Interesting article on ticket sales

[DCWV4life]

The Charleston Gazette | Mitch Vingle: WVU and football ticket sales

I know there is not much that will stop me from ordering season tickets...everyone wants us to win, but even in down seasons we come home with great memories of our days at Mountaineer Field. I think the diehards will come no matter what and the ticket sales will fluxuate with the fair weather crowd that is how it has been forever, this is nothing new.

I know money is a influence as well, but when I see people say it cost me a 1000 to go to a game I just shake my head. They give a breakdown of tickets, gas, hotels, food, and souviegners. As many of you know I drive from DC for the homes games which is a 4+ hour drive. We stop once on the way back in Cumberland to eat and make it on one tank of gas. I can tell you the cost is no where near $1000. last year I ran the numbers..140 buck for two tickets, 20 bucks for food and drink at game, 41 dollars to fill up tank, 30 bucks for food stop on way home. 230 dollars...why do I drive up and back because I do not want to spend money on a hotel, we do not buy gifts from every game, these cost are cost you can avoid and I would argue many fans drive as far as I do for home games...point being is if you want to go to a game it is still reasonable, even if you add two more tickets to my spending that is not bad for a trip to a game if WVU is your favorite school to root for. If you really want to go you will find a way...IMO. Everyone financial decision is there own, so please don't take this as a attack on personal decisions, just my opinion.

Another thing that is unavoidable is the influence of HDTV, what can you do about that? I mean there are sometimes I look at that drive and say "you know my couch is much closer". Lol

The student situation is a head scratcher, maybe the next generation is just not that interested in the sport. We have complained on here for years about the section not filling up before game time....one thing has changed though it does not seem to empty out after halftime (thanks Ollie). We can all hope this changes and if it doesn't then I think they should remove the lower level student section or maybe the renovations will help everyone get into the stadium faster, but I have a hunch that is not the real issue.

I think the ticket numbers are magnified because of all the changes at WVU...Luck made a mistake when using that as as reason for the Stew change...IMO you never use that since the market changes season to season most of the time for reasons you can't control. We start winning and it will come back we all know that is the formula, some how the excuse for cost will go away by the fair weather fans.

 

[bbwvfan]

Nice Post DC.

How are you doing?

How is your father doing?

 

[DCWV4life]

Dad is struggling with a couple of things, I am still on bed rest trying to stay busy as I can...it is tough right now, but I have faith everything will turn around for the better.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

Prayers with you and your Dad.

For some of us it is hard to go through a season without a visit to Mountaineer field, good season or not. Even in bad years there can still be plenty of good football. While our record was bad last year, we had some very entertaining games throughout the season.

We will see ticket sales go up and go down depending on how people think we will perform. Two down years will chase many away but they will come back in force when we start a season 6-0.

Attendance is down almost everywhere in CFB. Getting people to the staduim will become more and more of a challenge for everyone. For this, Ollie will need to come up with some good ideas.

First idea to get more people is to upgrade wireless communications at the staduim. Todays youth are teathered to their smartphones. Some will not go to the game just because they cannot text or snap chat during the game due to bad service.

If a game does not sell out, give away tickets to students of WV high schools. Good marketing for the school...gets kids interested in going to games at a younger age.

Status Quo will no longer fill the stadium. Every Oklahoma and Texas game will be sold out, but we need to fill the staduim against Kansas and Iowa State also.

 

[Slaton10]

The Charleston Gazette | Mitch Vingle: WVU and football ticket sales

I know there is not much that will stop me from ordering season tickets...everyone wants us to win, but even in down seasons we come home with great memories of our days at Mountaineer Field. I think the diehards will come no matter what and the ticket sales will fluxuate with the fair weather crowd that is how it has been forever, this is nothing new.

