School Administrators need to make a big effort to bring back the fans

Gbulldog said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding you. I think you can only compare attendance from 2019 (pre-covid) and this year to see if people lost interest after covid.

I
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You’re not misunderstanding him. They’re the most pedantic poster on this entire site.
 
My gut is telling me that people REALLY missed going to games last year. A lot!. I believe they will come back strong. Many have waited 2 years to be able to enjoy everything about Friday night lights. From the socializing of an awesome tailgate, to the bands performing, to the atmosphere and crowd noise, to the anticipation on Monday to hurry the week along to get to Friday, and last but not least the actual game itself and keeping us on the edge of our seats at many games, especially rivalry games. This is America's sport. Ohio is a top notch state for High School football. So I am going to believe that this fall will be high numbers in people going out to stadiums on Friday night. Now weather will still play a factor. Obviously the nicer the weather, the more people typically there are. I am 1 of the few that come over to Ohio every week no matter what the weather. Rain, I'm coming. Cold, I'm coming. So lets's hope the weather co-operates and the attendance numbers will be high.
 
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Having attended quite a few track meets this spring and witnessing the much latger than usual crowds, even before the easing of restrictions, I have no doubt that crowds this fall will exceed those of 2019. At least in our area that is. People are craving a return to normalcy. It is evident in the aforementioned track crowds. Even restaurants around us are now packed. People want to be out.
 
Yappi said:
The nearer we get to the 2021 season, I'm starting to fear that the enthusiasm for the game that we see on here may not translate to the general HS football audience. This season might come up significantly short on attendance compared to the 2019 season.

I'm hoping that the Administrators across the state will make a strong push to attract the average football fan. People have changed their lifestyles and football may or may not be apart of that lifestyle anymore. Of all the years to try and attract fans with marketing, this could be a make or break year.

If anyone has the inside scoop on their school's season ticket sales, post in here how things work.

I'm also hearing some schools are going to go to online sales of tickets which will also drive away longterm fans that aren't so technologically gifted.
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I feel like the general interest in sports is down across the country. With so many other things vying for our attention, I have felt that sports attendance and interest has declined dramatically
 
I'm not too worried about Football. Basketball took the hit with low attendance. It's been over two years since I've went to a hs basketball game.
 
I think what schools ought to do is continue to stream their games, but charge for the experience. This year streaming was a courtesy most schools provided to help those who were not allowed to be at the games. This year I expect the gates to be open at most rural schools. Football season in particular usually pays for the rest of the sports with their gate money. Obviously, there are some exceptions. Schools need to encourage fans to be at the game or provide a paid option to stream. That way they still make some money.
 
There will be a big surge in attendance this year, largely due to the fact people weren't able to attend last year. However, if the OHSAA and its member schools were smart, they would be working on a way to provide a quality livestream option to increase revenue. Many schools lack the infrastructure and talent to produce a quality streaming product, but if they were to pool money (possibly through membership dues), they would be more able to produce a quality product that they could charge for. As many on here have said, you're not going to get the casual fans like you used, and this was happening pre-COVID, so hopefully they find a way to adapt.
 
bkmk1 said:
My gut is telling me that people REALLY missed going to games last year. A lot!. I believe they will come back strong. Many have waited 2 years to be able to enjoy everything about Friday night lights. From the socializing of an awesome tailgate, to the bands performing, to the atmosphere and crowd noise, to the anticipation on Monday to hurry the week along to get to Friday, and last but not least the actual game itself and keeping us on the edge of our seats at many games, especially rivalry games. This is America's sport. Ohio is a top notch state for High School football. So I am going to believe that this fall will be high numbers in people going out to stadiums on Friday night. Now weather will still play a factor. Obviously the nicer the weather, the more people typically there are. I am 1 of the few that come over to Ohio every week no matter what the weather. Rain, I'm coming. Cold, I'm coming. So lets's hope the weather co-operates and the attendance numbers will be high.
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I am 100% with this. I think many HS football and basketball programs will break attendance records next season.
 
