I see on a lot of message boards from mid-major teams that attendance is an issue for their teams. Student sections are becoming sparsely populated and the excitement is waning.

I will have to say that in spite of the challenges that Belmont faces with several D1 teams nearby and all the other competition for the entertainment dollar in a large metro area, we are bolding our own. Since the 09-10 season, we have had steady increases in attendance. Here are the figures for the last few years.

09-10 1,486
10-11 1,802
11-12 2,023
12-13 2,734
13-14 3,200 (to date)

I realize the games so far this year include VCU and Lipscum. I am hoping that we have some decent attendance for Murray State and Austin Peay, but some of the others may not have great excitement attached to them. TSU usually brings a lot of fans, but their fans are really disappointed this year and aren’t even attending their own home games.

Even though Belmont had a basketball history with the NAIA, there hasn’t been a long D1 tradition. However, the athletic marketing department seems to be doing some things right in slowly developing a larger fan base.

What are your thoughts?

(12-12-2013 01:26 PM)Bruin2002 Wrote:  I see on a lot of message boards from mid-major teams that attendance is an issue for their teams. Student sections are becoming sparsely populated and the excitement is waning.

I will have to say that in spite of the challenges that Belmont faces with several D1 teams nearby and all the other competition for the entertainment dollar in a large metro area, we are bolding our own. Since the 09-10 season, we have had steady increases in attendance. Here are the figures for the last few years.

09-10 1,486
10-11 1,802
11-12 2,023
12-13 2,734
13-14 3,200 (to date)

I realize the games so far this year include VCU and Lipscum. I am hoping that we have some decent attendance for Murray State and Austin Peay, but some of the others may not have great excitement attached to them. TSU usually brings a lot of fans, but their fans are really disappointed this year and aren’t even attending their own home games.

Even though Belmont had a basketball history with the NAIA, there hasn’t been a long D1 tradition. However, the athletic marketing department seems to be doing some things right in slowly developing a larger fan base.

What are your thoughts?

Belmont has had such winning success the last few years, and people love seeing winners...I'm sure that helps with crowds.

But let me say this, and I'm not sure how much this really helps with attendance or not...but the Belmont Marketing and Athletic Department does such a wonderful job at making you feel "apart of the team." I love live sports...particularly, live college basketball. Being a Clemson grad, it's very difficult getting back for a game. When I moved to Nashville, I really wanted to get season tickets somewhere so I could follow a team and also get my live basketball action fix. I was a Vandy season ticket holder for three years, and the experience being a ticket holder over there and how you are treated as contributor to the program compared to how you are treated at Belmont is like night and day. I won't bore you with all the reasons why they are different and my experiences, but let me just say this about Belmont...

For 140 bucks, you are going to get a GREAT seat in an arena that really doesn't have a bad seat to begin with. For an entire season, the value of the season ticket here is pretty amazing.

The Season Ticket Luncheon and Hoop Hours sessions are a fantastic touch that lets you get closer to the program and at 10 bucks, a great value.

Prizes, Drawings, Free Stuff, Store Discount all for being a ticket holder

Byrd is one of the best coaches in the biz. What he does with the talent he recruits is a college basketball masterpiece.

The Belmont ticket office is FANTASTIC to work with. You can ALWAYS get them on the phone. They are always extremely helpful. A very nice plus also is you have access to tickets for away games through the ticket office.

I'm not a member of the Bruin Club yet, though one day I hope to be, but I hear there is a great place for food and drinks at halftime of every home game if you are a member.

Overall, it's a great experience to be a ticket holder and I feel Belmont really VALUES and APPRECIATES my business, and that definitely means a lot to me. They do a great job from a business sense at pleasing and taking care of their clients. That will have me coming to games for years to come.

I love seeing our attendance continue to rise. I think that is one of the most important elements when it comes to the growth of a program, especially on the recruiting front. While you are right in that we had a few big games early and I wish the Indiana state turnout would have been better (not sure why it wasn't), I think our conference games will generate better attendance this year after dominating the conference in our first year. Teams in the area are eager to pay us back and take down the new top dog in the OVC. I think Eastern Kentucky may be the biggest conference game this year and we all know Murray fans travel well. Nothing makes me more proud than a raucous crowd at the Curb. For big games I usually buy several tickets (bought 8 extra for VCU game) and give them out to friends and family, who most of the time aren't Bruins fans. Everyone I have brought was impressed by the Curb and its exciting atmosphere. Its important that we generate interest from the non-affiliated public, which I think will come with time and our ability to bring higher quality teams in like VCU and Butler.

I agree that our marketing team does a fantastic job. Before BU, I attended another mid major school and the marketing efforts are unparalleled. The Bruin Club is fantastic (the food is great in the Vince Gill room) and the hoop hour luncheons are a great off the court gathering. IMO there is no better value in all of Nashville based sports.