Iowa Game Attendance issue.

[CrocShots]

I just Send this email over to Maturi, just to see what he says.

Mr. Maturi,

I have been thinking of a solution for the potential attendance problem for the student section for the Iowa game and would like to see the section filled. The problem is that it is Thanksgiving weekend and many of our out of state students won't be able to attend, thus leaving the student section bare or somehow filled with Iowa fans. My solution to this would to sell tickets for 10 bucks to attract people to pick them up at a cheap price and as a nod to the State whose counties are adorned across the stadium, allow entrance to the facility if they have a Student ID from a University or College throughout the state. I know there are a lot of students elsewhere who would love to attend a Gopher Game, but were unable to get in because of this problem. I understand and agree with the rationale of the MN student IDs because we helped pay for the stadium, but I think in this special case, with the season we're having, it could help drum up support for the team going forward and help increase marketability for the program in the future, because I think this a big problem for the program. As a U alum It wouldn't bother me to involve the entire state and really become the main attraction in the state.

Thanks a ton,

 

[Letsgogophers]

Croc,
That's one hell of a good idea!

 

[Silvio]

I'm not sure what the big problem is? Is it that there is a game scheduled over the Holiday Break? Or is it the poor student attendance in general? Or is it that student attendance mirrors attendance in general?

The answer to all these questions is to win at a consistent level (where fans think it is realistic to win each and every game regardless of the opponent). Discounting tickets will only result in more Iowa fans in the stadium since that is where the demand for tickets is.

 

[CrocShots]

Silvio, I'm purely talking about student tickets. The problem is that there are a lot of students form out of state who cant just go home for Thanksgiving and make it back for a (more than likely) 11 am game. Hell, A drive to Madison is 4 hrs, Milwaukee is 5, and forget about the other places.

I agree that winning is the best remedy, but the timing just stinks in this case.

 

[tikited]

Free to all students. Just like a Woodstock situation. Dier situations call for dier measures. I'm not kidding at all. Free to all students.

 

[Iceland12]

Free to all students. Just like a Woodstock situation. Dier situations call for dier measures. I'm not kidding at all. Free to all students.

I'd rather have the damn thing empty then have a bunch of Minnesota college students from Iowa sitting up there!

 

[Art Vandelay]

LOL!

I'm sure Maturi will get right on the "brilliant" idea.

If a student from another MN school wanted to go to a Gopher game they would just go. It's not like tickets are hard to come by. There are 2 sets of 4 tickets around my office that go unused just about every week. In fact, someone won a set of 4 for the OSU game in a drawing during our Employee Appreciation week and the guy couldn't go and he couldn't even give them away. They are still in his desk drawer as we speak....

 

[CrocShots]

Well Maturi responded:

"Thanks for your recommendation. We are working on a plan for the Iowa game and hope to have more Gopher fans in attendance."

At least they are aware of the issue.

 

[Klondike Gopher Fan]

Well Maturi responded:

"Thanks for your recommendation. We are working on a plan for the Iowa game and hope to have more Gopher fans in attendance."

At least they are aware of the issue.

Wow, step back---great mind at work! A little late in the game to simply be working on a plan, don't you think, Joel??

 

[RodentRampage]

I wouldn't think that students at other universities around the state would be very inclined to come to the U for a football game. First of all, they have their own teams, and secondly, discounted tickets are a minimal incentive when someone would have to go for a long drive to come to the games. I'd rather give the tickets to high school students.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I wouldn't think that students at other universities around the state would be very inclined to come to the U for a football game. First of all, they have their own teams, and secondly, discounted tickets are a minimal incentive when someone would have to go for a long drive to come to the games. I'd rather give the tickets to high school students.

That weekend the only teams that might be playing are UMD, UST & Bethel.

It is playoff time.

 

[Law_Abiding_Gopher]

How many student season tickets were actually sold? The U can only sell the tickets that were not sold, as the students who purchased student season tickets purchased a spot at every game for the entire year, even if they are not coming.

It's not like the Gopher ticket office can just sell the season tickets that Joe Blow from Aitken is not going to be able to use that weekend out from under him.

I realize this is a stupid point since the student section has grown smaller and smaller since game 1 against Air Force last year, but basically I can't see a logical scheme that involves the U re-selling tickets that they have already sold.

