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Attendance/Ticket Prices


GP1

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On Rasor's blog, they are having a discussion on ticket prices. This needs to be addressed before it gets out of hand on this board.IMHO, $20 is not to much money to spend on a ticket to a D-1A football game. $15 is not too much to spend on a GA ticket. I pay $33 per ticket to go watch an ACC team play.Someone mentioned that people are not able to pay their electric bills and they can't afford the ticket prices. First, it is horrible that someone can't pay an electric bill. Second, going to a football game is the least of the problems this person has and probably isn't high on their priority list. Lee Adams mentioned in his discussion about student attendance that kids would rather text and call one another on their cell phones than pay attention to the game. In the 1970s when he was in school, this didn't go on. Of course it didn't go on, fax machines were not even used in the 1970s. I'm not even sure push button phones existed then let alone texting. The first cell phones in the 1980s were the size of a suitcase. Kids text today, that's just the way they are. A casual walk through the student center around lunch would reveal probably 50% of the studens texting or talking on the phone.We are living in one of the worst economic times in the history of the US. It is what it is and $5 tickets are not going to change that. UofA can not create another generation of fans who think going to a UofA football game should only cost $5, or even worse free. The demand just isn't there at this point in history. Keep ticket prices where they are and when the economy picks up in a couple of years, they will be selling more tickets at a higher price point than $5.

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I agree whole heartedly with you. A movie costs 10 dollars, popcorn 7.50. It costs between 2-4 dollars to rent a movie for an evening. Why do you (anyone, not GP1) think it should only cost 10 dollars or less to go watch a football game?They bring up Can't a lot in those comments. Can't offers 2 for 10. Yeah that's because they have historically been a 1-11 team with almost no chance of doing anything, playing at the second best stadium in Portage county (Ravenna stadium is much nicer). As far as the "students not paying attention" the students don't pay, they can be doing origami for all I care as long as when the rest of the students around them shout they shout. Hell there are plenty of season ticket holders doing the same thing (and two of them that sit behind me that barely even know what just happened). These are the people showing up for the social aspect, and that is what we want. You want the stadium and campus to be the "place to be" on a game day. The only thing I didn't like was the "premium" pricing, and they should drop that before the Can't game, but other than that there is nothing wrong with GA being $15.

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I too feel ticket prices should be left alone. If you can't afford to pay your electric, you have no reason even thinking about going to a football game. It makes me very sad that people are struggling so much in the economy now, but lowering football ticket prices will not help them. The prices charged for Akron games is VERY reasonable. I have season tickets to OSU games (because I work there) and they are $63 a piece! It would not be uncommon to get more $ for them if you want that. If people want to come ,they will pay the price. Akron football is a great deal!!

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You are absolutely correct about everything. Ticket prices are exactly where they should be. Are they more expensive than at the RB? Yes, but considering the facility we just moved to and the quality of the product we are striving for (but having issues getting), the price is well within reason. In regards to whomever it was that mentioned people not being able to pay their electric bills... it's sad that this is reality for some people in Akron, but as you pointed out, a football game shouldnt be anywhere near the priority for that person. Another thought that comes to mind... what about the thousands upon thousands that live outside of Akron, something like a half hour away? Why is it that everyone seems so dead-set on getting every person who lives in Akron at the game when, realistically, this will never happen?

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In addition, it was already commented on ZN elsewhere, I was in the line waiting for general admission tickets after the game started at gate 2. Three windows were open. Two windows were for will call,no one was in line for those windows. One window was left to serve approximately 100+ people in line waiting for general admission tickets. Why didn't the two remaining windows start to sell general admission tickets?(or at least one more!) Very poorly managed. People were getting very irritated and some left. How can you justify leaving two people sitting there with nothing to do and many people still waiting to get in? That needs to be re-evaluated and changed as soon as possible. Makes the new stadium look bad.

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I don't want this to come off as snooty, because it isn't meant to be.UofA needs to draw a different type of fan to the games. I don't know how else to put it, but by "different type", I mean people with a higher income level than they have before. They need to draw not only people willing to pay more for tickets every year, but they need to turn those ticket buyers into Z-Fund donors as well. These fans also can not only be those people that sit in suits and boxes. It has to be everyone at least in the reserved seating area. The fans that are coming out for $5 tickets are not those people.

