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Post by Outsider on Sept 14, 2022 16:06:33 GMT -6
I had several faculty friends when I lived in Abilene who told me they could no longer afford to bring their families to ball games. You can buy a single game ticket right now for $15. How much cheaper can it even go? Concessions are very well priced as well. Local movie tickets are $8-$17 bucks with kid's prices being cheaper. Kids meals, and senior meals, are $5-$9, etc... It would cost a family of four $60 minimum, without food, to go to a game. Toss in dinner and you are looking at close to $100 for a couple of hours out. Sorry, but many families will look at that and say it's not worth it whether we win or lose. Add in that they don't have any emotional connection and there is even less motivation. Heck, just like you said, those who have motivation pay for seats and then don't come. That's nice for the pocketbook but makes the stands look pathetic. If you have $100 bucks to blow on a couple of hours that's great, but many don't, especially families in Abilene. There is nothing wrong with offering food choices for better prices and fun/games for a family, as well as the game itself. If ACU wants the community involved, then offer a value for them. It's that simple. If all ACU does is offer a space for them to spend a couple of hours before the game to bring their own grill to cook and cleanup for a team they know nothing about, they won't do it. Yes, there is a problem with alumni saying they have better things to do than to drive a couple of hours for their alma matter, but there are completely separate issues with the very town ACU sits in. If ACU is happy with half-filled stands then they don't need to do anything.
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Post by Outsider on Sept 14, 2022 16:18:20 GMT -6
I would add that ACU needs to be giving free tickets to a minimum of 2 regional high school teams/coaches per home game as well to not only help fill seats but expose kids to the school.
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Post by mavsman53 on Sept 14, 2022 16:51:43 GMT -6
Outsider, I think those are some great ideas, though I am not sure what the rule is for giving free tickets to high school football players.
I think we have to ask this question, does Abilene care about ACU. Most of us are alums and so we think, yes, of course they do. But do they really? I also think we have to look at the demographics of the city. While I totally agree, ticket prices aren't that much, for much of Abilene, it is. For those in Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, Clyde, etc, it isn't, but how many of them even know there is a game.
I have often thought we have done this backwards. IMO, the thought has been, we are a D1 football program, so people will come. But what if they don't even know there is a game. ACU has to think the way the church is supposed to think. We don't make them come to us, we go to them. We let them know what we have to offer. Lassiter said yesterday that he didn't realize until now the challenge of getting the community involved. It is a giant task and one that ACU has to figure out
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Post by jCat on Sept 14, 2022 17:15:33 GMT -6
Outsider, I think those are some great ideas, though I am not sure what the rule is for giving free tickets to high school football players. I think we have to ask this question, does Abilene care about ACU. Most of us are alums and so we think, yes, of course they do. But do they really? I also think we have to look at the demographics of the city. While I totally agree, ticket prices aren't that much, for much of Abilene, it is. For those in Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, Clyde, etc, it isn't, but how many of them even know there is a game. I have often thought we have done this backwards. IMO, the thought has been, we are a D1 football program, so people will come. But what if they don't even know there is a game. ACU has to think the way the church is supposed to think. We don't make them come to us, we go to them. We let them know what we have to offer. Lassiter said yesterday that he didn't realize until now the challenge of getting the community involved. It is a giant task and one that ACU has to figure out I think a key part of the equation has to be the level of involvement ACU has in the life of the community. This is bigger than getting student athletes to do community service hours. It's about building relationships. There is a lot of work being done on this front but much more that can be done as well. There is no quick fix.
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Post by bucfan on Sept 14, 2022 17:51:54 GMT -6
How much is a ticket to an Abilene High or Cooper game? $5 or $6? ACU should probably only be a few dollars more than what the high schools charge. I'd much rather have full stands at cheaper ticket prices than see a half empty stadium every game.
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Post by 123acufan on Sept 15, 2022 6:43:03 GMT -6
They can run a deal that kids who show up in their football Jersey get in for free. Along with discounted senior, teacher, or service memebers tickets.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Sept 15, 2022 7:22:45 GMT -6
The referee placed the ball and they snapped it as the ref was running back, he blew his whisle and cranked his arm to start the clock but the panthers were already in play. When the referee blew his whistle, most players stopped thinking that play had been stopped. Luckily, the pass fell incomplete. The refs would have had one heck of a mess to straighten out had the pass been caught for a TD - PV did, in fact, snap the ball before it was put in play. I’m pretty sure the correct call would have been a dead ball foul against PVAM for an early snap, a five yard penalty and a do over since a game can’t end on a penalty. Any trained officials on here who can verify or tell me I’m wrong?
