All of GCU's home games rank in the top 10. Besides a couple Pack the PAC games later this season by NMSU, I'm sure GCU's home schedule will dominate this attendance list.

1. New Mexico State vs. UTEP............................ 8,089
2. Utah Valley vs. BYU...................................... 7,503
3. Grand Canyon vs. North Florida..................... 7,305
4. Grand Canyon vs. Grambling......................... 7,145
5. Grand Canyon vs. Wyoming........................... 6,872
6. Grand Canyon vs. Prairie View A&M................ 6,854
7. Grand Canyon vs. UT San Antonio.................. 6,844
8. Grand Canyon vs. Mississippi Valley State........ 6,715
9. Grand Canyon vs. Life Pacific.......................... 6,529
10. New Mexico State vs. New Mexico................. 6,208
11. New Mexico State vs. UC Irvine..................... 5,056
12. Cal Baptist vs. Mississippi Valley State............ 4,957
13. New Mexico State vs. New Mexico Highlands... 4,739
14. Cal Baptist vs. San Francisco State................. 4,308
15. Dixie State vs. Southern Utah........................ 4,105
16. Lamar vs. Stetson........................................ 3,532
17. Cal Baptist vs. Cal Poly.................................. 3,401
18. Cal Baptist vs. San Jose State........................ 3,008
19. Cal Baptist vs. Jackson State......................... 2,631
20. Lamar vs. Wiley........................................... 2,586

Yeah, don't expect any crowd records from us.

Since we are discussing game attendance, here are the current home attendance averages for the WAC as of today (12/6):

GCU = 6,895 (7 games)
NMSU = 6,023 (4)
CBU = 3,254 (7)
UVU = 2,963 (3)
Lamar = 2,543 (3)
Dixie = 2,329 (5)
SFA = 1,609 (6)
Tarleton = 1,475 (2)
UTRGV = 1,401 (4)
Seattle = 910 (8)
SHSU = 686 (3)
ACU = 615 (4)
CSU = 416 (3)

It's good to see 9 of the 13 schools averaging at least a thousand per game.

(12-06-2021 08:39 PM)DZ1 Wrote:  Since we are discussing game attendance, here are the current home attendance averages for the WAC as of today (12/6):

GCU = 6,895 (7 games)
NMSU = 6,023 (4)
CBU = 3,254 (7)
UVU = 2,963 (3)
Lamar = 2,543 (3)
Dixie = 2,329 (5)
SFA = 1,609 (6)
Tarleton = 1,475 (2)
UTRGV = 1,401 (4)
Seattle = 910 (8)
SHSU = 686 (3)
ACU = 615 (4)
CSU = 416 (3)

It's good to see 9 of the 13 schools averaging at least a thousand per game.

Told ya, at least we were up to 842 this past Saturday. Now, consider we are having to play inside of our indoor tennis courts last year and this year because of the renovations to Moody. Even in Moody though, a good night for us would be 2k - 3k. On average, I would say we would have 800- 1500 in Moody.

(12-06-2021 08:39 PM)DZ1 Wrote:  Since we are discussing game attendance, here are the current home attendance averages for the WAC as of today (12/6):

GCU = 6,895 (7 games)
NMSU = 6,023 (4)
CBU = 3,254 (7)
UVU = 2,963 (3)
Lamar = 2,543 (3)
Dixie = 2,329 (5)
SFA = 1,609 (6)
Tarleton = 1,475 (2)
UTRGV = 1,401 (4)
Seattle = 910 (8)
SHSU = 686 (3)
ACU = 615 (4)
CSU = 416 (3)

It's good to see 9 of the 13 schools averaging at least a thousand per game.

More people have already seen a GCU home game than the bottom 3-4 schools will probably have in home attendance all season combined.

Just quick math in my head, UVU had some tiny crowds in their 2 non Brigham Young games. 7,500 for it but under 9,000 total for all 3 games.

Kudos to Lamar for their attendance. Considering the team is not too strong this year, and considering who you've played at home, you really put butts in seats. With an improved team, Lamar could be in the top 3 in the conference possibly.

I'm curious to see how much Chicago's attendance can grow this season. 2 home games coming up are in state opponents, so that will help, as well as actually winning this year. 3-400 as been about the average the past few seasons, and they had about 600 versus Tennessee State. If they can hit 1000 for some home games this year, that will be an accomplishment for them.

Overall, it's about what I expected. NMSU is still really lagging compared to our historical attendance, but should look up once some of the better CUSA teams start visiting. I can imagine WKU and Liberty will draw fairly welll.

When you aren't seen as part of the local community, it's hard to get the local community to care enough to come watch you play.

(12-07-2021 09:16 AM)Outsider Wrote:  When you aren't seen as part of the local community, it's hard to get the local community to care enough to come watch you play.

I’m not getting this comment. Are you talking about ACU? And why aren’t you all seen as part of the local community? I know in Texas y’all have so many schools to compete with but I’m ignorant to why ACU wouldn’t be endeared too at least a portion of the local community. Unless you’re talking about another school.

