Jump to content
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
  • advertisement_alt
TheGoldCrotchPiece

What is up with Attendance & Game Promotion?

Recommended Posts

12 hours ago, TheGoldCrotchPiece said:

We've been talking about this randomly in other threads, figured I start one specially dedicated to attendance and ( lacking) game promotion.

Some topics to get us started:

  • Student attendance: very weak. Yes, I do think back to back to back home games and the late start to the home schedule let freshmen settled into college life without football.  However, even with giveaways and a ranked team (top 25 match up this past week) we can't seem to draw nearly as many students as in years past, even when we sucked. NO STUDENTS STOOD DURING EITHER GAME AND MADE ZERO NOISE. We need to get some student organization back involved. When I was in school it was T-Unit then came along Doc's Army... now???
  • Tailgating: Walked over to lot 13 & 14 during the home opener, it was just sad. What happened to the awesome tailgating in lot 14? Bad tailgating hurts student attendance as well. I know the school wants to be the morality police (Deb Moriarty in particular) but come on gotta let the kids be kids and enjoy something that is supposed to bring the college experience together. Lot 21 tailgating seems fine and basic (my spot is on that side). However, lot 21 could really be upped with an area set up to sell food and beer, saving the donors from having to bring everything. Also both tailgate sides should have a pop up team shop. The one places that is always popping during games is the team store, alumni want to buy stuff! SELL IT TO THEM.
  • Tickets: $50 for season tickets? So cheap and yet we can't seem to sell them? Not claiming to know an answer here.
  • Game promotions: Do they even promote game on campus? General question, I have no idea but when I was in school they had signage up all over game weeks, cheerleaders and players would hang out in the union giving out flyers. Regardless of that, to the general fan the athletics staff is really just following the generic game day promotions playbook. (Home opener, Pink Game, Parents Weekend, Homecoming, Senior Day) My high school had better themes. The only thing missing from the generic playbooks is hometown heroes and first responders (vomit) and if we had six home games I bet that would be it.
  • Food: I feel like the food has been the same for 15 years. Nothing healthy or fresh,  no grilled options (hot dogs are boiled), drinks are soda and Gatorade no tea or other limited sugar options. Why no bring third party brands? Boardwalk fires, chickfila, any pizza brand, etc.
  • Booze: Turtle on the track is a nice addition but it keeps people out of their seats. Just sell booze in the stands...its 2018... The food also sucks down there. Positive the beers are cheap!
  • Field House: Having it open during the game keeps people from going to their seats. Keep it open for bathrooms or whatever but encourage people back into the stadium
  • Sponsors: Do we have any good ones? Do we pay UA or do they pay us? Also WTF is New Day USA? Looks like a scam to me.

It's just mind boggling to me an athletics department connected to a school with a large business program and marketing department (which I am a graduate from) can't seem to understand the basics of generating awareness and interest. Run an internship program??? Having radio/prints/tv ads is a massive waste of money and not relevant in driving interest in 2018. We are stuck looking like clowns with a half full stadium on game day with a 1990's playbook on how to address 2018 sports entertainment.

Call up DC United, Ted Leonsis and ask/beg them for some basic tips. My only ask is to not get cheap and call Dan Synder. Free advice just don't do whatever it is we are doing and whatever it is dan synder would do.

two words... Mike Waddell.  

But seriously the marketing is awful and has no creativity.  food options to improve would be nice, along with hoops games. 

, our attendance sucks so why would sponsors want to advertise?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was apart of the marketing crew that had the huge attendance increase and playoff sellout. We did things way different, Waddell supported our ideas and he had some pretty good ones. I had a conversation with an alum who wanted some tips he could take back to the administration. They used some of them for the first game but not for the second.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

A lot of very valid points and suggestions made thus far on how to improve attendance.  I would also look the schedule as well to generate more buzz.  Towson has little or no name recognition outside of the mid-Atlantic.  While I respect Towson for taking on the likes of LSU, West Virginia, Northwestern, IU and USF in recent years, that does nothing for us from a respect or credibility standpoint (even though we gave LSU all they could handle) if we get pummeled. 

I think scheduling FBS games against mid and low-tier programs like Marshall, Tulane, Charlotte, UMass, Georgia State would be more beneficial in that they are much more winnable games.  If we can become known as the FCS program that regularly beats FBS teams, regardless of their conference affiliation, I think helps to sell the interest in the team to potential fans and ticket buyers.

With regard to our HOME non-conference games, we need to schedule better than Citadel and St. Francis and Holy Cross, etc.  Let's get some FCS heavyweights in here....let's schedule home & homes with North Dakota State, Montana, Eastern Washington, etc....I know FBS schools don't travel to FCS schools, but let's schedule the best-of-the-best in FCS for some home games.

