Student Section Attendence: who is ultimately responsible for this problem?

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Just stay after the game for the band's post-game show, and there won't be any line for the light rail.
 

pointman99 said:
The tailgating since the move to campus is literally the sole reason we've kept our tickets. Unless the team is consistently amazing I think my group will have a hard time justifying staying donors and ticket holders. No interest in any kind of game day plaza/mall.

Bummer.
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That is a bummer that losing surface parking would cause you to totally bail on the program. Like there wouldn't be other ways to enjoy a pregame atmosphere that includes booze, food, games, etc. Also, keep in mind, the U can continue to allow tailgating in the StP fairground lots...

RochesterGopher said:
I took the LRT system to many a sporting events in Minneapolis its fine getting there getting back is awful. There is huge lines because everyone is trying to get out at once ended up taking a bus one time just because it was faster and less crowded. Personally I would rather wait in my truck in a parking ramp (while listening to the postgame show) to get out rather than standing outside just to get on a crowded bus or train. Just my $0.02
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I wonder if part of that issue is that we have ONE light rail line??? Other places in the world handle massive amounts of public transit riders at peak times - gamedays are a dent compared to what the systems handle at rush hour, with far less wait time. When Metro Transit has a system that can take people more places, things will be much better. They will also have better headways (particularly on gamedays) as a result.

And I'm confused what the problem is with "just taking the bus" - isn't that the point? There are multiple modes or choices. The U (and our society in general) should stop catering almost exclusively to one mode. Particularly one that is quite costly to add capacity to and has proven to only induce more congestion. If the trains become too crowded, you add more service on the same rail - very cheap, and quick, and doesn't require building more/wider lanes.
 

In my opinion the U needs to start looking at providing tailgating options in the heart of campus. The surface lots will always be temporary because Every lot is slated for future construction.

Think 'The Grove' at Mississippi. Ours is probably The Mall area or The Knoll area. Spray paint 20x20 areas and number them. The owner of each space can drop off their supplies starting at 6am on game day. Parking will be off site but within walking distance. Looking at the map the 4th street ramp and surface parking down in the railroad valley that cuts through campus would be the parking option for these tailgaters.

In the end the U better come up with a long term plan. Something that differentiates itself from what everyone else does in the Twin Cities. Taking a look at the student section it's pretty obvious that their current plan is not working. And getting rid of Lot 89 this year is a step in the WRONG direction. They should be looking to ADD to the tailgating scene vs. removing.
 

GoGophers2005 said:
In my opinion the U needs to start looking at providing tailgating options in the heart of campus. The surface lots will always be temporary because Every lot is slated for future construction.

Think 'The Grove' at Mississippi. Ours is probably The Mall area or The Knoll area. Spray paint 20x20 areas and number them. The owner of each space can drop off their supplies starting at 6am on game day. Parking will be off site but within walking distance. Looking at the map the 4th street ramp and surface parking down in the railroad valley that cuts through campus would be the parking option for these tailgaters.

In the end the U better come up with a long term plan. Something that differentiates itself from what everyone else does in the Twin Cities. Taking a look at the student section it's pretty obvious that their current plan is not working. And getting rid of Lot 89 this year is a step in the WRONG direction. They should be looking to ADD to the tailgating scene vs. removing.
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And, GoGophers2005, specifically who is the "they" that you are talking about. IF you were going to write to one individual or talk with one individual about what your concerns are or present your idea to ONE PERSON over at the U of M, just who do you think that would be? If we keep referring to "they", we are really referring to a nameless, faceless, supreme power that can NOT be approached, is all powerful and is NEVER held responsible or accountable. Go ahead. Name the name of the person you believe HAS to be held accountable for Game Day Saturday Environment surrounding TCF BANK STADIUM's total experience for the students, fans and people with an interest in Golden Gopher Football...

You have some good ideas and passion about this. Now provide the name of the person who NEEDS to be responsible, held accountable and will be able to initiate some changes for the better.

; 0 )
 

Also the U needs to start allowing fire pits. OR have designated pits for each and every lot where people are guaranteed some warmth. As it is there are too many fans that easily drop out of attending games because its 40 degrees. So pretty much every home game in November is guaranteed a drop off in attendance because of sunny sky's with a temp in the 40s. That's ridiculous.