(12-07-2021 09:55 AM)YesCubanB Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 09:16 AM)Outsider Wrote:  When you aren't seen as part of the local community, it's hard to get the local community to care enough to come watch you play.

I’m not getting this comment. Are you talking about ACU? And why aren’t you all seen as part of the local community? I know in Texas y’all have so many schools to compete with but I’m ignorant to why ACU wouldn’t be endeared too at least a portion of the local community. Unless you’re talking about another school.

I think he is talking about ACU. And its an old problem for lots of private schools. But Abilene Texas and ACU seem like a place absolutely made for each other.

If the town doesnt embrace them, I would imagine the town thinks they are too snooty, few native students from Abilene attending possibly, most graduates probably leave the area after graduation. All common problems. Also, Abilene hasn't been "big" for a long time, so sports fans already have their teams and aren't adding another. And, sometimes townies don't like the growth and feel like the local private school is rich and gets whatever it wants, causing resentment. That happens with public's too, but its worse with privates.

Any of those apply here Outsider?

Let's see this as an actual vs. capacity...

I wish we could see which school brings in the most revenue per game. I bet GCU would be dead last haha

(12-07-2021 11:45 AM)Itinerant Texan Wrote:  Let's see this as an actual vs. capacity...

What's funny is all the high schools in Las Cruces have better gyms then you guys haha

(12-07-2021 11:47 AM)KINGALLISON Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:45 AM)Itinerant Texan Wrote:  Let's see this as an actual vs. capacity...

What's funny is all the high schools in Las Cruces have better gyms then you guys haha

LC has a high school?

(12-07-2021 11:49 AM)Itinerant Texan Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:47 AM)KINGALLISON Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:45 AM)Itinerant Texan Wrote:  Let's see this as an actual vs. capacity...

What's funny is all the high schools in Las Cruces have better gyms then you guys haha

LC has a high school?

Good one...

(12-07-2021 11:39 AM)Todor Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 09:55 AM)YesCubanB Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 09:16 AM)Outsider Wrote:  When you aren't seen as part of the local community, it's hard to get the local community to care enough to come watch you play.

I’m not getting this comment. Are you talking about ACU? And why aren’t you all seen as part of the local community? I know in Texas y’all have so many schools to compete with but I’m ignorant to why ACU wouldn’t be endeared too at least a portion of the local community. Unless you’re talking about another school.

I think he is talking about ACU. And its an old problem for lots of private schools. But Abilene Texas and ACU seem like a place absolutely made for each other.

If the town doesnt embrace them, I would imagine the town thinks they are too snooty, few native students from Abilene attending possibly, most graduates probably leave the area after graduation. All common problems. Also, Abilene hasn't been "big" for a long time, so sports fans already have their teams and aren't adding another. And, sometimes townies don't like the growth and feel like the local private school is rich and gets whatever it wants, causing resentment. That happens with public's too, but its worse with privates.

Any of those apply here Outsider?

That's absolutely correct. The Abilene townsfolk call ACU "The Hill". ACU sits on a small hill in the corner of the town. It was always seen as some snobby private school and the two didn't ever mix really well. Now, that is a stereotype, but like all, it comes with some truth. ACU has tried to reach out, but the students and faculty don't always mix very much with the general population. Most of the students come from other metroplex areas and they often go home on the weekends. Also, ACU doesn't always do a good job of doing activities with the town. We are definitely part of the town, but that dynamic has had a hard time dying. Abilene has 3 different private universities: Hardin Simmons, ACU and McMurry. All 3 have the same issue to a degree, but ACU has always been a little more distant. Unlike state schools that get more direct money from the state and feed off of their communities, Private ones often look to their student and donor base wherever that may be. Often that base is spread out and not necessarily local. So, you get a small private school with an on-campus student population of 5k or below, mixed with a town that doesn't do much with the school in general, and you get low turnouts for sporting events. Shoot, I talk to other alum at games sometimes and they say, nah I don't feel like driving into town next weekend, etc... And that is when they already have season tickets/seats. Our basketball program has improved excitement some as it has gotten better. I see some people from town joining. I just think it will always be a slow and limited process. That's part of the reason that we actually reduced capacity by several hundred seats in our new renovation to make the arena better. If we can get the right people and improve atmosphere, that won't always mean better numbers.

I would say that GCU is a newer private university that probably approached things different to begin with. They have already approached the student focused atmosphere vs the general ticket holder focused atmosphere differently. They have done a good job of getting people to games either way. How much that has to do with being in a bigger metroplex area as well I don't know.

Perceptions and history carry a lot of baggage. ACU is a religious based school, and some people will not embrace it because of that in general or because it isn't related to the denomination they approve of. For others it may be the appearance money because historically tuition and other costs are higher than at a public school. Also look at the population that might support it, 125K versus a million or more for GCU. I lived in Texas for more than thirty years and in the area, I lived more people would either wear UT, A&M or their local high school stuff than would wear the local smaller college gear. It was rare to see anyone with gear from any of the other big schools, such as Tech, Rice, TCU, SMU or even Houston.

