“We’ll never have less than six home games,” Frazier said. “When I get more people showing up at our games we’ll have a seventh home game.”

(10-02-2014 03:58 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  The schedule is by far the reason here. The actual days (Thursday night then 3 Sat in a row) more so than the opponent.

I wonder if a Friday night game would be better for traveling alums.

But what about those that say we don't play enough Saturday games? The Presbyterian game was played on Thursday because of Labor Day weekend, which is understandable. The only other weekday game is Toledo in November.

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:58 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  The schedule is by far the reason here. The actual days (Thursday night then 3 Sat in a row) more so than the opponent.

I wonder if a Friday night game would be better for traveling alums.

But what about those that say we don't play enough Saturday games? The Presbyterian game was played on Thursday because of Labor Day weekend, which is understandable. The only other weekday game is Toledo in November.

Just wondering if Friday>Thursday for overall attendance....not Friday>Saturday.

I know the main argument against it is to not overshadow high school ball...which we would actually get hurt by more so than hurt the high school attendance.

FBS college football attendance is down 7% in the last three years. It's generally even worse at G5 schools. It's a trend that isn't going a way anytime soon. It's simply easier and less expensive to watch the game at home or at a bar, and the experience is as good or better.

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:58 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  The schedule is by far the reason here. The actual days (Thursday night then 3 Sat in a row) more so than the opponent.

I wonder if a Friday night game would be better for traveling alums.

But what about those that say we don't play enough Saturday games? The Presbyterian game was played on Thursday because of Labor Day weekend, which is understandable. The only other weekday game is Toledo in November.

Which leaves only 3 games to be played on a saturday... If people can only make 3 games, then they aren't going to buy season tickets.

(10-02-2014 03:47 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  Also, the notion that a bad home schedule is the reason for poor season ticket sales and poor single game attendance doesn't hold water.

Ohio U. has been a better than average MAC program, but not definitely not on our level. For their home opener against Idaho, they drew 25,027. For their next home game against Eastern Illinois, they drew 23,211.

There's never only 1 reason. The bad home schedule is one of the reasons. And like others said, the weeknight games are a big part of that. And it isn't due to 1 year of bad scheduling, it's due to a decade of bad scheduling.

(10-02-2014 04:08 PM)Enaiu Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:58 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  The schedule is by far the reason here. The actual days (Thursday night then 3 Sat in a row) more so than the opponent.

I wonder if a Friday night game would be better for traveling alums.

But what about those that say we don't play enough Saturday games? The Presbyterian game was played on Thursday because of Labor Day weekend, which is understandable. The only other weekday game is Toledo in November.

Which leaves only 3 games to be played on a saturday... If people can only make 3 games, then they aren't going to buy season tickets.

Its cheaper to buy season tickets than individual tickets to 3 games...unless you get tickets for the corners of section A and G or get a student to buy a guest ticket.

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)Enaiu Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:47 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  Also, the notion that a bad home schedule is the reason for poor season ticket sales and poor single game attendance doesn't hold water.

Ohio U. has been a better than average MAC program, but not definitely not on our level. For their home opener against Idaho, they drew 25,027. For their next home game against Eastern Illinois, they drew 23,211.

What does OHIO U usually pull in for better opponents?

They averaged 21,844 for all home games in 2012 and 20,672 for the same in 2013. Pretty solid.

(10-02-2014 04:09 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:08 PM)Enaiu Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:58 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  The schedule is by far the reason here. The actual days (Thursday night then 3 Sat in a row) more so than the opponent.

I wonder if a Friday night game would be better for traveling alums.

But what about those that say we don't play enough Saturday games? The Presbyterian game was played on Thursday because of Labor Day weekend, which is understandable. The only other weekday game is Toledo in November.

Which leaves only 3 games to be played on a saturday... If people can only make 3 games, then they aren't going to buy season tickets.

Its cheaper to buy season tickets than individual tickets to 3 games.

That's if the person assumes that they will actually make all three games. Otherwise, they'll hold off on buying and just wait to buy tickets at the gate - if they even want to go on gameday anymore. At least with the season tickets, they are almost (in a way) personally obligated to show up to a game, as they already spent money on it.

This is unbelievable that NIU has to struggle just to get 18,000 people into a rinky dink high school field. The reality is very few people, graduates or not, give a cra* about NIU sports.