Even though we evidently have a very good and talented team this year, until we string together SEVERAL seasons of winning football with a few playoff appearances and perhaps a National Championship or two, most people will be apathetic about Towson Football.  Towson doesn't have a football heritage or culture that people outside of the program itself can identify with.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

We’re playing Florida next season for the $$$. That one game could mean close to a million dollars if not more. You’re not making that when you play an FBS mid-major. Why would Charlotte or Georgia State play us now and risk losing. They can make millions by playing a P5 or two. Kent State is making $3.4M next season by playing Auburn and Arizona State. This season, they made $3.65M by playing at Ole Miu, Illinois and Penn State.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
24 minutes ago, AtlantaTiger said:

A lot of very valid points and suggestions made thus far on how to improve attendance.  I would also look the schedule as well to generate more buzz.  Towson has little or no name recognition outside of the mid-Atlantic.  While I respect Towson for taking on the likes of LSU, West Virginia, Northwestern, IU and USF in recent years, that does nothing for us from a respect or credibility standpoint (even though we gave LSU all they could handle) if we get pummeled. 

I think scheduling FBS games against mid and low-tier programs like Marshall, Tulane, Charlotte, UMass, Georgia State would be more beneficial in that they are much more winnable games.  If we can become known as the FCS program that regularly beats FBS teams, regardless of their conference affiliation, I think helps to sell the interest in the team to potential fans and ticket buyers.

With regard to our HOME non-conference games, we need to schedule better than Citadel and St. Francis and Holy Cross, etc.  Let's get some FCS heavyweights in here....let's schedule home & homes with North Dakota State, Montana, Eastern Washington, etc....I know FBS schools don't travel to FCS schools, but let's schedule the best-of-the-best in FCS for some home games.

Even though we evidently have a very good and talented team this year, until we string together SEVERAL seasons of winning football with a few playoff appearances and perhaps a National Championship or two, most people will be apathetic about Towson Football.  Towson doesn't have a football heritage or culture that people outside of the program itself can identify with.

 

Two problems with your statement:

1. Besides NDSU no FCS teams regularly beat FBS teams and that includes bottom tier FBS programs.

2. There is ZERO incentive for any FCS team to schedule good Home and Home's with other good FCS programs. NONE. The name of the game is to get 8 wins (7 if you are in a strong conference and have name recognition, Delaware, UNH, Richmond, Nova, UNI, Montana, SHSU, etc.) By scheduling tougher games it only makes the road to the playoffs more difficult.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
5 minutes ago, AtlantaTiger said:

We're playing Florida next season?!?  Oh geeeeez.......but hey, at least we get that $$$, right??

We played LSU in 2012 and lost by 16. We beat UConn and should have defeated ECU. I know the kids want to play in The Swamp. It’s better than playing at Albany or Elon even if there’s no shot of winning 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If the question is how do we get more people to show up at games, the answer is NOT Citadel or St. Francis or Holy Cross.  Even some CAA squads aren't that appealing (SEE: Stony Brook).

The reason why a lot of smaller schools draw great at home games is because they're literally the only show in town.  People go bonkers for the Bison because what else is there to do in Fargo.  Same can be said for many other schools.  There are far too many options for people's entertainment (sports) dollar in the Baltimore/DC market to compete with Towson football.

Now, if we reel off three or four seasons of 8+ wins with a few deep playoff runs and maybe send a couple of guys to the NFL who stick and make names for themselves at high-profile positions, then, maybe people will latch on to Towson football.

I don't think this is a question of "chicken or the egg".....we need to win over several consecutive seasons to build up the fan/student interest.

GO TIGERS!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think getting a student group like T-Unit to push for attendance is key. Back in 2011, we had a big crowd for the Morgan opener. I expected the attendance to shrink big time the following week against Nova, but we still had about 7,500, maybe more. And here's the more telling  indicator: most of the students stayed till the end (and rushed the field) even though we had a sizable lead in the fourth quarter. Partly because of that team's unexpected success (and highly entertaining offense -- like this year's), the pattern persisted. We had bitter cold weather and sleet for a night game on Halloween, but I'm pretty sure we drew 5,000, which is more than attended this past week's game in much friendlier temperatures. When we faced off against UNH on a chilly November day, the crowd was back up to 6,000 or more. Admittedly, many factors were in play, but one that can be duplicated is getting a student group to get behind the team.

One other thought: One of my daughters went to JMU, graduating in 2006. When she was there, home games started at 6, and if you had a campus meal plan, the only place to get your grub was at the stadium. That pretty much guaranteed a full house. Not sure how that could be set up logistically here -- and someone would probably raise a stink that it was discriminatory -- but maybe it's worth considering.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, TuTigers2012 said:

Two problems with your statement:

1. Besides NDSU no FCS teams regularly beat FBS teams and that includes bottom tier FBS programs.

2. There is ZERO incentive for any FCS team to schedule good Home and Home's with other good FCS programs. NONE. The name of the game is to get 8 wins (7 if you are in a strong conference and have name recognition, Delaware, UNH, Richmond, Nova, UNI, Montana, SHSU, etc.) By scheduling tougher games it only makes the road to the playoffs more difficult.

 

100% correct!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

Footer title

This content can be configured within your theme settings in your ACP. You can add any HTML including images, paragraphs and lists.

Footer title

This is an example of a list.

Footer title

This content can be configured within your theme settings in your ACP. You can add any HTML including images, paragraphs and lists.

Footer title

This content can be configured within your theme settings in your ACP. You can add any HTML including images, paragraphs and lists.

×