Attendance?

[PMWinSTP]

The top section was often empty and ss section has really done great job.

I've had season tickets since kills since 2013, ss hasn't always shown strong

Top wasn't often empty. Been there since it opened. No doubt it's gotten more full but it was never often empty.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Fill the stadium is always my view. Student tix were $10/game in my day. I thought that was cheap for how fun it was to ride the bus to the dome cheering ‘who hates iowa’ no matter who we played. Get them freshman hooked early, thats what got me as a lifelong fan. Even though wisconsin 2005 happened. But hey we got the jug and the pig.

$14 with season ticket now.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

Student section was great, tailgating was extremely fun, the weather was top notch for fans and the executed as well as I have seen them in an early non conference game.

 

[Ope3]

$14 with season ticket now.

I think they were $5 per game my freshman year in '87. Up to $6 by '90.

 

[Panthadad2]

Fill the stadium is always my view. Student tix were $10/game in my day. I thought that was cheap for how fun it was to ride the bus to the dome cheering ‘who hates iowa’ no matter who we played. Get them freshman hooked early, thats what got me as a lifelong fan. Even though wisconsin 2005 happened. But hey we got the jug and the pig.

~$50-55 for student season tickets in the late 1990s to 2000. It made the expensive Leinenkugel stand at the top of the student section a little more palatable.

 

[DarrenTheGreek]

I was pleasantly surprised that in my section (211) there were a lot of new and younger fans around me towards the top. It seemed there were quite a few groups of new fans that were in their 20's and likely recent graduates. That was great to see and it added a lot to the energy. A couple of them even *GASP* stood up during defensive plays.

 

[Wcfan56]

I was pleasantly surprised that in my section (211) there were a lot of new and younger fans around me towards the top. It seemed there were quite a few groups of new fans that were in their 20's and likely recent graduates. That was great to see and it added a lot to the energy. A couple of them even *GASP* stood up during defensive plays.

I sit in 211 also. Seems to me that the fans are getting younger and the narrative that Gopher fans are a bunch of gray haired types is very outdated.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I sit in 211 also. Seems to me that the fans are getting younger and the narrative that Gopher fans are a bunch of gray haired types is very outdated.

Can confirm, bought a lot of “Just For Men” recently.

 

[Ope3]

I sit in 211 also. Seems to me that the fans are getting younger and the narrative that Gopher fans are a bunch of gray haired types is very outdated.

In the lower deck the trope appears to still be valid. I am in my early 50s and still feel I am bringing down the average age.

 

[Schnauzer]

Our section is fairly young. Most everyone within a few rows of me is in their 20's and 30's. I'm in my 50's and I'm the old man at our tailgate too. I've noticed our section stands a lot more than the non-student sections around us too. First deck, between seatbacks and students. I spoke to a dude that just picked up season tickets and he is flying in for the games from out of town. Looked to be in his 30's. He looked and sounded like me 20 years ago. Pumped to have season tickets and looking forward to everything.

 

[1994Convert]

My freshman year was 1994. Season tickets were free at the front desk of Territorial Hall for the Air Whacker era. I still foolishly squandered $18* for the season tickets. Big fan ever since.

* Footnote - back then they required you to purchase two season tickets at a time, so I had to fork out $36 which really cut into my Dominoes Pizza budget for the quarter.

 

[Tlsbhansen]

Freshman get free tickets to the opener, not sure how long they've done it but it has packed that section the past few openers.

They also shut down food service elsewhere and give them vouchers for food at the stadium I believe. If they want to eat, they have to go to the game.

 

[Ope3]

They also shut down food service elsewhere and give them vouchers for food at the stadium I believe. If they want to eat, they have to go to the game.

That's a sneaky creative way to get them in the Bank. I'm not against it. Some foreign students may be really baffled by what's going on, but what the heck, gopher it.

 

[Schnauzer]

Top wasn't often empty. Been there since it opened. No doubt it's gotten more full but it was never often empty.

If there are three people in the upper deck student section, it is not technically "empty" - and perhaps that is the disagreement here and that is your requirement for the statement that the student section was often missing a lot of students. Either that or your memory is simply flawed or blocked when it comes to student section attendance.

Here is something that was written as recently as 2019 (which is the year the issues with the student section actually started to improve)...

Dear TCF Bank Stadium Student Section: It’s Your Turn to Change Your Best.

The Gophers are 8-0 and attendance at TCF Bank Stadium continues to grow... but the student section still has plenty of meat on the bone. Here’s an open letter, asking you to change your best for the good of the program.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

But, giving you the benefit of the doubt - If the student section never did have an attendance issue, why did they shrink it by two entire sections on the first deck (Sections 119 and 131 used to be part of the student section, and no longer are) and what was Jerry Kill doing handing out tickets to students around campus in his early years?

