North Dakota Athletics Town Hall: May 7, 2024

[SIOUXFAN97]

this might be another one of my great ideas......................

make parking and tailgating free

 

[Sioux_FF]

29 minutes ago, Goon said:

During last night's tailgate, Chaves and Martinson talked about how they asked some of the people that bought a tailgate ticket and said that people actually admitted (it was cheaper to by a tailgate ticket than a parking spot). 

Well that's it then.  Sounds like they did a scientific analysis in great detail.  Not.  BTW, what's wrong with someone buying an "available" spot in the tailgate area for whatever reason? Including price, distance to walk, or just wanting to walk thru the area?  Spots become available every year in the tailgate area.  

[nodak651]

29 minutes ago, Sioux_FF said:

Well that's it then.  Sounds like they did a scientific analysis in great detail.  Not.  BTW, what's wrong with someone buying an "available" spot in the tailgate area for whatever reason? Including price, distance to walk, or just wanting to walk thru the area?  Spots become available every year in the tailgate area.  

In regard to seasonal tailgating spots, haven't they been selling them out?  UND only gets a specified quantity of seasonal tailgating spots, so it would make sense to get as many different tailgating groups in there as possible.  

[Siouxperman8]

1 hour ago, Sioux_FF said:

If they actually said that it shows how out of touch they are.   Groups that tailgate together buy multiple sites for tents, trailers, buses, etc.   There might be 5 or 10 or more people\families  affiliated with one tailgate setup.   If they put up a tent, or haul a trailer, they obviously need a spot to park the vehicle that hauled those things.   If you have 10 or more people bringing food, beverages, games, chairs, flags, etc. to tailgate as part of that group, they obviously want - and have historically paid for nearby separate sites to park their vehicles close to their particular tailgate setup.   Yes, the many parked cars could appear to be "non tailgaters" but if they are parked many hours before game time, they are likely part of a tailgate group.    Plus, why should UND or the Alerus care about your intentions for purchasing a spot?   Shouldn't that be the goal?  A full lot of paid for spots?   Their logic is baffling.   I think its going to have the opposite effect and  make some think twice about purchasing spots, and possibly game tickets.

Tailgating renewal said there will be changes to tailgating for next year. Any rumors on what is planned?  Tying spots to champions club donor levels?

[UND1983]

Problem is Alerus raised parking to an egregious $15 so tailgating has to be more than that or same at very least

[jdub27]

3 hours ago, Sioux_FF said:

If they actually said that it shows how out of touch they are.   Groups that tailgate together buy multiple sites for tents, trailers, buses, etc.   There might be 5 or 10 or more people\families  affiliated with one tailgate setup.   If they put up a tent, or haul a trailer, they obviously need a spot to park the vehicle that hauled those things.   If you have 10 or more people bringing food, beverages, games, chairs, flags, etc. to tailgate as part of that group, they obviously want - and have historically paid for nearby separate sites to park their vehicles close to their particular tailgate setup.   Yes, the many parked cars could appear to be "non tailgaters" but if they are parked many hours before game time, they are likely part of a tailgate group.    Plus, why should UND or the Alerus care about your intentions for purchasing a spot?   Shouldn't that be the goal?  A full lot of paid for spots?   Their logic is baffling.   I think its going to have the opposite effect and  make some think twice about purchasing spots, and possibly game tickets.

The amount of people showing up 5-30 minutes before kickoff aren't tailgating. And they are trying to drive through/around barriers and all the people to get to their "spots". Tailgating lots should be closed to vehicles 1.5-2 hours (at minimum an hour) before game time to vehicles. If you have to show up late (which can happen), then you can use your pass to park for free in the regular lots. The amount of empty spots up until close to kickoff for nice weather games is both annoying and sad if you're trying to the promote tailgating atmosphere they are going for. It isn't necessarily the spots that don't have a setup (because as you pointed out, lots of people drive separately), it's the late arrival of way too many vehicles. They walk through the lots and have a pretty good handle on what's going on. 

[FSSD]

Was there much talk about facilities:  We know about Memorial Village I, Memorial Village II and Fritz Phase II.  Any word on basketball facility updates?

[CMSioux]

I think hiking the tailgate prices will have as negative domino affect. We have had three spots for 15 plus years. Yes, we do not tailgate in our spaces because we are part of a large group. 

As UND wishes we are giving up those spots and will just pay for parking. So now it is easy to decide not to go (no season long investment). After some discussion we also decided to forgo season tickets and go game by game. Now it is easy to decide to skip the 4 hour drive, stay home and watch the game on TV.

