Would attendance improve if...

[UConnChapette]

UConn replaced those painful bleacher benches with chairbacks so everyone has a chairback? That was one of the big reasons I quit buying season tickets there, along with the parking costs, deciding to buy season tickets for football, and having two kids in college that just stretched my budget to thin. But the comfort factor weighed just as heavy as the financial factors. Especially now that one has graduated and the other is old enough to not have our income count toward financial aid and he qualifies for pell grants and other aid that brings his tuition at Central to peanuts (in comparison). The thought of only getting bleacher seats as a season ticket holder since 1997 is just not appealing.

I would like to hear how much of a drop in capacity would result by going all chairbacks. It isn't like they have been selling out the joint for years now, not even the men sell out Gampel.

I suppose it is a dream....

 

[UConnChapette]

Just looked to see what the impact in seating was when the old Alexander Memorial Coliseum was renovated to the McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech (which was where my son's graduation was held and I can tell you it is absolutely gorgeous!) AMC had a seating capacity of 9,191 while the new McCamish Pavilion has 8,900. There are clearly more than 291 vacant seats for most, if not all, of the UConn women's and men's games. The GT renovation replaced most of the bleacher seating with chairbacks. I think the only bleacher seating in McCamish is now the student sections - and since they rarely sit during games the form of seating is irrelevant to them.

I am now in a financial position that I can afford to go back to season tickets at Gampel, but only if I can be sure I will get a chairback.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I am one that would attend more games if the seating in Gampel wasn't so miserable. It seems obvious that economics isn't the only factor keeping fans away. Ticket prices have come down yet attendance continues to fall.

However, I think that too many non-competitive games may be the primary cause and better seating probably won't fix that.

 

[pinotbear]

It would have to help customer satisfaction - there's been far, far too many comments through the years about the poor seating. I certainly would prefer a chairback, if for no other reason to keep the hamhock thigh of the 325-pounder behind me somewhat restrained. And, as has been noted too many times, it really rubs salt in the wound when you see how many of those chairbacks are unoccupied, yet still zealously guarded well into the second half.