Reasonable Average Attendance

[ROCK1]

After the new stadium is completed, what do you think the average home football attendance will be after the newness wears off?

[zen]

1) how the attendence is after the newness wears off depends on how the team is doing, all things being equal, shouldn't expect a couple thousand more per game just because of being closer to campus?2) how fast the newness wears off depends on how the team is doing

[Quickzips]

Like Zen said, it depends a lot on how the team is doing. I'll take it one step further though. It depends on how the team does during those first couple seasons when the stadium is still new. That is going to be the most critical time for this program in terms of fan support. Obviously you expect big crowds during the first season and even into the second season as people are gonna be excited about the shiny new stadium. A lot of those people are going to be either casual Zips fans that maybe make it to a game here or there but don't really care much or they will be people who have never been to a game before. The stadium is going to get them to the game. The product on the field HAS to keep them there. Like you said, the newness of the stadium will wear off. During that newness time you've got to have a quality product on the field that has some staying power. That way when the newness wears off there is still something there to keep all those new fans coming back.

[Kangaroo Craig]

1) how the attendence is after the newness wears off depends on how the team is doing, all things being equal, shouldn't expect a couple thousand more per game just because of being closer to campus?2) how fast the newness wears off depends on how the team is doing

I'll say 20,000. That would be about 5K more per game than what the average has been the last few years. The quality of the product on the field will be slightly better than it is right now, and more fans will pack the stands because of the stadium being on campus. Plus, UA is building new dorms within walking distance to Infocision Stadium. It will be very convenient for students to attend games. If this doesn't help, then nothing will.

[zippyrifle32]

i think if you take a look at mack's success at utep, you'd find a pretty good predictor. this is akron, but i have hope.

[zip37]

It depends on the record, if we're still .500 or so, not so good, also how long it takes to wear off the newness. I'm not optomistic, this area is HS, & pro football followers, witness the attendance at Ohio Stadium & Browns whatever that is named.

[Zips fan]

I think that the Zips should reasonably expect attendance to be over 18K for each decent weather game. Also, I think the Zips should expect to sell-out for Can't and come close to 30K if we are in a title run.

[bigham78]

I believe it all depends on the product on the field. If, UA is competitive. I fully expect them to average 18K or better for most games and sellouts for games vs Can't St.Just having a stadium on campus will bring additional 4k to 5k in my opinion. Make title runs and I expect them to draw very well.

[GP1]

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

[flipthezip]

I think we will have sell outs every game after UA implents a change to the academic course load. Football 101. A course taken each Fall by all enrolled students with only 1 course requirement for an "A" - attendance at all home games.Students showing promise will be eligible to enroll in other courses. Basketball 101, Soccer 101, Volleyball 101, etc.

[bigham78]

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

They're no where near as bad as back in the 1970's and They claimed attendance was 45k to 49K for the old Acme Zip Games. I know bowl was full for those games and people were even sitting on the hill atop the Bowl. But, you can't get 45k to 49K into a stadium who's official capacity is 35,000.

[ZippyAlum]

With the new dorms, etc how many students actually reside on campus? I would guess that it's up by quite a few. I know enrollment is up but I wonder how far we've come from the commuter school of the past.

[ziptrumpet87]

Many of the dormies are semi-local (i.e. Canton) and go home each weekend. The real trick is getting them to want to stick around. Maybe the higher gas prices will keep more of them on campus over the weekend or will put more on campus because it's cheaper than commuting.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Once the stadium is on campus, the whole "commuter issue" is null and void.The new stadium will be "THE Place to Be" in Akron for years. No student is going to miss the party.Will they show up to watch terrible football? More so than they did during the Rubber Bowl years, that's for certain. But if the team wins, there will be no problems averaging 80+% of capacity.If the team doesn't win...some heads will roll. You can't build a 60million dollar stadium, combine it with a state-of-the-art training facility, and finish sub .500. Failure is not an option.

[bigham78]

Once the stadium is on campus, the whole "commuter issue" is null and void.The new stadium will be "THE Place to Be" in Akron for years. No student is going to miss the party.Will they show up to watch terrible football? More so than they did during the Rubber Bowl years, that's for certain. But if the team wins, there will be no problems averaging 80+% of capacity.If the team doesn't win...some heads will roll. You can't build a 60million dollar stadium, combine it with a state-of-the-art training facility, and finish sub .500. Failure is not an option.

I agree Even during bad years teams like Ohio U and Bowling Green draw well for home games because of the on-campus experience you get for MAC games and rivarly games. During the competitive years you'll get sellouts. The Bowling Green-NIU ESPN Saturday game of just a few short years ago more then drives home what a home game on your campus can do for you even in the MAC. I have no doubts UofA can rise to and above that level in the coming years once the stadium opens on campus.

[Zipmeister]

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

BUT I believe they will be able to lower the inflation factor.

[Zipmeister]

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

They're no where near as bad as back in the 1970's and They claimed attendance was 45k to 49K for the old Acme Zip Games. I know bowl was full for those games and people were even sitting on the hill atop the Bowl. But, you can't get 45k to 49K into a stadium who's official capacity is 35,000.

Stadium capacity was listed at 31,000 not 35,000. I do not recall anyone ever claiming that attendance for an Acme Zip game was 45 to 49K but I was there when they had over 40,000 and it was fun.