Thinking outside the box I can see these pits getting sponsored and also become permanent structures where it can be accommodated. I'm in lot c86 and we have more than enough room in the field next to us where we are clear of any structures or cars and could have the biggest fire known to man. It be a spectacle.
 


imthewalrus said:
And, GoGophers2005, specifically who is the "they" that you are talking about. IF you were going to write to one individual or talk with one individual about what your concerns are or present your idea to ONE PERSON over at the U of M, just who do you think that would be? If we keep referring to "they", we are really referring to a nameless, faceless, supreme power that can NOT be approached, is all powerful and is NEVER held responsible or accountable. Go ahead. Name the name of the person you believe HAS to be held accountable for Game Day Saturday Environment surrounding TCF BANK STADIUM's total experience for the students, fans and people with an interest in Golden Gopher Football...

You have some good ideas and passion about this. Now provide the name of the person who NEEDS to be responsible, held accountable and will be able to initiate some changes for the better.

; 0 )
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It's Teague. He needs to have the vision for this or it won't work. Kaler needs to trust Teagues vision and help with this but it's Teague.

Bring back firepits. See above.
 

GoGophers2005 said:
It's Teague. He needs to have the vision for this or it won't work. Kaler needs to trust Teagues vision and help with this but it's Teague.

Bring back firepits. See above.
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I think Teague needs to be the one to say "this isn't working, marketing department and gameday operations, come up with a list of ideas, put them on a 2x2 map with difficulty to implement (risk factor) implement on the x axis, likelihood of drawing fans (maybe separate students from STHs) on the y, and the size of the bubble is the cost. We'll make strategic decisions based on our budget. And no, face-painting will not be an option."

The Mktg and Ops groups need to be the creative forces tasked with understanding their "customers" and provide a framework that will allow them to maximize fun in a changing U landscape. Teague needs to support them with money, experience, and priority, nothing more. I know for a fact that they've hired several people over the past 1-1.5 years in both groups, but we haven't seen much of it, to be honest.
 

RailBaronYarr said:
I think Teague needs to be the one to say "this isn't working, marketing department and gameday operations, come up with a list of ideas, put them on a 2x2 map with difficulty to implement (risk factor) implement on the x axis, likelihood of drawing fans (maybe separate students from STHs) on the y, and the size of the bubble is the cost. We'll make strategic decisions based on our budget. And no, face-painting will not be an option."

The Mktg and Ops groups need to be the creative forces tasked with understanding their "customers" and provide a framework that will allow them to maximize fun in a changing U landscape. Teague needs to support them with money, experience, and priority, nothing more. I know for a fact that they've hired several people over the past 1-1.5 years in both groups, but we haven't seen much of it, to be honest.
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Teague needs to hear from Gopher Hole Fans who have ideas and/or are frustrated and not satisfied with our Game Day Saturday Events and Environment. Really, if you consider all aspects of this situation, it is much more respectful to Mr. Teague and his position to provide LOTS of feedback and ideas than it would be to just silently suffer and eventually just get disgusted and quit buying Season Tickets. Teague can do something about it. But he NEEDS to hear from us often, and he needs to hear the passion that we have for wanting GAME DAY SATRUDAY to be a very special event...to be our event...to be all inclusive of the Players, Students, Season Ticket buying fans, Alumni, citizens of the state of Minnesota and Friends of the University of Minnesota no matter where they may reside, their age or their specific wishes, wants, hopes and dreams for the celebration of the University of Minnesota Campus in the fall...

Let the new norwood hear from you!

; 0 )
 

I'm still confused. My game day experience is always fantastic. There is A LOT to do.
What ever happened to students creating their own fun? Does it all have to be organized and choreographed?
The authorities will leave students alone as long as they're not acting like idiots.
 



CP Gopher said:
I'm still confused. My game day experience is always fantastic. There is A LOT to do.
What ever happened to students creating their own fun? Does it all have to be organized and choreographed?
The authorities will leave students alone as long as they're not acting like idiots.
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I think you are missing the point being made by most of the posts here. The point is the game day atmosphere around the stadium is a barrier to students creating their own fun. Students will create their own fun. In fact, since it can't be done around the stadium, students are doing it now by staying home and creating it there. That is the whole point of this thread. I don't think anyone here is saying there has to be a chorographed option. The argument is in fact just the opposite of that.

