UConn Football Hoping For Attendance Rebound After Record-Low Season

[Nostical]

It’s not the price of tickets that keep people away, it’s lack of interest in the product on the field. If UConn offered free admission to one of its games, the stadium would still be relatively empty. Win games with an exciting brand of football—well publicized by the Connecticut/New England area media—and people will be looking for ways to buy tickets to the games.

 

[UConnDan97]

It’s not the price of tickets that keep people away, it’s lack of interest in the product on the field. If UConn offered free admission to one of its games, the stadium would still be relatively empty. Win games with an exciting brand of football—well publicized by the Connecticut/New England area media—and people will be looking for ways to buy tickets to the games.

Even the UConn ticket office doesn't believe what you are trying to sell in your statement. If what you said is true, there would never be a need to have any promotional sales to single games or other deals that they run. They would just be throwing away money by doing that.....unless of course they know that it actually DOES work and that it actually DOES increase attendance when they do it.

It's such an old and tired argument but it's one that I'm forced to have about every 4 months on the Boneyard. Does lowering the prices achieve a sellout? No. Does it increase attendance? Absolutely positively...

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

IMO ticket prices do play some role especially when the product is as terrible as it has been. We’re charging P5 money for FCS product. At some point maybe the school will realize selling 6 $10 tickets is better than selling 0 $60 tickets.

 

[UConnDan97]

IMO ticket prices do play some role especially when the product is as terrible as it has been. We’re charging P5 money for FCS product. At some point maybe the school will realize selling 6 $10 tickets is better than selling 0 $60 tickets.

Absolutely right.

Especially when some of those people will be families. My feeling has always been that if you maintain certain level of young kids coming to games, you are helping to foster the next generation of paying fanatics (and students, likely). It's worth the investment...

 

[Waquoit]

pecially when some of those people will be families. My feeling has always been that if you maintain certain level of young kids coming to games, you are helping to foster the next generation of paying fanatics (and students, likely). It's worth the investment...

People here love to bash soccer but every game they have kids wearing a team jersey accompany the players on the walk out of the tunnel on to the field. I bet a big percentage of those kids are fans for life.

 

[blue93]

Even the UConn ticket office doesn't believe what you are trying to sell in your statement. If what you said is true, there would never be a need to have any promotional sales to single games or other deals that they run. They would just be throwing away money by doing that.....unless of course they know that it actually DOES work and that it actually DOES increase attendance when they do it.

It's such an old and tired argument but it's one that I'm forced to have about every 4 months on the Boneyard. Does lowering the prices achieve a sellout? No. Does it increase attendance? Absolutely positively...

I know this to be true first hand, as I'm sure most people on this board do. If I had a nickel for every time I've had an invite to a game turned down because of the price of tickets, I'd be able to buy a ticket to next year's URI game... Most of the people I invite are in their 20's and money can be tight for some, but that seems like a pretty good demographic to be gearing the price towards.

 

[Palatine]

It’s not the price of tickets that keep people away, it’s lack of interest in the product on the field. If UConn offered free admission to one of its games, the stadium would still be relatively empty. Win games with an exciting brand of football—well publicized by the Connecticut/New England area media—and people will be looking for ways to buy tickets to the games.

Price may not be the primary reason. But show me a product where price doesn't matter. I think there are plenty of people on the border who could be enticed.

It's always a lot easy to fill a stadium when you are winning. When you haven't won for seven years, you need to try other things and pricing is one of them.

 

[ktuck911]

we can't fade in games like we did plenty of in games this season.. but again, it was only year 1... I think we'll be much improved under Edsall 2.0.. and the attendance will go up... 2019 will be the season where attendance really takes off.. my two cents... (I still believe in this program)

 

[VAHuskyFan]

The mistake is thinking that the correct price is the one that “maximizes profits” when you’re not anywhere near capacity. Lets’s say you have two choices:

Option 1: Sell 40,000 seats at $20 each
Option 2: Sell 20,000 seats at $50 each.

Sure, Option 2 makes more money in the short term. But to do it, you need to turn away fans and create a worse game-day experience. Players, recruits, and fans all want to hear the “roar of the crowd.” Increasing the price actually decreases quality.

There’s also the element of fan goodwill. Fans who attend games tend to do things like donate to the athletics department, buy team gear, and talk about the team to other people. If they think ticket prices are fair and they’re being treated well, they’re more likely to do all those things.

If, on the other hand, fans think they’re being “taken advantage of” by the athletics department (paying high prices for season tickets only to see last-minute “flash” sales for individual game tickets at 50% off), they tend to get pissed off.

The athletics department should be looking at short-term revenue as part of a broader equation that also includes maximizing attendance and cultivating long term fan goodwill. Focusing on short-term revenue leads to a vicious cycle of dwindling fan interest and is counterproductive in the long term.

 

[John]

Average attendance for UConn games at Rentschler Field:

2003: 37,059
2004: 39,304
2005: 40,000
2006: 38,939
2007: 38,919
2008: 39,331
2009: 38,229
2010: 38,248
2011: 36,668
2012: 34,672
2013: 30,932
2014: 27,461
2015: 28,224
2016: 26,796
2017: 20,334

What source did you use for this and ST numbers?

 

[UConnNick]

AD Dave sold any chance to have a decent turnstile count average in E. Hartford for 1.2 million (the Fenway Park game). I'm not being critical, just stating a fact.

 

[Nostical]

Springsteen charges $1,700.00 for a single ticket to his Broadway show. Show is sold out for months. Joe Smutz with a nice band and catchy tunes charges $10 per ticket and can’t fill a small theater. It’s all music. Price isn’t the biggest factor. It’s talent, excitement, and enjoyment. Lower the game prices to $5 and this Husky team playing these opponents wouldn’t come close to filling the Rent. The school could offer to refund half the ticket price to any fan in their seat by kickoff and they would refund very few.

