Three Year strategic plan for UConn Football Crowd source

[Skiblets]

So with baseball done for the year my focus has shifted to the football season - one of the most anticipated seasons since the BCS year IMO given the collective redshirt season.

Anyway. In the spirit of crowd sourcing, thought we should help with ideas for the strategic plan for football to augment the one that Benedict and Edsall have already. Please limit the snark. So I’ll start.

1. Facilities. We’re good on campus. Improve the parking and in stadium experience at the Rent. Fewer in game commercials. Locker room improvements for recruiting purposes. Synch up the band better with the play on field. Get Red on the field for the UCONN.

2. Schedule. Think we’re in good shape. Get a big name to play us in New York. A Wisconsin perhaps as part of a home and home
Or a Florida state to enhance our recruiting there.

3. Secure bowl tie in even if it means a financial commitment or creating a new bowl. I’m looking at you Fenway

4. Succession plan for both Benedict and Edsall. This is the main reason we took a free fall after RE left. Hathaway had no contingency plan. Need someone who understands what it takes to assemble a competitive roster given our unique circumstances which means documenting the ‘formula’ and having a potential list of replacements at the ready

5. Obviously a better product on the field

6. Attendance. Offer four free tickets to one game for all the lapsed season ticket holders from our peak. Include blue parking passes People loved the experience the first 8 or so years at the Rent. And post pandemic they’re looking to re engage with others. Instead of calls to buy seasons maybe calls to say ‘come back. Check us out. We’re going to be competitive again and a program to be proud of

7. Adjust the student bus schedule so the first bus leaves mid fourth quarter.

8. Appeal to the non alums who have adopted
UConn as their school with an ‘honorary alum’ program. Cast the net widely as UConn being all of Connecticut’s team

9. Set up the equivalent of a Commanders in Chief trophy with the growing number of independents. BYU. U mass NM State etc. As stupid as this sounds we need each other.

What else?

 

[Exit 4]

More wins

 

[ConnHuskBask]

What would an honorary alum program entail?

 

[Skiblets]

What would an honorary alum program entail?

A ‘homecoming’ of sorts perhaps. A way to acknowledge all the fans who support the school and did not go there

 

[Skiblets]

More win

Of course. See number 5

 

[CTMike]

Of course. See number 5

 

[Woof 101]

First no attack just my take.
1) Facilities are fine.
2) There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to play a game in NY. Have to get fans in our own house back first.
3) Bowls are so already watered down and unattended, financial commitment absolutely unattainable or even another loss of ching UConn could take at this time.
4) Succession plan is telling recruits I'm not being recruited in good faith.
5) No brainer here, something they can only hope for.
6) You cannot give away tickets and blue lot passes to folks that gave up after the first eight years over those that have remained loyal and payed for the games and parking.
7) What is the logic of the student bus leaving mid fourth quarter? Maybe OK if their an all drunk bus, but the students are needed in the house especially if that is the opponents end zone in the 4th quarter.
8) There is a program that allows anyone to become a UConn alum. Not for everyone but a good cause. One can see the Med School site.
Body Donation Program | School of Medicine
9) So who wins the trophy if they don't play one another?

 

[formerlurker]

A ‘homecoming’ of sorts perhaps. A way to acknowledge all the fans who support the school and did not go there

I think you mean "Fan Appreciation" festivities. I didn't spend 6 years and another Summer getting that scroll to just see alum titles handed away at Football Games. I don't think it's a bad idea to show more love to the fans who don't follow the team like we do but we need to rethink point # 8.

Aside from that, I see validity in all of your other points. My only other suggestions are move #5 to the #1 spot and rethink the 9th word of point #9.

 

[hardcorehusky]

1. Rentschler Field App which gives you replays of different angles. Have a drone with a camera that sends the replays to the phone. Now no need to stay at home you can see it in person and watch the replays in your seat. Also, will show video booth replays as they see it.

2. Tailgating promotions - they have one team out there looking for the best tailgate. Have a best tailgate for each lot with a seat upgrade for the winning tailgate(including a suite).

