Isn't capacity like 18,600?

Capacity is 19,200.

Our biggest attendance was 22K+ a couple years ago against Montana.

Hoping very much we can fill up the stadium this week. We're ranked. The weather should be good. We are 2-0. We have an opponent with a pulse. Time of day is great.

What possible wacuse could there be for not having a sell out?

Hmmmmmm, not sure about stadium expansion now. I am glad we are only bumping up to 25,000. We can't sell out with an undefeated team and a couple big wins. I can't believe there were only 16,000 at the ISU game. I really just don't understand it.

We averaged 16,377 last year per the NCAA. We don't have a postseason to play for. Our opponents aren't exactly local or significant powers. I expect better but I also understand why it isn't.

And an 0-2 team coming to play has casual fan expectations being an easy, sure win. ISU pays in the toughest FCS conference. And with St Francis HG on the 30th that's likely another 16k attendance game. It still should be better.

Couple of things.

1. We are playing nobodies. Hard to get the alumni and casual fans to the games when you're playing the NEC/Pioneer/Big South teams.

2. When a big name does come we do get 19+ see Montana

3. The teams we are playing don't travel well. Look at the visiting sections this past two weeks. Just about empty. We're going to be seeing a significant jump in opposing fans starting next year. At least 2k+

4. FBS teams are going to be bringing in the casual fans and the alumni who were Tech/Hoo fans first.

I'M not sure about the attendance count. The gate attendants seem to be having a few problems with their ticket scanners and I heard one say that the gameday box office was issuing a few GA tickets with duplicated barcodes. I can tell there's a lot of effort being place on an accurate head count.

I’m not entirely sure what’s happening either. After the Morehead game, one tweet announced it as “paid attendance.” I read the NCAA bylaws on attendance, and a school has two options: actual headcount of those walking in, or paid attendance where you count tickets sold, and the price can’t be less than 1/3 max price. Apparently Liberty is taking the 2nd route, so getting the count from those that actually attended may not be the critical factor. One exception to this model is students, who can only be counted if there’s an activity/sports fee (which there is) and they actually show up.

I’ve heard of schools buying their own tickets to meet the number, under the paid attendance model. I’m not sure what that means in the end though, do they pay themselves the 1/3 price, count it as revenue, and then give the tickets away? Given the holes on the student side, and the holes on the home side, 16k seems to be real close to the actually attended head count. That makes me think we aren’t buying our own tickets, yet.

As far as the expansion, I was surprised at how conservative the first announcement was. But, like we are seeing, I’m now worried we may not even come close to filling the new mid-deck. If we go undefeated, or 10-1, maybe the excitement will build. But right now, I don’t see where the 10k extra fans will come from for ODU. We are reportedly already 20% higher on season tickets for this FCS year.

Regardless, really glad we are building the wrap around colonnade, that will change the look on TV and feel of the stadium dramatically, without creating empty seats. Good move on the design front there. My way too early prediction is that phase 3 won’t happen until we prepare for VT in 2022, assuming we start to average 25k in 2020-21.

(09-18-2017 08:34 AM)Willflop Wrote:  I’m not entirely sure what’s happening either. After the Morehead game, one tweet announced it as “paid attendance.” I read the NCAA bylaws on attendance, and a school has two options: actual headcount of those walking in, or paid attendance where you count tickets sold, and the price can’t be less than 1/3 max price. Apparently Liberty is taking the 2nd route, so getting the count from those that actually attended may not be the critical factor. One exception to this model is students, who can only be counted if there’s an activity/sports fee (which there is) and they actually show up.

I’ve heard of schools buying their own tickets to meet the number, under the paid attendance model. I’m not sure what that means in the end though, do they pay themselves the 1/3 price, count it as revenue, and then give the tickets away? Given the holes on the student side, and the holes on the home side, 16k seems to be real close to the actually attended head count. That makes me think we aren’t buying our own tickets, yet.

As far as the expansion, I was surprised at how conservative the first announcement was. But, like we are seeing, I’m now worried we may not even come close to filling the new mid-deck. If we go undefeated, or 10-1, maybe the excitement will build. But right now, I don’t see where the 10k extra fans will come from for ODU. We are reportedly already 20% higher on season tickets for this FCS year.