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In addition, it was already commented on ZN elsewhere, I was in the line waiting for general admission tickets after the game started at gate 2. Three windows were open. Two windows were for will call,no one was in line for those windows. One window was left to serve approximately 100+ people in line waiting for general admission tickets. Why didn't the two remaining windows start to sell general admission tickets?(or at least one more!) Very poorly managed. People were getting very irritated and some left. How can you justify leaving two people sitting there with nothing to do and many people still waiting to get in? That needs to be re-evaluated and changed as soon as possible. Makes the new stadium look bad.
This problem is easily solved. Make a few Athletic Department inters stand at strategic locations and sell the tickets to those walking by and ease the crush at the gate.
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I don't want this to come off as snooty, because it isn't meant to be.UofA needs to draw a different type of fan to the games. I don't know how else to put it, but by "different type", I mean people with a higher income level than they have before. They need to draw not only people willing to pay more for tickets every year, but they need to turn those ticket buyers into Z-Fund donors as well. These fans also can not only be those people that sit in suits and boxes. It has to be everyone at least in the reserved seating area. The fans that are coming out for $5 tickets are not those people.
absolutely right... again. A UA football game shouldnt be seen mostly as a "cheap night out", but rather a gathering place for true UA fans.
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I agree with you. True Akron fans that can afford a great night out! How can you have a beautiful stadium and expect to get tickets for free? How can you respect the team and university if the tickets are just given away? The team, the university deserves so much better than that. Lets make this whole experience positive! While I am on a roll...why don't the fans get loud on 3rd downs? I have never seen anything like it. You are at a football game...people stand up and make noise on third downs!!! Thats what you are supposed to do!! My husband and I were doing that and everyone just turned and stared at us! Why aren't the fans getting involved more? The team needs to know you are behind them! NO ONE should be sitting down. The band should play something (has anyone ever been to an LSU game?) Bells should be ringing (has anyone ever been to an OSU game?) You should have seen the CMU fans and students , it was great! I could go on... What is wrong with everyone? Show some spirit!!! We could be the ones to make a difference....

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I've often been torn on this very topic. As a longtime season ticket holder, I am one of those older people who remembers several decades of the Acme/Zip game. Were those tickets heavily discounted? Yes. But, did it create some excitement leading up to the game, and a great game day atmosphere? You bet it did. I used to get really pumped for the game since often there were a lot of ads, and even cheerleaders standing in the lobby of the stores handing out schedules. It was a time of the year I always looked forward to. Seeing the wave go around the bowl, and 30,000 people rising to their feet after a touchdown was quite exciting.But, the other side of the issue is important too. We have a great stadium, and we shouldn't "cheapen" the value of attending a D-1A football game. And among a lot of people in the area, those discounted tickets may have indeed created a "I'll go to an Akron game when it's free" mentality.But, here's the current problem....The novelty of the new stadium wore off very, very quickly for a lot of people. Even before we took the field against Indiana, with a chance to knock off a beatable Big 11 team, and coming off of a blowout win. Even during some of our best D-1A years, attendance dwindled as the weather got colder. And primarily, as I expected, it's happening now among the General Admission crowd. It appears as if a good number of Reserved fans are continuing to come.So, I don't think it would be a bad idea to entice some people with a little bargain on GA tickets. Even a company as big as Subway is discounting their Buffalo Chicken sub to get people to try the product. I'm sure many Zips fans today grew out of old Acme/Zip game patrons who were trying the Akron Football product for the first time, and grew into season ticket holders and lifelong fans.I clearly understand the argument not to discount tickets.....but I'm probably more upset by all of the empty GA seats.

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For me, this is a non-issue.If you look at the numbers, the Zips are likely on their way to hit the stated objective of averaging 18K attendance for the season.Over 3 games, the average is still 21,113 / game.Certainly a big drop off from game 1 to game 2 .. that can't be a big surprise to anyone.The team had gone 1-3 to start .. endured a horrible couple of weeks on and off the field, culminating with an embarrassing on-field performance at CMU, and a bye week that gets people thinking about other stuff .. and 17K+ showed. Not a bad crowd in my mind.It appears to me that they'll hit the target of 108K fans for the season. Can't State will draw well, it always does. Even taking the IU to OU trend and running it out over the remainder of the season has them hitting the number.All this, with possibly one of the worst football seasons in recent memory? Seems ok to me. We don't need to be dropping prices.Go Zips!! B) B) B)

