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  • We've got a very good wrestling program but to expect them to consistently get attendance that would be Top5 in the country seems unrealistic.
    #MACtion

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    • Originally posted by ronfitch View Post

      Median household income for Cedar Falls was just over $61K in 2019, according to US Census stats. For Waterloo, it is just over $47K. That's a tough market to try and sell tickets at this price.

      Charging $35 for endzone seats (Southern Illinois) and requiring kids as young as two to have a ticket ... that is simply out-of-touch with the market.

      If those numbers were reversed, it would still be bad, but probably something you could work with. The problem is that CF is a quite small city, and Waterloo is a broke hole that doesn't care.

      The other problem is that UNI fades away once you get more than about 20 minutes from campus in any direction. It isn't enough of a regional draw.

      But I don't think any of this has to be fatal. We've seen UNI succeed in similar conditions before. The problem is there appears to be a lack of vision at the top of the department, and a lack of interest in forming a vision. I'm not sure they even see the problem.

      Comment


      • Originally posted by Newsbreaker View Post


        If those numbers were reversed, it would still be bad, but probably something you could work with. The problem is that CF is a quite small city, and Waterloo is a broke hole that doesn't care.

        The other problem is that UNI fades away once you get more than about 20 minutes from campus in any direction. It isn't enough of a regional draw.

        But I don't think any of this has to be fatal. We've seen UNI succeed in similar conditions before. The problem is there appears to be a lack of vision at the top of the department, and a lack of interest in forming a vision. I'm not sure they even see the problem.
        Waterloo has wealth in two neighborhoods and I would bombard those neighborhoods with mailers and outreach and everything I could do to get a buzz going (block parties, live music, team events like Drake had on Court Ave, etc). I'd practically live there.

        The problem is the rest of the city is split between lower middle class dark blue collar homes and, frankly, abject generations long poverty.
        #MACtion

        Comment


        • UNI use to be very good high octane never lose at home football that was dirt cheap for families to attend.

          they are none of these anymore.

          With Big Ten and Big XII in the state you better know your market.

          I would never go out of the to tick off the fans.
          Not letting people exit and re-enter at halftime was a mistake.
          jacking up the ticket prices was a mistake.
          removing the kids ticket discount was a mistake.
          occasionally closing the grass lots for tailgating was a mistake. It isn’t like there is a golf course south of the dome. Who cars if the grass gets beat down a little. I swear if there is a heavy dew they close them off.

          you dont get to make mistakes and just get everybody back if you correct them. You lose a generation of fans. It’s like dropping $150 for the family to go out and have a horrible meal and a restaurant and expect them to try it again, they are not coming back.

          The West side use to be fairly full even into the yellow seats for the past decade. It’s a wasteland now.

          Comment


          • Free tickets in the phone book type Dirt Cheap wasn't sustainable. Your product has value.

            However, what we're doing now is the most asinine thing I've ever seen. We don't play on the same level nor have the same name opponents walking in that Iowa and Iowa State do and yet we're in the ballpark price wise. It's dumbfounding.

            $30 Adults/$20 kids between the 30s. $20 Adults/$15 kids outside. It's not hard and makes you comparable to taking the family to the movies. Boom. Done.
            #MACtion

            Comment


            • Originally posted by run&blade View Post
              occasionally closing the grass lots for tailgating was a mistake. It isn’t like there is a golf course south of the dome. Who cars if the grass gets beat down a little. I swear if there is a heavy dew they close them off.
              I agree with most of what you said except this. Let’s stick to facts… it wasn’t about killing some grass. It was about preventing huge ruts and cars getting stuck. They were closed for one season (and it was a week to week decision) and a couple off games here and there. It’s about rain and a lot of it. We tailgate in the grass lots and miss them when we are forced to move. I can’t think of one weekend I disagreed with that decision.

              Now, if you want to talk about how few people tailgate in the grass lots these days… it’s a combination of more available parking (fewer students = fewer cars for those in the dorms) and fewer people at the games.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by BCPanther View Post

                Waterloo has wealth in two neighborhoods and I would bombard those neighborhoods with mailers and outreach and everything I could do to get a buzz going (block parties, live music, team events like Drake had on Court Ave, etc). I'd practically live there.