[Nodak78]

19 minutes ago, CMSioux said:

I think hiking the tailgate prices will have as negative domino affect. We have had three spots for 15 plus years. Yes, we do not tailgate in our spaces because we are part of a large group. 

As UND wishes we are giving up those spots and will just pay for parking. So now it is easy to decide not to go (no season long investment). After some discussion we also decided to forgo season tickets and go game by game. Now it is easy to decide to skip the 4 hour drive, stay home and watch the game on TV.

Ditto.

[MadScout03]

2 hours ago, CMSioux said:

I think hiking the tailgate prices will have as negative domino affect. We have had three spots for 15 plus years. Yes, we do not tailgate in our spaces because we are part of a large group. 

As UND wishes we are giving up those spots and will just pay for parking. So now it is easy to decide not to go (no season long investment). After some discussion we also decided to forgo season tickets and go game by game. Now it is easy to decide to skip the 4 hour drive, stay home and watch the game on TV.

The price hike explanation centered around a couple different things…one, that “people buy tailgating spots to park because it’s cheaper” (which I’d love to see the specific data they based this off of, as someone alluded to earlier), and two, to more or less weed out those who are taking up tailgating spots who aren’t the hardcore fans, the ones who won’t show up every game, the ones who show up last minute because the season tailgating spots are “sold out”. The demand is at an all time high, they say…I’m pretty sure the Al parking lot is huge and outside of the NDSU game, it is not full. There is room to expand season tailgating passes if the demand is really that high.  It’s all BS. It has 100% to do with bringing in more money and they're going to say anything they can to be right. Erik Martinson and Val Sussex were neck and neck the worst when it came to that. 

The Alston awards, while I believe is a good thing, will cost a lot of money. I wondered where that money was going to come from. Well, part of it is from the expansion of the Champions Club seating at the Alerus. People who had season tickets but were outside of the CC sections will now have to pay the Club fee for every 4 tickets purchased. Val Sussex said there was a need for more “premium” seating at the Alerus, so they made an additional section premium by adding the Champions Club fee. That’s it. That’s what made those seats “premium”. It’s all political banter as they try not to look like the bad guys. 
 

They made the Peterson Porch ticketed spots because there was a need for more “premium” seating, Val said. Yep, you can’t just have fans casually watching the games from the end zones…you have to make those Champions Club spots that people pay more money for.

 

This isn’t about the fan experience anymore, this is strictly about money, but they can’t come out and say that, and they never will. They’ll say college athletics costs more these days and the cost will continue to rise, but when things like tailgating passes nearly double, it has nothing to do with raising more money. It has everything to do with the fan experience…right.  

[BIGSIOUX]

Unpopular opinion here from the looks of it.    Tailgating spots were stupidly inexpensive. They missed the inflation price adjustment for 5 years at least.  Most people who want to tailgate couldn't give 2 rips about cost of the spot.   When the weather isn't perfect, and your group only shows 25 minutes to kickoff, you're not tailgating.  

Nobody will argue a great tailgating atmosphere is a full lot with music, bbq's, beers, kids playing- chaos.   driving your buick into the lot at 1215 for a 1 o'clock kick off doesn't add to anything.  Im team 2 hours before kickoff lots close.  After the Hawk Walk- no traffic!

[Walsh Hall]

What was the tailgating cost, and to what is it being raised?

[fightingsioux4life]

Want more revenue? Becoming a perennial FCS contender would solve a lot of the problems discussed here.

[Oxbow6]

The competition for the entertainment dollar coupled with unchecked inflation and supply and demand for UND athletics makes it easy for someone to forgo season tickets. We kept all our hockey tickets for next year but cut our FB tickets in half. I could easily see us not getting any FB season tickets and cutting our hockey tickets in half for 2025-2026. 

[Oxbow6]

4 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Want more revenue? Becoming a perennial FCS contender would solve a lot of the problems discussed here.

#decadebydecade

[Sioux_FF]

15 hours ago, jdub27 said:

The amount of people showing up 5-30 minutes before kickoff aren't tailgating. And they are trying to drive through/around barriers and all the people to get to their "spots". Tailgating lots should be closed to vehicles 1.5-2 hours (at minimum an hour) before game time to vehicles. If you have to show up late (which can happen), then you can use your pass to park for free in the regular lots. The amount of empty spots up until close to kickoff for nice weather games is both annoying and sad if you're trying to the promote tailgating atmosphere they are going for. It isn't necessarily the spots that don't have a setup (because as you pointed out, lots of people drive separately), it's the late arrival of way too many vehicles. They walk through the lots and have a pretty good handle on what's going on. 

