What attendance would constitute a good showing on Saturday?

[Purple Stein]

My kid had soccer games until 1. We parked around 1:55, got into the stadium around 2:10.

Glad 3 of the 5 home games left are at 3:30.

 

[CCSU97]

So what are the estimates and feelings on the CCSU turnout yesterday (and 2022)? How does it compare to other FCS or FBS opponents? Holy Cross, Towson, Stony Brook, or UMass, Liberty, FIU, FAU, etc.?

My take is, with few exceptions, the opponent isn't a huge driver of tickets sold for the away team but Central holds its own for opposing fan support in the crowd.

 

[BlueandOG]

So what are the estimates and feelings on the CCSU turnout yesterday (and 2022)? How does it compare to other FCS or FBS opponents? Holy Cross, Towson, Stony Brook, or UMass, Liberty, FIU, FAU, etc.?

My take is, with few exceptions, the opponent isn't a huge driver of tickets sold for the away team but Central holds its own for opposing fan support in the crowd.

I would play CCSU every season. They travel better than other FCS teams and they are a solid program.

 

[huskymedic]

I would play CCSU every season. They travel better than other FCS teams and they are a solid program.

I would foster a mutually beneficial player development relationship w/ CCSU. New times/new strategies.

 

[CCSU97]

I would play CCSU every season. They travel better than other FCS teams and they are a solid program.

I'd like to see UConn schedule CCSU across the board more often. Keeping more of UConn's non-conference games against Central instead of the Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, and Stony Brooks of the region.

Obviously, FB, MBB, and WBB are not going to be annually due to the dynamics of each school in these revenue sports. We haven't played WBB since the early1990s and that likely by our choice. MBB and FB have been often enough to satisfy both sides.

While Baseball has been almost annually for a weekday game, few of those games are played in New Britain. Women's Soccer had a nice rivalry that is current on hiatus and MSoccer just met for the first time ever last year. VB and Softball should meet each year and include games at Central.

From our side, it's hard enough to compete with UConn in the Statehouse, but you'd like to see more collaboration amongst the the only 2 public D-I program in the State.

 

[CL82]

I mean Storrs Central. UConn said tickets distributed and they chose to embellish.

I guess in this era where facts and truth don’t matter we might as well make it all up.

I'd respectfully suggest that that era has gone on for a very, very, very long time.

That said, there's always been puffery in college athletics attendance figures. Ours is neither anything new nor particularly unique.

 

[CL82]

I would play CCSU every season. They travel better than other FCS teams and they are a solid program.

Probably not, but including them in a rotation of say a half dozen other local teams make sense.

 

[Marbles90]

The pricing model was never right. Big Lew screwed the pooch from the start.

Here’s my experience in case any of you are in the same situation. I am a season ticket holder and had two friends who were on the fence about coming yesterday. I received the special season ticket BoGo offer a few weeks ago, went out to the site and saw that I could get two tix for $10 no fees. Great. I won’t buy them now since I am not sure I’ll need them.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I kept encouraging them to come and especially for my group’s awesome tailgate. I told them I have 2 extra tickets so the game is free. Friday night they said they are coming.

I get up Saturday morning to buy the two tickets and realize that BoGo offer expired. I didn’t see the fine print. Oh well, I’ll just pay the $10 each. Nope. “Gameday Pricing”. $25 each plus fees just to get in. I had no idea they did this. Is that common?

Thanks to the Boneyard and especially @UConn Dan, I was able to get them in the stadium with extras. But I would think charging more on game day would be more of a deterrent for last minute folks who wanna come out.

 

[CCSU97]

Spot on. We complain about the Labor Day weekend, but other teams are getting big turnouts during the same time. Coming off a successful season and a bowl win, there shouldn't be concern about attendance, but that is still an issue for us as we cleanse off the filth of prior years.

As for the production crew showing Joe Zone during gameplay, I was thinking, "why the frack do they keep putting Dean Wormer on?!!?"