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Sept 15, 2022 8:02:21 GMT -6
At the fan experience committee meeting yesterday the survey results for the first 2 games was discussed. One particularly astute observation was that there is no tailgate space for non-student tailgating. While ACU won’t sponsor beer sales, it was also pointed out that they aren’t in the business of policing someone’s cooler outside of the stadium. While unlikely to happen this year, the athletics department plans to study how to have an outside of the stadium tailgate experience yet keep within the spirit of ACU rules, etc. Particularly aimed at the greater Abilene community rather than alumni, etc. [/b] It would be great if outside the stadium tail gating allowed food trucks or booths from ACU supporters such as the Shed or Sharon’s. ACU stadium food is blah on a good day. At least in the Club.
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Post by texas48 on Sept 15, 2022 10:20:45 GMT -6
Let's be real... athletics never has and never will make money for the University. Only 12 percent of the NCAA athletics programs finish in the black with a profit each year.
According to Knight Newhouse Data, the income for FCS schools based on ticket sales is ONE percent. For FBS schools, it's only three percent. So, I think saying we have to have large ticket prices to make ends meet not only doesn't compute, but as has been said above, keeps people away. We have to be willing to raise the money to cover the tickets, whether from donors or marketing.
In 2020-21, Texas made only five percent of its budget intake from football ticket sales while Texas A&M (the largest enrollment and largest football stadium capacity in Texas) only made six percent of its intake from football ticket sales. (Numbers found at Sportico.com.)
Someone mentioned Abilene High/Cooper tickets are presale $3 students/$8 for adults and I think it goes up to $5/$10 at the gate. And they don't sale out their stadium either...far from it. Even the crosstown showdown a couple of weeks ago looked 1/4 empty or more.
I believe we have to realize it is not about making money through ticket sales at football games, it is about getting fans there. You get them there, they will probably spend money on food and merchandise (if you had merch at the games). We need to do what we can to get people there and care less about raising money through ticket prices.
According to the 2020 census, of the 124,797 people in Abilene, 15.2 percent of Abilene is below the poverty line. Rent is an average of $918 a month and the monthly mortgage in 2020 was averaged at $1,345. Only 54 percent of the population owns a house, everyone else is renting/leasing.
Most of the schools are Title One schools, meaning they are at or below the poverty line level to receive federal funding to help with the instruction of students. Even around the ACU campus, the population has changed. It is no longer college professors who live in the neighborhoods, but families who have no connection to ACU other than their house is located within a couple of miles of campus. And most of those families are struggling to make ends meet with the average household income in 2020 being $52,518.
If our goal is to cater to the interested crowd, then keep doing what we are doing. If our goal is to fill the stands, we have to do something different with ticket prices. And that's not even mentioning the games, food, etc. others have brought up.
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Sept 15, 2022 10:29:30 GMT -6
Let's be real... athletics never has and never will make money for the University. Only 12 percent of the NCAA athletics programs finish in the black with a profit each year. According to Knight Newhouse Data, the income for FCS schools based on ticket sales is ONE percent. For FBS schools, it's only three percent. So, I think saying we have to have large ticket prices to make ends meet not only doesn't compute, but as has been said above, keeps people away. We have to be willing to raise the money to cover the tickets, whether from donors or marketing. In 2020-21, Texas made only five percent of its budget intake from football ticket sales while Texas A&M (the largest enrollment and largest football stadium capacity in Texas) only made six percent of its intake from football ticket sales. (Numbers found at Sportico.com.) Someone mentioned Abilene High/Cooper tickets are presale $3 students/$8 for adults and I think it goes up to $5/$10 at the gate. And they don't sale out their stadium either...far from it. Even the crosstown showdown a couple of weeks ago looked 1/4 empty or more. I believe we have to realize it is not about making money through ticket sales at football games, it is about getting fans there. You get them there, they will probably spend money on food and merchandise (if you had merch at the games). We need to do what we can to get people there and care less about raising money through ticket prices. According to the 2020 census, of the 124,797 people in Abilene, 15.2 percent of Abilene is below the poverty line. Rent is an average of $918 a month and the monthly mortgage in 2020 was averaged at $1,345. Only 54 percent of the population owns a house, everyone else is renting/leasing. Most of the schools are Title One schools, meaning they are at or below the poverty line level to receive federal funding to help with the instruction of students. Even around the ACU campus, the population has changed. It is no longer college professors who live in the neighborhoods, but families who have no connection to ACU other than their house is located within a couple of miles of campus. And most of those families are struggling to make ends meet with the average household income in 2020 being $52,518. If our goal is to cater to the interested crowd, then keep doing what we are doing. If our goal is to fill the stands, we have to do something different with ticket prices. And that's not even mentioning the games, food, etc. others have brought up. Perfectly stated
