Homecoming Attendance

[Deleted]

FYI:
GA tickets for the NCCU game are $30. This DOES NOT include kids under 13 and HS students and students from other colleges.

[aggierattler]

Oct 17, 2011 11:37:37 GMT -5 ohsixrain said:

I disagree...the gameday atmosphere was just fine...

...If I look at that alone, that says to me, our way of thinking needs to be changed. Something has to give. I will say that the fan zone can be tweaked to only folk to purchase a ticket to tailgate only. But other than that...this sounds like a bunch of folk that want something for nothing, which often times seems to be the case with our people.

I agree. What this has shown is that there are a lot of non-contributors milling around the stadium on most gamedays. I don't think that this discouraged anyone who was intending to buy a game ticket from purchasing that ticket.

[oleschoolaggie]

Oct 17, 2011 11:30:48 GMT -5 westcoastaggie said:

Oct 17, 2011 10:31:15 GMT -5 oleschoolaggie said:

this is the first homecoming i've attended in 4 years and imo, clearly the fan zone didn't help homecoming attendance but it certainly did diminish the tailgating experience. the tailgating area was not nearly as dense as it has been in the past and it was very much less festive. sorry folks, i don't see any benefit to the fan zone. but don't get me wrong, i'm all for raising additional revenue for a&t. however, i don't see how the fan zone accomplishes that at all.

if anybody can prove to me how the fan zone has significantly increased attendance and revenue, i'd shut the hail up and fall right in line. but it ain't increasing revenue and it ain't increasing attendance. all it does is run away our neighbors if they don't want to buy a game ticket and i don't see how that helps a&t at all. the last thing we need to do is "alienate" our potential customers.

so far, the concepts that the fan zone was created for has been an utter failure. it is "conceptually" suppose to increase attendance and increase revenue. yet, it has done neither. i suppose those ticket purchasers who feel they're being cheated out of something just because some folk had rather hang around outside for free is probably happy about the fan zone. but it ain't because the fan zone has been financially beneficial to a&t. its because of some other personal reasons...

How and why did you come to this conclusion?

i came to this conclusion because i've been going aggie football games for over 30 years and i know what the surroundings around the stadium use to be like "before" the fan zone was implemented. everybody has their personal preferences and i'm no different. but i prefer a more "robust" tailgating area where there are no "haves and have nots". it almost feels like a "prison" to fence out folk from what use to be an area that was free to roam. all of sudden the stadium becomes an "exclusive" gated property.

again i pose the question, show me where the fan zone has "increased" revenue and attendance, and i'll shut da hail up when it comes to complaining about the fan zone. i liked it the way that it was, free to the public to hang around the stadium if they don't want to buy a ticket. as long as they're not committing any crime or disturbances, i'm okay with that. lots of times when the so called freeloaders are outside the stadium and they hear constant cheering from aggie fans, it motivates them to buy a ticket and enter the stadium. but now, with the fan zone, they don't even bother showing up at all which potentially causes us to "lose" revenue.

so i don't see any benefit to the fan zone except for folk who falsely feel they're being cheated out of something just because they paid for a ticket and don't want anyone around them to do anything for free...

[oleschoolaggie]

Oct 17, 2011 13:31:46 GMT -5 aggierattler said:

Oct 17, 2011 11:37:37 GMT -5 ohsixrain said:

I disagree...the gameday atmosphere was just fine...

...If I look at that alone, that says to me, our way of thinking needs to be changed. Something has to give. I will say that the fan zone can be tweaked to only folk to purchase a ticket to tailgate only. But other than that...this sounds like a bunch of folk that want something for nothing, which often times seems to be the case with our people.

I agree. What this has shown is that there are a lot of non-contributors milling around the stadium on most gamedays. I don't think that this discouraged anyone who was intending to buy a game ticket from purchasing that ticket.

what does non-contributors milling around the stadium harm? certainly not revenue and ticket sales. in fact, i'd suggest they probably help revenue and ticket sales. if the fan zone doesn't help revenue and ticket sales, then what is the purpose of the fan zone?

i mean, if folk simply have a "personal" problem with folk hanging around the stadium without paying for a ticket, then why not just say that instead of hiding behind some "lame" theory that the fan zone is needed so that a&t can increase its revenue. IT AIN'T INCREASING REVENUE FOLKS!!

[Deleted]

Do we know that it hasn't increased football revenue compared to this same point in earlier seasons?

[aggielaw]

I liked the changes with the Game Zone and the Sheraton. You could actually enjoy your Homecoming with real stakeholders. We didn't have any shootings or other craziness either!