 

[noamfromm]

If there are three people in the upper deck student section, it is not technically "empty" - and perhaps that is the disagreement here and that is your requirement for the statement that the student section was often missing a lot of students. Either that or your memory is simply flawed or blocked when it comes to student section attendance.

Here is something that was written as recently as 2019 (which is the year the issues with the student section actually started to improve)...

Dear TCF Bank Stadium Student Section: It’s Your Turn to Change Your Best.

The Gophers are 8-0 and attendance at TCF Bank Stadium continues to grow... but the student section still has plenty of meat on the bone. Here’s an open letter, asking you to change your best for the good of the program.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

But, giving you the benefit of the doubt - If the student section never did have an attendance issue, why did they shrink it by two entire sections on the first deck (Sections 119 and 131 used to be part of the student section, and no longer are) and what was Jerry Kill doing handing out tickets to students around campus in his early years?

I think I got ~20 students tickets to western illinois for free back in '13 -- the struggle to get students to care was real

 

[Schnauzer]

I think I got ~20 students tickets to western illinois for free back in '13 -- the struggle to get students to care was real

Yep. To ignore the fact it used to be a big problem, is to short change the big improvements that have taken place since 2019.

That 2019 season (and I would argue specifically the Penn State game) was the dividing line between Gopher Game day being greatly ignored by students, to games being popular again.

 

[AtTheLibrary]

Here is a picture around 13 minutes left in first Qtr.. the lines to get into the stadium around 7.45 were very long (not uncommon) so it probably filled in a bit

 

[fair]

The growth of the student section has been a really nice result of the Fleck era. A couple students visited our tailgate (relative of one of our regulars) and when they left early, they said it was because they wanted to get to the stadium in time to avoid having to sit in the second deck. Separating the student section in decks like the rest of the stadium was one of the two big design mistakes of the Bank in my opinion (the other being the undersized band pit).

I realize freshmen get free tix to the first game but in just a couple years the atmosphere has gone from horrible student attendance to the Bank becoming the place to be for students on game days. I love to see that.

I thought 44k attendance was “okay” for a tough sell of a game.

Could not agree more with your point that separating the student section between the upper and lower deck was a mistake. I’m pretty sure Minnesota is the only school in the B1G (and one of very few in P5) that has a split student section. I’ve always been of the opinion that the student section should be sections 115-135, or at least 117-133

 

[noamfromm]

Yep. To ignore the fact it used to be a big problem, is to short change the big improvements that have taken place since 2019.

That 2019 season (and I would argue specifically the Penn State game) was the dividing line between Gopher Game day being greatly ignored by students, to games being popular again.

with the caveat that I and 15 other non students stood in the first row of the second deck of the student section that game -- I'd like to see the support continue through the season, but I'd expect it could because this group of seniors has had the best gopher football experience in generations

 

[noamfromm]

Could not agree more with your point that separating the student section between the upper and lower deck was a mistake. I’m pretty sure Minnesota is the only school in the B1G (and one of very few in P5) that has a split student section. I’ve always been of the opinion that the student section should be sections 115-135, or at least 117-133

I think that would make it a better atmosphere for them -- but from a quick look both Michigan State and Iowa have split student sections top/bottom. Nebraska has a split student sections in physically separate parts of the stadium -- Ohio State has students in both end zones.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Could not agree more with your point that separating the student section between the upper and lower deck was a mistake. I’m pretty sure Minnesota is the only school in the B1G (and one of very few in P5) that has a split student section. I’ve always been of the opinion that the student section should be sections 115-135, or at least 117-133

Many B10 stadiums are bowls or bigger decks. We have the newest stadium in the conference. We have about 30 rows per deck. Camp Randall's lower bowl is 70 rows and there is only an upper deck on one side. Our student section also went into the upper deck at the dome at the end of the Mason years. I like the way we do the student section. Get there early or sit in the upper deck.

 

[fair]

I think that would make it a better atmosphere for them -- but from a quick look both Michigan State and Iowa have split student sections top/bottom. Nebraska has a split student sections in physically separate parts of the stadium -- Ohio State has students in both end zones.

I see you’re right on Michigan State- didn’t realize they had that weird little upper deck section. Are you sure about Iowa though? I know that it’s “split” somewhat, but I didn’t think it was an upper vs. lower deck. Thanks for the fact check, my memory has apparently failed me

 

[noamfromm]

I see you’re right on Michigan State- didn’t realize they had that weird little upper deck section. Are you sure about Iowa though? I know that it’s “split” somewhat, but I didn’t think it was an upper vs. lower deck. Thanks for the fact check, my memory has apparently failed me

Yeah, Iowa has students in the endzone and along the numbers. In the south endzone the sections are split -- it's not another deck but it's used for wheelchair seating and is physically separate from the lower "bowl"

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

That's a sneaky creative way to get them in the Bank. I'm not against it. Some foreign students may be really baffled by what's going on, but what the heck, gopher it.

I'm not opposed to bribery or other methods that my attorney keeps telling me to stop posting on the internet about.