2017 regular season attendance

[CappinHard]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Watched on a IPhone huh? You were not part of the disappointing turn out? How precious!

What?

[Mr_Tibbs]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

When that number is 4000 below the season average it could be said that it was a poor showing. Especially considering it was a beautiful day and potentially the final home game for two of the all time great players in the program.

I don't think that anyone is saying the fan base isn't growing. What baffles me is the fact that two second tier teams drew 3000 & 6000 more fans than a game that had serious playoff implications. Maybe some of the fans chose to attend the basketball games on Friday rather than the football game since some will say SDSU is still a basketball school. Maybe some had to go to the football finals over the game on Saturday. But the turnout was not what it should have been...

edit: added the word potentially

Unfortunately, I think 80% of our fan base has no idea that the ISU game had major implications as compared to the Drake/Duquesne game. The national awareness of FCS football among our fan base and within the state leaves more than a lot to be desired. Even Matt Zimmer (who I like by the way), our own beat writer, doesn't know a thing about the FCS national scene. Especially as it compares to the media in Fargo. I've seen him make statements about teams and conferences, and he clearly doesn't pay much attention to the landscape, outside of the MVFC. I'm not saying that as a shot to Zimmer, but I am using that as a snapshot as to the likelihood that are fan turnout is influenced by the playoff pedigree of the opponent. FCS football just doesn't register in the state to your casual fan. And we have a LOT of casual fans that make up those extra 3k -6k you're talking about.

[Nidaros]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

When that number is 4000 below the season average it could be said that it was a poor showing. Especially considering it was a beautiful day and potentially the final home game for two of the all time great players in the program.

I don't think that anyone is saying the fan base isn't growing. What baffles me is the fact that two second tier teams drew 3000 & 6000 more fans than a game that had serious playoff implications. Maybe some of the fans chose to attend the basketball games on Friday rather than the football game since some will say SDSU is still a basketball school. Maybe some had to go to the football finals over the game on Saturday. But the turnout was not what it should have been...

edit: added the word potentially

Watched on a IPhone huh? You were not part of the disappointing turn out? How precious!

[SoDakJack]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Getting nearly 9500 for a November game is not bad showing.

When that number is 4000 below the season average it could be said that it was a poor showing. Especially considering it was a beautiful day and potentially the final home game for two of the all time great players in the program.

I don't think that anyone is saying the fan base isn't growing. What baffles me is the fact that two second tier teams drew 3000 & 6000 more fans than a game that had serious playoff implications. Maybe some of the fans chose to attend the basketball games on Friday rather than the football game since some will say SDSU is still a basketball school. Maybe some had to go to the football finals over the game on Saturday. But the turnout was not what it should have been...

edit: added the word potentially

[Nidaros]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

For the six regular-season home games, total attendance (that's total ticket holders entering the stadium -- actual tickets sales is greater) was 82,850. The average attendance was 13,808.

Per game attendance as determined on the box score for each home game:

8.31.17 Duquesne 12,218
9.16.17 Drake, 15,806
10.7.17 Southern Illinois 12,891
10.14.17 UNI 14,347
11.4.17 NDSU 18,130
11.11.17 Illinois State 9,458

Getting nearly 9500 for a November game is not bad showing.

[Nidaros]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Ave attedence figures since 1999:
1999 6139
2000 5436
2001 6732
2002 5967
2003 5547
2004 9846
2005 6972
2006 9652
2007 11218
2008 9906
2009 13265
2010 10023
2011 12105
2012 11843
2013 10694
2014 10936
2015 12899
2016 13753
2017 13808

Thanks for taking time to post. We are definitely growing contrary to those think otherwise.

[goon]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Ave attedence figures since 1999:
1999 - 6139
2000 - 5436
2001 - 6732
2002 - 5967
2003 - 5547
2004 - 9846
2005 - 6972
2006 - 9652
2007 - 11218
2008 - 9906
2009 - 13265
2010 - 10023
2011 - 12105
2012 - 11843
2013 - 10694
2014 - 10936
2015 - 12899
2016 - 13753
2017 - 13808

Which basically has doubled since I was a student in 2000.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Ave attedence figures since 1999:
1999 6139
2000 5436
2001 6732
2002 5967
2003 5547
2004 9846
2005 6972
2006 9652
2007 11218
2008 9906
2009 13265
2010 10023
2011 12105
2012 11843
2013 10694
2014 10936
2015 12899
2016 13753
2017 13808

[goon]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

The uni game I think is the disappointing turnout. Since we are a young growing family it's hard to make every game now. But I have been saying it for years. Sdsu needs to build a culture of support. That includes affordable tickets. Or ticket packages. It includes game day experience also. Tailgating and good stadium atmosphere. It means. It takes generations of fans. Old timers. New grads etc. It takes families to grow and make sdsu apart of it. i think we need to model the Montana schools for a fan base more then ndsu. They have a better culture IMHO with years and years of success.

