Peak Attendance

[Cajun90]

You want to increase attendance then hope that the CFP gets extended out so that every conference champion gets a shot. IF the Cajuns were playing to get into the CFP yesterday tickets would have been difficult to obtain.

Fans want to know that their team gets a shot at the grand prize. The chances of winning the powerball drawing are less than the odds of getting struck by lightning but people still buy tickets because they have as good a shot as anyone else. If there was a rule that Lafayette residents could play the game but were not eligible for the grand prize what would happen to sales? Same thing is true for Cajun football. Some people simple don't want to invest in a product that has no shot of winning the grand prize. Especially when there is an option less than an hour away that not only has a shot but has actually won the prize multiple times.

[HOUCajun]

It was an outstanding crowd. Students get an A+.

Nothing to be disappointed about with this crowd or the atmosphere

[zephyr]

I wonder where they are going to send their money when LSU falls flat on their face again? This was more than a game. It was a monstrously huge civic event that took place in perfect weather. That stadium should have been packed.

This has been a constant for years. Yeah, some of the locals will _____ about LSU if they are not a contender but they always tend to spend their money on LSU. How many people do you know that didn't even go to LSU but spend their disposable income in BR on gameday and/or season tickets etc..? I know tons. I don't know many, if any, LSU grads who spend their money in Lafayette going to cajuns games unless its on an LSU bye or road game. Hell, how many people do you know that stay out in the tailgate area while the cajuns are playing to watch LSU games? It's common.

[cajun4life]

The Cajuns drew 31K for a championship game that has never been played before. The weather was perfect and no LSU team was playing. With a 11 game winning streak and 11-1 overall record, have we reached our ceiling attendance wise? While we had a good crowd it should have been way bigger giving the circumstances and how everything lined up. Not trying to be negative but Acadiana really didn't show up like they should have. Maybe a 30K stadium is the answer?

IMHO our best expected attendance numbers are 35-38k. That’s best case of a decade of 10+ win seasons.

We are in the SBC, if we were in the Big12 I’d say 40k. But that’s the cards we are currently dealt.

With Saturday games and good weather we should be averaging 28-30k.

[zephyr]

The game atmosphere was great. The people that were not there missed a good time, but I am tired of the griping about fans not showing up. They obviously had something to do that interested them more. We should celebrate the team's accomplishments and just know that if the Cajuns continue to win, the crowds will eventually show up. I have done my part by giving away tickets, talking about the games etc. People will choose where they spend their entertainment dollars and I cannot do anything to change that. I am happy for the 31k that showed up and for the most part stayed until the end of the game.

Today is a good day in Cajun nation, enjoy!

And this thread is to specifically address the attendance issues. There are tons of threads where we are talking about what yesterday meant to the program.

[ULGrad@HOU]

Great crowd, but certainly not at the peak. We have had 6 games, over 10 years ago that had more.
Just like the team, there is more to be done, and higher goals attained. We have not maxed out the potential of where this Ragin Cajun football program can go.

[Esqueleto]

That was a legit 31k since all tickets had to be rebought, I'm sure there were very few no shows. The electricity was palpable. MAT nailed it on the reaction pod. I've never felt that energy in that stadium before, and damn, EVERY week should be like that. Las night was AMAZING!

[Crawfish]

And this thread is to specifically address the attendance issues. There are tons of threads where we are talking about what yesterday meant to the program.

So I gave my opinion. I appreciate the warning from the thread police, but I am expressing my view about attendance. If you don't like it, use the "ignore" feature.

[zephyr]

So I gave my opinion. I appreciate the warning from the thread police, but I am expressing my view about attendance. If you don't like it, use the "ignore" feature.

Exactly. Ignore the thread where we are talking about the attendance if you are "tired of the griping". FFS

[RaginCajun309]

I’ve said it before and I stand by that we should have 25k seats with the hill and SRO for overflow. Lots of amenities and there will be demand for seats. Heck, engineer it for future expansion if the need arises down the road.

[Bankruptcyman]

App State might have brought 800 people. That means over 30,000 Cajun fans were in attendance. I think THAT may be a record.

[Ragin9221]

I do to I understand ! I don’t think we have reached our peak! We just started winning once people start going I think attendance will grow. If we continue these 9 to 10 win seasons. I think we can average 28 to 30k a game and for big games 40 to 45k. In the Sunbelt that to me is the peak.

I agree with the stadium renovation being at 35k, if push comes to shove and we start getting more we can start expanding if need be.