I know money is a influence as well, but when I see people say it cost me a 1000 to go to a game I just shake my head. They give a breakdown of tickets, gas, hotels, food, and souviegners. As many of you know I drive from DC for the homes games which is a 4+ hour drive. We stop once on the way back in Cumberland to eat and make it on one tank of gas. I can tell you the cost is no where near $1000. last year I ran the numbers..140 buck for two tickets, 20 bucks for food and drink at game, 41 dollars to fill up tank, 30 bucks for food stop on way home. 230 dollars...why do I drive up and back because I do not want to spend money on a hotel, we do not buy gifts from every game, these cost are cost you can avoid and I would argue many fans drive as far as I do for home games...point being is if you want to go to a game it is still reasonable, even if you add two more tickets to my spending that is not bad for a trip to a game if WVU is your favorite school to root for. If you really want to go you will find a way...IMO. Everyone financial decision is there own, so please don't take this as a attack on personal decisions, just my opinion.

Another thing that is unavoidable is the influence of HDTV, what can you do about that? I mean there are sometimes I look at that drive and say "you know my couch is much closer". Lol

The student situation is a head scratcher, maybe the next generation is just not that interested in the sport. We have complained on here for years about the section not filling up before game time....one thing has changed though it does not seem to empty out after halftime (thanks Ollie). We can all hope this changes and if it doesn't then I think they should remove the lower level student section or maybe the renovations will help everyone get into the stadium faster, but I have a hunch that is not the real issue.

I think the ticket numbers are magnified because of all the changes at WVU...Luck made a mistake when using that as as reason for the Stew change...IMO you never use that since the market changes season to season most of the time for reasons you can't control. We start winning and it will come back we all know that is the formula, some how the excuse for cost will go away by the fair weather fans.

I personally think the student numbers can or will improve with the focus put on recently about how to make the fan experience better...We are well past the days of just showing up to a game to show spirit and support whether the program is doing well or not that's long gone...even in the pro's people don't go to the game just for the "game"..they go for the social interaction and if taking their kids they are assessing what else is there for them to do other than just sit in their seats for 4.5 hours and watch the football game...we live in an ADD and electronics society...we also live in a day and age where you can sit at home with friends watch multiple games at once across the country and not hassle with parking etc...we never had that opportunity growing up..and we certainly didn't have Wv's games on TV every week...if we did, we likely would have curbed the number of games we attended back in the day...so it comes back to what any program in the country is trying to figure out how to provide more perception of value for the ENTERTAINMENT dollar..

 

[DCWV4life]

I agree 100% on the fan experience is just as important as the game.

I will probably never go to another NFL game again, especially here in DC...I have loved the skins since I can remember, have great photos of me and Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Darrell Green, Joey T and Riggins. The problem I have with the NFL thing is one the tickets are extremely expensive even for upper deck seats and even with paying that kind of money it just sucks going to that stadium. Unless you have a parking pass you are paying 60 bucks before you even get out of your car. I have lost interest in the NFL anyway, just not the same IMO.

Stadiums that I think I have had the best time in: Alltel stadium (Jacksonville) and MT&T (Baltimore) interestingly enough I think WVU lost both of those games. Looking forward to going to PennSt in a couple of years and whatever the Stadium is in Charlotte for the Tennessee game.

 

[Slaton10]

I agree 100% on the fan experience is just as important as the game.

I will probably never go to another NFL game again, especially here in DC...I have loved the skins since I can remember, have great photos of me and Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm, Darrell Green, Joey T and Riggins. The problem I have with the NFL thing is one the tickets are extremely expensive even for upper deck seats and even with paying that kind of money it just sucks going to that stadium. Unless you have a parking pass you are paying 60 bucks before you even get out of your car. I have lost interest in the NFL anyway, just not the same IMO.

Stadiums that I think I have had the best time in: Alltel stadium (Jacksonville) and MT&T (Baltimore) interestingly enough I think WVU lost both of those games. Looking forward to going to PennSt in a couple of years and whatever the Stadium is in Charlotte for the Tennessee game.