The tailgate passes already state "all tailgaters must be moved into assigned space(s) 2 hours prior to kickoff."    Just enforce that and problem solved.

[sioux24/7]

Weren’t tailgate passes $50 last year? I know not everyone is a math wiz here but with 7 home games (not including any playoff games) and $50 for the season that would have been $7.15 per game. Less than half of what it costs to just pay to get in the lot but not be in the tailgate alley. Now with raising the price to $100, that’s still cheaper than paying $15 per game, assuming you attend every game.

I don’t really get why people are that upset. I want the lot to be full of tailgaters too and not a bunch of cars with no one by them. 

[Siouxperfan7]

4 hours ago, CMSioux said:

I think hiking the tailgate prices will have as negative domino affect. We have had three spots for 15 plus years. Yes, we do not tailgate in our spaces because we are part of a large group. 

As UND wishes we are giving up those spots and will just pay for parking. So now it is easy to decide not to go (no season long investment). After some discussion we also decided to forgo season tickets and go game by game. Now it is easy to decide to skip the 4 hour drive, stay home and watch the game on TV.

If you are using your spots to just park, you aren't tailgating.  There is a waiting list for reserved tailgate spaces.  If you don't tailgate in your spot, release them back so someone ese can use them appropriately.  

[Siouxperfan7]

44 minutes ago, sioux24/7 said:

Weren’t tailgate passes $50 last year? I know not everyone is a math wiz here but with 7 home games (not including any playoff games) and $50 for the season that would have been $7.15 per game. Less than half of what it costs to just pay to get in the lot but not be in the tailgate alley. Now with raising the price to $100, that’s still cheaper than paying $15 per game, assuming you attend every game.

I don’t really get why people are that upset. I want the lot to be full of tailgaters too and not a bunch of cars with no one by them. 

Season tailgate spots are $100 per spot this year.  That's just less that $15 per game this year.  I think they mandate you have to get 2 spots.  If they don't, they should.

[the green team]

So my family & I purchased Peterson Porch seats when they became available.  We really had a desire  to have seats in that area.  But, the way I read the sentiment here, is that we should be ashamed that we did and really aren’t all that welcome.because we chose seats in that area

[sioux24/7]

Just now, the green team said:

So my family & I purchased Peterson Porch seats when they became available.  We really had a desire  to have seats in that area.  But, the way I read the sentiment here, is that we should be ashamed that we did and really aren’t all that welcome.because we chose seats in that area

I don’t think you should be ashamed. I’m jealous, to be honest. I do wish it was still open to the public, but it is what it is. 

[fightingsioux4life]

Just now, the green team said:

So my family & I purchased Peterson Porch seats when they became available.  We really had a desire  to have seats in that area.  But, the way I read the sentiment here, is that we should be ashamed that we did and really aren’t all that welcome.because we chose seats in that area

The targets on this forum are the people who implemented Peterson's Porch, not the people who purchase seats there. If you want to purchase seats there, that is your choice. But that doesn't mean people have to support the concept.

[jdub27]

7 minutes ago, the green team said:

So my family & I purchased Peterson Porch seats when they became available.  We really had a desire  to have seats in that area.  But, the way I read the sentiment here, is that we should be ashamed that we did and really aren’t all that welcome.because we chose seats in that area

How could that be? They were completely empty for every game of the year is what I read??

Its amazing to watch people who complain about an athletic department not having/spending enough money turnaround and complain when the same athletic department tries to follow along with customer demands and increase pricing to raise more money. Turns out they only want them to raise and spend more money in ways that don't inconvenience them.

[Irish]

I had hopes that this forum would start a new era of fan-administration dialogue.  Here's what I learned -

 - Information on Bubba's two extension - nothing,  Expectations for our Football team going forward - nothing, Changes made to prevent future end of the season collapses in Hockey and Football - nothing.  What I did learn is that the Administration doesn't like losing either (with no mention of any changes but implied is more of the same but we will try harder), and that changes in Football at the Alerus (tailgating, Peterson Porch, the obnoxious requirement to purchase playoff tickets as part of your package, increase in parking fees), will all stay regardless of fan wishes.  Does the admin take any fan input and concerns seriously?  

[UND1983]

"Expectations for our Football team going forward - nothing"

I would love to know what the AD expectations are for the football program?  Because if they are anything more than "make the playoffs" then the program has not lived up to expectations, whatsoever.  On top of that, nothing has been done to change it so they do meet expectations. 

The AD just keeps giving the program more and more tools to be successful and nothing has really changed in 7 years.