Jump to content
SiouxSports.com Forum

Student attendence at Football games


Siouxperfan7

Recommended Posts

As a current student who has been at UND since 2005 (don't worry, I've gotten one degree in that time period), I've seen the student section diminish over the past few years. I think the best student turn out I've seen was when I first got to UND for the first couple of years and when there were free shuttles running from behind the Chester Fritz to the Alerus. I lived on campus, but I used it because I didn't want to pay for parking when they started charging. It also helped for students who decided to drink. If they lived on campus, they weren't going to be getting behind the wheel.

What percentage of students do not have a car and 5 bucks in their pocket? Bet its pretty high. Not a good excuse, sorry. If students can drive downtown on a Friday night and spend 40 bucks at Gilly's, they can drive a mile and a half to the Alerus and pay 5 bucks for parking. And its 5 bucks a car. So get 4 of your friends, grab a dollar and head to the game. Your tickets are free, so paying a dollar to go to a football game is a pretty good deal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

REBUILD MEMORIAL AND THEY WILL COME!!! The atmoshphere there was so much better. Sorry to say, but the Alerus sucks in my opinion. I hate Bison football but the Fargodome makes that place look like crap.

Sorry, I was at a lot of games at Memorial-really wasn't a great atmosphere in my mind. Now the early part of the decade in the Alerus that was a great atmosphere. Opposing teams getting frustrated because they couldn't hear, big crowds week in and week out & more. I am just saying no to Memorial Stadium. It sounds like Saturday weather wise won't be too bad- but lets say it was 30 and windy and we were playing at Memorial the estimated crowd would have been 800 people...that would have included the players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that the Alerus is a good facility for where we are at right now. Renovate and expand Memorial 15-20 years down the road after we've built the program to a point where it can actually fill a larger stadium. But I remember 2001 on our way to the national championship. The Alerus sold out, people packed in and roaring. Pitt St. and UC Davis never saw what was coming to them when they stepped into that building. The noise was deafening, you couldn't even hear the person right next to you, and we only got louder with every false start that was called on them.

THAT is a football atmosphere! THAT is what the Alerus is capable of providing for our team. Don't forget how big of a factor that played in the early 2000's duo to the product that's been on the field through this transition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What percentage of students do not have a car and 5 bucks in their pocket? Bet its pretty high. Not a good excuse, sorry. If students can drive downtown on a Friday night and spend 40 bucks at Gilly's, they can drive a mile and a half to the Alerus and pay 5 bucks for parking. And its 5 bucks a car. So get 4 of your friends, grab a dollar and head to the game. Your tickets are free, so paying a dollar to go to a football game is a pretty good deal.

I'm not sure I'm arguing that students don't have vehicles or money. I'm am saying that it was really convenient for me to walk from Wilkerson to shuttles behind the Chester Fritz. I had a lot of friends that did it too. It was a nice option that could entice people who may not have wanted to go because they don't have the money or aren't sure if they're interested in football.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everything about the Alerus in terms of it's layout is fine except for the lack of endzone seating. This sort of "boxed-in" orientation is not real great in my opinion. However, I definitely agree that the atmosphere is way about average when at near capacity. On-campus football would be the best choice ONLY if Memorial Stadium was rebuilt; it couldn't simply be what it used to be as the Alerus is better than that was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One things fans need to remember student attendance has never been that good.

It peaked with a new Alerus Center and championship runs in 01-06.

I was only a teenager but I remember looking at the student section at the Memorial Stadium and wondering where the students were.

FBS is the only thing that will make students excited. This isn't NDSU where its "our" number one sport.

This coming from a diehard former student that would attend both hockey and football games religiously (probably like most of us that donate lots of our time on siouxsports.com). Me and my bros would even wake up to go to McMenamy's for 3-1's at 7 am!!

But unfortunately many don't share our passion.

FYI student sections at sioux hockey games don't usually sell out, its looks full after the general public is allowed to buy the rest of their unused tickets.

I did that once after work. 3 beers at 8am after a hard night of work. Nothing beats that!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was very impressed to see the student section full at the beginning of Saturday's homecomeing game agains Cal Poly. But was very dissapointed yet again to see 75% of the students leave at halftime. Yes we were losing, but it is not like we were getting blown out by 28 points!! We were down 10. We almost came back to tie it on the last drive!!

