We simply have to grow this fanbase | Page 3 | The Boneyard

We simply have to grow this fanbase

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BG79 said:
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?
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Yeah most likely. USF is ranked 16th right now.
 
HuskyBandDad said:
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.
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Penn State single game tickets start around $70. On-line parking passes are $20. Game-day parking is $40 :o
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
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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.
 
BG79 said:
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?
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Probably getting close to sold out.
 
gabect said:
School buses.
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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?
 
Nostical said:
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
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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.
 
toppencil said:
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?
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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.
 
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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).
 
Speaking of Camp Randall:

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


huskysupporter said:
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.
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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.
 
uconn needs to play all saturday games cept for 1 game a year on a thursday night on espn. it needs to be early in the year on tv and vs a bcs team that matters somewhat at least. that one thursday night game is good for national views and for the hs fanbase that cant make it, its made up by others who are going to a big time game. fridays need to be hs fball in this state only and staurdays are uconn. thats the best way to help build the fanbase from a home state fans perspective.
it seems most years in the future we would like to play a mac like team for a "easy"(somewhat) win. make that umass at the rent. it will sell out no matter what due to how close they are etc...
if nova doesn't upgrade, make them our fcs game. we can still have a very good relationship with them in the future after conf stuff shakes out. play them in fball every year and in bball. fball always at our house. bball back and forth. i think they would also be interested in that. they would make a nice paycheck on the fball side, be happy to play uconn h/a in bball. that would help there ooc and those games would be espn bball games easy.
also-i think all saturday games should be(or atleast most) 330 or night games(if its a national tv). why? extend tailgating another hour or 2 and let ppl start to really build uconn saturdays into there lifes. that will help the fanbase building slowly.

basically thats my thoughts. lets say we land in the acc(16 team acc)
we would have 8 acc games, maybe 9 if they do things a certain way. anyway
1-novaat home
2- a BCS team OOC home and away(based on year) thursday night game on espn. make this a whiteout and actually do it with shirts or towels etc...
3-umass home
4-acc game if its a 9 game schedule, if not another BCS game then! same as #2 acept on saturday like a normal game.
5-12acc

there are a million other things that would help as well, especially starting little traditions that eventually become a staple of part of the expierence. when the team hits the field, have jonathan run out first to the center of the field with the team behind him. simple solution. i do like all the sled ideas and others, but this is easy and cool for starters. 45 mins before game time, have a husky howl on the speaker system telling ppl its time to hit the rent...there are a ton more ideas ppl have posted and i like them all. the little things help build is my thought...
 
mets1090 said:
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).
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If the rest of the RENT got behind this team like the students do the place would be rockin'
 
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toppencil said:
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?
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We have students attending in numbers. A Big 12 writer says that he thought the UConn student section rivaled the best in the Big 12.
 
This is one area where I've felt that Hathaway (thank God he is gone) was failing for nearly his entire tenure.

When we were (per what they were claiming) selling out every game in 2004 and 2005, JH behaved as if (at least as it pertained to UConn football's fan base) there was nothing left that needed to be done. When I saw 40k as standard home attendance when we were a neophyte football program (with very limited presence at that time in the most heavily populated part of the state) I was convinced that we could, over the course of a generation, double our fan base and the only thing that would prevent us from having an 80k seat stadium by 2030 would be East Hartford being unwilling to waive the 'not larger than 60k' agreement that was reached when deal on building the Rent was finally struck.

At the moment it is difficult to argue that our fan base (at least those willing and able to attend home games) is any larger today than it was when the Rent opened. I remember getting into debates nearly ten years ago (until I finally gave up on the school doing abything, about five years ago) that the school should make deals with local boys and girls clubs, police athletic leagues, pop warner football leagues, any and every school willing to organize Saturday bus trips just to get younger fans at games, even if it was at a slight loss to the university over the first few years as cultivating a fan base had to be the greatest priority for the football program and, considering the numbers needed for football, a bit more of a blue collar crowd was what had to be targeted. Unfortunately JH only wanted to concern himself with high level donors and ringing the register. If we were selling out the Rent, we had no need to find additional fans (at least this is what his approach appeared to be).
 
I wrote this in another thread. It belongs here.


There are always passionate, knowledgeable fans at UConn games. There are usually greater numbers of passionate and knowledgeable fans at UConn games when the games are against better opponents and the game has importance. But UConn does suffer, in relative numbers, passionate fans compared to many other programs.

Two years ago Georgia played an important game against Alabama. The Gerogia fans dressed in red. It was an impressive showing on television. Everywhere it was red. Every fan was standing. By halftime the game was over for Georgia. No one left. They were still standing.

UConn has more than its share of fans that think it is dumb to put on a color to support the school. There are many fans that refuse to stand up even during exciting moments and many of these fans are not geriatric. Far too many people leave well before the game ends. Certainly less so if the game is exciting and the outcome is uncertain. But I'm always amazed anyone leaves in these games.

This is not just a problem for football. I've been to men's and women's bb games during seasons of NC runs and the above holds true.