 

[Foggie]

I am more concerned with the number of Minnesota "fans" who want to pay for their entire season by selling their Iowa tickets to rabid Hawkeye fans.

 

[Law_Abiding_Gopher]

I wish I was reading the opposite of this thread on the Hawkeye message board. TCF South sounds better than Kinnick North. I think. Or perhaps if our fan base was similarly rabid we could have TCF branches in Madison and Iowa City like they do here?

 

[tjgopher]

How many student season tickets were actually sold? The U can only sell the tickets that were not sold, as the students who purchased student season tickets purchased a spot at every game for the entire year, even if they are not coming.

It's not like the Gopher ticket office can just sell the season tickets that Joe Blow from Aitken is not going to be able to use that weekend out from under him.

I realize this is a stupid point since the student section has grown smaller and smaller since game 1 against Air Force last year, but basically I can't see a logical scheme that involves the U re-selling tickets that they have already sold.

They could probably sell four or five-thousand student tickets to the general public, take the additional revenue (probably $240,000) to help pay off Brewster's buyout and no one will ever truly know the difference. I think the students only bought about 6500 tickets, which leaves 3500 unsold and we all know there won't be 2000 total students at the game. Might as well sell the unsold, "oversell" by a few, hope it is Gopher fans buying them, and use the extra revenue to help the ledger. I would NEVER personally approve of this method in most years, but in what has turned out to now be a "throw-a-way" season, I wouldn't blame them a bit. They get a "do-over" within days or weeks after that game when they hire a new coach.

 

[gold04]

I'm not so concerned about the Iowa fans, I'm more concerned on how we play on the football field.

 

[Iceland12]

I'm not so concerned about the Iowa fans, I'm more concerned on how we play on the football field.

So that's why you posted on a "Iowa Game Attendance Issue" thread. Beautiful, a little pompous, but beautiful.

 

[holereader]

rock bottom

new stadium, rivarly game and we are worried about attendance - make it stop - please - I can't take much more of this

 

[Take_It_To_The_Bank]

I wish I was reading the opposite of this thread on the Hawkeye message board. TCF South sounds better than Kinnick North. I think. Or perhaps if our fan base was similarly rabid we could have TCF branches in Madison and Iowa City like they do here?

Uhh, yes, perhaps if that were the case. Since it will never, ever happen it's probably best left unsaid.

 

[FishingMN]

I am more concerned with the number of Minnesota "fans" who want to pay for their entire season by selling their Iowa tickets to rabid Hawkeye fans.

There are plenty of sellers on craigslist selling at face value so I don't think paying for the entire season is really happening. There are going to be a lot of Iowa fans in attendance.

 

[Klondike Gopher Fan]

There are plenty of sellers on craigslist selling at face value so I don't think paying for the entire season is really happening. There are going to be a lot of Iowa fans in attendance.

Plus the U is releasing more tickets at below face value.

 

[Eagan]

From the U of M ticket office. I assume this is their way of selling tickets in the student section with students being gone for Thanksgiving break.

Gophers vs Iowa Football Tickets Available Now!
November 10, 2010 - A limited number of single game tickets are being released for the Minnesota-Iowa Football game on Saturday, November 27. These tickets are on-sale now exclusively to Minnesota season ticket holders for $50 (a $10 discount) through this Friday at Midnight. Starting on Saturday, the tickets will be available to the general public at $60 per ticket. This pre-sale is online only.

 

[howeda7]

How many student season tickets were actually sold? The U can only sell the tickets that were not sold, as the students who purchased student season tickets purchased a spot at every game for the entire year, even if they are not coming.

It's not like the Gopher ticket office can just sell the season tickets that Joe Blow from Aitken is not going to be able to use that weekend out from under him.

I realize this is a stupid point since the student section has grown smaller and smaller since game 1 against Air Force last year, but basically I can't see a logical scheme that involves the U re-selling tickets that they have already sold.

Since the student section is not assigned seats, they certainly can over-sell. If they know that 75% of the students are not going to show up, they can certainly resell those spots.

That said, if they are only going to offer them to season-ticket holders for a few days at a 'huge' discount of $10 before selling them to the general public, it's going to end up filled with Iowa fans. How sad. They'd have been better off offering them to anyone who's a Minnesota resident for half price. Even then a lot if Iowegians would have found thier way in.