I’m thinking along the same lines as far as score:
19 Illinois
10 Iowa
Travel safe and have a good time. That goes for everyone heading to the game. And bring home a victory.
Pregame: Illinois vs Iowa, Saturday, October 8th, 6:30pm CT, BTN
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19 Illinois
10 Iowa
Travel safe and have a good time. That goes for everyone heading to the game. And bring home a victory.
That definitely read differently than I intended. What I meant was that the lack of creativity is going to lead to games that should have larger crowds not getting it. That will absolutely have an effect on people, especially those watching on TV seeing so many empty seats.
Season ticket sales will rise next year with a good season, and that is the starting point to getting butts in seats. They should be offering a half-season ticket deal. No reason you cannot offer 4 Big Ten games at $125-150 a ticket. At the end of the day, does the university want to see 40k people for a 4-1 team and say "But at least we didn't lower our ticket price standards," or do they want people in the seats at a little bit of a discount?
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
There's a double-edged sword in all this (which someone else has probably posted and I missed seeing). If the DIA "drops" ticket prices to get butts in seats this year and then "raises them back" next year or the following, all people see is a price hike and then the comments are "the DIA doesn't appreciate the fans and just wants to make money." They're in a danged-if-they-do/danged-if-they-don't situation in my eyes because the general public often views the value of a ticket as the least they'd ever have to pay.
My personal preference--leave prices as-is, but maybe have some targeted giveaways or group rates for HS football teams/marching bands/etc. and fill the shoe.
My personal preference--leave prices as-is, but maybe have some targeted giveaways or group rates for HS football teams/marching bands/etc. and fill the shoe.
Looks like typical early fall weather. Great group of recruits coming in and We Will Win. I was at the UNC game the last night game. We had that long run by the kid that transfered to Vandy. Shame he didn't stay. He was shot out of a cannon. Great night for football this Saturday. Going to be a long day. Hope Wisc loses, MN loses, and PU loses. We win take control. Go ILLINI!
Probably my biggest concern but if we didn't get screwed at IU or had performed better where the refs aren't a factor we would likely be pushing high 50's easy for this game. If we beat Iowa the Minny game should draw very well. If we can then manage to not give the classic Illini kick to the balls of increased expectations anytime we start to show life in that game things could escalate quickly from there.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
The UVA game was Band Day as well as Varsity I Day, but the schedule only listed Varsity I Day. There were a LOT of HS kids in the stadium that day.
I know people are debating about the 75.00 price but this is how I see it
You are asking people to spend 75.00 for a ticket to a game on a program that has been to 5 bowls in 17 years. That is insane
You are asking people to spend 75.00 for a ticket to a game on a program that has been to 5 bowls in 17 years. That is insane
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
Check out the prices to watch a football team that hasn't had a real quarterback since Sid Luckman.
hooraybeer
- Pittsburgh, PA
agreed with everyone saying that tickets are too expensive... should be able to get in the door and sit in the worst seat for much less imo. disappointed that the DIA is holding firm on that price at the expense of creating an amazing atmosphere. very short sighted.
down the road, once we have established that we have a good product on the field, that price makes more sense.
Here is the seat availability for two of the horseshoe sections as of now:
how can anyone look at that only a couple of days before a game and not realize that we need to adjust our strategy?
down the road, once we have established that we have a good product on the field, that price makes more sense.
Here is the seat availability for two of the horseshoe sections as of now:
how can anyone look at that only a couple of days before a game and not realize that we need to adjust our strategy?
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Kansas which has COLLEGE GAMEDAY coming to town and has a massive game against TCU has tickets as low as 38.00!!!
the national
- the Front Range
This will get my butt in the seat early.
I’m pretty excited about these promos and ticket give always. Way to step up for the team.
I’m pretty excited about these promos and ticket give always. Way to step up for the team.
We should offer free tickets to every high school football team in the state or something like that if it isn’t a recruiting violation. First come first served. Free tickets for the bus drivers too.
pruman91
- Paducah, Ky
Unless the bus driver is that crazy woman on South Park
She sounds like that wailing northwestern fan from a few years ago ....
