We simply have to grow this fanbase

[businesslawyer]

I am a new fan, or at least someone that wants to be a fan. I want a local team to get behind and root for but there seems to be some serious issues that make me really have to seek out how to do so with this team. TV coverage for one, we all know about the SNY debacle from last saturday but the first game of the season had no television coverage at all. I don't get why games arent on local network affiliates and not buried on SNY a channel that very few even know exists on their cable fan unless they're a met fan.

Another thing that is making this very trying is the extremely boring and predictable 1980's high school style offense. It's run run run and more run. I am a fan of a pro style offense but man I'd almost prefer triple option crap over to what we have right now.

Now another issue is I do not know how family friendly the games are. I havent attended a game yet but I'd like to but I want to know if it's the kind of place I can bring a young child to without having beer spilled on us and people fighting or swearing nearby. If anyone has some experience in this area I'd love to hear some feedback and suggestions as to where to sit.

That's a pretty full of oneself email from someone "who wants to be a fan." Get over yourself. Not every I-A football game is on television. The fact that UConn will have 11 of 12 on TV (with the 12th on ESPN3), and had 12 out of 12 last year, is not something to whine about. It's an outstanding percentage. Not to mention, the game against Fordham was at home. You can't bear to miss a game against a I-AA opponent, here's an idea -- shell out $10 and get a butt in a seat.

The TV station isn't good enough for you? You need a lower number because you can't count to 718 or 61 (which are I think SNY's numbers on cablevision)? Maybe you shouldn't be a UConn fan. Root for Notre Dame.

I don't think I'm believing this was a serious post. I'm afraid I just fed the trolls.

 

[BG79]

That's a pretty full of oneself email from someone "who wants to be a fan." Get over yourself. Not every I-A football game is on television. The fact that UConn will have 11 of 12 on TV (with the 12th on ESPN3), and had 12 out of 12 last year, is not something to whine about. It's an outstanding percentage. Not to mention, the game against Fordham was at home. You can't bear to miss a game against a I-AA opponent, here's an idea -- shell out $10 and get a butt in a seat.

The TV station isn't good enough for you? You need a lower number because you can't count to 718 or 61 (which are I think SNY's numbers on cablevision)? Maybe you shouldn't be a UConn fan. Root for Notre Dame.

I don't think I'm believing this was a serious post. I'm afraid I just fed the trolls.

I don't think insulting new fans is a very good way of growing the fan base. Nice Welcome.

 

[gabect]

I don't think insulting new fans is a very good way of growing the fan base. Nice Welcome.

The Boneyard is like a frat, you have to get flamed a couple times and go through the initiation process.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't think insulting new fans is a very good way of growing the fan base. Nice Welcome.

I'm sorry. That's the equivalent of the girl who says she would like to date you, but then gives you the changes you'd need to make for her to be interested and it becomes clear that she really wants to be with some other type of guy. If, as I doubt, that was even a serious post.

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I'm sorry. That's the equivalent of the girl who says she would like to date you, but then gives you the changes you'd need to make for her to be interested and it becomes clear that she really wants to be with some other type of guy. If, as I doubt, that was even a serious post.

Who'd spend that much time just to drop a soft insult? Seriously. Welcome to the suck, bg79.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

They don't allow beer sales?

Plenty of beer to choose from. The crowd is, for the most part, well behaved. A very good tailgating crowd. I have been to every game for the last 6 years with my wife and friends and have even taken my 82 year old mom multiple times to see my daughter in the band. There are quite a few games with discount tickets but not always well advertised. So jump on board and buy some tickets and try it out.

 

[BG79]

Plenty of beer to choose from. The crowd is, for the most part, well behaved. A very good tailgating crowd. I have been to every game for the last 6 years with my wife and friends and have even taken my 82 year old mom multiple times to see my daughter in the band. There are quite a few games with discount tickets but not always well advertised. So jump on board and buy some tickets and try it out.

Thanks for the civil response, did you sit in that special family section or did you sit wherever? Where do you find the discount tickets? What games do you recommend for the best atmosphere and competition?

 

[Jarhead_1775]

I've sat all over with my 11 year old daughter. Never had a problem. Spectrum of beer is from coors light to olde burnside brewery's dirty penny (brewed in east Hartford). It's pretty good stuff actually. Cheapest tickets you can usually scalp on gameday. Otherwise check the paper or uconnhuskies.com.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

Thanks for the civil response, did you sit in that special family section or did you sit wherever? Where do you find the discount tickets? What games do you recommend for the best atmosphere and competition?