My game day experience is also lots of fun. But this thread isn't about me. If it was, it would be pretty short because I have lots of options in the form of the bars, tailgating, etc. I'd only need the thread to express what a good time I have a Gopher games (which must be true considering I haven't missed one yet at the Bank).
 

pointman99 said:
I have yet to see the lot across the street from Ski-U-Mah get filled(Victory?). Occasionally they let opposing team fans tailgate there. Maybe the empty 3/4ers could be made available to students?
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BOOM.

Nailed it. :)
 


Let a student bring a friend or 2... I mean a U student has friends from there home town that comes to see them on weekends now has something to offer where U student can get a cheap ticket and go hangout at the game on a saturday. Or they have a BF or GF from out of town who would love to go with and party with the student section.
 



ESPN: B1G ADs focused on game-day upgrades

Minnesota has the Big Ten's newest stadium but still struggles to get students to show up in droves.

"They're the centerpiece of the fan experience," Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague told ESPN.com, "so getting them there changes everything that goes on. We're a new stadium, so we have an unbelievable video board. A lot of the problems that plague other stadiums, we don't have. Our [public-address system] is perfect.

"We've got to do more and more, but our top priority right now is student attendance."

Teague had a group from Minnesota's Carlson School of Management study student attendance at the school. They found that students want a gathering place before games, so the school is providing an entire parking lot near the stadium, Teague said, which will be monitored.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/76902/big-ten-ads-focused-on-game-day-upgrades

Go Gophers!!
 


BleedGopher said:
ESPN: B1G ADs focused on game-day upgrades

Minnesota has the Big Ten's newest stadium but still struggles to get students to show up in droves.

"They're the centerpiece of the fan experience," Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague told ESPN.com, "so getting them there changes everything that goes on. We're a new stadium, so we have an unbelievable video board. A lot of the problems that plague other stadiums, we don't have. Our [public-address system] is perfect.

"We've got to do more and more, but our top priority right now is student attendance."

Teague had a group from Minnesota's Carlson School of Management study student attendance at the school. They found that students want a gathering place before games, so the school is providing an entire parking lot near the stadium, Teague said, which will be monitored.
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They needed a study to find that out? We're so fu(k!ng small time! That concept should have been in place for season 1 at TCF Bank Stadium.
 

As always start to win consistently, and go to J1 Bowl games and they will come....at least I would hope so.
 

Parski1 said:
As always start to win consistently, and go to J1 Bowl games and they will come....at least I would hope so.
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And, when will that happen Parski1? When will that J-1 game happen? How old will the stadium be until the AD can sell the student section out for the season...not just a game or two when tickets are totally given away. I'd say that the U of M needs an AD who can sell at least 7500 seats in the Student section starting with the 2013 B1G Season.

Talk is not enough. The AD needs to sell football to the students. The rest is up to the Football Coach.

The Football Stadium will provide no real ho me field advantage until the student section is filled with engaged, loyal, loud typical B1G type students...you know, the kind they have at many other B1G Stadiums.

Keep the pressure on the AD. An AD has to be able to do more than extend, fire and hire coaches. Give the AD some blind loyalty when he fills the Stadium Student Section with University of Minnesota Students for every home game of the 2013 season..

Something must be done about the student section long before our invitation for the J-1 Bowl games comes at the end of this 2013 season. Or, do we have an AD who has no experience in selling tickets to the students for football games? Actions speak much more loudly than talk ever will. The AD has plenty of resources. Now it is time for the AD to produce results...
I'm really pulling for the AD to get this problem solved...

; 0 )
 

imthewalrus said:
And, when will that happen Parski1? When will that J-1 game happen? How old will the stadium be until the AD can sell the student section out for the season...not just a game or two when tickets are totally given away. I'd say that the U of M needs an AD who can sell at least 7500 seats in the Student section starting with the 2013 B1G Season.

Talk is not enough. The AD needs to sell football to the students. The rest is up to the Football Coach.

The Football Stadium will provide no real ho me field advantage until the student section is filled with engaged, loyal, loud typical B1G type students...you know, the kind they have at many other B1G Stadiums.

Keep the pressure on the AD. An AD has to be able to do more than extend, fire and hire coaches. Give the AD some blind loyalty when he fills the Stadium Student Section with University of Minnesota Students for every home game of the 2013 season..