I am not sure if it is still like this in Morgantown...and I speaking as if I were a student...I had to go into the student gate for the last Pitt game I was meeting BBW...the line was ridiculosly long and I felt as though I was entering a prison gate as each kid was thoroughly searched for contraband...I was at the gate 40 minutes before kickoff and I missed the first 7 minutes of the game...if a student who has paid for a ticket is treated like a criminal instead of a customer I'm not sure I would want to deal with that hastle either

 

[Mac_Bridger]

One reason for low student numbers is that tickets are now optional and have to be purchased. When I was at WVU, games were part of tuition and free to attend.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

One reason for low student numbers is that tickets are now optional and have to be purchased. When I was at WVU, games were part of tuition and free to attend.

Back in the days, a student pass was all that was needed to get in and it was fairly easy to sneak alcohol into the games.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

Back in the days, a student pass was all that was needed to get in and it was fairly easy to sneak alcohol into the games.

Exactly. All I needed was my ID. The gate for all events was included with tuition. And I'm not THAT old! This is going back less than 20 years.

 

[DCWV4life]

So how much does it cost for students to get tickets these days? Is this common everywhere? I thought it was always part of tuition?

 

[WVUDAD]

So how much does it cost for students to get tickets these days? Is this common everywhere? I thought it was always part of tuition?

I know at Ohio State, the students enter a lottery based on their year to be able to win the privilege to BUY a ticket. When I was in school all we had to do was show our student ID.

 

[bbwvfan]

I don't think students have to buy tickets. But, they do have to go online and sign up for the game. They have to print a ticket to be used for admittance.

 

[DCWV4life]

I don't think students have to buy tickets. But, they do have to go online and sign up for the game. They have to print a ticket to be used for admittance.

What's the issue with that....college kids are probably on a computer a average of. 5 hrs a day.

If I was going to make a change it would be just register for the game during the week and scan student ID to enter. Not really sure if that would improve attendance.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

So how much does it cost for students to get tickets these days? Is this common everywhere? I thought it was always part of tuition?

I'm not sure, but I do know it's now optional. You can opt out of event tickets and save on tuition. I'm not sure exactly how it's done now, but I do know that students do have to pay additional for tickets now. Just don't know the how or how much.

 

[bbwvfan]

I don't believe WVU students have to pay extra for tickets. Just as when we were students, attending any athletic event is part of their athletic fee… something applied to every full-time student's fees for the semester.

Football Ticket Policy | Student Tickets | West Virginia University

 

[bbwvfan]

However, Mac is right… students do not have to pay the athletic fee.

 

[Bat 20]

I know at Ohio State, the students enter a lottery based on their year to be able to win the privilege to BUY a ticket. When I was in school all we had to do was show our student ID.

Auburn University does the same lottery system. I thought it was unfair when my son , a full time student, was unable to attend games if he was not selected by the lottery. They also make the students who live in the dorms move their vehicles from their assigned parking place on game weekends to accomadate the tailgaters.

 

[Anotherwvufan]

What's the issue with that....college kids are probably on a computer a average of. 5 hrs a day.

If I was going to make a change it would be just register for the game during the week and scan student ID to enter. Not really sure if that would improve attendance.

Some students who print tickets don't go, show up late, leave early. For a Texas or Oklahoma game, that works out fine. For the other games, they should just allow kids to use their student ID and when the student section is full, stop admitting students. Get there early or get shut out. We used to pack the student section every game with 10,000 less students enrolled...we can do it again.

 

[Mac_Bridger]

I don't believe WVU students have to pay extra for tickets. Just as when we were students, attending any athletic event is part of their athletic fee… something applied to every full-time student's fees for the semester.

Football Ticket Policy | Student Tickets | West Virginia University

However, Mac is right… students do not have to pay the athletic fee.

Thanks for checking on that BB. From what I recall it's not a large fee either.