3. Years ago when the students started to leave early, the idea was to auction off something of value to the students who stayed the whole game. When UConn went after the better student grade wise and more foreign born students- they lost the kind of student who would sit through a whole game AND cheered appropriately. Time to entice the students to come and stay the whole game.

4. To help with 3 - a student tailgate that has beer vouchers for 21 and over. In my day, I would drive for free beer. Only proviso this time is they have to take the bus back to campus.

5. Initially we had no problem selling out with season tickets. The key here is to move back to that - the mini ticket packages are good to get people back but ultimately to get to 40K, we need a base of 28,000 to get to 40K.

6. DB has been doing a great job of scheduling. Getting 1 whale in a year would help drive ticket sales- even if it is from the other team. (See Michigan game and season tickets sold).

7. State kids need to go to UConn to play football. It is good for everyone and will help drive attendance from those towns that the kids come from. Other than Jackson Mitchell and Travis Jones, I don't think we have any other CT starters at the moment.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Needs to be Citi Field and not Fenway. We Need to continue to solidify our footprint in the NYC market. And Citi Field is a much nicer venue than the dump known as Fenway.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Needs to be Citi Field and not Fenway. We Need to continue to solidify our footprint in the NYC market. And Citi Field is a much nicer venue than the dump known as Fenway.

I agree- my problem with Fenway isn't the parking or the facilities. It's FSG and its NESN push for BC, the ACC and small town New England sports. Other than being in Hockey East and Matt Barnes, they don't know UConn and Connecticut. They ignore the basketball programs until they win a National Championship. This has been from Day 1 - they ain't changing now.

 

[BlueandOG]

1. Long-term vision for 1) joining a power 5 conference or 2) finding a tie-in to the post season. We are a long way off from competing for the National Championship, but we will never get there if we do not have a way to play the game.

2. Increase experiences for fans at games. For the 21+ crowd, have a beer garden, cornhole tournament, keg bowling, themed food and drink area (think specialty menus based on the opponent). Near it, have a family centered area with a beer garden (maybe the central feature), inflatables play structures, mascot and cheerleaders walking around, etc.

3. Sell craft non-alcoholic beer and mocktails.

4. Have a UCONN police officer or two lead a procession of cars from Storrs to the game on 84. Give all cars in the procession a little UCONN flag to put on the window. Make the students (and anyone else in the procession) feel special.

5. Invite kids who play flag and tackle football to the pregame on the field and let them meet the players, etc. Plant the seeds for future fans and get families to the games.

6. Develop some kind of "12th player" pregame thing like the Seattle Seahawks.

7. Win

 

[BlueDogs]

Winning solves most things. Basketball was attendance decline until Hurley got the program moving towards winning more games. Now the bandwagon is full again. Problem is RE wasted 2 years being a stubborn idiot with his DC, recruiting tweeties, and running our OC out of town. This is really year 2 of his rebuild thanks to his ego plus shutting down last year. Just win baby.

 

[Bonk]

I think step one to any successful football program is don't ummmm cancel your season

 

[crazyUCfan23]

So with baseball done for the year my focus has shifted to the football season - one of the most anticipated seasons since the BCS year IMO given the collective redshirt season.

Anyway. In the spirit of crowd sourcing, thought we should help with ideas for the strategic plan for football to augment the one that Benedict and Edsall have already. Please limit the snark. So I’ll start.

1. Facilities. We’re good on campus. Improve the parking and in stadium experience at the Rent. Fewer in game commercials. Locker room improvements for recruiting purposes. Synch up the band better with the play on field. Get Red on the field for the UCONN.

2. Schedule. Think we’re in good shape. Get a big name to play us in New York. A Wisconsin perhaps as part of a home and home
Or a Florida state to enhance our recruiting there.

