Improving the Student Game Day Experience

[El Paso Eagle]

Is this something that we could/should consider?

 

 

 

[GoGreenBeans]

Catering more to the students is a great idea. I also have to say, the location of DATCU is not ideal. It is technically 
"on campus," but it is an odd placement. Parking isn't ideal, and walking across the bridge is meh. It's not Miami levels of bad placement, but it does not help with attendance 

[MCMLXXX]

48 minutes ago, GoGreenBeans said:

Parking isn't ideal, and walking across the bridge is meh. 

I am over 65 and I do not understand this issue with walking across a bridge. Is it really that hard for someone 45+ years younger than me to walk a mile? I have been to games in Austin, College Station, Norman, Boulder, and many other locations and had to walk much farther than the distance from the old Fouts lot or the Dorms for that matter to attend football games in 90+ Weather on many occasions.    

[Rudy]

Another DJ?  

 

DJ ADHD would never approve. He doesn't want any competition when he is playing 5 different songs in 10 seconds. He doesn't even want to let the band play. 

[DeepGreen]

3 minutes ago, MCMLXXX said:

I am over 65 and I do not understand this issue with walking across a bridge. Is it really that hard for someone 45+ years younger than me to walk a mile? I have been to games in Austin, College Station, Norman, Boulder, and many other locations and had to walk much farther than the distance from the old Fouts lot or the Dorms for that matter to attend football games in 90+ Weather on many occasions.    

You beat me to it.  I was going to say almost the same thing.  I've been to games in Austin and College Station over the years and walked long distances to those stadiums.  Especially the TAMU games.  These young students at UNT should have no problem walking to DATCU stadium.  Putting a winning team on the field makes the walk even easier.

[rojomojo]

1 hour ago, GoGreenBeans said:

Catering more to the students is a great idea. I also have to say, the location of DATCU is not ideal. It is technically 
"on campus," but it is an odd placement. Parking isn't ideal, and walking across the bridge is meh. It's not Miami levels of bad placement, but it does not help with attendance 

Wow so it's cool when anybody else says it 

[DentonLurker]

Our students do pretty much have their own entrance, restrooms, and concessions. Plus the hill is mostly students, so there’s a “landing” welcoming students to the game. Our students have it pretty easy compared to a lot of the country. Our issue has been finding reasons for them to come to games.

[rojomojo]

42 minutes ago, MCMLXXX said:

I am over 65 and I do not understand this issue with walking across a bridge. Is it really that hard for someone 45+ years younger than me to walk a mile? I have been to games in Austin, College Station, Norman, Boulder, and many other locations and had to walk much farther than the distance from the old Fouts lot or the Dorms for that matter to attend football games in 90+ Weather on many occasions.    

Lack of trees, minimal shade, and sprawled environments cause an unpleasant and unrealistic pedestrian option. Other than Mean Green Football, there is no reason for students to walk over to the Mean Green Village, making it isolated from the rest of campus. 

 

This is not the end of the world, and the location has plenty of assets such as the hill, but understanding the disconnection between the stadium and campus can help explain the lack of culture surrounding sports

[rojomojo]

Sidewalks along Bonnie Brae (Which are being constructed with the current widening project) should help improve connectivity 

[wardly]

I don't know that UNT understands that they are in the entertainment business , and I'm not referring to the athletic product on the field or in the gym. Our student body does not embrace our sports enough to attend games so we need to provide them another reason to show up, such as before or after game concerts, etc. I am not in the entertainment business either but I would think someone attuned to students interests could put together events that would increase their participation.

[MCMLXXX]

7 minutes ago, wardly said:

I don't know that UNT understands that they are in the entertainment business , and I'm not referring to the athletic product on the field or in the gym. Our student body does not embrace our sports enough to attend games so we need to provide them another reason to show up, such as before or after game concerts, etc. I am not in the entertainment business either but I would think someone attuned to students interests could put together events that would increase their participation.

If World class Championship Wrestling after the game doesn't fill the Stadium then what can?

[Coffee and TV]

2 hours ago, GoGreenBeans said:

Catering more to the students is a great idea. I also have to say, the location of DATCU is not ideal. It is technically 
"on campus," but it is an odd placement. Parking isn't ideal, and walking across the bridge is meh. It's not Miami levels of bad placement, but it does not help with attendance 

Fouts was too far for people when I lived in Maple Street Hall. I just think football is not ingrained into the brains of many people who attend UNT, at least not in the way that some might even cheer for the Rangers or the Cowboys or Mavericks.  

[rojomojo]

43 minutes ago, wardly said:

I don't know that UNT understands that they are in the entertainment business , and I'm not referring to the athletic product on the field or in the gym. Our student body does not embrace our sports enough to attend games so we need to provide them another reason to show up, such as before or after game concerts, etc. I am not in the entertainment business either but I would think someone attuned to students interests could put together events that would increase their participation.

I think it's important to remember that 50 percent of students that attend college football games across the country are there for the entertainment and social reasons, not the football... This is tough at a school like UNT due to the "commuteristic" nature that already exists at the school. Theoretically, winning/losing has less of an overall impact than I believe some people believe it has. 

 

This is why schools like Nebraska, East Carolina, and Colorado State don't struggle as much with attendance even when their football has been ass throughout the past decade.

 

So in conclusion, the key to getting students in the game isn't necessarily through location OR product. Instead, UNT needs to continue comprehensively improving the social aspects of student life at UNT. THAT breeds school pride, which in return breeds butts in seats. 

