Round 1 Attendance

[Schism55]

Be great if we could get actual #'s from people at the game, not the BS announced #'s.
Is there 750 people at this Dayton game??

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Be great if we could get actual #'s from people at the game, not the BS announced #'s.
Is there 750 people at this Dayton game??


750?

Maybe, but it doesn't look like there are that many there.

[Bison Fan in NW MN]

Chatty's crowd looks pretty sparse also....

[centennial]

...........

[JSUSoutherner]

Official attendance at Chat: 12... maybe.

[mmiller_34]

Looks like a good crowd at Coastal

[BisonFan02]

Looks like a good crowd at Coastal

A lot of Bulldog fans....

[jsualumnus]

Funny... Chatty fans over on the JSU forum are smack talking about how many fans are going to come to JSU and drown us out... Not sure if they've ever heard our band or not!

[SENOREIDA]

A lot of Bulldog fans....
Not surprising The Citadel has a huge alumni population in SC and hasn't been to the playoffs since 92'.

[jsualumnus]

Announced Chatty attendance was under 5k... Crazy...

[GAD]

Looks like a good crowd at Coastal
Very nice crowd in Conway today! Big thumbs up to both fan basesxthumbsupxxthumbsupx

[Schism55]

Sam Houston crowd looks pretty terrible

[Bearkats94]

It was wet and cold to the bone but well worth it.


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[CasualFan]

6751 reported for Coastal / El Cid. I'd guess about 60% CCU, 40% The Citadel.

[caribbeanhen]

Sam Houston crowd looks pretty terrible

In more ways than one

[grizband]

Crowd in Missoula listed as 14,575

[ST_Lawson]

750?

Maybe, but it doesn't look like there are that many there.

997 is the "officially reported" attendance for WIU at Dayton. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 were Western fans.

[DFW HOYA]

997 is the "officially reported" attendance for WIU at Dayton. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 were Western fans.

That's beyond embarrassing. Why would UD even bid on the game?

[TheKingpin28]

That's beyond embarrassing. Why would UD even bid on the game?

Iirc the PFL helped by putting half the bid in

[RootinFerDukes]

Thanksgiving weekend attendance is always brutal. You really should just take each number and throw it in the trash. Some people just aren't motivated to show up for anything but big boy in-state rivalry games on this week.

[jsualumnus]

Thanksgiving weekend is always the worst for crowds... The holiday plus the rival games...

[chattanoogamocs]

Is everyone on here a newbie to AGS? ;)

First round / Thanksgiving weekend attendance always sucks.

My aunt and uncle are season ticket holders at Montana and they said even there it was the easiest ticket to buy all season.

The Chattanooga crowd was definitely sparse and disappointing, but the people who there were loud and in to the game, that's all that matters to me.

And before JSU get all arrogant and cocky, your place was at least half empty last year when you played and lost to SHSU in the 2nd round (not the 1st).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJsG0czz3w

[ST_Lawson]

Yea, we have pretty low attendance anyway, but when the last home game is the start of Thanksgiving weekend it's always really bad, and if we ever played at home thanksgiving weekend, I'm sure it's be bad too.

I doubt we would have had pulled me than 2k-3k if we'd hosted this weekend.

[Sycamore62]

If we had a playoff game and Purdue, IU, NOtre Dame were off and the Colts moved back to Baltimore and it was a 2nd round game where the forecast was 75 and calm for the 2 weeks prior and students got in free I think we could get 8000-9000.

[Winindy]

If we had a playoff game and Purdue, IU, NOtre Dame were off and the Colts moved back to Baltimore and it was a 2nd round game where the forecast was 75 and calm for the 2 weeks prior and students got in free I think we could get 8000-9000.

If you were playing a Thanksgiving game against Purdue, IU, ND, or the Colts you might get 8 or 9k.

[JayJ79]

14575 SDSU @ Montana
7062 EIU @ UNI
6751 The Citadel @ CCU
4888 Fordham @ Chattanooga
4395 Duquesne @ W&M
3303 Colgate @ UNH
3098 SUU @ SHSU
997 WIU @ Dayton

[crossfire07]

I found out how bad FCS fans suck when it comes to supporting their school no matter what. I attended a game Friday night that was a constant rain and often steady and hard in a packed stadium of 40,000 people. 37 degrees with a wind chill in the 20's. 48 degrees in Huntsville is not cold.