I don't want to hear any excuses. This was the Homecoming game. It was a conference opponent that is an FCS school. Also a future Big Sky opponent. This is getting rediculous. Students...get your a$$es in the seats and support your school and your team. You are PATHETIC!!!

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate that. It happens at Bison games too. This is getting a little picky I know, but I think the 20 minute halftime causes issues. Heck at Bison homecoming this year it was a 25 minute freaking halftime. One thing I love about the NFL, halftime seems to go much quicker. Hell let the students out and re-enter so they can grab another beer or something. Nothing is more bush than seeing half the student section clear out at halftime so they can hit the sauce even harder. That's what happens when tickets are "free" I guess. Maybe start charging a bit for them and the die hards will be the only ones who show up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a close ball game at the half- there are no excuses for the students. It's embarrassing. The students have no case. Sell their seats to the general public.

My problem with this, look across the field at the season ticket holders and there are plenty of empty seats there as well. It doesn't look as glaring because they are spread out, but the fact of the matter is that season ticket holders either don't buy or don't show up either. Move the students, you'd probably get even fewer to show up and then still probably still not sell out those sections.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI student sections at sioux hockey games don't usually sell out, its looks full after the general public is allowed to buy the rest of their unused tickets.

If you ask me hockey might be losing its grip.

Like I said students dont even really never attend these events that much either. I just went on ticketmaster. I can buy 8 seats in the student section together.... for the first home conference game of the year.... against St Cloud State.... which is only tomorrow.....even though I ain't a student.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you ask me hockey might be losing its grip.

Like I said students dont even really never attend these events that much either. I just went on ticketmaster. I can buy 8 seats in the student section together.... for the first home conference game of the year.... against St Cloud State.... which is only tomorrow.....even though I ain't a student.

Thats sure weird cause a friend of mine who was looking for student tickets said that they were all out when he checked for student tickets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thats sure weird cause a friend of mine who was looking for student tickets said that they were all out when he checked for student tickets.

Granted I am not sure to the new features of Ticketmaster, but when I just searched there was over 40 tickets available (the band takes half of the good tickets - the lower bowl) but now I check a few minutes later and yes there is still over twenty left. Granted that is a somewhat "small" number. But its the first conference of the game of the season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Granted I am not sure to the new features of Ticketmaster, but when I just searched there was over 40 tickets available (the band takes half of the good tickets - the lower bowl) but now I check a few minutes later and yes there is still over twenty left. Granted that is a somewhat "small" number. But its the first conference of the game of the season.

No idea what thats about, but I know for certain that there are no student tickets left when you log in the green and white account to buy some.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Must be a conspiracy. Go to ticketmaster right now and buy some "student tickets" yourself.

I believe you. I'm just saying that when a student goes through the green and white account (which is the method they are required to use to get tickets), it tells you that there are no student tickets left for this weekend's series.

Edit: So yeah, no idea whats going on with the system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I believe you. I'm just saying that when a student goes through the green and white account (which is the method they are required to use to get tickets), it tells you that there are no student tickets left for this weekend's series.

Edit: So yeah, no idea whats going on with the system.

Ok. Well I guess I don't know what the "green and white" account is either.

I wouldn't be surprised if UND pulled a fast one and actually reserved a few seats of the student tickets for the general public.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finally had the chance to see the sioux football team after 9 years of being in Wyoming. I saw what people had to say on this thred, and I have to say that it is not the fans who don't go to home games that are hurting the Sioux. It is the ones who go and make little noise. I know today was an away game,but the sioux only had one famaly that really gave the team all they had. Looking around I saw a great sioux turn Cheer with all your heart at the game and there will be a big difference in the staduam.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I finally had the chance to see the sioux football team after 9 years of being in Wyoming. I saw what people had to say on this thred, and I have to say that it is not the fans who don't go to home games that are hurting the Sioux. It is the ones who go and make little noise. I know today was an away game,but the sioux only had one famaly that really gave the team all they had. Looking around I saw a great sioux turn Cheer with all your heart at the game and there will be a big difference in the staduam.

You haven't been to the Alerus in nine years but somehow you think they need to cheer more based on a few fans that were at the UNC game (of which most I would guess don't live in GF)?

Away fans are usually the diehard fans. The ones that would travel from GF to Greeley and they are the ones that would probably cheer pretty good.

I ain't completely following your logic. The thread is about attendance, not atmosphere.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...