I think the bigger issue quite simply is the en masse migration we're seeing. People are moving to the suburbs in droves anymore, combine that with the massive shift in people to Columbus, and you are losing at a fast rate alums who would go watch their hometown team. Folks just aren't staying in their localities anymore like they used to, especially in Ohio. Me and my dad are really all that is left who haven't died or moved to a Sunbelt state within our family. It seems like this is the case for many, especially those with retired family

We see this in Toledo quite a bit. Small towns are stagnant as are some suburbs, meanwhile the likes of Perrysburg (where I reside) and Anthony Wayne school districts continue to explode. It may not be long until those schools are bigger than Whitmer, twice the size of Fremont & Oregon schools. But everyone wants to live in the communities of Perrysburg, Waterville, Monclova Twp & Whitehouse
 
thavoice said:
Wrong.
People will comeback in droves.
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Totally disagree. The teams that have really good records, yeah the crowds will show up, but the so - so or bad teams no. Marion Local - Saint Henry game no matter the records would be packed not any more, SH crowd doesn't even fill the ML visitor side, maybe 3/4 th's full at best. Heck ML game @ Minster last year, Minster couldn't even sell their limited amount of home covid tix., selling them at the gate instead. H.S. football is following H.S. bball ( where ML used to have a waiting list for season tix., now the Flyers rarely have a sell out ).
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
Totally disagree. The teams that have really good records, yeah the crowds will show up, but the so - so or bad teams no. Marion Local - Saint Henry game no matter the records would be packed not any more, SH crowd doesn't even fill the ML visitor side, maybe 3/4 th's full at best. Heck ML game @ Minster last year, Minster couldn't even sell their limited amount of home covid tix., selling them at the gate instead. H.S. football is following H.S. bball ( where ML used to have a waiting list for season tix., now the Flyers rarely have a sell out ).
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SH has a spoiled fanbase, and when MSML and CW start to have downswings you will see the same.
 
thavoice said:
SH has a spoiled fanbase, and when MSML and CW start to have downswings you will see the same.
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I had that same thought a few years ago at the state championship games. Marion Local had the smallest crowd of any team that weekend. It's easy to take that success for granted when you've had so much of it in the last couple decades
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
Totally disagree. The teams that have really good records, yeah the crowds will show up, but the so - so or bad teams no. Marion Local - Saint Henry game no matter the records would be packed not any more, SH crowd doesn't even fill the ML visitor side, maybe 3/4 th's full at best. Heck ML game @ Minster last year, Minster couldn't even sell their limited amount of home covid tix., selling them at the gate instead. H.S. football is following H.S. bball ( where ML used to have a waiting list for season tix., now the Flyers rarely have a sell out ).
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HS Basketball is in ROUGH shape at the moment. I know we've had got a lively debate over on those threads about this, but regardless of how it is actually achieved, the game needs modernization badly
 
fbrox said:
Go or don’t go, your choice but one way or another the kids will be playing and that is all that matters. It’s about them, not the fans.
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I agree it is about the kids first and foremost . But the bottom line is any of us who played sports in high school , loved and looked forward to packed stands , arenas and even HS baseball games (. Deep Tournament games packed around the field ). Nothing like it . Adds to the experience . You come out of the locker room with that much more juice .
Chills just thinking about a few of those games .

Smaller one school communities have a greater ability to create that atmosphere now and have for a while . I know they will make a big push to maximize attendance. In some communities student ticket price isn’t a deterrent , but I find it cool that some places eschew the obvious money grab.(. Skytok Alma mater )
 
smurfyeah19 said:
HS Basketball is in ROUGH shape at the moment. I know we've had got a lively debate over on those threads about this, but regardless of how it is actually achieved, the game needs modernization badly
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Not having a shot clock for this long has been absurd
 
The Dock said:
You’re not misunderstanding him. They’re the most pedantic poster on this entire site.
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As accurate a word to describe someone as I’ve seen here . There’s a few others who fit that description and those trolls can give him a run for his money on certain days .
 
6-30 or 7.00 pm kickoff on Thursday’s is fine . But getting back to 730 kicks on Fridays is a must . It would help unquestionably. Never going back to 8 o’clock of course , but 700 ? Takes away some of the already paltry road attendance . I have a cousin and a good friend who are AD’s in other states . I know it’s a long day and week for them , both have said they would never vote for earlier than 7 30 kicks on Friday nights .
 
