UConn Football Season-Ticket Sales Down Sharply From Last Season

[blue93]

The athletic department is getting what they deserved. There hasn't been an incentive to buy season tickets for a long time now, other than knowing you're supporting the school.

There isn't a single season ticket holder that buys season tickets because of the value. That's the problem. It was only a matter of time until the core of the fan base got tired of being taken advantage of.

Winning might cure some of it, but the season ticket structure needs to be completely overhauled if there's any chance of filling the stadium again.

 

[Nostical]

I get the concern, and I have it too, but there's just too much pessimism being expressed.
First, UCF isn't dropping 50 on us!!
Also, I believe talented management with innovative ideas can turn a seemingly hopeless enterprise around. There was Bill Veeck and Charlie Finley in baseball. I just read where Hardee's was considered dead and buried in the fast food arena. New guy comes in, renovates, improves the menu, ramps up advertising and now its thriving. He and his group just bought Buffalo Wild Wings and will turn them into sports books when the new gambling laws go into full effect.
Incentivize the folks marketing the stadium, keep improving the product on the field and this can be fixed. Innovative leaders who can find a way to buck the trend and stem the attendance decline will be heroes in their industry.

 

[CTMike]

Turn the Rent in to a sports book and maybe we are on to something.

 

[JMick]

Exactly, thats why JMick argument doesn't make much sense, its devoid of facts.

I'm not sure why my opinion is so upsetting to you. I just don't see butts getting back into the seats unless we play P5 football. We got demoted and people lost interest. I don't think we're going to get them back by going 8-4 in the AAC.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[jimva]

It's the conference. Most people in Connecticut don't know anything about college football. I get asked all the time "why are we in a minor league instead of playing real schools?" Perception is often reality

Sorry, its not the conference. Winning solves everything. Until we are able to do this, the should cut prices in half and be more active running themes/group events to fill the stands. If they are going to get $X for the seats they sold fill the stands and get food/merchandise.

 

[JMick]

Sorry, its not the conference. Winning solves everything. Until we are able to do this, the should cut prices in half and be more active running themes/group events to fill the stands. If they are going to get $X for the seats they sold fill the stands and get food/merchandise.

What do you consider to be winning? Is winning a winning record or winning the league and competing for a NY6 bowl?

 

[Hogoff]

What do you consider to be winning? Is winning a winning record or winning the league and competing for a NY6 bowl?

Perhaps competing for conference championships.

 

[ASweet3781]

Sorry, its not the conference. Winning solves everything. Until we are able to do this, the should cut prices in half and be more active running themes/group events to fill the stands. If they are going to get $X for the seats they sold fill the stands and get food/merchandise.

Its everything. Why does it always have to be one or the other?

It's the conference. It's the product. It's the losses. It's the ticket prices. It's the insane guy we had coaching us for 2 years. It's the failure to get us into a P5 and the hapless pushback against false media narratives that kept us out. It's the fact you can watch any game now on ur computer or TV for either free or a small price. You don't have to leave your house anymore. It's the fact UMass usually puts a better offensive product on the field in this entire time span. It's the fact we never put together a schedule than can get us out of this rut and back to winning games.

It's everything. You don't go from 30,000 season tickets to 9,000 in this span without a tidal wave of fail on every level.

 

[RSTuthill]

Losing team in a minor league is the perception, valid or not. (The first part is valid at least.) Not gonna change until the start of the 2020 season after UConn goes bowling in 2019. The season ticket sales at the start of next year will be even uglier.

 

[Palatine]

Right, but Memphis didn't go from playing big time programs that they had established regional rivilaries with to playing lesser programs. So winning means a significant bump. We can't count on that because their are other variables outside of winning. Of course, it'll help, but we're never gonna average 35-40k again

Never?

 

[Skiblets]

Its everything. Why does it always have to be one or the other?

It's the conference. It's the product. It's the losses. It's the ticket prices. It's the insane guy we had coaching us for 2 years. It's the failure to get us into a P5 and the hapless pushback against false media narratives that kept us out. It's the fact you can watch any game now on ur computer or TV for either free or a small price. You don't have to leave your house anymore. It's the fact UMass usually puts a better offensive product on the field in this entire time span. It's the fact we never put together a schedule than can get us out of this rut and back to winning games.

It's everything. You don't go from 30,000 season tickets to 9,000 in this span without a tidal wave of fail on every level.

Man if I could give this post 1000 likes and a mic drop I would. Perfect summation

 

[TheDoggPound]

All the more reason why they could've done the ticket booklet for ALL season ticket holders..

 

[whaler11]

I get the concern, and I have it too, but there's just too much pessimism being expressed.
First, UCF isn't dropping 50 on us!!
Also, I believe talented management with innovative ideas can turn a seemingly hopeless enterprise around. There was Bill Veeck and Charlie Finley in baseball. I just read where Hardee's was considered dead and buried in the fast food arena. New guy comes in, renovates, improves the menu, ramps up advertising and now its thriving. He and his group just bought Buffalo Wild Wings and will turn them into sports books when the new gambling laws go into full effect.
Incentivize the folks marketing the stadium, keep improving the product on the field and this can be fixed. Innovative leaders who can find a way to buck the trend and stem the attendance decline will be heroes in their industry.

All we have to do is find management with innovative ideas.

 

[whaler11]

Anthony nailed everything.

 

[CTMike]

Its everything. Why does it always have to be one or the other?