Edited September 19 by rojomojo

[rojomojo]

In summary, it is hard to get students to a Saturday football game when 80 percent of the student body is back home in Plano or Frisco on the weekend

 

[UNTLifer]

1 hour ago, rojomojo said:

Wow so it's cool when anybody else says it 

I would say the responses here haven't affirmed this as "cool".

We have a student side "entrance" that even has bathrooms, concessions and a small store.  There is a tree covered "Hill" for them to tailgate with stages for bands, etc.  There is a lake they can go sit by and feed the ducks if they need a safe space, and the walk from campus is a breeze.

Sidewalks on Bonnie Brae will do nothing for the students and acting like the students don't go because there is no other reason other than football games is crazy.  Why else do people go to stadiums?  North Texas has so many more dorms and student living options than when I was on campus that the term "commuter" school is just an excuse.

The students turn out great for the SFA game.  Let's see if they will duplicate it Saturday night.

[Coffee and TV]

17 minutes ago, rojomojo said:

In summary, it is hard to get students to a Saturday football game when 80 percent of the student body is back home in Plano or Frisco on the weekend

 

This was certainly the case when I was a freshman, and as upperclassmen you see more students working 30 hours a week to live and work in Carrollton or Lewisville the way I did. 

[untjim1995]

What I've always heard from students as to why they stayed at the tailgates was that they could watch on TV the games they really cared about. That's the rub here--so many fans of UT, OU, A&M, Alabama, Notre Dame, etc... these G5 and FCS schools all battle that facet. Not sure what the answer is, but its definitely been a problem for a while. Maybe you just make cellular access the very best you can make it and let people have the ability to follow those games while still going into the stadium.

[GRN-WHT]

56 minutes ago, rojomojo said:

In summary, it is hard to get students to a Saturday football game when 80 percent of the student body is back home in Plano or Frisco on the weekend

 

Haha, Frisco? Those kids are going to a P5 or somewhere that has academic standards. We might be getting a few Plano kids, but it’s more like Lewisville, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Garland and the like. 

[wardly]

4 hours ago, GRN-WHT said:

Haha, Frisco? Those kids are going to a P5 or somewhere that has academic standards. We might be getting a few Plano kids, but it’s more like Lewisville, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Garland and the like. 

" And the like. " Are you sure you are not a SMU want-a-be? For the unwashed UNT and UTA are the most affordable 4 year choices in the neighborhood. By the by, UNT Frisco seems to be thriving, probably because they are not being pulled down by students from Lewisville, Grand Prairie ,Arlington, Garland and the like.

[Matt from A700]

12 hours ago, El Paso Eagle said:

Is this something that we could/should consider?

 

 

 

Is this supposed to be impressive?

[meaniegreenie]

13 hours ago, DeepGreen said:

You beat me to it.  I was going to say almost the same thing.  I've been to games in Austin and College Station over the years and walked long distances to those stadiums.  Especially the TAMU games.  These young students at UNT should have no problem walking to DATCU stadium.  Putting a winning team on the field makes the walk even easier.

Yeah, the one thing that will bring students to the game is WINNING consistently and not just against teams that we are supposed to beat and then only winning 20% of the games that are toss-ups. 
Let's try that for a while and see if it works.  If not, I'll admit that I'm wrong.

[GRN-WHT]

13 hours ago, wardly said:

" And the like. " Are you sure you are not a SMU want-a-be? For the unwashed UNT and UTA are the most affordable 4 year choices in the neighborhood. By the by, UNT Frisco seems to be thriving, probably because they are not being pulled down by students from Lewisville, Grand Prairie ,Arlington, Garland and the like.

You’ve hit the nail on the head, our University has far too much in common with UTA. That’s our biggest problem. 
 

As for being a SMU wanna be? If by that you mean having some semblance of admission standards, not just accepting anybody that walks off the street, producing successful, proud alumni that earn tons of money and will use that money to wield influence in college athletics? Yeah, you damn right I’d like some of that in Denton. 

[Meangreen Fight]

On 9/19/2024 at 9:25 AM, GoGreenBeans said:

Catering more to the students is a great idea. I also have to say, the location of DATCU is not ideal. It is technically 
"on campus," but it is an odd placement. Parking isn't ideal, and walking across the bridge is meh. It's not Miami levels of bad placement, but it does not help with attendance 

Fouts Field was a better location for students.   And if Apogee was placed in the parking lot across the Street from the Superpit instead of Fouts footprint that would have been optimum.  I wish the leadership would have saw Fouts replacement through the lense of distancing itself from the "commuters school" profile as much as possible.  I don't think the location hurts student attendance at all vs Fouts location.  It was always a long walk from most of student housing.

Edited September 20 by Meangreen Fight

[MeanGreenZen]

21 hours ago, rojomojo said:

Lack of trees, minimal shade, and sprawled environments cause an unpleasant and unrealistic pedestrian option. Other than Mean Green Football, there is no reason for students to walk over to the Mean Green Village, making it isolated from the rest of campus. 

 

This is not the end of the world, and the location has plenty of assets such as the hill, but understanding the disconnection between the stadium and campus can help explain the lack of culture surrounding sports

Well, the student sports culture was way worse when we played at Fouts which was a lot closer to main campus. 
It is now an extra 10 minute walk across the bridge, this is not an acceptable obstacle. 

[MeanGreenZen]

Also, I’ve been following this program closely for 30 years and the student support has NEVER been better. 

Last home game the student section was FULL and we have one of the biggest bands in the country.

Can it be even better? Of course, but I give a lot of credit to the AD, Maniacs & Greeks for what they are doing with student attendance. It is making a difference.

Now, if we can just get a higher proportion of our disconnected alumni plugged back in… then we will be rocking and rolling.