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Post by dallasalum on Sept 15, 2022 13:27:00 GMT -6
For what it's worth, I had a short conversation with Zack Lassiter the day that he came to an ACU football to see what it was all about. This was before he officially started. I tried to give him some input re:, among other things, the difficulties that ACU has, and has always had, in getting the general population of Abilene to support ACU athletic teams. From what I read on here apparently he didn't think that I knew what I was talking about. Having lived and observed this for 60+ years, I think that I just might have a few clues. Maybe not. Also, I think that I might have a few ideas as to how we could get more "butts in the seats". In my view, we need to especially get the prime seats filled. I know first hand that it is very disappointing to the players to look up there and see so many emptry seats. I would bet that significantly less than 50% of them were filled last Saturday for PVA&M.
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Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Sept 15, 2022 18:17:17 GMT -6
When the referee blew his whistle, most players stopped thinking that play had been stopped. Luckily, the pass fell incomplete. The refs would have had one heck of a mess to straighten out had the pass been caught for a TD - PV did, in fact, snap the ball before it was put in play. I’m pretty sure the correct call would have been a dead ball foul against PVAM for an early snap, a five yard penalty and a do over since a game can’t end on a penalty. Any trained officials on here who can verify or tell me I’m wrong? A game can end on an offensive penalty if the defense doesn’t decline it.
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Post by wildcatter on Sept 16, 2022 20:06:33 GMT -6
My nephews little league is getting to go to Rice football game for free tomorrow. Sure doesn’t seem hard to offer out to organizations around town.
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Post by jCat on Sept 18, 2022 15:32:38 GMT -6
Let's be real... athletics never has and never will make money for the University. Only 12 percent of the NCAA athletics programs finish in the black with a profit each year. According to Knight Newhouse Data, the income for FCS schools based on ticket sales is ONE percent. For FBS schools, it's only three percent. So, I think saying we have to have large ticket prices to make ends meet not only doesn't compute, but as has been said above, keeps people away. We have to be willing to raise the money to cover the tickets, whether from donors or marketing. In 2020-21, Texas made only five percent of its budget intake from football ticket sales while Texas A&M (the largest enrollment and largest football stadium capacity in Texas) only made six percent of its intake from football ticket sales. (Numbers found at Sportico.com.) Someone mentioned Abilene High/Cooper tickets are presale $3 students/$8 for adults and I think it goes up to $5/$10 at the gate. And they don't sale out their stadium either...far from it. Even the crosstown showdown a couple of weeks ago looked 1/4 empty or more. I believe we have to realize it is not about making money through ticket sales at football games, it is about getting fans there. You get them there, they will probably spend money on food and merchandise (if you had merch at the games). We need to do what we can to get people there and care less about raising money through ticket prices. According to the 2020 census, of the 124,797 people in Abilene, 15.2 percent of Abilene is below the poverty line. Rent is an average of $918 a month and the monthly mortgage in 2020 was averaged at $1,345. Only 54 percent of the population owns a house, everyone else is renting/leasing. Most of the schools are Title One schools, meaning they are at or below the poverty line level to receive federal funding to help with the instruction of students. Even around the ACU campus, the population has changed. It is no longer college professors who live in the neighborhoods, but families who have no connection to ACU other than their house is located within a couple of miles of campus. And most of those families are struggling to make ends meet with the average household income in 2020 being $52,518. If our goal is to cater to the interested crowd, then keep doing what we are doing. If our goal is to fill the stands, we have to do something different with ticket prices. And that's not even mentioning the games, food, etc. others have brought up. Since we were talking about tickets, let's note what #6 UIW is doing in their best season ever. 1/2 price tickets.
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