Enhancing Student Engagement and Fan Support for University Athletics.

[CajunVic]

ps and now with the secret society of JMV, I'm not sure anything Cajun or Louisiana are salvageable . . .

[ULvictory]

really can't disagree with anything you say

nobody ever at UL has the charisma that HUD brought to the program

he was magnanimous around anyone who was in front of him

he made the big donors feel like they were at his dining room table every time he was in their presence

he made the small donors feel like they were at his dining room table every time he was in their presence

and he was out there a lot

the last two football coaches just did not and do not have that

so, how do we compensate for the differences in character especially in times like now when it is most dearly needed

also, things have changed so much since HUD and between the issues you described at the end of the HUD era and Covid, one has to wonder what is out there to salvage

i guess we will see with the new stadium, it may be our last saving grace for football

as for baseball, the three or four rows around me in Section 108 were as dormant this year as in the past 4 years or so

there were maybe 5 or 6 games with above average actual attendance but my estimate would leave it at that

I think those events like the state tour that Texas State is doing as well as more events in other cities with groups like the alumni association bridge that gap. But we have to have a starting point somewhere.

[Datt Meggs]

really can't disagree with anything you say

nobody ever at UL has the charisma that HUD brought to the program

he was magnanimous around anyone who was in front of him

he made the big donors feel like they were at his dining room table every time he was in their presence

he made the small donors feel like they were at his dining room table every time he was in their presence

and he was out there a lot

the last two football coaches just did not and do not have that

so, how do we compensate for the differences in character especially in times like now when it is most dearly needed

also, things have changed so much since HUD and between the issues you described at the end of the HUD era and Covid, one has to wonder what is out there to salvage

i guess we will see with the new stadium, it may be our last saving grace for football

as for baseball, the three or four rows around me in Section 108 were as dormant this year as in the past 4 years or so

there were maybe 5 or 6 games with above average actual attendance but my estimate would leave it at that

He was magnanimous and non-monogamous. Impressive to say the least…

[CajunVic]

He was magnanimous and non-monogamous. Impressive to say the least…

so was his wife, so what’s the point . . .

[Ragin9221]

If the University did 1/10 of the things we propose on this board we be singing there praises!

[CajunVic]

If the University did 1/10 of the things we propose on this board we be singing there praises!

you have lots of great thoughts however this one could truly operate to challenge your credibility

[jaxmc1023]

Hud's tenure was just a congruence of many things happening at once for a fanbase that had been waiting for them for a long time

Ticket prices had been relatively flat for a long time. Everyone kept their tailgate spot and season tickets, because even if you could only go to a few games a year, it really wasn't that expensive and when you did go, all your buddies had their spots and you can drive right up to them and have a nice day in peace.

Hud comes in and wins, averages 29k per home game, gets us to our first bowl where Acadiana sends a huge contingent down to Nola. Things are good. The biggest discussion was "how do we get more of the 50k people in the parking lot to come into the stadium!?"

University sees all this, and decides to start raising prices. Next season, attendance drops from 29k to 22k. They put Hud out on the ticket drive tour, and he managed to drag it back up to ~25k, but never back to where it was.

. and they kept raising prices. Kept making new tailgating rules. New parking rules. New concession prices, new "can't come in and out" policies.

Are any of these things uncommon at other football stadiums? Of course not But at the time, the overwhelming majority of our fanbase were people who had been coming to UL games for years, and remembered it being (A) cheap and (B) easy. Now suddenly you're making things difficult or expensive for those people, and some decided to walk away. Now, any time someone mentions ticket prices being too high, the standard response is "$110 / 5 home games is $22 per game -- find me another school with prices that low!". Except very few can actually attend all 5 games, AND you're trying to re-recruit people who remember paying $5 a game to go..

But who isn't fazed by walking through metal detectors, paying $7 for beer, walking 1/4 mile from your car to the stadium? Younger people. They do it all day, every day, and seldom do you hear them complain about it. So it's a good thing we've worked so hard to cultivate a relationship with our students and new alumni.

Vic's numbers are probably pretty close to accurate. Although I would argue that I think you can measure this fan base in tickets, rather than fans. How many purchased tickets are floating around on gameday?

5k WILL get used
3k MIGHT get used
etc

I would guess that the number of corporate tickets that were purchased during Hud's tenure was CONSIDERABLY higher, which meant more paid attendance, and more tickets to give away to employees and their families to boost actual attendance

[CajunVic]

Hud's tenure was just a congruence of many things happening at once for a fanbase that had been waiting for them for a long time

Ticket prices had been relatively flat for a long time. Everyone kept their tailgate spot and season tickets, because even if you could only go to a few games a year, it really wasn't that expensive and when you did go, all your buddies had their spots and you can drive right up to them and have a nice day in peace.

Hud comes in and wins, averages 29k per home game, gets us to our first bowl where Acadiana sends a huge contingent down to Nola. Things are good. The biggest discussion was "how do we get more of the 50k people in the parking lot to come into the stadium!?"

University sees all this, and decides to start raising prices. Next season, attendance drops from 29k to 22k. They put Hud out on the ticket drive tour, and he managed to drag it back up to ~25k, but never back to where it was.

. and they kept raising prices. Kept making new tailgating rules. New parking rules. New concession prices, new "can't come in and out" policies.