[oleschoolaggie]

Oct 17, 2011 14:01:06 GMT -5 westcoastaggie said:

Do we know that it hasn't increased football revenue compared to this same point in earlier seasons?

personally, i don't know that as a fact. but its pretty clear "if" it has increased, it hasn't increased significantly at all. we beat morgan on the road, we upset a preseason meac championship favorite the next week prior to homecoming. since 2003, if ever there's a chance to sellout homecoming, this should've been the year. not so, only 19k showup.

i want to see a&t increase its income. i contribute my nickels and dimes as best i can. i even paid $240 for a pair of homecoming alumni concert tickets just to help as best i can. so if i felt the fan zone was helping a&t to increase it's revenue, you wouldn't hear a whisper from me. but it ain't. in my opinion, its doing more harm than good.

its inconvenient. i hate having to walk to only one entrance point just to enter fan zone where as before, all the gates were open and i could enter wherever it was most convenient.

for homecoming, the fan zone wasn't crowded like it use to be. it felt like "prison" seeing how everything was fenced off from the stadium. basically it says to our neighboring community, "we don't want you around". i just don't like it. i'm a season ticket holder, so financially it doesn't impact me. but i still don't like it...

[Aggie Monster]

Game Zone doesn't affect people buying GAME tickets. It doesn't affect attendance, only atmosphere.

I dont know why anyone would expect a sellout. We haven't sold out homecoming in the past decade. i dont think we sold out homecoming in the Championship year. Regardless of what all us on this board think we are still 4-2 and not 6-0. App thrashed our asses and Coastal whooped us at home. We still haven't beaten the 1st or 2nd best team in the conference and last I looked NCCU beat us in Durham last year, so dont think that everyone will share your enthusiasm about Aggie football. Winning the games I just stated will get a sellout for homecoming NEXT year.

Just enjoy the winning and everything else will take care of itself.

[AggieBorn]

Hilton nor the administration expect the game zone to be popular nor extremely successful with many fans this year. He said that upfront. He said that the AD at Central and SCSU told him that it will take a year or two for folks to buy into the notion. Therefore, there's no way anyone should expect a huge increase in revenue this year.

I do however think that it would be nice to have a $10 or $15 dollar ticket to the game zone only. That would allow us to sell out the staduim plus make more on a tailgate only crowd at homecoming and maybe one or two other overflow games if there are any. Then, something tells me that the same crowd would still not be happy about that either.
Could we move the FREE Fan Fest experience closer?

[The Professor]

Oct 16, 2011 18:35:53 GMT -5 Aggie One said:

I know I will catch a lot of hell from folks of a differing opinion and that's fine but I feel real strongly about this debate so today I am going to say my piece and will not make any more public comments on this subject.

The nature of running a FCS program is not what it was in 1991 or even 2001. It costs money to stay competitive and although we may grumble at the extra charge for tailgating, like we did about parking five years ago, this world of college athletics is now about business, generating as much revenue as is feasible, first and foremost.

I would just like to ask a question of how many folks that post on this board have donated to the AAF this year either by one time check or by debit and I mean that seriously. How many people here even give back to the National Alumni Drive each year?

I'm by no mean a rich guy who's making buckets of money but I feel the duty to give something back to leave a legacy for my kids and now grand child. Maybe I feel so strongly about this because I believe in things bigger than me like God, family, justice, and yes A&T State University.

The gap to run a above average program in the MEAC that is competitive and can give the scholarships necessary to sponsor 14 major sports sits at about $3 million dollars for A&T right now.

A while back before the season started I suggested that if a meager number of 4,000 Aggie fans would donate a paltry 25 bucks a month for a year to the AAF we could cut that gap in half in one year which would be one hell of a start.

Sure some can give more but you can't even take your wife or girlfriend to the movies and buy a popcorn and split a large drink for $25.

Is that so much to ask or we just that cheap and selfish? We spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year on entertainment and we don't even realize it making game makers for X-boxes and the like, Hollywood stars, and Music Moguls millions who don't give a damn about HBCUs or even set foot on a HBCU college campus unless there were bucks for them to made off the students for concerts or appearances.

Oh, we'll do that in a minute plucking down hundreds of dollars to Mr. Koury and all the party promoters in business in this city but we won't even give the institution that gave many of us our only real chance at a college education a measly 300 dollars per year to help our own student athletes stay in school.

I'm sorry, I'm not buying the poor us Mission College cock and bull routine anymore.

You get what you pay for nowadays and what we sacrificed to get Coach Broadway and his staff here is paying immediate dividends.

But I forget the naysayers say oh its too much and we must be frugal no matter how it may hurt. I ask you to what end? A return to second class status? Well, not for me. You go by yourself and those who wish to follow you, have a nice trip.