Fans on the Boneyard forums are not the prototypical UConn fans. They are the prototypical fans of the major programs in the South and Midwest. Too many fans attending UConn games believe it is wrong to express passion and emotions. They are either successful, stoic types or puritan types.

The Northeast does not lack passionate fans. Anyone attending or observing a Giants game, Eagles game, Patriots game, Yankees or Red Sox game knows this. But this passion is not nearly as evident at the UConn games. The problem imo, was the push by Lew Perkins and Jeff Hathaway to get corporate people into the arenas. Many of these fans have allegiances to other schools and/or many of these fans find sports a diversion or trophy and not an important part of life.

The passionate fans were first moved to upper seats and then out of the arenas all together. President Herbst and the future AD must, imo, reverse this. They could take immediate steps by getting more students into the venues. And not by a lottery which ignores the passionate students, but by allowing the kids to camp out for games. Reserve some seats for high school kids in the state. Hold contests in which kids compete in cheering and dressing competitions for seats. And get those blue collar crazies back into the seats as well.

This doesn't have to be accomplished all at once. Start with a mix, keeping the big sponsors for the immediate bucks. But begin the process. The school needs to think long term and value long term loyalty. The school needs to factor the importance of a large fan base that, although it can't come up with tens of thousands of dollars in donations, will turn on a television set and tune into the game and show ESPN it has a huge viewership to consider. There is no reason at all that UConn should have trouble filling 75,000 to 100,000 seats if they start the process of bringing in the right "type" of fan. I remember growing up and going to the Yale Bowl and there would be 70,000 screaming fans for an Ivy League game.​
 
fleudslipcon said:
I wrote this in another thread. It belongs here.


There are always passionate, knowledgeable fans at UConn games. There are usually greater numbers of passionate and knowledgeable fans at UConn games when the games are against better opponents and the game has importance. But UConn does suffer, in relative numbers, passionate fans compared to many other programs.

Two years ago Georgia played an important game against Alabama. The Gerogia fans dressed in red. It was an impressive showing on television. Everywhere it was red. Every fan was standing. By halftime the game was over for Georgia. No one left. They were still standing.

UConn has more than its share of fans that think it is dumb to put on a color to support the school. There are many fans that refuse to stand up even during exciting moments and many of these fans are not geriatric. Far too many people leave well before the game ends. Certainly less so if the game is exciting and the outcome is uncertain. But I'm always amazed anyone leaves in these games.

This is not just a problem for football. I've been to men's and women's bb games during seasons of NC runs and the above holds true.

Fans on the Boneyard forums are not the prototypical UConn fans. They are the prototypical fans of the major programs in the South and Midwest. Too many fans attending UConn games believe it is wrong to express passion and emotions. They are either successful, stoic types or puritan types.

The Northeast does not lack passionate fans. Anyone attending or observing a Giants game, Eagles game, Patriots game, Yankees or Red Sox game knows this. But this passion is not nearly as evident at the UConn games. The problem imo, was the push by Lew Perkins and Jeff Hathaway to get corporate people into the arenas. Many of these fans have allegiances to other schools and/or many of these fans find sports a diversion or trophy and not an important part of life.

The passionate fans were first moved to upper seats and then out of the arenas all together. President Herbst and the future AD must, imo, reverse this. They could take immediate steps by getting more students into the venues. And not by a lottery which ignores the passionate students, but by allowing the kids to camp out for games. Reserve some seats for high school kids in the state. Hold contests in which kids compete in cheering and dressing competitions for seats. And get those blue collar crazies back into the seats as well.

This doesn't have to be accomplished all at once. Start with a mix, keeping the big sponsors for the immediate bucks. But begin the process. The school needs to think long term and value long term loyalty. The school needs to factor the importance of a large fan base that, although it can't come up with tens of thousands of dollars in donations, will turn on a television set and tune into the game and show ESPN it has a huge viewership to consider. There is no reason at all that UConn should have trouble filling 75,000 to 100,000 seats if they start the process of bringing in the right "type" of fan. I remember growing up and going to the Yale Bowl and there would be 70,000 screaming fans for an Ivy League game.​
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You absolutely hit the nail on the head with the people like embarrassed to show emotion at the games. I just don't get it. It's contagious too I think. West Virginia last year was different, wasn't it? I was on the field too, but were there still the codgers in their seats sitting on their hands when teggs made that kick?
 
Tom Brady implied the crowds in Foxboro are not loud enough recently. Either way, we sure do have a passionate fan base developing, as proven by this message board.
 
I forgot my tickets at home and for 16 bucks go 2....one positive of a weak fan base....and the seats were even better.....I ready to drop my season tickets and scalp
 
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Do a lot of CT High Schools not have lights, therefore play their HS games on Sat.? My niece is a cheerleader and we were watching the games at her parents house. She got home around half time and I asked her why they don't play on Friday, she said they do a lot for away games, but no lights for home games so they are on Sat.
 
BigEastCT said:
I forgot my tickets at home and for 16 bucks go 2....one positive of a weak fan base....and the seats were even better.....I ready to drop my season tickets and scalp
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If you forget your season tickets you can go to ticket window and they will give you a pass into the game. At least they did 2 years ago when my friend misplace his and found them 2-3 games later.
 
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