Something must be done about the student section long before our invitation for the J-1 Bowl games comes at the end of this 2013 season. Or, do we have an AD who has no experience in selling tickets to the students for football games? Actions speak much more loudly than talk ever will. The AD has plenty of resources. Now it is time for the AD to produce results...
I'm really pulling for the AD to get this problem solved...

; 0 )
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I get that....but.....Not easy for the AD to get students to attend games when they have been losing for years. That is on Kill's shoulders obviously. I believe this AD made the proper hire, now we need to win in order to get students interest. A place to gather before games for students is a good idea.....for starters.
 

Parski1 said:
I get that....but.....Not easy for the AD to get students to attend games when they have been losing for years. That is on Kill's shoulders obviously. I believe this AD made the proper hire, now we need to win in order to get students interest. A place to gather before games for students is a good idea.....for starters.
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Who is the proper hire you are speaking of?
 



norman dale said:
They needed a study to find that out? We're so fu(k!ng small time! That concept should have been in place for season 1 at TCF Bank Stadium.
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Haha no sh!t. How about this: have marketing/event staff patrol GopherHole and they would have seen this muh earlier.

It actually frustrates me quite a bit because they have hired 2-3 sports marketing positions in the last 2 years or so. I applied having 5-6 years experience in marketing and doing corporate events, but also being a huge college football fan, but was turned away because I didn't have a sports management/marketing degree or experience in a D1-2 athletics field. I wouldn't have needed a darn Carlson SoM team to figure out some of these things. Not saying I'm special, most of us on here 'get it' (hell, GopherLady even wrote a piece in the Strib). It just frustrates me that it took 4 years and a new AD and THEN some more time doing studies to find out what fans want. Ugh.
 

RailBaronYarr said:
Haha no sh!t. How about this: have marketing/event staff patrol GopherHole and they would have seen this muh earlier.

It actually frustrates me quite a bit because they have hired 2-3 sports marketing positions in the last 2 years or so. I applied having 5-6 years experience in marketing and doing corporate events, but also being a huge college football fan, but was turned away because I didn't have a sports management/marketing degree or experience in a D1-2 athletics field. I wouldn't have needed a darn Carlson SoM team to figure out some of these things. Not saying I'm special, most of us on here 'get it' (hell, GopherLady even wrote a piece in the Strib). It just frustrates me that it took 4 years and a new AD and THEN some more time doing studies to find out what fans want. Ugh.
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I fear that the "vcu" influence may be a bit overdone here at the U of M. How many vcu assistants did this norwood bring with him? What football experience do they have running the B1G-level FOOTBALL Game Day Saturday environment that the U needs?

The administrations at the U have been clueless about Football for a LONG time...going back to the entire joel macturi tenure. So many vcu hires here at the U of M seems a bit suspect at best. Perhaps it would have been better to bring in some "football specialists from the SEC, B1G. Big Twelve, and other big-time football factory schools" to bring the athletic administration "up to speed" on putting together a GREAT FOOTBALL GAME DAY ENVIRONMENT..."

Michigan State has been fairly successful in football lately...but...they have trouble getting their students into games when the weather is bad and they can't use their electronic devices to twitter to their hearts content during rainy...cold football games. Maybe it's not entirely about winning. Winning alone isn't enough for todays' breed of student sections, the MSU plight might suggest...

Maybe football is an outdated game and only the "old timers and blue hairs...are the only ones who really care about "being there" and still have excitement and passion for B1G Game Day Football.

I say put the pressure on the athletic department administrators to figure out what it will take to get the students into the student section. Or if this norwood fails to do that in 2013, maybe the students really just plain don't care and don't want the awesome responsibility of having to waste all that time standing in the student section for about seven Saturdays in the fall. That's legit if that's the way it is. Maybe today's students really don't think it is worth their time that they could better spend doing other things. Watch the Michigan State situation. Perhaps twittering at will really does top the college football experience for college students in 2013. If that's the way it is...that's the way it is...They are still great people and interesting, productive citizens. Maybe student participation in the ancient ritual of Game Day Saturday Football is diminishing...especially in the mid-section of the country where the weather gets cold, rainey and sometimes does NOT support good random and at will "twittering" conditions in the student sections. Call it the "East Lansing Student Section Shrinkage Factor..." (The "...ELSSSF..." may be a sign of things to come to campus settings any where the weather gets cold and it rains/snows/sleets in the mid-west... twittering area...

; 0 )
 

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