Regardless, really glad we are building the wrap around colonnade, that will change the look on TV and feel of the stadium dramatically, without creating empty seats. Good move on the design front there. My way too early prediction is that phase 3 won’t happen until we prepare for VT in 2022, assuming we start to average 25k in 2020-21.

We are worried about sellouts but the athletic department is more worried with premium seating. As long as they sell out there that's where money is to be made. IM wants demand to build and that will happen with the 25k but it might take awhile.

Are the home games this, and the drop in attendance reason to review the stadium expansion? Granted next year with ODU opening the season and being the big game in 2018 LU can expect a good fan base from ODU to travel. But other home games vs. Norfolk State, North Texas, Troy, Idaho State and New Mexico State don't seem to push the attendance interest that high.

But if LU does not have a significant spike in 2018 and there are less than 20k per home game isn't that reason for concern?

I think the course we are currently on is the correct one. Our stadium will look the part of an FBS stadium, we will be fine with only 25,000. Sometimes we'll fill it and many times we won't, but it shouldn't look too empty. I expect next season we should average around 16,000 real fans at games. I know I'm underestimating, but I'd rather be surprised than let down. Slow growth is the correct way to go. We will have first rate facilities.

ODU will be a sellout. Idaho State will probably be around 16k I expect all others to be somewhere between 18-20k. I expect the season home average to be 19.5k.

Liberty will likely have a boost in attendance due to the higher name recognition of opponents, the opponents will likely bring more of their own fans, and the locals will want to see an FBS school more than an FCS school. I think the novelty of being FBS will wear off after a year or after the stadium gets expanded so it will be up to Liberty to provide a great product on the field and a great draw of an opponent.

(10-07-2017 08:35 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  Liberty will likely have a boost in attendance due to the higher name recognition of opponents, the opponents will likely bring more of their own fans, and the locals will want to see an FBS school more than an FCS school. I think the novelty of being FBS will wear off after a year or after the stadium gets expanded so it will be up to Liberty to provide a great product on the field and a great draw of an opponent.

The athletic department is smart by getting one big name on the home slate per year. I think they are banking on that and being FBS driving the season ticket sales.

It's up to us the fans to show up and force them to expand. We have only ourselves to blame if it doesn't happen, though we need the administration to put out a good product.

Assuming we sold out our max capacity, 45,000 would put us below average for all P5 conferences. It would also make us second among G5 schools, only behind BYU based on 2016 figures.

Agreed. It is totally up to the fans to show up. I'm assuming that the 45K number, mentioned in the audio, is the last planned expansion phase.

Where will these new fans come from? Does LU have a significantly large alumni base to support larger numbers? Remember, in general, college football attendance is dropping. Will LU buck this trend over the long haul? Do you have a large enough metropolitan population to draw significant numbers of non-school related fans?
The quality of your scheduling will drive attendance to a degree, but if you don't become competitive with P5 programs fairly quickly, you could see an actual drop in attendance. As someone else mentioned, not many people are going to show up to see New Mexico etc, and fans will stop coming to see LU get clobbered year after year by more powerful P5's and higher level G5's.
This is all a huge roll of the dice. LU can pump big $$ into this for a while, but if it doesn't catch on, eventually the bleeding will need to stop.

(01-27-2018 04:26 PM)Old Dominion Wrote:  Where will these new fans come from? Does LU have a significantly large alumni base to support larger numbers? Remember, in general, college football attendance is dropping. Will LU buck this trend over the long haul? Do you have a large enough metropolitan population to draw significant numbers of non-school related fans?
The quality of your scheduling will drive attendance to a degree, but if you don't become competitive with P5 programs fairly quickly, you could see an actual drop in attendance. As someone else mentioned, not many people are going to show up to see New Mexico etc, and fans will stop coming to see LU get clobbered year after year by more powerful P5's and higher level G5's.
This is all a huge roll of the dice. LU can pump big $$ into this for a while, but if it doesn't catch on, eventually the bleeding will need to stop.

Who is to say that Liberty will fail? It is not a given and hardly a probability. LU needs a quality coaching staff and they will succeed. They have the money to keep them and the money for facilities. Liberty is a growing school with a growing alumni base and markets their message nationally.

Pretty sure I didn't say LU would fail. I think you are reading more into my post than you need to. I did say it's a roll of the dice and stand by that statement. I still want to know where your butts in the seat fans are coming from? Not talking television.