 

[huskymedic]

What source did you use for this and ST numbers?

How about the linked article?

 

[Uconnalliance]

W=$=

 

[Marty Jackson]

If they want more fans the best thing they could do (besides win) is to price the stadium like they want more fans.

just curious, how many extra fans do you get by doing that and what is the real cost in doing so.
If you want more fans, its a little known secret that the real trick is winning...

 

[metsfan2323]

It’s not the price of tickets that keep people away, it’s lack of interest in the product on the field. If UConn offered free admission to one of its games, the stadium would still be relatively empty. Win games with an exciting brand of football—well publicized by the Connecticut/New England area media—and people will be looking for ways to buy tickets to the games.

Dead wrong, price matters a lot. Offer season tickets for $75 and we would be back over 30K sold per game next year. Heck make it $60 for a limited time and promote it (fathers day gift) and we might sell out the entire season. Price matters a lot in this economy.

Lowering prices and rebuilding the fanbase would indeed be a smart investment and loud sold out crowds help winning and recruiting and then you can raise prices back up. The very cheap season ticket strategy is long overdue.

 

[Block C]

Dead wrong, price matters a lot. Offer season tickets for $75 and we would be back over 30K sold per game next year. Heck make is $60 for a limited time and promote it (fathers day gift) and we might sell out the entire season. Price matters a lot in this economy.

Lowering prices and rebuilding the fanbase would indeed be a smart investment and loud sold out crowds help winning and recruiting and then you can raise prices back up.

I agree. Uconn tickets should be cheaper because a fan base does alter games for the home team. Any money they could make is better than nothing.

 

[metsfan2323]

I agree. Uconn tickets should be cheaper because a fan base does alter games for the home team. Any money they could make is better than nothing.

Yup, and it has to be cheap season tickets, if you just lower prices the week of the game you piss off the season ticket holders which is obviously a dumb thing to do. Selling discounted season tickets before the season starts is the only strategy that works.

 

[UCFBfan]

Dead wrong, price matters a lot. Offer season tickets for $75 and we would be back over 30K sold per game next year. Heck make is $60 for a limited time and promote it (fathers day gift) and we might sell out the entire season. Price matters a lot in this economy.

Lowering prices and rebuilding the fanbase would indeed be a smart investment and loud sold out crowds help winning and recruiting and then you can raise prices back up. The cheap season ticket strategy is long overdue.

Honestly, next year's home slate is so bad and uninspiring that you'd probably have to pay the casual fans and maybe even some more die hard fans to buy season Tix.

Single game tickets next year are going to be real easy to get on the cheap. Don't see much demand to pay full price to see URI or UMass.

 

[uconnphil2016]

just curious, how many extra fans do you get by doing that and what is the real cost in doing so.
If you want more fans, its a little known secret that the real trick is winning...

Not many. We've seen games where tickets have basically been given away. Actually, tickets are basically always given away if you're smart enough....the second hand market for these tickets is never above $15. I think the only price point thing we could really do that would help would be to drop the donation amount on some of the season tix. Selling tickets is all about getting a big season ticket base, and if I didn't have the ability to get young alumni season tickets, I wouldn't be able to afford it. It shouldn't cost like $750 a pop for decent season tickets when you can walk in and just sit anywhere.

 

[metsfan2323]

Honestly, next year's home slate is so bad and uninspiring that you'd probably have to pay the casual fans and maybe even some more die hard fans to buy season Tix.

Single game tickets next year are going to be real easy to get on the cheap. Don't see much demand to pay full price to see URI or UMass.

That's exactly why you have to promote the entire season in a block, single game tickets will be a loser for the school.

You have to create a buzz and the buzz has to come from the outstanding price of the season ticket because there is no buzz created from the schools we are playing.

 

[UCFBfan]

That's exactly why you have to promote the entire season in a block, single game tickets will be a loser for the school.

You have to create a buzz and the buzz has to come from the outstanding price of the season ticket because there is no buzz created from the schools we are playing.

Who would buy season tickets at full price when we all know single game tickets will be available for cheap and you'll be able to basically sit wherever you want? Not sure there's any way the ticketing department can make next season's full package attractive in any way

 

[Block C]

Who would buy season tickets at full price when we all know single game tickets will be available for cheap and you'll be able to basically sit wherever you want? Not sure there's any way the ticketing department can make next season's full package attractive in any way

The only difference is you can meet the team and have a closer parking spot. That’s really the big difference.

 

[Ldandy]

I don't subscribe to the notion that simply dropping prices will significantly raise attendance. Maybe you would see a small uptick in buys, but I don't think the crux of the issue is economics. It's getting people to commit to spending the better part of their Saturday at your game.

JMO people will pay for a good product, or at the very least an entertaining one. Give them little to show for their commitment and it won't matter much if it cost them 10 dollars or 100 to attend, they won't make coming back a priority.

Unfortunately your fans have been conditioned to believe that they can buy a ticket in the lot for 5 bucks and sit wherever they please. Why are they going to commit to a season ticket package? Do they want to become the guy trying to unload unwanted tickets in the lot?

There are promotions and tweaks that can be done to enhance the live game day experience, and I'm sure your AD is exploring all of them. However it will always comes down to winning and losing. Win and casual fans will care again. Win a lot and you will create demand. Do it in an entertaining manner and you will have repeat customers. It's on the coaches and players to rebuild the fanbase.

 

[Waquoit]

Who would buy season tickets at full price when we all know single game tickets will be available for cheap

Good fans