(12-07-2021 11:45 AM)KINGALLISON Wrote:  I wish we could see which school brings in the most revenue per game. I bet GCU would be dead last haha

This is a good point. Aggie tickets are at a premium with most seats starting at $15. NMSU certainly raking in the most revenue.

(12-07-2021 12:09 PM)Outsider Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:39 AM)Todor Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 09:55 AM)YesCubanB Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 09:16 AM)Outsider Wrote:  When you aren't seen as part of the local community, it's hard to get the local community to care enough to come watch you play.

I’m not getting this comment. Are you talking about ACU? And why aren’t you all seen as part of the local community? I know in Texas y’all have so many schools to compete with but I’m ignorant to why ACU wouldn’t be endeared too at least a portion of the local community. Unless you’re talking about another school.

I think he is talking about ACU. And its an old problem for lots of private schools. But Abilene Texas and ACU seem like a place absolutely made for each other.

If the town doesnt embrace them, I would imagine the town thinks they are too snooty, few native students from Abilene attending possibly, most graduates probably leave the area after graduation. All common problems. Also, Abilene hasn't been "big" for a long time, so sports fans already have their teams and aren't adding another. And, sometimes townies don't like the growth and feel like the local private school is rich and gets whatever it wants, causing resentment. That happens with public's too, but its worse with privates.

Any of those apply here Outsider?

That's absolutely correct. The Abilene townsfolk call ACU "The Hill". ACU sits on a small hill in the corner of the town. It was always seen as some snobby private school and the two didn't ever mix really well. Now, that is a stereotype, but like all, it comes with some truth. ACU has tried to reach out, but the students and faculty don't always mix very much with the general population. Most of the students come from other metroplex areas and they often go home on the weekends. Also, ACU doesn't always do a good job of doing activities with the town. We are definitely part of the town, but that dynamic has had a hard time dying. Abilene has 3 different private universities: Hardin Simmons, ACU and McMurry. All 3 have the same issue to a degree, but ACU has always been a little more distant. Unlike state schools that get more direct money from the state and feed off of their communities, Private ones often look to their student and donor base wherever that may be. Often that base is spread out and not necessarily local. So, you get a small private school with an on-campus student population of 5k or below, mixed with a town that doesn't do much with the school in general, and you get low turnouts for sporting events. Shoot, I talk to other alum at games sometimes and they say, nah I don't feel like driving into town next weekend, etc... And that is when they already have season tickets/seats. Our basketball program has improved excitement some as it has gotten better. I see some people from town joining. I just think it will always be a slow and limited process. That's part of the reason that we actually reduced capacity by several hundred seats in our new renovation to make the arena better. If we can get the right people and improve atmosphere, that won't always mean better numbers.

If it were the only college in town it might be a little easier to follow "the local college." I have no idea what people are like in Abilene, or what the general level of education or income is, or what the big industries are, so that would probably have a lot to do with it.

And yeah, I'd guess NMSU is leading the revenue category by a big margin.

(12-07-2021 12:57 PM)pistolp747 Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:45 AM)KINGALLISON Wrote:  I wish we could see which school brings in the most revenue per game. I bet GCU would be dead last haha

This is a good point. Aggie tickets are at a premium with most seats starting at $15. NMSU certainly raking in the most revenue.

I've been making the argument to SFA that we should prioritize butts in seats over ticket price. And honestly, there's probably a ticket price where both are maximized and I don't think it's our $15 a seat pricing.

I'd also prefer to know which of these are scans vs all tickets sold.

(12-07-2021 11:45 AM)KINGALLISON Wrote:  I wish we could see which school brings in the most revenue per game. I bet GCU would be dead last haha

Hmm... let me see if I can make an educated guess for GCU.
I pay about $18 dollars/per game ($320/18 games = $17.78/game) for my seats. My seats are in the lower section with higher priced seats closer to the court (around $30/game) and lower above (around $12/game). The balcony seats run about $6/game. Courtside is around $60/game.
Beyond their activities fee, students do pay something to be a Havoc but it is minimal so we will not count the approximate 3,500 seats reserved for them. We also will not count another 200 seats that are likely saved for special occasions and/or visiting teams.
This leaves us with 3,300 seats that are sold out for each and every game. A rough estimate would break them down as follows:

$9,600/game for upper balcony (1,600 seats)
$2,400/game for courtside (40 seats)
$7,500/game for low tier bowl seats (250 seats)
$9,000/game for mid-tier lower bowl seats(500 seats)
$10,920/game for upper-tier lower bowl seats (910 seats)
Estimated Total: $39,420/game

This does not include the income from the five concession stands that are running throughout the game nor the income from the Lopes merch store. I do know popcorn costs you $4.50 (which is almost all profit) so just selling 1,000 bags of popcorn would net you around $4,500 dollars. I am guessing the concession stands likely bring in another $10-$15 grand/game in profit.

Estimated grand total around $50,000/game.

That's not a lot, but I am fairly sure GCU would not be at the bottom of the WAC with those numbers. Plus this does not include any of the intangibles that are hard to quantify monetarily.