Are any of these things uncommon at other football stadiums? Of course not But at the time, the overwhelming majority of our fanbase were people who had been coming to UL games for years, and remembered it being (A) cheap and (B) easy. Now suddenly you're making things difficult or expensive for those people, and some decided to walk away. Now, any time someone mentions ticket prices being too high, the standard response is "$110 / 5 home games is $22 per game -- find me another school with prices that low!". Except very few can actually attend all 5 games, AND you're trying to re-recruit people who remember paying $5 a game to go..

But who isn't fazed by walking through metal detectors, paying $7 for beer, walking 1/4 mile from your car to the stadium? Younger people. They do it all day, every day, and seldom do you hear them complain about it. So it's a good thing we've worked so hard to cultivate a relationship with our students and new alumni.

Vic's numbers are probably pretty close to accurate. Although I would argue that I think you can measure this fan base in tickets, rather than fans. How many purchased tickets are floating around on gameday?

5k WILL get used
3k MIGHT get used
etc

I would guess that the number of corporate tickets that were purchased during Hud's tenure was CONSIDERABLY higher, which meant more paid attendance, and more tickets to give away to employees and their families to boost actual attendance

yes, yes, yes, yes and yes . . . did I say YES

[HoustonCajun]

Hud's tenure was just a congruence of many things happening at once for a fanbase that had been waiting for them for a long time

Ticket prices had been relatively flat for a long time. Everyone kept their tailgate spot and season tickets, because even if you could only go to a few games a year, it really wasn't that expensive and when you did go, all your buddies had their spots and you can drive right up to them and have a nice day in peace.

Hud comes in and wins, averages 29k per home game, gets us to our first bowl where Acadiana sends a huge contingent down to Nola. Things are good. The biggest discussion was "how do we get more of the 50k people in the parking lot to come into the stadium!?"

University sees all this, and decides to start raising prices. Next season, attendance drops from 29k to 22k. They put Hud out on the ticket drive tour, and he managed to drag it back up to ~25k, but never back to where it was.

. and they kept raising prices. Kept making new tailgating rules. New parking rules. New concession prices, new "can't come in and out" policies.

Are any of these things uncommon at other football stadiums? Of course not But at the time, the overwhelming majority of our fanbase were people who had been coming to UL games for years, and remembered it being (A) cheap and (B) easy. Now suddenly you're making things difficult or expensive for those people, and some decided to walk away. Now, any time someone mentions ticket prices being too high, the standard response is "$110 / 5 home games is $22 per game -- find me another school with prices that low!". Except very few can actually attend all 5 games, AND you're trying to re-recruit people who remember paying $5 a game to go..

But who isn't fazed by walking through metal detectors, paying $7 for beer, walking 1/4 mile from your car to the stadium? Younger people. They do it all day, every day, and seldom do you hear them complain about it. So it's a good thing we've worked so hard to cultivate a relationship with our students and new alumni.

Vic's numbers are probably pretty close to accurate. Although I would argue that I think you can measure this fan base in tickets, rather than fans. How many purchased tickets are floating around on gameday?

5k WILL get used
3k MIGHT get used
etc

I would guess that the number of corporate tickets that were purchased during Hud's tenure was CONSIDERABLY higher, which meant more paid attendance, and more tickets to give away to employees and their families to boost actual attendance

When Hud was here, tailgating was awesome. But, the game experience inside the stadium was sadly lacking. No fan interaction and nothing compelling to get the average fan to return. Then we started losing and changed parking requirements and added fees and the fans stopped coming. We started winning again with Napier, but the fans didn't come back. We have done nothing since Hud to regain the great tailgating experience and we have never done anything to create the right atmosphere and fan experience inside the stadium. And, we do nothing to engage students and create that lasting tradition that gets them to the stadium and keeps them coming back after graduation.

A major part of the problem outside of UL's control is the media. EVERYTHING is geared to the P4 conferences and schools. G5 schools are an afterthought. The consumer is driven to watch the P4 games on tv or go to the stadium if they can get tickets as a much better alternative to attending a G5 game. It's not just LSU. Look at any state and the P4 schools totally dominate coverage, attendance and tv ratings. And, listen to any sports talk radio station locally and nationally. There is never mention of G5 schools, certainly not nationally, unless something spectacular draws their attention. Many fans are becoming more comfortable watching a P4 game on tv than attending a live game that has limited game day appeal.

In the absence of a UL marketing plan to attract students, Lafayette and Acadiana alumni and residents, to reopen tailgating to its former great experience, and enhance the in-stadium fan experience, UL will continue to be a small time program with minimal support, at least in the eyes of fans.

UL is doing all the right things academically as Cajun Fun pointed out. But, that seems to remain a best kept secret as we don't want to rattle any cages. So, no one knows about what UL has now become, no one cares about athletics, and we aren't increasing student enrollment because of that. Athletics is the glue that brings students and alumni together and is that window to the world that we are not taking advantage of that is integral to the university's future overall success. Athletic success needs to mirror academic success and UL needs to publicly tout its accomplishments and state its commitments if UL is to become a truly recognized major university.

[CajunVic]

with the hire of Napier, our AD made calculated decisions which, along with the effects of covid just did not pan out and all of that ballooned out of control with Napier's departure, free transfer rules, NIL and the currenct financial condition of the university

all the stars aligned when HUD came here and then commencing with the locker room video, except for accomplishing the major fundraising for a new stadium, all of the stars have been in a total and complete muddle against Louisiana

hopefully some stars can start to align in our favor again with the coming of the new stadium

and now we are where we are today, with a new