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For me, this is a non-issue.If you look at the numbers, the Zips are likely on their way to hit the stated objective of averaging 18K attendance for the season.Over 3 games, the average is still 21,113 / game.Go Zips!! B) B) B)
I think it is important to note that this 17 k...and the 18k...and the 27k...were people who actually paid full price for a ticket. If you compare attendance numbers from the Rubber Bowl era, you should also compare income.17k (of which 8k really attended) at the Rubber Bowl @ $5.00 per ticket17k at InfoCision @ $20.00 per ticket.I'll take 17k, $20-paying patrons over 20k, $5 patrons any day.
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I think it is important to note that this 17 k...and the 18k...and the 27k...were people who actually paid full price for a ticket. If you compare attendance numbers from the Rubber Bowl era, you should also compare income.17k (of which 8k really attended) at the Rubber Bowl @ $5.00 per ticket17k at InfoCision @ $20.00 per ticket.I'll take 17k, $20-paying patrons over 20k, $5 patrons any day.
Very important point, CK. That extra $240,000 PER GAME will go a long way in our Athletic Department. Over a 6 game home slate, that's an additional $1.44 Million.Seems pretty obvious. That pays a lot of rent and salaries. B) B) B) Go Zips!
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To extend the analysis .. let's say the Zips averaged 16,000 last season at the Rubber Bowl .. and the average ticket price was $10 (I think it's lower than that).2008 Gate = 5 dates x 16k fans x $10/fan = $800,000 2008 Total Ticket RevenueAnd if the Zips average 17k this season @ $20/per:2009 Projected = 6 dates x 17k x $20/fan = $2,040,000 2009 Projected Ticket Revenue[qualification] I am aware that students get in free .. and that more of them are attending now than in the past .. but adjusting for that doesn't make a dent in the additional $1.2 Million the Zips Athletic Department is pulling at the gate. I am also aware that the game day overhead for the facility is higher at the Info .. but again, not so much.[/qualification]I'll let someone else figure out how the concessions revenue compares this year to last year. I know for a fact that my group is spending probably $30-60 more per game this season over last on food and beverages. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Go Zips!! B) B) B)

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To extend the analysis .. let's say the Zips averaged 16,000 last season at the Rubber Bowl .. and the average ticket price was $10 (I think it's lower than that).2008 Gate = 5 dates x 16k fans x $10/fan = $800,000 2008 Total Ticket RevenueAnd if the Zips average 17k this season @ $20/per:2009 Projected = 6 dates x 17k x $20/fan = $2,040,000 2009 Projected Ticket Revenue[qualification] I am aware that students get in free .. and that more of them are attending now than in the past .. but adjusting for that doesn't make a dent in the additional $1.2 Million the Zips Athletic Department is pulling at the gate. I am also aware that the game day overhead for the facility is higher at the Info .. but again, not so much.[/qualification]I'll let someone else figure out how the concessions revenue compares this year to last year. I know for a fact that my group is spending probably $30-60 more per game this season over last on food and beverages. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Go Zips!! B) B) B)
I believe it was stated that the home opener surpassed all of last year for concession sales. So every game after that is just "mo' money, mo' money, mo' money!"*edit: I like to keep my analysis simple
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To extend the analysis .. let's say the Zips averaged 16,000 last season at the Rubber Bowl .. and the average ticket price was $10 (I think it's lower than that).2008 Gate = 5 dates x 16k fans x $10/fan = $800,000 2008 Total Ticket RevenueAnd if the Zips average 17k this season @ $20/per:2009 Projected = 6 dates x 17k x $20/fan = $2,040,000 2009 Projected Ticket Revenue[qualification] I am aware that students get in free .. and that more of them are attending now than in the past .. but adjusting for that doesn't make a dent in the additional $1.2 Million the Zips Athletic Department is pulling at the gate. I am also aware that the game day overhead for the facility is higher at the Info .. but again, not so much.[/qualification]I'll let someone else figure out how the concessions revenue compares this year to last year. I know for a fact that my group is spending probably $30-60 more per game this season over last on food and beverages. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Go Zips!! B) B) B)
I believe it was stated that the home opener surpassed all of last year for concession sales. So every game after that is just "mo' money, mo' money, mo' money!"*edit: I like to keep my analysis simple
Agreed all the way around. Hopefully as the team improves the attendance and derivative revenue will follow. I'm looking forward to end-of-year reports on the concessions and team sales. Don't forget too that when the team shop on Exchange opens, if it's done well, a large and previously untapped revenue stream should result. STZ
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Thanks for the analysis ZW. It just proves how idiotic some of these claims for lower prices are. The only thing I wish the University was doing more of was promoting EVERY game all the time. How did we get 28k to the home opener? Marketing. They need to be continually pushing information out there letting everyone know "Hey! We play more than 1 home game a season!" Since the home opener, I've seen very little to keep the public, let alone the students, informed about upcoming games. JD hasn't helped either...

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Lowering ticket prices is not the answer. Nothing like diminishing the value of your product even further. No wonder we are on the same level as high school teams in this area. Lets break it down people. Nobody is excited about zips football right now and I cannot blame them. I'm no captain kangaroo or some of the other long time followers of zips athletics but I'd consider myself a pretty loyal fan. I was strongly considering not attending the Ohio game. Sure enough, the zips didn't let me down. Had it not been for the beautiful fall weather there was no way I was going to be there. The football we play is boring. We don't score. It's not IF we turn the ball over but it's when are we going to turn the ball over. We are one of the worst teams in the nation out of 119 1-A playing schools and people are supposed to drop what they are doing and come see this freak show because we have new bathrooms and concession stands? The solution is you open the check book and you hire a talented young winner with head coaching experience at the 1-AA level and you win some games. I don't care if we're a stepping stone. For once I want us to lose a coach because he was good and not because we have to fire him.

