walkon and one was a 4* that got away becuase of school stuff but still, we are seeing our first effects of kids growing up uconn fans. on the bball side look at kids like austrie and drummond and olander. its happeing! it may be slow but its moving and this state is starting to really get behind uconn. keep the pros out if were going to play in hartford and its time that we capture nyc and north.

 

[CAPS]

You'll see a big drop in season ticket renewals including yours truly. Cheaper to bum one on the way into game and sit where you want.

 

[Woof 101]

You'll see a big drop in season ticket renewals including yours truly. Cheaper to bum one on the way into game and sit where you want.

I plan to renew but having said that you are 100% right......

 

[J187Money]

You'll see a big drop in season ticket renewals including yours truly. Cheaper to bum one on the way into game and sit where you want.

I suppose that those of us that donate to the program are suckers also.

 

[CAPS]

No not a sucker just don't have time with kids activities to go to all the games

 

[uconnric]

You'll see a big drop in season ticket renewals including yours truly. Cheaper to bum one on the way into game and sit where you want.

I think you're wrong. I don't see a big drop coming. And thanks for your support of the program.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[CAPS]

Let's see every open practice, spring games, South bend , Ann arbor,Fiesta bowl, Papa John,WV,Pitt,and Cinn. Ohh forgot national signing day,that should do it. Feel my support yet?

 

[whaler11]

Tough to determine what season ticket sales will be like without knowing what the pricing on the next cycle will be. It's pretty clear that it doesn't matter how many people you graduate - if it were that simple every school in the country would be selling out every week.

People have been conditioned that they don't need to buy season tickets because there isn't enough demand to create any scarcity. That's their choice I guess - but part of building a program is support from the fans, so those that are skeptical waiting for success... well it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

If the conference issue isn't solved it's never going to change. This Conference US-East certainly isn't going to spur attendance.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Win games and people come, it's that simple. The one week I can recall where things reached critical level, was the week prior to West Virginia visiting Rentschler in 2009 I think. I think we were ranked in the top 25, or had just been ranked in the top 25, and WVU was ranked.

There was a buzz all over. The game was sold out well in advance, and people came from all over. We, of course, crumbled in the second half when the pressure was on.

Got to win games. Got to in the BIG games. That's all there is to it. We just happen to be in division 1-A now.

Winning is a habit.

 

[Palatine]

Tough to determine what season ticket sales will be like without knowing what the pricing on the next cycle will be. It's pretty clear that it doesn't matter how many people you graduate - if it were that simple every school in the country would be selling out every week.

People have been conditioned that they don't need to buy season tickets because there isn't enough demand to create any scarcity. That's their choice I guess - but part of building a program is support from the fans, so those that are skeptical waiting for success... well it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophesy.

If the conference issue isn't solved it's never going to change. This Conference US-East certainly isn't going to spur attendance.

Not really, BCU graduates about 2,000 a year. BTW, please point out to me where I indicated that was all UConn had to do to sell out?

Besides you missed the point. Big time football was NOT part of the college football experience for UConn students until very recently. Therefore, there was no connection to the football team like there s to the basketball team. There wasn't this great game or week end that was one of the highlights from your undergraduate days.

What I'm saying is that recent grads have a memory of the fun of the games that fans before 2000 don't. They have a much stronger connection. Over time, this will make a huge difference. These are the folks who become your hardcore.

It also impacts, who watches the games on TV, who buys jerseys, who raises their kids as UConn fans, who donates to the program.

These are all extremely important and they take time to develop. But I believe after a dozen years, we are out of the embryonic stage.

 

[uconndogs]

Excellent points Pal.

 

[MattMang23]

I went to UConn completely in the Rent era. I was there for the first bowl game and my first ever game as a UConn student was the first Rent game. I can tell you the students don't care about football much. At least not thru 4 yrs ago when I graduated. Games were off campus and people didn't feel like getting up at 7 am to get there for a tailgate the day after a night of hard partying. Those who did used the games as another reason to get drunk. No one cared about the outcome. Time will tell if that attitude changes with more success but from my recent experience as a student, football still doesn't have much student support or interest. It's good to see younger kids more interested in the team than ever before though, perhaps that will help with the attitude of the student body once those kids get to campus.

 

[Palatine]

I went to UConn completely in the Rent era. I was there for the first bowl game and my first ever game as a UConn student was the first Rent game. I can tell you the students don't care about football much. At least not thru 4 yrs ago when I graduated. Games were off campus and people didn't feel like getting up at 7 am to get there for a tailgate the day after a night of hard partying. Those who did used the games as another reason to get drunk. No one cared about the outcome. Time will tell if that attitude changes with more success but from my recent experience as a student, football still doesn't have much student support or interest. It's good to see younger kids more interested in the team than ever before though, perhaps that will help with the attitude of the student body once those kids get to campus.

You're right SOME students don't care very much. Some students care a lot. The idea that the students are one identical block that all share your views is a bit, egocentric.

 

[tduconn]

I'm not so sure students don't care. At least my niece and all her UConn friends are into the game......and are in the student section for pregame. And stay to the end, regardless of how dismal the outcome may be. And they attend the game for the tailgating experience, social interaction, and to support the student athletes........alcohol is not their primary or only focus.

