Siouxperfan7

After counting the seats on Ticketmaster that available now after the Richmond seats were released, here is what the numbers look like for tickets sold and tickets available as of this morning: (side note, these numbers are approximate, but still pretty close) Tickets Sold - 7801 Free student tickets given away - 1000 (approximately) So that brings the total up to 8801. And that doesn't include students that bought their tickets outside the donation giveaways, the band, red shirts from the football team that will be in the student section, as well as the walk ups the day of the game. Looking at the numbers, I am very encouraged. There will definitely be 9000+ at the game. Hoping for a big walk up crowd. Anyone know if they eventually release the unused student tickets for General Admission? People may be waiting to get those as well. Looking good! #FilltheAl

As I stated in a previous post, the number of seats below the walkway in sections 213 and 214 is 844. If the band is going to be there (can anyone confirm) then the lower parts of the 3 sections in the student section should be full. That would be huge and add so much to the game if they are up and loud!!

That's the size crowd I want to see this Saturday!!!!

Unfortunately they have blocked off much of the area on the walkways for cameras, etc.

Student tickets as well. It wasn't like they were handed free tickets by one of the football coaches outside the Union. Sure the tickets were free, but the students still have to go inside to the ticket office and make an effort to pick up their tickets.

Probably the wrong thread to post the link into. I have said that is is not the main reason for their struggles. Obviously losing players and playing with underclassman plays a much bigger role. That along with a tough schedule to start the season are obviously bigger factors. The points he brings up about the team lacking an identity is valid. Players/coaches.fans referring to the team as the Sioux wearing a jersey that only says North Dakota when your name is officially the Fighting Hawks does cause a bit of an identity crisis. Of course some aspects are unavoidable (jerseys). But the fact that the hockey team and its die hard "hockey only" fans are the most resistant to embracing the Fighting Hawks name and logo isn't going unnoticed.

Probably not the main reason that the team is struggling, but the guy brings up some good points. #EmbraceHawks http://www.grandforksherald.com/opinion/letters/4170193-letter-hockey-teams-turnaround-starts-fighting-hawks

The decision should be mostly made on financial reasons. That is what started this talk in the first place. If staying in the Big Sky is going to cost near the same as playing in the Summit/Valley, then I am all for staying in the Big Sky. If the Summit/MVFC is going to save UND money and from cutting sports, then that is the route to go. Decisions like these should not be clouded with reasoning based on emotion.

These ticket donations hopefully will show these students the passion that UND football fans have for this program. This could be a kickstart to gaining some lifelong fans just by receiving a $5 ticket to a game. Great investment!!

My parents may have it on VHS burried in their storage closet in their basement!! @PSweeneyND might be a good person to ask!!

Pretty sure the band is there. They will take up the lower part of section 212. Section 213 and 214 have a total of 1391 seats. If you just go with the seats below the walkway, there are a total of 844 student seats in section 213 and 214. Even if we can get section 213 filled with the band and the lower sections of section 213 and 214 filled with students, that is going to be huge and make a difference. Especially if those students are loud!!

First of all this is a thread talking about attendance. Been going on all year. Yes, there are threads dedicated to the game. We are still talking about it. Second, the reason that it is being discussed even more now is because we have all seen what a loud 12000+ crowd at the Alerus can do to opposing teams in the playoffs. The crowd noise has direct impact on the game. That's why many want to see the Al packed so we can add that 12th man and make it hard on the Richmond offense.

The thread is titled "What's needed at the Alerus." Many of these ideas are nitpicking!!

I don't mind it when he has a run for 20+ yards or scored a TD. But when he has a run of a yard or loses yardage, then it is cheesy.

I realize that it takes time. Just can't figure out why it takes so long these days. Being a fan of sports teams is important to me. Unfortunate that maybe the passion that I had as a student isn't there for students these days. At least for the majority of them. I am willing to be patient. Just feel like this team deserves a full crowd cheering them on this weekend given where they were 3 years ago and all that they have accomplished this season.

"We just need to get above .500 and the fans will show up......" "We just need to win a conference championship and the fans will show up......" "We just need to make the playoffs and host a playoff game and the fans will show up......." Unfortunate that we have to keep moving the goalposts in regards to attendance for football. Not sure what more this team could do to get people excited and to fill the Alerus for a playoff game!!! I guess we could have gone 11-0 and been a top 4 seed, but that might not have changed anything!! I am beginning to believe that the "Winning solves everything" solution to attendance may not be enough.

Attendance numbers for 2016 FCS Playoffs - First Round This was Thanksgiving weekend so that played a big factor, but still, the numbers are pretty unimpressive. Attendance Capacity % Filled St Francis @ Villanova 2059 12500 17% Lehigh @ New Hampshire 2240 11015 20% Illinois St @ C. Arkansas 3165 9000 35% NC A&T @ Richmond 3281 8700 38% Charleston S. @ Wofford 2605 13000 20% Samford @ Youngstown St 5322 20630 26% San Diego @ Cal Poly 3356 11075 30% Weber St @ Chattanooga 5238 20668 25%

I always thought that we have one of the most unique setups for College football. I mean, how many sports stadiums at any level have a hotel, waterpark, multiple restaurant/bars attached to the arena. Say what you want about the Alerus Center, but for visiting fans, it doesn't really get much better than that!! Taking all the amenities the attached Canad Inn provides, Probably the Best FCS venue in the country!!

Can't you get tickets at the Chester Fritz as well?

The "We don't go to games because the team isn't good" excuse by students doesn't really apply here. We are the Big Sky co-Champs and are the 7th ranked team in the country hosting a second round playoff game. Absolutely Zero excuse for the students not to be there. Want to watch a non conference hockey game in a cool venue? Record it. This is so much bigger. Students need to be there and be loud. They are huge part of this fanbase and can make a huge difference in the game if they are there with enthusiasm and are loud. Come on Students. This is a Huge game. This is your team!!

So just for fun, I decided to use the above map and count the number of seats that were sold/available. The numbers are a little skewed because the number of fans in the visitors and the student section are unknown. But as of right now (give or take a few if some were sold as I was counting) there are 2938 available seats left for the game on Saturday. For fun, lets just assume that the student section and the visitor section is going to be full. That would put the current attendance total for the game at 9345. And that is with 5 days left to go. There are a lot of great seats that opened up that season ticked holders did not claim. Now that Thanksgiving weekend is over and it is game week, I expect there to be a significant increase in ticket sales. Especially walk up crowd. Given the numbers of tickets sold already, I don't think that its unrealistic to see a crowd over 10,000.

Maybe Cam realized how meaningless 3 on 3 was and just let in the first shot he saw. Smart move!! Saves us all 5 minutes of more meaningless hockey and a meaningless shootout!!

Basketball tournament at Orleans arena in Vegas airing on FS1 for anyone interested in checking out the arena.

So much season left. They have also played 2 more games than us.

You guys are burying the lead!! http://thebiglead.com/2016/11/23/bleach-boy-clorox-indiana-fort-wayne/ #bleachboy