We’re front runners. We pile up championships in other sports. When our football program is winning and playing in a legit conference again, the Rent will be full. You won’t see the more casual fans show up consistently until then. They expect bigger games, that’s what they are used to within our athletic department. I know it’s the reason. I ask friends to go and they ask who we’re playing. When I tell them we’re getting better, they take a very cautious approach. They are guys that will believe it when they see it and they will go back. They were there every week when we were in the Big East. Right now they are content to golf, gamble on football games, go to a pro game etc. A so so team playing nobodies doesn’t do it for them. They just aren’t hardcore fans.

As far as Pitt goes, people forget that Western Pa was a football hotbed for generations. That reputation has slipped some as the south has taken over football. Football fandom runs really deep in Western PA. I’m not surprised they pulled that many. At the same time you see schools like Wake and others with nobody in the stands. We had a good showing today with a nice crowd. The other fans will be back. Let’s worry about our D Line for now. That’s the more pressing matter.

Agreed! And to further the point West Virginia had 57K for its opener against Robert Morris of the NEC. Bobby Mo was blown out and that didn't impact attendance.

I know for most UConn fans, it is a chicken-egg theory, but hard to say that Connecticut can ever support football at the ACC or BigXII level. Tough pill to swallow for many here, but objectively not sure you can see it any other way.

Yes, major conference affiliation would improve the attraction of the home schedule and probably would draw a few extra fairweather and bandwagon fans in good seasons. This State has basketball in its blood and football at all levels will be a very distant afterthought. That's not the culture at these other schools (and the Duke, Kansas, and Indiana have been in the club since the beginning).

 

[BugsyCT]

Agreed! And to further the point West Virginia had 57K for its opener against Robert Morris of the NEC. Bobby Mo was blown out and that didn't impact attendance.

I know for most UConn fans, it is a chicken-egg theory, but hard to say that Connecticut can ever support football at the ACC or BigXII level. Tough pill to swallow for many here, but objectively not sure you can see it any other way.

Yes, major conference affiliation would improve the attraction of the home schedule and probably would draw a few extra fairweather and bandwagon fans in good seasons. This State has basketball in its blood and football at all levels will be a very distant afterthought. That's not the culture at these other schools (and the Duke, Kansas, and Indiana have been in the club since the beginning).

Off-topic, what's the status of Elijah Howard? His injury was non-contact and was wearing a boot & on crutches later on. Hopefully not an Achilles.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Its like our BCS years never existed when were drawing 40k. 35-38 for fcs.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

who was the poster on here who said UConn was going to lose to CCSU? I am sure he was shocked with the results

 

[CCSU97]

Off-topic, what's the status of Elijah Howard? His injury was non-contact and was wearing a boot & on crutches later on. Hopefully not an Achilles.

Calf injury. Hopefully minor and be back soon. Supposedly coach said he was a little banged up in camp.

Central hosts D-II AIC this Saturday, so that's another week he can rest, if needed.

 

[Chin Diesel]

So, there is unanimous consent the crowd was at least as big as expected and was energized up until the game was well past decided.

 

[Viet Vet]

If they would agree, I’d like to see a three year rotation of opening games against FCS in-state opponents, CCSU, Yale and New Haven.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Waquoit]

Cental fans were a big part of the crowd. We had quite a few Central fans in the 102-103 area. Many seemed to eschew covering one shoulder. I imagine it was to keep cool.

 

[The Viking]

Agreed! And to further the point West Virginia had 57K for its opener against Robert Morris of the NEC. Bobby Mo was blown out and that didn't impact attendance.

I know for most UConn fans, it is a chicken-egg theory, but hard to say that Connecticut can ever support football at the ACC or BigXII level. Tough pill to swallow for many here, but objectively not sure you can see it any other way.

Yes, major conference affiliation would improve the attraction of the home schedule and probably would draw a few extra fairweather and bandwagon fans in good seasons. This State has basketball in its blood and football at all levels will be a very distant afterthought. That's not the culture at these other schools (and the Duke, Kansas, and Indiana have been in the club since the beginning).

When we were in the Big East the rent was getting sell outs and RGIII called it the loudest place he ever played outside maybe Texas and OK.

I like the idea of playing CCSU maybe in rotation every other year with another decent local NE school. But def. Get them on the schedule more yea