Not much else to do in Athens, Oh. They don't have the third largest city in the US less than 90 minutes away. There are the 36 bars in downtown Athens, but that at least keeps the students in town.

And blame the MAC Office for the 3 Saturday home games in a row. The MAC has hardly ever provided us a favorable schedule, for football or basketball.

(10-02-2014 04:09 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)Enaiu Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:47 PM)huskiebob Wrote:  Also, the notion that a bad home schedule is the reason for poor season ticket sales and poor single game attendance doesn't hold water.

Ohio U. has been a better than average MAC program, but not definitely not on our level. For their home opener against Idaho, they drew 25,027. For their next home game against Eastern Illinois, they drew 23,211.

What does OHIO U usually pull in for better opponents?

They averaged 21,844 for all home games in 2012 and 20,672 for the same in 2013. Pretty solid.

(10-02-2014 04:05 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:03 PM)beachboy Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:18 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  We don't sell out most of the time so for most it's just easier to buy single-game tickets. With the crappy scheduling, I'm not surprised. Still disappointing but I'm more concerned about overall attendance that season ticket-holders.

Well said, 007. On the whole, fewer and fewer advance tickets sold for plays, concerts etc. We live in a walk-up society.

What happens if game day ticket prices were $5-$10 more.

Doesn't matter. easier to commit 3 tickets at say $75 total and flexibility for the future than 3 tickets at a cheaper rate, but forking over $330 at once, and locking in all your saturdays.

(10-02-2014 04:45 PM)huskiealum03 Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:05 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:03 PM)beachboy Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 03:18 PM)NIU007 Wrote:  We don't sell out most of the time so for most it's just easier to buy single-game tickets. With the crappy scheduling, I'm not surprised. Still disappointing but I'm more concerned about overall attendance that season ticket-holders.

Well said, 007. On the whole, fewer and fewer advance tickets sold for plays, concerts etc. We live in a walk-up society.

What happens if game day ticket prices were $5-$10 more.

Doesn't matter. easier to commit 3 tickets at say $75 total and flexibility for the future than 3 tickets at a cheaper rate, but forking over $330 at once, and locking in all your saturdays.

I guess if we bring in 2 bigger names for the OOC schedule then it makes it more likely that people will want to go to 4 games...and then buy season tickets.

(10-02-2014 04:33 PM)chazb2 Wrote:  This is unbelievable that NIU has to struggle just to get 18,000 people into a rinky dink high school field. The reality is very few people, graduates or not, give a cra* about NIU sports.

That is the sad truth in the data. We are coming off the 4 best years in history and our season ticket base goes down. The truth really hurts.

In the end, even the bigger schools are not on high on the radar for the general Chicago-land population. pro sports rules all.

Extend the UP-West Metra line out to DeKalb, population would double in a decade. More populaion = more fans.

(10-02-2014 05:06 PM)NIU75 Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:33 PM)chazb2 Wrote:  This is unbelievable that NIU has to struggle just to get 18,000 people into a rinky dink high school field. The reality is very few people, graduates or not, give a cra* about NIU sports.

That is the sad truth in the data. We are coming off the 4 best years in history and our season ticket base goes down. The truth really hurts.

The reason Im not discouraged by this is 1) NIU didn't deserve to have the fanbase this year with the schedule it put out, NIU knows it, the fans know it and 2) We know if handled properly we have the fanbase waiting to support, when you have 15,000 fans attend a road game, you know the potential is there. The scheduling upgrade will turn this around.

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  “We’ll never have less than six home games,” Frazier said. “When I get more people showing up at our games we’ll have a seventh home game.”

Sounds like bye-bye to that Neb game in 2019

(10-02-2014 06:15 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  “We’ll never have less than six home games,” Frazier said. “When I get more people showing up at our games we’ll have a seventh home game.”

Sounds like bye-bye to that Neb game in 2019

Bye-bye to this game and many others from lapalooza that are way into the future.

(10-02-2014 07:19 PM)chazb2 Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 06:15 PM)HuskiePride12 Wrote:  

(10-02-2014 04:06 PM)HuskieJohn Wrote:  “We’ll never have less than six home games,” Frazier said. “When I get more people showing up at our games we’ll have a seventh home game.”

Sounds like bye-bye to that Neb game in 2019

Bye-bye to this game and many others from lapalooza that are way into the future.

No problem with that, it will really pad the wallets of NIU with the severe buyout conditions.