[Rockhopper Wallaroo]

There's an article in the Sept 2006 edition of Akron Life & Leisure about the Rubber Bowl and it says that capacity was reduced from 35,482 to 31,000 when turf and expanded all-purpose track were installed.

[Hilltopper]

There's an article in the Sept 2006 edition of Akron Life & Leisure about the Rubber Bowl and it says that capacity was reduced from 35,482 to 31,000 when turf and expanded all-purpose track were installed.

Capacity was dropped when they discovered that the enclosed end of the Rubber Bowl was slowly collapsing. At first they tried pumping thousands of yards of concrete under the stands to stabilize the hillside, but it was not succesful. That is why the blue tarp was installed to cover those seats.

[Captain Kangaroo]

I can't wait to see that all-purpose track!

[bigham78]

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

They're no where near as bad as back in the 1970's and They claimed attendance was 45k to 49K for the old Acme Zip Games. I know bowl was full for those games and people were even sitting on the hill atop the Bowl. But, you can't get 45k to 49K into a stadium who's official capacity is 35,000.

Stadium capacity was listed at 31,000 not 35,000. I do not recall anyone ever claiming that attendance for an Acme Zip game was 45 to 49K but I was there when they had over 40,000 and it was fun.

The original official capacity of the Rubber Bowl 35,202 before they closed part of the seats in the endzone and built the A-men club under the pressbox. UofA had person who happened to have graduated from my HS who worked in AD who was always grossly over estimating crowds back in the early late 1960's and early 1970's Yes, he sure did estimate several of the Acme-Zip crowds at 45k to 49k back then. His Nickname was Red. I don't recall his real name at this time and only recall his nickname and firery but, great attitude (But, I'm going to get it and post it here) The ABJ said it was closer to 40K all of those times.Here's one of the many places that will confirm the original capacityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_BowlLocation Akron, Ohio Broke ground 1939 Opened 1940 Capacity 35,202

[Zipsrifle]

Out of sight, out of mind. That's the way it was when I was in school. Yea, we have a football team, but we don't really know where they play and what is this tailgating thing? A bus takes us there and we get dropped off just before the game starts. That first home game, when all of a sudden all of these old people show up on campus, clogging the streets in the city, flags flying, beer drinking they will figure out what to do before the game. Then when they walk into a stadium packed with 30,000+ people.....things will click! THAT is why an on-campus stadium is so important. Get the students hooked (like me), and they will come back. We can't screw up the opening of this thing. The first season good attendance is a given. We need to put a quality product on the field and make a solid run in the 2nd season. A packed house for 2 years straight will not only get a lot of fans hooked, but it will also look VERY good to those recurits who are trying to decide between Akron and say Miami.

[Lee Adams]

Once the stadium is on campus, the whole "commuter issue" is null and void.The new stadium will be "THE Place to Be" in Akron for years. No student is going to miss the party.Will they show up to watch terrible football? More so than they did during the Rubber Bowl years, that's for certain. But if the team wins, there will be no problems averaging 80+% of capacity.If the team doesn't win...some heads will roll. You can't build a 60million dollar stadium, combine it with a state-of-the-art training facility, and finish sub .500. Failure is not an option.

I agree Even during bad years teams like Ohio U and Bowling Green draw well for home games because of the on-campus experience you get for MAC games and rivarly games. During the competitive years you'll get sellouts. The Bowling Green-NIU ESPN Saturday game of just a few short years ago more then drives home what a home game on your campus can do for you even in the MAC. I have no doubts UofA can rise to and above that level in the coming years once the stadium opens on campus.

can't really compare Athens and Bowling Green Ohio to Akron...smaller towns and the schools are THE item...not much else to do not so here...never has been that connection with U of A and the community that there should have been..at least not yet..

[you am i]

I don't know what attendance will be, but I can predict with 100% certainty that the Athletic Department will continue the fine tradition of over reporting crowd size.

They're no where near as bad as back in the 1970's and They claimed attendance was 45k to 49K for the old Acme Zip Games. I know bowl was full for those games and people were even sitting on the hill atop the Bowl. But, you can't get 45k to 49K into a stadium who's official capacity is 35,000.

Stadium capacity was listed at 31,000 not 35,000. I do not recall anyone ever claiming that attendance for an Acme Zip game was 45 to 49K but I was there when they had over 40,000 and it was fun.

The original official capacity of the Rubber Bowl 35,202 before they closed part of the seats in the endzone and built the A-men club under the pressbox. UofA had person who happened to have graduated from my HS who worked in AD who was always grossly over estimating crowds back in the early late 1960's and early 1970's Yes, he sure did estimate several of the Acme-Zip crowds at 45k to 49k back then. His Nickname was Red. I don't recall his real name at this time and only recall his nickname and firery but, great attitude (But, I'm going to get it and post it here) The ABJ said it was closer to 40K all of those times.Here's one of the many places that will confirm the original capacityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_BowlLocation Akron, Ohio Broke ground 1939 Opened 1940 Capacity 35,202

You're probably thinking of Red Cochrane, former player and coach, and longtime supporter of athletics. (I was going to say athletics supporter but thought better of it.)

[Quickzips]

One of the things people are forgetting in all of this discussion. This campus looks like a nuclear fallout zone on the weekends. Even the students who do live on campus go home for the weekends. Now maybe that is gonna change some with the stadium and tailgating and the like on campus, but we aren't gonna become a residential school with thousands of students on campus all weekend overnight.