BleedGopher
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2008
- Messages
- 62,774
- Reaction score
- 20,174
- Points
- 113
per Chip:
Mark Coyle spent his first year as Gophers athletic director staring at empty seats.
Football games at TCF Bank Stadium were half full, even for important Big Ten games late in the season. Crowds at Williams Arena steadily improved as the men’s basketball team made a historic turnaround, but the Gophers still finished with their lowest average attendance since the 1970-71 season. Attendance for men’s hockey dropped to its lowest level in five years.
Fan engagement with the three revenue sports on campus is a serious problem. Coyle made that issue a priority after being hired last May.
“It’s not our fans’ fault that they’re not coming to games,” Coyle said. “That’s on us, and we’ve got to earn them back.”
Coyle has launched a series of smart initiatives designed to give fans more voice and better benefits with their financial commitment. He created a new fan advisory board that will allow fans to offer feedback and suggestions directly to Coyle and his leadership staff.
Roughly 550 people applied for the board. Coyle wants the group to consist of 25 to 30 fans from a cross-section of interests. Final vetting is being completed, and the board will meet regularly starting in May.
“We want honest feedback,” Coyle said. “We don’t want people to tell us what they think we want to hear. We want to hear the good, the bad, the ugly.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-ask-for-fan-input-to-regain-their-trust/420963563/
Go Gophers!!
Mark Coyle spent his first year as Gophers athletic director staring at empty seats.
Football games at TCF Bank Stadium were half full, even for important Big Ten games late in the season. Crowds at Williams Arena steadily improved as the men’s basketball team made a historic turnaround, but the Gophers still finished with their lowest average attendance since the 1970-71 season. Attendance for men’s hockey dropped to its lowest level in five years.
Fan engagement with the three revenue sports on campus is a serious problem. Coyle made that issue a priority after being hired last May.
“It’s not our fans’ fault that they’re not coming to games,” Coyle said. “That’s on us, and we’ve got to earn them back.”
Coyle has launched a series of smart initiatives designed to give fans more voice and better benefits with their financial commitment. He created a new fan advisory board that will allow fans to offer feedback and suggestions directly to Coyle and his leadership staff.
Roughly 550 people applied for the board. Coyle wants the group to consist of 25 to 30 fans from a cross-section of interests. Final vetting is being completed, and the board will meet regularly starting in May.
“We want honest feedback,” Coyle said. “We don’t want people to tell us what they think we want to hear. We want to hear the good, the bad, the ugly.”
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-ask-for-fan-input-to-regain-their-trust/420963563/
Go Gophers!!