There are a few things to note in the latest updates from AD Ryan Bamford interview with beat reporter Josh Walfish from the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

From all the communications it seems clear we are planning to be independent through 2024. Never thought we go 8 years as an independent as it is a difficult route and in particular impacts recruiting.

Quote:“These changes will take us through at least the next five years,” Bamford said. “My goal is to get 17-20,000 people at McGuirk every game, and when we do that and it becomes a high demand and a low limited supply of seats, we figure out how do we grow or how do we do some things differently.”

The article points out a few things in a different context.

Quote:In addition to the physical changes to the stadium, the school is also creating several new ticketing options for the 2019 season. The addition of what the school called a “hospitality plaza” in the south end zone will help diversify the viewing options for fans. The area behind the end zone will feature a variety of food and drink options — including alcohol — as well as tables that allow fans to get closer to the action.

Bamford said he wanted to attract more alumni families to the games by giving them an area to sit and socialize in a more high-end space than the bleachers on both sidelines. The athletic director said creating those various ticketing options was important in order to bridge the gap between the wealthy donors in the Hunt Hospitality Suite and the common fans in the grandstands.

“What we wanted to do was create some different ticket and pricing options for people,” Bamford said. “We were finding that we wanted to attract more young families. ... We wanted to create different tiers and really introduce UMass football to different populations.”

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