I hope all the high schoolers will enjoy the trip
and become die hard Illini fans.
I really really do.....
Keep prices for good seats, but horseshoe and nosebleed balcony tickets should be $15 until consistently higher demand.
Hundreds of students line up for free Illini football tickets
An anonymous donor paid for 1,000 student tickets for Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game against Iowa.
"At the end of the giveaway, hundreds of disappointed students were left in line without a ticket, which showed Longo just how amped campus is for Saturday’s game."
Where is the gofundme page to purchase more tickets for these students that were turned away? I'm happy to contribute since I can't go to the game! Would a donation to I Fund do it?
SameHundreds of students line up for free Illini football tickets
An anonymous donor paid for 1,000 student tickets for Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game against Iowa.www.news-gazette.com
"At the end of the giveaway, hundreds of disappointed students were left in line without a ticket, which showed Longo just how amped campus is for Saturday’s game."
Where is the gofundme page to purchase more tickets for these students that were turned away? I'm happy to contribute since I can't go to the game! Would a donation to I Fund do it?
IlliniKat91
- Chicago, IL
DittoHundreds of students line up for free Illini football tickets
An anonymous donor paid for 1,000 student tickets for Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game against Iowa.
"At the end of the giveaway, hundreds of disappointed students were left in line without a ticket, which showed Longo just how amped campus is for Saturday’s game."
Where is the gofundme page to purchase more tickets for these students that were turned away? I'm happy to contribute since I can't go to the game! Would a donation to I Fund do it?
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
Agreed. Our relative place on list of expensive tickets should reflect where we finish in the B1G each year. Finish in top three - that's fine. Finish 7th, adjust prices accordingly. This isn't rocket surgery folks.
And weirdly, I'm in the opposite position. I would go if it was a day game but the marathon is on Sunday, so I can't afford to go to sleep at midnight.
IlliniCardinal
- Minneapolis
Awesome to have so many students interested in attending the game Saturday!!Hundreds of students line up for free Illini football tickets
An anonymous donor paid for 1,000 student tickets for Saturday's 6:30 p.m. game against Iowa.
"At the end of the giveaway, hundreds of disappointed students were left in line without a ticket, which showed Longo just how amped campus is for Saturday’s game."
Where is the gofundme page to purchase more tickets for these students that were turned away? I'm happy to contribute since I can't go to the game! Would a donation to I Fund do it?
MS should be rocking!
I’m relatively confident the DIA will find ways to get more students in the stadium...
This. When you're dealing with short-attention-span students more accustomed to screens than we alums ever were, and a growing percentage from out of state who didn't grow up Illini fans, or had a parent an Illini fan, not to mention fervent fans on this board balking at the price, you need to offer more than the basics. That's the current reality at Illinois.We could be Alabama and that logic applies in exactly the same way, though.
And lest you think that's an absurd hypothetical:
Alabama coach Nick Saban rips student attendance, fan apathy after Louisiana-Lafayette game
There were a lot of empty seats Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosawww.cbssports.com
There are long-term structural forces working against college football attendance (with high prices being prominent among them). But there is also an ingrained culture of not going to the game at Illinois specifically. We're fighting against both.
I said in one of those other threads that Whitman is hoping the winning fairy comes along and fixes the problem for him. Here's hoping that wish has come true, but there are still steps we can take to goose things even further.
Regardless, with this having been the pick of the litter on our home schedule before the season anyway, I expect we will have a nice turnout by our standards on Saturday. Possibly including me, still trying to figure it out.
Sports is entertainment, and the gameday experience offered up by the DIA sounds like the equivalent of a Soviet breadline. The actual on-field performance is the only reason to go, or you have to DIY your own fun with tailgate gear. It's not that hard. A marketing intern for a AA baseball team could probably come up with some decent ideas in an afternoon of brainstorming. And it doesn't have to be elaborate, like a pre-game craft beer and brats fest (for example), just enough silly/fun stuff to tip the FOMO scale for students and justify the price and effort for fence-sitting families in the area. And that's not even getting into better/smarter concessions and logistics.
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