Whether or not Weber State has plans to jump to the FBS, the attendance at football games is pathetic. But the athletic department is not completely to blame. The schools has had some back luck in scheduling games favorable to good attendance. I have 10 suggestions on improving attendance in Ogden.
1. Nearly half of the student body at WSU is LDS, why schedule games on the first weekend in October? If having a home game that week is unavoidable, why not kick off the game at 8:30?
2. The third week in October is also not a good weekend for a home game in the state of Utah. But this is a problem with most of the Big Sky Conference. Not everyone can play at Sacramento State and Portland State at that time of year. If you have to schedule a game that weekend, why not offer special prices for deer widows and their children.
3. The stadium needs better restroom facilities. Right now, the choice is between waiting in line for the crumbling 40+ year old facility in the northwest corner and using a portable john. Not much of an issue for us guys, but I have a wife and two daughters and I have to hear about it every time a visit to Stewart Stadium is in our plans.
4. Better concession facilities would be nice.
5. WSU offers a degree in business management with an emphasis in marketing and a MBA with an emphasis in marketing. Don't these kids need some practical and challenging real-world experience? Why doesn't the athletic department provide that opportunity? This has been tried with success at Miami of Ohio.
6. Free food for the students at a pre-game tailgating event. (It would have worked for me when I was a WSU student.)
7. Find a way to get more students and alumni involved on the field in the opening ceremonies. For example, students and alumni can have their names drawn to be part of 100 or so WSU people that create a path for the football players to run through at the beginning of the game.
8. Offer a free pass, or a very cheap ticket to area high school kids if they tour campus facilities before games.
9. Fraternity/Sorority Contests to see who can get the most students to the games.
10. Win baby, Win.
Anyone other ideas, post a comment!
3 comments:
Weber needs to make an event out of its game with Idaho State. ISU has wanted to move the game to the last weekend, the traditional "rivalry weekend." Unfortunately, Weber has refused to do so because they are afraid of competing with BYU/Utah. You need to create your own brand. When you consider yourself 2nd or 3rd choice, then the public sees you like that as well.
Now that the U and Y probably will play earlier in the season, Weber and ISU (and maybe even SUU, if it turns out to be more of a rival) need to make that last weekend game a reality. Offer a trophy, give the game a name, something.
1. That's a Big Sky Conference issue, not a WSU issue. WSU won't have conflicts with the conference for the next several years.
2. See #1
3. They are in the master plan.
4. Ditto.
6. This was tried last year.
7. Efforts are ongoing.
8. This is done by campus but can't be done by athletics because of NCAA rules.
Let me speak to #8 as another dumb NCAA rule. It is not just athletics that needs to recruit high school students, but the university as a whole. There has been a proliferation of on-line schools. Traditional colleges will suffer if they can not sell the benefits of a tradition campus life to kids who have grown up on the Internet.
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