[clenz]

That's kind of why I laugh when people poke fun at bowl attendance.

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[crossfire07]

If your in a bowl game close to home attendance is pretty good. Halfway across the country, FORGET ABOUT IT!!!

[MTfan4life]

Just for reference, here is the attendance for every NCAA playoff game on Saturday:
(The red is FCS, blue D-II, and black D-III)

14575 SDSU @ Montana
8025 St. Johns @ St. Thomas
7126 Valdosta State @ West Georgia
7062 EIU @ UNI
6751 The Citadel @ CCU
5231 Tuskegee @ North Alabama
5007 Indiana (Pa.) @ Shepherd
4888 Fordham @ Chattanooga
4395 Duquesne @ W&M
4160 Humboldt State @ Northwest Missouri State
3400 Grand Valley State @ Ferris State
3303 Colgate @ UNH
3098 SUU @ SHSU
2052 UW-Whitewater @ Wheaton
1865 Cortland State @ Linfield
1555 CSU-Pueblo @ Midwestern State
1310 Huntingdon @ Mary Hardin-Baylor
1261 Wesley @ Johns Hopkins
1258 Albright @ Mount Union
1176 Thomas More @ Wabash
1129 Emporia State @ Henderson State
1101 Assumption @ Slippery Rock
997 WIU @ Dayton
808 Ohio Northern @ UW-Oshkosh

[Big_Fan]

Is everyone on here a newbie to AGS? ;)

First round / Thanksgiving weekend attendance always sucks.

My aunt and uncle are season ticket holders at Montana and they said even there it was the easiest ticket to buy all season.

The Chattanooga crowd was definitely sparse and disappointing, but the people who there were loud and in to the game, that's all that matters to me.

And before JSU get all arrogant and cocky, your place was at least half empty last year when you played and lost to SHSU in the 2nd round (not the 1st).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJsG0czz3w

Our stadium holds 24,000. Half empty is 3x your crowd.

We have more fans at the game than UTC when we play in Chattanooga.

[Pards Rule]

Be great if we could get actual #'s from people at the game, not the BS announced #'s.
Is there 750 people at this Dayton game??


+ 1000. I have long been on a campaign to stop this BS attendance. Tickets sold or given away is NOT attendance. Scans or turnstile clicks are. What would be the purpose of announcing these inflated "numbers"??

[Pards Rule]

Iirc the PFL helped by putting half the bid in

I proposed this a week ago for the Patriot League. I surmise it is the only way to secure a first round bid. Even with Colgate upsetting UNH in Durham NH yesterday, there would have been a paltry crowd in Hamilton NY if that strategy was successful. Hamilton NY is in the middle of farm country and the isolated town has only 1500 residents. BUT it would be a home game nonetheless.

[JaxSinfonian]

We have more fans at the game than UTC when we play in Chattanooga.

I assume you meant "have had." There was actually a decent crowd of Mocs fans at Finley this year. I was happy for them.

[Pards Rule]

If we had a playoff game and Purdue, IU, NOtre Dame were off and the Colts moved back to Baltimore and it was a 2nd round game where the forecast was 75 and calm for the 2 weeks prior and students got in free I think we could get 8000-9000.

Also I was thinking why not create cut rate prices for the weekend to take advantage of elastic demand (for you eco majors). I mean $5 tickets would boost attendance I believe. Hell, the folks could watch the game and Small Biz Saturday shop on their mobile phones. Would be an interesting experiment. Maybe 1AA folks could get involved in making up a shortfall.

[OhioHen]

997 is the "officially reported" attendance for WIU at Dayton. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 were Western fans.

This game never had a shot at significant attendance - Ohio State-Michigan at noon. The only way a game at Dayton could have had ANY real attendance would have been a 7:00 p.m. start.

[Sitting Bull]

Agree, why this would be a surprise to anyone who has followed the playoffs is a good question. Either they are new to following all this or they are from the camp of relishing all things negative.

Its almost a sure thing, any Thanksgiving/1st round game will bring in between 40-50% of any schools regular season average - a bit higher if you can expect some fan following from the visiting team (Coastal/The Citadel as example).

