Student Game Attendance – Root Cause Problem Solving

[dvegas]

Doesn't help that there's no "Friday Night Lights" high school football tradition in New England (and most of the Northeast, PA excluded). A lot of these students probably never went to a HS football game unless they played or were in the band. A winning team (and some incentives) will help cure some of that apathy, but ingrained behavior is generally tough to overcome.

 

[Stew Crew]

Build the oncampus stadium!

There are several issues with an on campus stadium:

1. Cost. How do you justify a new stadium when P&W isn't that old and is expandable?
2. Many fans will not go to Storrs for a game.
3. I'm not sure there is currently an area big enough right now that is adjacent to campus. Before Rentschler, there was talk of putting a stadium behind Northwest and North Campus. Much of that space has been used for dorms, commuter parking, and other facilities.
4. The infrastructure (roads) leading into campus cannot support 30K-40K fans. Traffic into and out of campus for 8K non-students at Gampel is a nightmare.

 

[Bongo Fury]

It’s doable. They can find a way. Is it necessary at this time?

 

[How Sway?!]

Was Student attendance an issue the first two games? Iirc they showed up. Perhaps it was just a one off last weekend and will once again show up this weekend.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

There's no tradition because we're a newish FBS program, we don't have annual opponents that people have heard of and we've been dreadful for a decade...and the bus is a pain in the a.

People forget this board represents 1% of the fan base as opposed to 99%.. our reaction to the majority of fans not respond in kind to blowing out FAU and Buffalo is just a product of our echo chamber.

 

[huskymedic]

There are several issues with an on campus stadium:

1. Cost. How do you justify a new stadium when P&W isn't that old and is expandable?

It’s doable. They can find a way. Is it necessary at this time?

AD Dave gave his thoughts regarding an on-campus stadium in this interview last week in response to a question (begins 14:10 in):

Debated where to drop this but since it has AD Dave talking - this spot will do:



-> UConn Huskies' Strategic Moves in Conference Realignment: What Lies Ahead? The UConn Huskies, with their formidable basketball brand and prime media market position, are poised for significant shifts as conferences realign. Athletic Director David Benedict is steering the team towards both immediate success and future stability.

Explore how NIL and revenue sharing are transforming UConn's recruitment strategies, allowing them to compete with Power 5 schools, especially in football. The episode delves into UConn's brand evolution, highlighting their national recognition and competitive facilities. While an on-campus football stadium isn't on the horizon, the focus remains on leveraging Rentschler Field. Challenges in supporting non-revenue sports are addressed, with UConn's commitment to maintaining competitiveness across all sports.

Join us for an engaging discussion on UConn Huskies' path to success and the strategic decisions shaping their future. Listen now for exclusive insights and expert analysis. <-

 

[RioDog]

Root cause analysis.

Why?
Why?
Why?

I thought it was the Five Whys...

 

[JohnFSilver]

Doesn't help that there's no "Friday Night Lights" high school football tradition in New England (and most of the Northeast, PA excluded). A lot of these students probably never went to a HS football game unless they played or were in the band. A winning team (and some incentives) will help cure some of that apathy, but ingrained behavior is generally tough to overcome.

What? I live in Farmington and grew up in new Britain. The football games, even in Farmington, are a big deal. Everyone goes or at least talks about going. And the games are Friday night. Most bigger schools play Friday night.

What town in CT are you from? Itnisnt Friday night lights? But there is a decent student interest in games. They are watching their friends play.

Hell, when I was in New Britain were going to games in elementary school.

 

[uconnric]

It’s doable. They can find a way. Is it necessary at this time?

No, it really isn't doable. And isn't necessary.

 

[Windham4th]

UConn needs the paying 50-year old more.

They can't be picky at this point

 

[gioff2323]

IMHO, when the adults start going, they can start lecturing the kids.

 

[UCFBfan]

There's no tradition because we're a newish FBS program, we don't have annual opponents that people have heard of and we've been dreadful for a decade

The being dreadful part is a big player but the first part you mention plays a big role too. Why do a lot of students go to the XL Center for BE games? They know the teams because we play them each year and have historical ties to some of them. Those games have some meaning.

When we first opened the Rent, we were a decent team but we played teams people knew and wanted to watch. They were fellow BE schools and even though we never really played them in FB, we knew and hated the schools and their fans because of the bball history. So beating Pitt meant a little more because it was in the midst of the back and forth BE finals battles we had with them. Beating Rutgers meant something because we hated them. Same with 'Cuse.

Right now, no one has any attachment or interest in watching FAU or Buffalo. If we eventually get into the B12, students and fans will turn out because we're playing name brand teams. We're be more prevalent on National CFB coverage. It'll be cool to be at games and watch us play an OSU, WVU, Colorado, etc.

I think our lack of consistent teams in our schedule because of no conference is hurting attendance from students as well as our miserable performance.

 

[JohnFSilver]

They can't be picky at this point

Bleed the 50-gear old geezers.

Says a 47-year old young man.

 

[JohnFSilver]

I thought it was the Five Whys...

If we do a fishbone diagram I am out.

 

[Jetskies]

i've seen enough P4 team stadiums with very unimpressive crowds. From what I've seen this season, only the top schools get packed houses, like what everyone else dreams of.

IMO the only way to get what you want to see, is to just. win.
It's not that complicated, but it's super hard to do - but maybe possible in this NIL era.
Here's what I think needs to happen (not necessarily in order):

1. We need to be winning at least 80% (really 100%) of our games against low level G5 schools first - no one is going to come to the rent. Don't worry about it.
2. Next, we need to win against better and more known opponents - think BC, Syracuse, Duke, Wake, Indiana, Northwestern, Vanderbilt. Not 1 win every 10, we need CONSISTENT wins (~70%) against these mid P4s
3. consistently make bowl games every year, and WIN more than 50% of them.
4. Next we need a signature win in the Jim Mora Era - think on the level of an upset vs. Ole Miss
5. Last, we need to join the best temporary conference situation that we can negotiate football-only membership for. To me, "best" means the best group of competitive, known schools. I'd really rather stay away from CUSA and the sun belt, if we can help it. In the changing CR landscape, someone may be willing to take that uconn FB-only deal eventually. We need to consistently contend and eventually we need to WIN that conference championship. Of course, this is temporary till we get the coveted all-sports invite to a P4 conference.

These are the levels of winning to get people in seats. Don't worry about the rest.

 

[UConnDan97]

There was a student lot pre-covid. Thousands if students came to tailgate, but went back to campus when the game started.

The issue is the students don't care about the football team. We've had a lot of losses the pass 10 years, and none of these students grew up with us winning, so there is no connection or loyalty to the team. People don't like to emotionally invest in the things/people if they think they are going to get hurt. So for years students have decided not to get emotionally invested because they thought we weren't good. It is going to take more than 3 wins to get them excited about UConn football. Add to that shorter attention spans due to cell phones, and most of the students who do show up don't stay past halftime. The transportation is just an excuse for the fact that at this point, they just don't care about the team. We need to keep winning, and eventually they'll hop and the bandwagon.

I just wanted to say that I appreciate you, brotha. My son and I always look for you in the student section, and you're there every week; rain, sleet, or snow, it doesn't matter because you are there.

Keep up the fight, bro...