[BigGoosie13]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Good points. We're getting great support from Brookings. The best growth opportunity is Sioux Falls. The fan base is growing rapidly in Watertown too and more and more Watertown fans are starting to attend games.

Harry's has become a full fledged SDSU bar on gameday's now.

[JackJD]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

You also have to consider the size of the population in the immediate area. To juxtapose with Fargo, they have about 120,000 people that live there to fill a 19,000 seat stadium. Brookings has just under 24,000 to fill a 19,400 seat stadium. Percentage wise, 15.8% of Fargo can fill the stadium while it would take nearly 81% of Brookings to be at the game to fill it. That's about 6.5x required turnout to fill the stadium. The fact that the average attendance equates to over 50% of the population is pretty incredible.

Like any good statistical analysis, you can massage the numbers to support whatever argument you are trying to make. We don't have the history of success that NDSU has. Also, it's a cold part of the country and we elected to have the games outside. I love that but a lot of people are turned off by that (can you blame them)?

The administration is committing to making football a big draw and the ground work has been laid. The team has started doing it's part and they'll continue to have more success. With time, I wouldn't be surprised to see that average get up over 15,000 and eventually having regular sellouts. Montana and Montana State are good comparisons in that regard (even though their populations are 2.5x and 1.7x the size of Brookings, respectively).

Good points. We're getting great support from Brookings. The best growth opportunity is Sioux Falls. The fan base is growing rapidly in Watertown too and more and more Watertown fans are starting to attend games.

[JackJD]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

There is definitely momentum. That game would have drawn 6,000 people just a couple years ago. Many people I talk to are considering going to games and buying season tickets that have never had much of an interest before. Patience.

I agree with West-River Jack and CappinHard. The growth is happening but it will take some time.

[Danger41]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

Not a bad average, but still disappointing overall. Our fan base seems to care only about tailgating and fair weather. Unfortunately the tailgating and experience was built for September and night games. Not November and December when the season truly matters. If we host a playoff game(s) I do not think we can break 12,000 for a home game unless we play a team with fan base that travels well. On the plus side we have great stadium with room to grow the fan base. We will get there.

You also have to consider the size of the population in the immediate area. To juxtapose with Fargo, they have about 120,000 people that live there to fill a 19,000 seat stadium. Brookings has just under 24,000 to fill a 19,400 seat stadium. Percentage wise, 15.8% of Fargo can fill the stadium while it would take nearly 81% of Brookings to be at the game to fill it. That's about 6.5x required turnout to fill the stadium. The fact that the average attendance equates to over 50% of the population is pretty incredible.

Like any good statistical analysis, you can massage the numbers to support whatever argument you are trying to make. We don't have the history of success that NDSU has. Also, it's a cold part of the country and we elected to have the games outside. I love that but a lot of people are turned off by that (can you blame them)?

The administration is committing to making football a big draw and the ground work has been laid. The team has started doing it's part and they'll continue to have more success. With time, I wouldn't be surprised to see that average get up over 15,000 and eventually having regular sellouts. Montana and Montana State are good comparisons in that regard (even though their populations are 2.5x and 1.7x the size of Brookings, respectively).

[CappinHard]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

It doesn't happen in a year. It takes time. If we sold out the stadium it would mean we built it too small. It takes bringing new fans to a game. Maybe some of the ones that went to one game this year will plan to attend 2 or 3 next year. Maybe they will become season ticket holders a year or two after that. Or, maybe not, but they are still new fans who should be welcomed to the games they attend, not belittled or ridiculed for the ones they don't.

There is definitely momentum. That game would have drawn 6,000 people just a couple years ago. Many people I talk to are considering going to games and buying season tickets that have never had much of an interest before. Patience.

[mitchellrabbit]

Re: 2017 regular season attendance

What does the team have to do to grow the fan base? Have 4 pro prospects? Make the playoffs 10 years in a row? At some point we might just need to realize we may only sell out one game a year, the NDSU/USD game.

Fill the student section and most games it would have added a couple thousand to the attendance. They were there for the Duquesne game and almost filled for the NDSU game but still could have done better for a rivalry game. The Hobo Day weather sucked. I dont remember what the student crowd was for that game. I realize there are other things going on in their lives but you would think they could fill their section for 5 or 6 home games.