Students are gone and the average fan has about 6 days notice to plan attending. Season ticket holders are not automatic - they have to re-up to buy tickets. Merge all that into a holiday weekend, anyone expecting a swarm of new support is delusional.

The tickets aren't cheap either. At W&M, you pay between $15 end zone/$25 sideline for regular season games against conference rivals. Yesterday, you paid $30 to watch Duquesne (which you did get your money's worth).

As the playoffs move on, the attendance ticks up. By the time you get to the semis, you start to see sellouts.

In terms of the comparison laid out, it looks very much like a week of MAC games in November.

Trying to maximize the gate and returns is exactly why the NCAA seeds as it does. They are trying to squeeze every dollar from this.

[katstrapper]

Sam Houston crowd looks pretty terrible

A little over 3k was reported. I don't know that there was that many in the stadium. Plus, a Saturday after Thanksgiving, students are gone !!

I drove up from Houston and it rained the whole way up. Weather was pretty ugly. I don't like the playoffs starting weekend of Thanksgiving. Looking at the attendance numbers it doesn't look like anyone is interested either.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I could have sworn attendance was better in the mid to late 90's. I feel like post 9/11 regionalization attendance has fallen significantly. There's also no denying the product has been water down.

The NCAA needs to do a better of job of looking at the FBS schedule too. They did Dayton zero favors yesterday with that game time. The weather didn't help either....

[JayJ79]

+ 1000. I have long been on a campaign to stop this BS attendance. Tickets sold or given away is NOT attendance. Scans or turnstile clicks are. What would be the purpose of announcing these inflated "numbers"??

generally playoff attendance numbers tend to be less "BS" than regular season numbers, because I think that number affects how much the school has to pay to the NCAA (they take 75% of the gate or something like that). Except when attendance is really low, then it doesn't matter b/c the NCAA will get the bid amount, and the school has to pay the shortfall out of their own pocket.

also, the playoff games can't automatically count all the season tickets, and complimentary/giveaway tickets aren't allowed.

[Panther88]

Man that is horrible attendance. The SWAC should have never given up its AQ in the then D-IAA playoffs so that it could send its fans to Bohank-BillyBob, Montana.

Sat 11/29/2015 Southern vs Grambling

Attendance: 62507

[JayJ79]

Also I was thinking why not create cut rate prices for the weekend to take advantage of elastic demand (for you eco majors). I mean $5 tickets would boost attendance I believe. Hell, the folks could watch the game and Small Biz Saturday shop on their mobile phones. Would be an interesting experiment. Maybe 1AA folks could get involved in making up a shortfall.

I know it used to be that the NCAA set a mandate that playoff ticket prices couldn't be lower than regular season ticket prices (though some schools would intentionally price one regular season game fairly low so that they could use that price for their playoff price if need be).

However, perhaps new to this year, that minimum only applies to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round games; and there is no minimum for first round games (other than they can't be given away).

[ST_Lawson]

I know it used to be that the NCAA set a mandate that playoff ticket prices couldn't be lower than regular season ticket prices (though some schools would intentionally price one regular season game fairly low so that they could use that price for their playoff price if need be).

However, perhaps new to this year, that minimum only applies to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round games; and there is no minimum for first round games (other than they can't be given away).

Any idea how that applies to students going to games if students get in free during the regular season?

[crossfire07]

I see people posting on here that list their location as the same town or very near where the playoff game is and wonder why they aren't at the game. wtf?

[Pards Rule]

generally playoff attendance numbers tend to be less "BS" than regular season numbers, because I think that number affects how much the school has to pay to the NCAA (they take 75% of the gate or something like that). Except when attendance is really low, then it doesn't matter b/c the NCAA will get the bid amount, and the school has to pay the shortfall out of their own pocket.

also, the playoff games can't automatically count all the season tickets, and complimentary/giveaway tickets aren't allowed.

Thanks JayJ. I guess my question then is more applicable to the regular season games "attendance" figures. Perhaps they could list both: actual attendance and tickets sold. That would be a fair way to do it. So then I pivot my original question to the regular season games: for what purpose??