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Lowering ticket prices is not the answer. Nothing like diminishing the value of your product even further. No wonder we are on the same level as high school teams in this area. Lets break it down people. Nobody is excited about zips football right now and I cannot blame them. I'm no captain kangaroo or some of the other long time followers of zips athletics but I'd consider myself a pretty loyal fan. I was strongly considering not attending the Ohio game. Sure enough, the zips didn't let me down. Had it not been for the beautiful fall weather there was no way I was going to be there. The football we play is boring. We don't score. It's not IF we turn the ball over but it's when are we going to turn the ball over. We are one of the worst teams in the nation out of 119 1-A playing schools and people are supposed to drop what they are doing and come see this freak show because we have new bathrooms and concession stands? The solution is you open the check book and you hire a talented young winner with head coaching experience at the 1-AA level and you win some games. I don't care if we're a stepping stone. For once I want us to lose a coach because he was good and not because we have to fire him.
To a large extent I agree...regular ticket prices should not be lowered. I just think the pricing should be different for youth than for adults, which will in turn get more money and fill more seats.
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To a large extent I agree...regular ticket prices should not be lowered. I just think the pricing should be different for youth than for adults, which will in turn get more money and fill more seats.
Ill agree here. It sucks for those with families that want to bring their children and have to pay full-price for a seat. Hopefully this is a suggestion that is brought to the table after the football season at the latest. That area is the only area I would agree to a change in admission. @zipsbandman... You're pretty much right too. I think we can all come to the agreement that until we start winning and winning consistently (more than likely after the JD era), people aren't going to open their checkbooks for us and instead will complain about ticket prices. Until we have a real REASON for people to show up and watch college football on those cold nights in October and November, we'll just keep averaging 18k.
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Lowering ticket prices is not the answer. Nothing like diminishing the value of your product even further. No wonder we are on the same level as high school teams in this area. Lets break it down people. Nobody is excited about zips football right now and I cannot blame them. I'm no captain kangaroo or some of the other long time followers of zips athletics but I'd consider myself a pretty loyal fan. I was strongly considering not attending the Ohio game. Sure enough, the zips didn't let me down. Had it not been for the beautiful fall weather there was no way I was going to be there. The football we play is boring. We don't score. It's not IF we turn the ball over but it's when are we going to turn the ball over. We are one of the worst teams in the nation out of 119 1-A playing schools and people are supposed to drop what they are doing and come see this freak show because we have new bathrooms and concession stands? The solution is you open the check book and you hire a talented young winner with head coaching experience at the 1-AA level and you win some games. I don't care if we're a stepping stone. For once I want us to lose a coach because he was good and not because we have to fire him.
To a large extent I agree...regular ticket prices should not be lowered. I just think the pricing should be different for youth than for adults, which will in turn get more money and fill more seats.
Where are football ticket prices different for adult and children?If I want to two tickets to a Browns game it doesn't matter if it's a kid or not. I'm just asking, not trying to fight, I've never heard of it for football.For the record, cheapest UCF ticket is $25. Tulsa is $15 (endzone berm)Delaware (FCS) is 20 but has a 12 dolalr kid ticket.
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I just think the pricing should be different for youth than for adults, which will in turn get more money and fill more seats.
I have to respectfully disagree. There is no historical evidence showing that selling a youth ticket increases attendance or increases future attendance.
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I just think the pricing should be different for youth than for adults, which will in turn get more money and fill more seats.
I have to respectfully disagree. There is no historical evidence showing that selling a youth ticket increases attendance or increases future attendance.
Well, there may not be any evidence of this at Akron. I'm not sure. I know I can never remember a youth price there, just general and student. I know it must be seen as a positive at various other sporting events not affiliated with the university or they wouldn't continue to do it though. I know there are youth prices for many professional sports.Regardless, even if there is no evidence that it would increase attendance does anyone think that having a youth ticket price would be a negative? I haven't seen a large number of youths at Akron games in the 15 years I've been going. I certainly don't think that a decreased child price would cause much of a loss of revenue at all. It could, however, make it seem more affordable to some which may get more people through the gates and one would logically assume could only increase revenue. I do understand that it may not be a proven thing to do but I doubt it would be a harmful thing to do either.
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I think there is some marketing and discounting being done with local non-profits and youth sports organisations. My sons youth football team is having an outing at the Can't game. I think they are getting $5 per ticket sold. They are charging face value for GA tickets, $20. This is a good way to discount, without diminishing the value of the product.

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