                The problem is the rest of the city is split between lower middle class dark blue collar homes and, frankly, abject generations long poverty.

                Can't argue with any of that. It's really hard when 2/3 of your local population base's only identity is not being the other third; most of Waterloo is openly antagonistic to "snooty falls," which is bizarrely hilarious.

                You don't have to do $1 tickets, but you can't do what you're doing, either. There has to be some happy medium, and they're leaving money on the table by trying to protect a weird price point.

                And that's not even touching your in-building presentation and atmosphere. So much about UNI these days - the stadium atmosphere, the community approach, even the TV broadcasts (and I think Justin Surrency is great) - has all the energy of mid-afternoon yawn.

                Comment


                • At this point nothing will bring the fans back outside of winning in a big way. People have moved on to other things.

                  next year will be the most important year of Panther football in a long time, maybe ever.

                  should have some good teams coming in and they need to beat them all. They need to dominate the Valley, being competitive isn’t going to cut it. That’s the position they put themselves in with the low quality of the product on the field and the lack of $ value.
                  Last edited by run&blade; 10-21-2021, 03:15 PM.

                  Comment


                  • It's the most favorable schedule that I can remember in recent history.

                    6 home games (!) including 4 weeks in a row in October

                    9/17-Sacramento State
                    10/1-Indiana State
                    10/8-Illinois State
                    10/15-Missouri State
                    10/22-Dixie State
                    11/5-South Dakota State

                    Great year to promote the living hell out of tailgating and get that scene back and going.
                    #MACtion

                    Comment


                    • Originally posted by BCPanther View Post
                      It's the most favorable schedule that I can remember in recent history.

                      6 home games (!) including 4 weeks in a row in October

                      9/17-Sacramento State
                      10/1-Indiana State
                      10/8-Illinois State
                      10/15-Missouri State
                      10/22-Dixie State
                      11/5-South Dakota State

                      Great year to promote the living hell out of tailgating and get that scene back and going.
                      So good I expect the per game ticket prices to be raised $10.....

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by DownGoesKansas View Post

                        So good I expect the per game ticket prices to be raised $10.....
                        If Dixie State isn't a premium game, what's even the point?!?!?
                        #MACtion

                        Comment


                        • Two Staff Updates--

                          Michelle Van Dorn is now officially Assistant AD for Communications coming back from the university side. I assume she's taking MBB as there's been a slight uptick in content. She's really social media forward and has a UNI background so I think she'll do a really nice job. This is Jerek's old job.

                          Trent Ames has disappeared from the staff directory. He ran facilities. No real details on where he went or what happened but he's not listed anymore.
                          #MACtion

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by BCPanther View Post
                            Two Staff Updates--

                            Michelle Van Dorn is now officially Assistant AD for Communications coming back from the university side. I assume she's taking MBB as there's been a slight uptick in content. She's really social media forward and has a UNI background so I think she'll do a really nice job. This is Jerek's old job.

                            Trent Ames has disappeared from the staff directory. He ran facilities. No real details on where he went or what happened but he's not listed anymore.
                            Nice, at least it is a start!

                            Comment


                            • Originally posted by BCPanther View Post
                              It's the most favorable schedule that I can remember in recent history.

                              6 home games (!) including 4 weeks in a row in October

                              9/17-Sacramento State
                              10/1-Indiana State
                              10/8-Illinois State
                              10/15-Missouri State
                              10/22-Dixie State
                              11/5-South Dakota State

                              Great year to promote the living hell out of tailgating and get that scene back and going.


                              Favorable for wins, not necessarily fans and ticket sales. Having the Bison come to Cedar Falls was always a nice ticket boost.

                              Comment


                              • I'll take these 6 games without having to watch a NDSU game where they fill the dome and the tailgating lots.
                                If computers ruled college basketball the way they do football, we'd have skipped all this March Madness monotony and just waited a month for the Kansas-Kentucky title game. And watched Northern Iowa play Cornell in the Poulan Weedeater Bowl. ~ Dwight Perry The Seattle Times

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