Not in family section.Season ticket holder. Sit in section 207 so I can see video screen and the band. $30 per game. Check Uconnhuskies.com for promo tickets also WTIC radio and BigY have promos but mostly for non- Big East games. Best games are Big East teams - Rutgers , West VA I like the best - also tough ticket to get.

 

[BG79]

Wow, just looked at the ticket prices for the USF game. The cheapest is 35 and I think an additional 5 dollar fee. Last I looked a couple of weeks ago I was seeing tickets for around 15 dollars. Is this because of the opponent?

 

[UCDaveD]

Wow, just looked at the ticket prices for the USF game. The cheapest is 35 and I think an additional 5 dollar fee. Last I looked a couple of weeks ago I was seeing tickets for around 15 dollars. Is this because of the opponent?

Yeah most likely. USF is ranked 16th right now.

 

[SubbaBub]

I would like to know what the big time programs charge for tickets both cheap and expensive and parking ,ect. We need to make it affordable at home before we can expect fans to travel. We should have went to the Orange instead of the Fiesta Bowl if everyone cared about how many fans could travel - would have been 1/2 the cost. I bet Stanford would have had more of their fans at the Fiesta than Orange bowl too.

Penn State single game tickets start around $70. On-line parking passes are $20. Game-day parking is $40

 

[Dann]

im going to start kidnaping people and bringing them to the games. this will help.

 

[auggie22]

i've said this before but it is worth repeating - get one new person (friend, co-worker, relative, neighbor) each year to join you on season tickets. we each commit to doing that and we will have thousands of new season ticket holders (and probably hundreds of new boneyarders) before you know it. we should pin up a post where we can respond when/if we "sell" an add'l ticket, once the season ends. instead of wailing that the sky is falling, this is what we can do to help take control of uconn's destiny.

 

[toppencil]

The formula is the same for all sports, play great competition, recruit and win games. If you do that in college football, the stadium will be full every home game. Hard to get there.

 

[Nostical]

While away game attendance is one of the many measures of a program's success, I'm actually more concerned about our home attendance. While there can be varying expectations and rational explanations as to the size of fan bases traveling to away venues, it is not so for home games. The simple and hard truth is that you simply won't be seen as big time unless your home atmosphere rocks. I watched the start of Clemson/Fl St. on TV. During pre game, as the band was performing, the stands were packed and active, a sea of orange. Penn State stadium is always full as the band makes its pregame entrance. Have you ever seen the stands during our pre-game? I sit there each game asking the same question. Where is everyone? Of course I already know where they are--in the tailgating lots. And we all know the excuses--not enough time for the tailgate--no warning blast, etc. And at kickoff, even during TV games (when lots of outsider impressions are formed about a program) it's often still half empty. Even if LSU was here for a night game, during the pregame/kickoff, thousands of seats would remain empty while fans, though perhaps technically in the stadium, would stand back in the concourse openings and congregate in the shadows--the product of a poor stadium design. Contrast that with the opening TV scene Saturday night at WVU. Pundits can debate whether their football is SEC quality, but no one can say the atmosphere was lacking. We have a long, long way to go and I'm sure there are lots of good ideas out there (and on this board). And please don't tell me it will only change with better, more exciting football. It will take something more than that. Perhaps our new admin will pursue the necessary changes, but whatever the reasons for the current state of affairs, we need to get it fixed--and soon. Watch this and wonder. And I could have chosen any game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3dW6AqRFP0&feature=related

 

[toppencil]

What does the school do to get the students to the home games? I don't live in CT anymore but I know the stadium is off campus.

 

[gabect]

Wow, just looked at the ticket prices for the USF game. The cheapest is 35 and I think an additional 5 dollar fee. Last I looked a couple of weeks ago I was seeing tickets for around 15 dollars. Is this because of the opponent?

Probably getting close to sold out.

 

[gabect]

What does the school do to get the students to the home games? I don't live in CT anymore but I know the stadium is off campus.

School buses.

 

[toppencil]

School buses.

Yeah but how hard are they working to get the students to actually go. Do they have to pay to get in? Creating a college atmosphere requires the students be there in numbers. Is that happening?