[katstrapper]

I could have sworn attendance was better in the mid to late 90's. I feel like post 9/11 regionalization attendance has fallen significantly. There's also no denying the product has been water down.

The NCAA needs to do a better of job of looking at the FBS schedule too. They did Dayton zero favors yesterday with that game time. The weather didn't help either....

I personally don't like playing a team from the same conference early in the playoffs. Don't like seeing a conference foe after you have already seen them in the regular season.

As far as Dayton, what does the time have to do with it? They were 10-1 and had a home game and got beat by a 6-5 team. That's what the playoffs are all about.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I personally don't like playing a team from the same conference early in the playoffs. Don't like seeing a conference foe after you have already seen them in the regular season.

As far as Dayton, what does the time have to do with it? They were 10-1 and had a home game and got beat by a 6-5 team. That's what the playoffs are all about.

Dayton relies on community support for hoops. I have to believe football is similar. I just don't see how a Flyers-Leatherneck game is going to compete with Ohio State-Michigan in a city like Dayton. Who is going to sit out in the rain when the Buckeyes and Wolverines are on?

[JayJ79]

Any idea how that applies to students going to games if students get in free during the regular season?

the handbook states that complimentary tickets are not allowed, so technically, I believe the school (or "the coach") have to "buy" tickets for students if they want to offer free admission for students.

[Schism55]

Dayton drew less than all but one D3 playoff game. Wow, thats unacceptable.

[JaxSinfonian]

the handbook states that complimentary tickets are not allowed, so technically, I believe the school (or "the coach") have to "buy" tickets for students if they want to offer free admission for students.

Correct. JSU is offering, as it typically has for home playoff games, free admission to students. Students must show up in advance of game day to get these "free" tickets, for which I assume JSU will later pay the NCAA.

[polsongrizz]

Is everyone on here a newbie to AGS? ;)

First round / Thanksgiving weekend attendance always sucks.

My aunt and uncle are season ticket holders at Montana and they said even there it was the easiest ticket to buy all season.



The first playoff game is always tough to get people to. Students and fans are gone for Turkey day and even more important is the fact that hunting season ends today and everybody who hasn't filled their tags are out trying to find an Elk. Still 14000+ showed up yesterday. There might have been maybe 50 Jack fans at the game.

[melloware13]

An interesting thing about the students having to pay is that the best student sections since I started at UD were opening games and the 2010 playoffs. For general tickets, the usual increase in price plus short notice and broadcast available is going to be a blow on the attendance

[Toby]

It will be interesting to see how Mercer's playoff attendance will be next year. :)

[Catsfan90]

I'd be down for blacking out the game for locals. For non hardcore fans most people would rather watch a broadcast than attend the game.

[ST_Lawson]

I'd be down for blacking out the game for locals. For non hardcore fans most people would rather watch a broadcast than attend the game.

Blacking out? Like not letting them be sent to ESPN3?

[crossfire07]

I wouldn't mind seeing them blacking out all games to locals. Can't make the game then listen to it on the radio. Screw em. Schools at our level don't get a cash flow from it.

[Catsfan90]

Blacking out? Like not letting them be sent to ESPN3?

Yah, ESPN-3 does it with a lot of other events. They can just list the IP address for the area and black them out.

[melloware13]

Then the question would be how big of a blackout region would it be, basing it on area or population. Also would it vary depending on the team?

[ST_Lawson]

Yah, ESPN-3 does it with a lot of other events. They can just list the IP address for the area and black them out.

Ah, that makes sense.

Yea, I agree...if you're interested enough to watch the game and you're local, then come to the stadium and watch it.

The one issue I see is for people who can't sit out in the cold if it's late in the season and watch the game. For example, my parents and I were at our game against SDSU a week ago when it was cold and windy (that was the one that SDSU was stuck in the airport, then delayed on the way to town...and then lost in 2OT), but my dad has trouble being outside when it's below freezing. He had to head home around halftime and watch the rest of the game at home on ESPN3. He did pay for a ticket, did get counted for attendance, but just couldn't stay and still wanted to watch the game.

Not sure what the best solution would be, although I think a lot of the time, if you can't physically make it, listening to the game on the radio is still a feasible solution.

[Catsfan90]

Ah, that makes sense.