Those are the fans of the future.....and they are growing.

I think the students in general showed a remarkable interest as demonstrated by their attendance Thanksgiving weekend.......for a team that wasn't too exciting and had a crummy record.....with only a whisper of a chance going to post season play.

I think the students are better focused than some of the "mature" adults that sit near me, some of whose attention span lasts 2-3 quarters.

 

[Nostical]

Pal is right on. But its not just the students who are growing up with a whole new football atmosphere to draw upon. It's also people like me, who attended all the games at Memorial Stadium while a student but none after graduation. The 1-A Big East status coupled with the Rent, brought me back. And now I bring friends who become turned on to UConn football---and my grandkids up in Boston promote UConn football wearing all kinds of UConn paraphernalia.

 

[Palatine]

As a student, my football experience was sitting in the last row of Memorial Stadium, under a blanket with my girlfriend drinking blackberry brandy from the bottle. We even occasionally saw some of the game. Like Nostical, I never went back until the upgrade. Same with my brother and father-in-law, both UConn grads.

 

[MattMang23]

Not trying to be egotistical Palatine, I'm actually being pretty realistic. You see the students at the game. Some of them are into it. Many are not. Sometimes, much of the student section is empty. The students you don't see, which is what I'm basing much of my opinion on, are the ones back in Storrs in their dorms on gameday. The majority of them just don't care about UConn football. Sorry to break it to you.

You may criticize me because I'm being "egocentric" regarding the students' enthusiasm, but what makes my viewpoint wrong and the opposite viewpoint correct? Frankly I think a lot of people here let their devotion to UConn get in the way of the reality, which is fine: this message board is designed for fanatics, not the run-of-the-mill casual fan. You don't get dissenting opinions often here because everyone here is fanatical about Uconn sports.

The problem is most of the student body doesn't care nearly as much about the team as you all do or you all seem to think- at least that was my experience. The student focus is on basketball and that probably won't change.

I think the student attitude is summed up largely by this statement: UConn- awesome basketball school that happens to play football.

Football a

 

[MattMang23]

Football at Uconn passes the time till basketball season starts again.

 

[Palatine]

Not trying to be egotistical Palatine, I'm actually being pretty realistic. You see the students at the game. Some of them are into it. Many are not. Sometimes, much of the student section is empty. The students you don't see, which is what I'm basing much of my opinion on, are the ones back in Storrs in their dorms on gameday. The majority of them just don't care about UConn football. Sorry to break it to you.

You may criticize me because I'm being "egocentric" regarding the students' enthusiasm, but what makes my viewpoint wrong and the opposite viewpoint correct? Frankly I think a lot of people here let their devotion to UConn get in the way of the reality, which is fine: this message board is designed for fanatics, not the run-of-the-mill casual fan. You don't get dissenting opinions often here because everyone here is fanatical about Uconn sports.

The problem is most of the student body doesn't care nearly as much about the team as you all do or you all seem to think- at least that was my experience. The student focus is on basketball and that probably won't change.

I think the student attitude is summed up largely by this statement: UConn- awesome basketball school that happens to play football.

Football a

I not saying any viewpoint is correct or incorrect. I am saying you shouldn't lump students into a monolithic block.

 

[Carl Spackler]

There's a legitimate issue with student interest in games, because the facility is not on campus. It was a bigger problem up until very recently, when all home games weren't even on TV. I'm not sure if there is a transportation system available for students to get to teh games to and from campus for students that want to attend games. There should be.

There are tradeoffs though. The stadium tailgating and game day experience at Rentschler is far superior than what could have been achieved at an on campus facility in Storrs, and putting the stadium off campus was a last resort. It was supposed to be on campus, but the local residents around storrs nixed it after a long legal battle.

The tailgating experience at Rentschler, I'd put up against any football game day in the country and I mean that, it gets better and better every year. The only problem is that it's restricted to only a few hours on game days, and the discussion has been had over and over, that extending tailgating hours would be beneficial to everybody, but the university is not in complete control of those kinds of things as far as I know, I might be wrong about that. I'd like to see the University eventually purchase the stadium and grounds from the state.

There are very few college football venues where every ticket holder can literally park and tailgate as far as the eye can see, yet still be within walking distance to the stadium. No way the game day atmosphere at Rentschler is reproducible on campus, and you probably wouldn't have a full student section at kickoff anyway on campus because the majority of them would be shotgunning beers and/or doing bong hits in their dorm room up until kickoff anyway.

As for the perception of football vs. basketball - from a student standpoint? That's fine, if that's the way you feel. Totally understandable that basketball would take priority. That's the athletic program that has all the glory.

BUT - when you look at attendance in the hartford civic center for basketball games, vs. attendance numbers to football games at Rentschler field across the river, it's a simple fact that there are a lot more people that are going to football games, than are going to basketball games.

And student tickets are not what generate the money in ticket sales.

 

[MattMang23]

That's a fair point, Palatine. Perhaps in my original response to your topic I should have chosen fewer exclusionary terms and better differentiated between some students and all students.

 

[MattMang23]

To answer your question, Carl, yes, there is transportation available. Most don't like using it though and avoid it if possible as it requires being on a bus by around 9am latest and limits tailgating options.