It's the conference. It's the product. It's the losses. It's the ticket prices. It's the insane guy we had coaching us for 2 years. It's the failure to get us into a P5 and the hapless pushback against false media narratives that kept us out. It's the fact you can watch any game now on ur computer or TV for either free or a small price. You don't have to leave your house anymore. It's the fact UMass usually puts a better offensive product on the field in this entire time span. It's the fact we never put together a schedule than can get us out of this rut and back to winning games.

It's everything. You don't go from 30,000 season tickets to 9,000 in this span without a tidal wave of fail on every level.

This this this.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Exactly, thats why JMick argument doesn't make much sense, its devoid of facts.

I'm sure more people would come to watch an offense that puts up 50 points a game.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This should come as a shock to no one, who actually attended games in the past 4-5 years - especially the late season debacles.

On the condition/assumption that somehow there is a watchable, meaningful, WINNING football team on the field, there is no reason to think there wouldn't be a significant rise in individual game ticket sales - especially late season games that might actually mean something.

 

[SubbaBub]

Boise, UCF, Memphis, and UH all draw good crowds; 30k plus on average. 3 of those schools play in the same conference as we do. Boise plays in a worse conference. All 4 are able to draw good crowds because they win. Yes it helps that they play an exciting brand of football (all have dynamic offenses).

No reason UConn can't get to 30k attendance on average again if we put a winning product on the field.

AAC is a a huge upgrade for all those schools and there is nothing else around Boise for 3 states.

 

[J187Money]

Ticket prices went way up for people paying seat donations. I tried to explain that but everyone just got mad at me.

That number includes students and the family freebees.

That is downright frightening.

Sure - but that doesn't mean that we would have sold more season tickets with lower prices. There are tons of "non-donation" seats available. People don't want to come at any price.

 

[whaler11]

Sure - but that doesn't mean that we would have sold more season tickets with lower prices. There are tons of "non-donation" seats available. People don't want to come at any price.

It’s clear that free wouldn’t interest most people - but telling us you are lowering prices when infact they went up for your best customers is just plain idiocy.

 

[J187Money]

It’s clear that free wouldn’t interest most people - but telling us you are lowering prices when infact they went up for your best customers is just plain idiocy.

I'm not going to blame the administration for federal tax policy.

 

[whaler11]

I'm not going to blame the administration for federal tax policy.

I don’t blame them for the change - but they created the structure they did so people could take advantage of it. So pretending when it goes away that they lowered prices is a farce.

But what do I know - they have lost 75% of the ticket buyers they clearly know what they are doing.

 

[JMick]

Losing team in a minor league is the perception, valid or not.

100%. The problem is that the conference is good at football, but unless you are relatively knowledgeable in regards to college football, it looks like we're a bad team in a league full of nobodies. Going 2-10 in the AAC isn't the same as going 2-10 in the ACC

 

[HartfordHank]

Sorry, its not the conference. Winning solves everything. Until we are able to do this, the should cut prices in half and be more active running themes/group events to fill the stands. If they are going to get $X for the seats they sold fill the stands and get food/merchandise.

I do not think that reducing the price puts more people in the stadium. Right now you can get a single ticket for $30.00 with fees. If you want to commit to six ticket (vouchers) you are looking at $15.00 each. Those prices are not keeping people from attending games. How many people have had tickets and not been able to give them away.

It is more of a time priority issue. I only have so many free hours to spread around. Do I want to spend 4 to 6 of those hours at a UConn football game. That is the dynamic that has to be addressed. Are parents with young children willing to prioritize UConn Football over Soccer, Baseball, Youth Football, etc. Do current 18 to 30 year olds spend 4-6 consecutive hours doing anything?

 

[J187Money]

I don’t blame them for the change - but they created the structure they did so people could take advantage of it. So pretending when it goes away that they lowered prices is a farce.

But what do I know - they have lost 75% of the ticket buyers they clearly know what they are doing.

That's not WHY they lost 75% of the ticket buyers. That's purely a product issue (performance/conference/schedule/etc all rolled into one).

 

[UConnNick]

I would have gone to those games. But I would still be going if I lived in CT. It’s not like the old big east had these great teams that would pack the rent. This league is on par with that league.

The AAC is the old Big East football conference. Three of the schools we still play in the conference (USF, Cincy and Temple) are old BE teams. Houston and UCF are at least on par with, if not better than the elite football programs in the old Big East as it existed at the end. There's nothing wrong with the AAC as a football league. The argument that UCONN fans won't show up to see these conference teams is silly. Seven straight losing seasons for front running CT fans would have brought similar attendance results even if the old BE had survived.

 

[whaler11]

That's not WHY they lost 75% of the ticket buyers. That's purely a product issue (performance/conference/schedule/etc all rolled into one).

That specific reason is not why they have lost 75%. But they have lost 75% so maybe they shouldn’t be immune to legitimate criticism?

 

[CL82]

I don't know, maybe a Thursday night game, which is televised, for a losing team wasn't the best formula for turn out. Not saying that is the only issue, but it's definitely an issue.

 

[Carl Spackler]

100%. The problem is that the conference is good at football, but unless you are relatively knowledgeable in regards to college football, it looks like we're a bad team in a league full of nobodies. Going 2-10 in the AAC isn't the same as going 2-10 in the ACC

Did you just try to write an argument that sometimes 2-10 is good? it seems like you tried to write an argument that sometimes 2-10 is good.

2-10 is not ever good.