3. Secure bowl tie in even if it means a financial commitment or creating a new bowl. I’m looking at you Fenway

4. Succession plan for both Benedict and Edsall. This is the main reason we took a free fall after RE left. Hathaway had no contingency plan. Need someone who understands what it takes to assemble a competitive roster given our unique circumstances which means documenting the ‘formula’ and having a potential list of replacements at the ready

5. Obviously a better product on the field

6. Attendance. Offer four free tickets to one game for all the lapsed season ticket holders from our peak. Include blue parking passes People loved the experience the first 8 or so years at the Rent. And post pandemic they’re looking to re engage with others. Instead of calls to buy seasons maybe calls to say ‘come back. Check us out. We’re going to be competitive again and a program to be proud of

7. Adjust the student bus schedule so the first bus leaves mid fourth quarter.

8. Appeal to the non alums who have adopted
UConn as their school with an ‘honorary alum’ program. Cast the net widely as UConn being all of Connecticut’s team

9. Set up the equivalent of a Commanders in Chief trophy with the growing number of independents. BYU. U mass NM State etc. As stupid as this sounds we need each other.

What else?

In regards to the busses, I believe the first school sanctioned bus to leave is at halftime. It is the frats and sororities that rent their own buses that head back to campus before the game starts. Not sure there is much to be done about that besides putting a more competitive product on the field. I do understand your point that it would be nice if more students actually went into the games.

 

[CL82]

I think step one to any successful football program is don't ummmm cancel your season

Yeah, well we were undefeated in 2020 baby!

 

[John Greene]

Has AD Dave announced a date to raise the NYT Championship Flag?

 

[uconnric]

I think step one to any successful football program is don't ummmm cancel your season

You probably would've been better off canceling yours, but at least the ACC gave you a schedule to play.

 

[LIuconn]

Embrace tailgating & create the premier environment in the NE
Create in-game environment that attracts people. Places to walk around, a beer garden, good food vendors etc
Rentschler app is a good idea. Gotta embrace tech

 

[JohnFSilver]

More wins

You gotta win games. There is a segment of our fanbase that loves to have the paperbag over their head. And, they celebrate UConn's poor performance as if football winning diminishes other sports.

I jsut think winning cures that. I don't get why UConn fans have to act like they will never win a national championship. No . Neither will BC, Syracuse, Rutgers and almost every other FBS team outside of the storied programs.

 

[ZooCougar]

You gotta win games. There is a segment of our fanbase that loves to have the paperbag over their head. And, they celebrate UConn's poor performance as if football winning diminishes other sports.

I jsut think winning cures that. I don't get why UConn fans have to act like they will never win a national championship. No . Neither will BC, Syracuse, Rutgers and almost every other FBS team outside of the storied programs.

Win games. Make game day fun again. It’s like the second you get on the premises security wants to kick you in the nuts.

 

[Ldandy]

The only plan they better have in place is how fast the school starts looking for a new HC if Randy wins less than 4 games. The last 4 years have had to use up any remaining good will that Randy had with even his most ardent supporters. If HCRE doesn't start putting a competitive team on the field he has got to go. If he loses to Holy Cross or Yale maintenance should change the locks on The Burton Complex before he gets back from the stadium. Enough is enough. Every player is a Randy Scholarship Offer. Every coach is a Randy Hire. The team had an entire year to lift weights and watch film. At some point results have to matter.

 

[noeynox]

Don't know what it would cost, but go to all chairbacks at some point.

 

[freescooter]

You gotta win games. There is a segment of our fanbase that loves to have the paperbag over their head. And, they celebrate UConn's poor performance as if football winning diminishes other sports.

I jsut think winning cures that. I don't get why UConn fans have to act like they will never win a national championship. No . Neither will BC, Syracuse, Rutgers and almost every other FBS team outside of the storied programs.

John I agree with you completely. There is a group of basketball only fans , and it is a fairly sizable group, who don’t want any other program to succeed. They grudgingly accept the Women now, but dismiss them as women‘s sports, and would happily see other programs fail in the misguided theory that it means more for basketball. I know a few who don’t particularly like that we have a hockey team with ambitions now too.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Free/cheap tickets does not do a damn thing. Hasn’t for years. Need wins and to shift perception to bring people back.