Yea, I agree...if you're interested enough to watch the game and you're local, then come to the stadium and watch it.

The one issue I see is for people who can't sit out in the cold if it's late in the season and watch the game. For example, my parents and I were at our game against SDSU a week ago when it was cold and windy (that was the one that SDSU was stuck in the airport, then delayed on the way to town...and then lost in 2OT), but my dad has trouble being outside when it's below freezing. He had to head home around halftime and watch the rest of the game at home on ESPN3. He did pay for a ticket, did get counted for attendance, but just couldn't stay and still wanted to watch the game.

Not sure what the best solution would be, although I think a lot of the time, if you can't physically make it, listening to the game on the radio is still a feasible solution.
Yah that would def be an issue, but its also nothing new. Networks have blacked out games for years.

[ST_Lawson]

Yah that would def be an issue, but its also nothing new. Networks have blacked out games for years.

Right, it still might be the right solution for a team that struggles with attendance (like most of us do).

[clenz]

No.

Making our product less accessible to any kind of area is a dumbass move that should be mocked and ridiculed.

[kalm]

No.

Making our product less accessible to any kind of area is a dumbass move that should be locked and ridiculed.

Yep.

[crossfire07]

No.

Making our product less accessible to any kind of area is a dumbass move that should be mocked and ridiculed.

So when people decide to stay home and watch the game for whatever reason that is a ticket that isn't sold and less money for the school. Being on tv costs schools money. Our product is 100% accessible by getting your ass into the car and driving to the game or access it by radio / internet or whatever.

[clenz]

It's not always that easy. But enjoy your fantasy world.

[ST_Lawson]

Thought about it a bit and I rescind my previous statement. Blackouts work when you already have a huge fairly local fan base that just doesn't go to enough games. Most FCS schools don't fall into that category and are really more in the "just trying to get more fans any way they can" mode. Having the games available for free on ESPN3 expands the potential audience.

[clenz]

Thought about it a bit and I rescind my previous statement. Blackouts work when you already have a huge fairly local fan base that just doesn't go to enough games. Most FCS schools don't fall into that category and are really more in the "just trying to get more fans any way they can" mode. Having the games available for free on ESPN3 expands the potential audience.

Exactly right

[BluBengal07]

xcoffeex

[JSUSoutherner]

And before JSU get all arrogant and cocky, your place was at least half empty last year when you played and lost to SHSU in the 2nd round (not the 1st).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVJsG0czz3w

SHSU vs JSU 2014 attendance: 10,832 (our most poorly attended home game of the year)

Best attendended 2014 Chatt Game: 10,763 (not counting the JSU game where we had several thousand fans show up)

Awkward.

JSU 2015 Home Attendance:
Best: vs. TSU- 23,413
Second Best: vs. EKU- 21,988
Worst: vs. MVSU- 13,889 (rain game)
Average: 19,368 (80.7% Stadium capacity/ 24,000 max)

Chatt 2015 Home Attendance:
Best: vs. JSU- 15,812
Second Best: vs. El Cid- 11,594
Worst: vs. Fordham- 4,888
Average: 10,151 (49.1% Stadium Capacity/ 20,668 max)

Really Awkward.

[grizband]

No.

Making our product less accessible to any kind of area is a dumbass move that should be mocked and ridiculed.
Especially in areas like Montana, where weather is a legitimate reason some people stay home from playoff games.

[Mocs123]

There is no doubt that JSU has done a fantastic job building a large fan base that attends games. I think the first game I went to where UTC played JSU was in 2005 and it seems like you had ~13k there which was impressive to me since at that time we were probably averaging 5-6k. After the renovation/addition you guys have really been able to add new fans and seem to consistently be in that 18-20k mark. What you have done is even more impressive to me as like us you are right in the middle of SEC country. I don't like JSU, but I respect what they have built.

We can't seem to get average attendance over 10-11k and that's a shame as we have had some really good teams the past few years. We have poor student attendance probably in part to the stadium being off campus and over half our student commuting and living off campus (and many outside the city limits), but you would think we could get more than 11k Chattanoogans to come watch us play The Citadel for a confrence championship (third straight) and a playoff spot on the line. I would love to average 20k a game.