Attendance?

[GMG24]

They said the only place not being traveled to was UTEP due to distance, number of buses, and lodging the costs would be really high to get the band there. Again, that is only rumor mill.

[JesseMartin]

Mark it, the first home game will not only be a sellout, but there will be an enormous shortage of seating. The tickets will sell out almost immediately and demand for student tickets will easily outnumber the 8000 seats reserved for them.

I don't think anybody is prepared to deny admission to students who are paying an athletics fee.

SRO works at some facilities but not Apogee where it would only be blocking walkways.

The athletic department should seriously consider building temporary grandstands over the south endzone grass sections and maybe on both sides of the wing to increase the general admission seating.

Could that be done safely? Regardless...it seems that we might want to wait for that first sellout before making such plans. Not that I want us to turn people away, but if you say, "Oh, we're sure we'll have the first sellout because of how many people came to the Cotton Bowl last year" and spend all that time and money getting extra seating, it would look extremely foolish to be wrong.

[BillySee58]

They said the only place not being traveled to was UTEP due to distance, number of buses, and lodging the costs would be really high to get the band there. Again, that is only rumor mill.

So are we officially going to UTEP, UTSA, and Rice next year?

[UNT90]

So are we officially going to UTEP, UTSA, and Rice next year?

Why wouldn't we? Divisional opponents alternate home games each year, no?

[MeanGreenTexan]

Why wouldn't we? Divisional opponents alternate home games each year, no?

It would make sense... if the conference stayed the same this year.

I hope we don't have alternating 3-home, 3-away Texas team schedules for the rest of our time in C-USA. I'm betting though, that the schedules get re-constructed next year and we get at least one of the Texas teams at home again.

[filmerj]

Look at that density in those stands that are full there is no room at all, Remember that when looking at apogee, I would love to see it packed like that for a sell out at apogee.

It was pretty dense. Close quarters got real close to my neighbors/buddies.

[oldguystudent]

It was pretty dense. Close quarters got real close to my neighbors/buddies.

I had to move back a row because my allotted "seat" ended up being about eight inches wide.

[jredallas]

^ Yeah, the Cotton Bowl would have actually looked a lot fuller had they spaced in some unsold seats in those sections (other than the top rows in the lower bowl).

[ADLER]

Could that be done safely? Regardless...it seems that we might want to wait for that first sellout before making such plans. Not that I want us to turn people away, but if you say, "Oh, we're sure we'll have the first sellout because of how many people came to the Cotton Bowl last year" and spend all that time and money getting extra seating, it would look extremely foolish to be wrong.

I agree, but...

What if, as expected, the university sells every available seat in advance and there is seating available for only about a third of the students that show up? Remember, they too are contributing quite generously to the athletics program and it would certainly be viewed as an egregious error to have not done everything possible to accomodate them.

Which would be viewed more favorably, investing too much or too little on the best interests of our students.

[JesseMartin]

I agree, but...

What if, as expected, the university sells every available seat in advance and there is seating available for only about a third of the students that show up? Remember, they too are contributing quite generously to the athletics program and it would certainly be viewed as an egregious error to have not done everything possible to accomodate them.

Which would be viewed more favorably, investing too much or too little on the best interests of our students.

We may want to start using the system of having students get their tickets in advance so we know how many seats are sold. If 12K students get tickets and then a few thousand more sell, and more students want their tix, then they will start getting them sooner. But if a chunk of the money students spend on Athletics is spent on extra seating that isn't used, expect a ton of them to freak out and more bad publicity.

The smartest move would be to have a plan in place so that it could be done quickly if we start selling out the stadium. If there isn't a sellout and nobody gets turned away, then we're fine. If there's a sellout for the first time ever, the AD comes out and says they didn't expect it but already had a plan ready in case it ever happened and there will be extra space for the next game. That's really the safest way to account for both possibilities.

[NM Green]

I like the idea of giving the students an early deadline to get their tickets. They will and that leaves fewer walk up opportunities.

If I have to sit in the Eagle Tip I will have the best picture in the house!

GMG

[ADLER]

We may want to start using the system of having students get their tickets in advance so we know how many seats are sold. If 12K students get tickets and then a few thousand more sell, and more students want their tix, then they will start getting them sooner. But if a chunk of the money students spend on Athletics is spent on extra seating that isn't used, expect a ton of them to freak out and more bad publicity.

The smartest move would be to have a plan in place so that it could be done quickly if we start selling out the stadium. If there isn't a sellout and nobody gets turned away, then we're fine. If there's a sellout for the first time ever, the AD comes out and says they didn't expect it but already had a plan ready in case it ever happened and there will be extra space for the next game. That's really the safest way to account for both possibilities.

No way, that would be addressing the issue only after we had already screwed the pooch.

Schools do occasionally add temporary seating. SMU added thousands of temporary seats when they hosted A&M, and Houston added a huge amount of grandstand seating when they hosted Texas (although some of it was shoddily assembled).

The SMU game is the first home game of the season. There is no time to wait to see what the student interest is, but it should be the highest (by far) of any in Apogee's short history. I think the school should prepare as if they expect the current momentum to be maintained and the ticket sales campaigns to be successful. Why in the world would anyone prepare otherwise?

[JesseMartin]

Oh this makes more sense...so have temporary seating that can be stored and used again later if necessary? If that's the case then I totally agree.

[Eastwood Eagle]

If we are expecting a sellout, I like the idea of making students get tickets by date X, and if student sit on their hands past date X then those tickets will be sold.