I want more than the past or the usual and I'll willingly to work my butt off to get it.

If your wish to continue to advance not only football but baseball, track, volleyball, swimming, tennis, bowling, mens and women's basketball let's just cut the carp and put your money where you mouth is.

If you're not willing to spend it on our kids and their future to make a mark and get them an education then shame on you, shame on everyone of you that complain about A&T doesn't do this and that but aren't willing to lift a finger or are too self absorbed to take a stand and do something about it by contributing to rectify this problem.

My late mom and dad were die hard Aggies and the one thing they told me a long time ago when I was looking at colleges to attend was simply this.

"When you are in need of answers, always first look within yourself and your heart then to the heavens above to find your guidance and your choice will be clear."

I wasn't sure back then exactly what that meant but I do now.

Congrats to the kids, the coaching staff, and all their supporters for yesterday. Take care and hopefully I'll see you all again 2012.

I would love to see a financial report to show how these new fees have helped or hurt A&T

[The Professor]

Oct 17, 2011 14:29:43 GMT -5 oleschoolaggie said:

Oct 17, 2011 14:01:06 GMT -5 westcoastaggie said:

Do we know that it hasn't increased football revenue compared to this same point in earlier seasons?

personally, i don't know that as a fact. but its pretty clear "if" it has increased, it hasn't increased significantly at all. we beat morgan on the road, we upset a preseason meac championship favorite the next week prior to homecoming. since 2003, if ever there's a chance to sellout homecoming, this should've been the year. not so, only 19k showup.

i want to see a&t increase its income. i contribute my nickels and dimes as best i can. i even paid $240 for a pair of homecoming alumni concert tickets just to help as best i can. so if i felt the fan zone was helping a&t to increase it's revenue, you wouldn't hear a whisper from me. but it ain't. in my opinion, its doing more harm than good.

its inconvenient. i hate having to walk to only one entrance point just to enter fan zone where as before, all the gates were open and i could enter wherever it was most convenient.

for homecoming, the fan zone wasn't crowded like it use to be. it felt like "prison" seeing how everything was fenced off from the stadium. basically it says to our neighboring community, "we don't want you around". i just don't like it. i'm a season ticket holder, so financially it doesn't impact me. but i still don't like it...

Exactly

[ohsixrain]

I suspect you will not see the full impact of the fan zone until next season when expectations for our football team will have increased. Based on what the team has done thus far, expectations will be higher next year. So, the increased revenue may not be recognized until a few out years. I think everyone is caught up in this tailgate/party atmosphere that WAS free and it isn't anymore. Now if you go to the club to party you pay...what's the difference? Let's don't be stuck in nuetral.

[aggiejazz]

I understand the concerns about pricing but should everyone get paid but A&T.

On A&T Homecoming week the following make money above the normal weekend outside of holidays:

Grocery stores; liquor stores, hotels, restaurants and clubs.

So everyone should get paid but A&T - the main reason why people show up for the weekend? Everybody and every business establishment of every race get paid except the black institution that created this huge festival? Why does the black man always have to give the hookup, so that black people who have enjoyed his products/works used that extra money to spend it with white folks, per se?

The actual homecoming starts about 9am and ends about 6pm so everyone can carry their azz back home without staying one night in Greensboro if they so chose to save money. Don't go cheap on A&T, don't go cheap on the family institution. Buy an A&T ticket.

I brought up race to show a stark reality of what black folks are willing to spend money on and with whom, during an historical black event.

[@ProfBellamy]

Game Zone needs some tweaking, but it has one major goal to increase revenue streams into athletics. Full-Time students pay nearly $615 per year towards athletics, meaning almost 75% of the budget is on the backs of the students.

We still have a lot of work left to do with tweaking Game Zone, helping to redevelop that ol' Aggie atmosphere but this is a start. Also, for us to win homecoming the kids just didn't care.... thats a whole another issue in itself.

[marchingband1969]

Oct 16, 2011 8:23:31 GMT -5 blessedaggie84 said:

I thought it was good, I want to say keep it like it is for right now. I liked the fact that i could walk to the tailgate area and not have to fight through so many extra people that like to walk through the stadium gates like years past. Campus was still packed with tailgaters and as long as we keep winning attendance will go up for games. I do think somethings will be changed for next year as well.

I agree with you. I had a great time, saw a great game and a super halftime show. And so did 19,454 other fans. I think the team's performance in past years had more of an impact on attendance than the changes to the tailgaters. I'm not sure what full capasity was but I bet with the "paid tailgaters" and folks in the stand, we were close. I didn't miss a few vendors or a few more people wandering under the stands. Leave it like it is!