 

[HuskyBandDad]

While away game attendance is one of the many measures of a program's success, I'm actually more concerned about our home attendance. While there can be varying expectations and rational explanations as to the size of fan bases traveling to away venues, it is not so for home games. The simple and hard truth is that you simply won't be seen as big time unless your home atmosphere rocks. I watched the start of Clemson/Fl St. on TV. During pre game, as the band was performing, the stands were packed and active, a sea of orange. Penn State stadium is always full as the band makes its pregame entrance. Have you ever seen the stands during our pre-game? I sit there each game asking the same question. Where is everyone? Of course I already know where they are--in the tailgating lots. And we all know the excuses--not enough time for the tailgate--no warning blast, etc. And at kickoff, even during TV games (when lots of outsider impressions are formed about a program) it's often still half empty. Even if LSU was here for a night game, during the pregame/kickoff, thousands of seats would remain empty while fans, though perhaps technically in the stadium, would stand back in the concourse openings and congregate in the shadows--the product of a poor stadium design. Contrast that with the opening TV scene Saturday night at WVU. Pundits can debate whether their football is SEC quality, but no one can say the atmosphere was lacking. We have a long, long way to go and I'm sure there are lots of good ideas out there (and on this board). And please don't tell me it will only change with better, more exciting football. It will take something more than that. Perhaps our new admin will pursue the necessary changes, but whatever the reasons for the current state of affairs, we need to get it fixed--and soon. Watch this and wonder. And I could have chosen any game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3dW6AqRFP0&feature=related

You are right on 100% - I am a past band parent and current season ticket holder and it amazes me how empty the stadium is during pregame - there is no excuse. 4 hours to tailgate is plenty of time but I would have no problem if it was extended to 5 hours. The only way it will change is if all fans make every game a full day event from 4 hours of tailgating to staying after the game to watch the band do the post game performance - it is only about 15 minutes long - it is better than sitting in traffic waiting to get out of the parking lots.

 

[HuskyBandDad]

Yeah but how hard are they working to get the students to actually go. Do they have to pay to get in? Creating a college atmosphere requires the students be there in numbers. Is that happening?

Student section is sold out for all games and I think the students pay about $2.00 to take bus to game. They have also offered additonal discount tickets to students for certain games.

 

[mets1090]

Student tickets are $7 per game. Bus tickets are $2 per game.

For the ISU game (and other games in which there are expected to be tickets left over), there is some amount of $10 reserved seats available (as opposed to the general admission student section tickets).

 

[huskymedic]

Speaking of Camp Randall:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVS87pYQNvw

In the last two seasons, I have been to games at Michigan, Ohio State, and 3 weeks ago I was at a game at Camp Randall Stadium At U Wisconsin. It is like night and day.

A few thoughts:
- I think one big issue is the price of the chair backs, and the lack of people in them. Not sure how this can be resolved, but it is rare where I see that section filled up.
- Expand the student section and promote UCONN football to the students! Make them aware of buses to the game. Set up a huge tailgate spread for the students where they can hang out before the games. The student section at Wisconsin was the best I have ever seen. Totally involved and they all had unique things they did.
- The Stadium atmosphere at the Rent is horrific. Can we do something original? Or something unique to UCONN? At Wisconsin, they played several different songs, (one of which "Jump Around" had everyone, not just the student section, dancing and going crazy before the 4th quarter - And it was a blowout). Find some song, any song (please no Sweet Caroline), and play it before the 4th quarter. The crowd can sing along, dance, whatever. People have been talking about having a dog sled lead the team out, not sure if this has ever been proposed.
- Let the fans get to know the team a little more. At Wisconsin, they had "Ask the Badger". And several UW football players answered a question ("What was the best invention of the last 100 years?" One player said "a bed", and an O or D Lineman said "Dippin Dots, because it is the future", I could not stop laughing).
- Tailgating - I wouldn't change much. I have been to alot of college venues, and I think UCONN has a fantastic tailgate set up. One thing I would change is do more for the kids. Have Jonathan walk around, or the cheerleaders. Have the band perform. Although they might already do this.

 

[Jax Husky]

Scheduling is absolutely killing UConn. I know the paradox about being on TV, but these Thursday and Friday night games are killing a good portion of the fanbase. Any father with a kid that plays youth football ain't going to a UConn game on Thursday night, nor is their football-loving son. You have to play on Saturdays. That doesn't mean you can't schedule a single Thursday night game if a big opponent is coming to town, but you cannot have your first 3 home games scheduled on Thurs, Thurs, Fri.