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Harrycrane said:
6-30 or 7.00 pm kickoff on Thursday’s is fine . But getting back to 730 kicks on Fridays is a must . It would help unquestionably. Never going back to 8 o’clock of course , but 700 ? Takes away some of the already paltry road attendance . I have a cousin and a good friend who are AD’s in other states . I know it’s a long day and week for them , both have said they would never vote for earlier than 7 30 kicks on Friday nights .
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Agreed, it also puts the road team in quite a bind. They have to leave the home school way more than 30 minutes earlier for that 7:00 game, many have to leave an hour or more earlier due to rush hour traffic. That half hour really clears things up on the roads for the traveling team, so they don't spend so much time on the yellow cheese wagon.
 
thavoice said:
SH has a spoiled fanbase, and when MSML and CW start to have downswings you will see the same.
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I agree 100 %, in today's world if you don't win, people are not going to show up. Too many other things to do, plus for a family of 4 or 5 children, you are talking 30 - 40 dollars for tix., ( 5 home games, that is 150 - 200 bucks ), money that could be spent on some new electronic gadget.
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
I agree 100 %, in today's world if you don't win, people are not going to show up. Too many other things to do, plus for a family of 4 or 5 children, you are talking 30 - 40 dollars for tix., ( 5 home games, that is 150 - 200 bucks ), money that could be spent on some new electronic gadget.
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that is why I am for 1-2 kids tickets.
Get those kids hooked on going to games at a young age! I loved going to the games starting about 7-8 years old, and back in the day before the new, big gyms were built I was mad when games were sold out and couldnt go.
 
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thavoice said:
that is why I am for 1-2 kids tickets.
Get those kids hooked on going to games at a young age! I loved going to the games starting about 7-8 years old, and back in the day before the new, big gyms were built I was mad when games were sold out and couldnt go.
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Agree 100%. I have tried also encouraging schools to have students get in for free. Sure, you don't get a gate for them, but they will buy concessions. For the huge number of students that don't attend games, this would improve the bottom line for these schools by quite a bit. Last time I checked, some money is better than no money.
 
Harrycrane said:
6-30 or 7.00 pm kickoff on Thursday’s is fine . But getting back to 730 kicks on Fridays is a must . It would help unquestionably. Never going back to 8 o’clock of course , but 700 ? Takes away some of the already paltry road attendance . I have a cousin and a good friend who are AD’s in other states . I know it’s a long day and week for them , both have said they would never vote for earlier than 7 30 kicks on Friday nights .
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I agree completely. The only people that think a 7:00 start time is the AD's that want to get home earlier after the game. It makes it just about impossible to leave work, get anything useful accomplished, then get to an away game on a Friday.
 
BirdDog10 said:
I agree completely. The only people that think a 7:00 start time is the AD's that want to get home earlier after the game. It makes it just about impossible to leave work, get anything useful accomplished, then get to an away game on a Friday.
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And media who have early deadlines.
 
Stirred not Shaken said:
I agree 100 %, in today's world if you don't win, people are not going to show up. Too many other things to do, plus for a family of 4 or 5 children, you are talking 30 - 40 dollars for tix., ( 5 home games, that is 150 - 200 bucks ), money that could be spent on some new electronic gadget.
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I‘d say money is way down the list of reasons people aren’t going. Waaaaay down. People have zero issues paying $5 for a craft beer, so I doubt $40 for a family would stop them from going to a game.
 
serpico said:
I‘d say money is way down the list of reasons people aren’t going. Waaaaay down. People have zero issues paying $5 for a craft beer, so I doubt $40 for a family would stop them from going to a game.
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It costs a minimum of $60 to take a family of 5 to buffalo wild wings for dinner, those same people aren't batting an eye at $35 for the whole family to go to a football game, and that's assuming no one in the family is a player, cheerleader, band member, or volunteer getting in for free
 
cincifbfan said:
Agree 100%. I have tried also encouraging schools to have students get in for free. Sure, you don't get a gate for them, but they will buy concessions. For the huge number of students that don't attend games, this would improve the bottom line for these schools by quite a bit. Last time I checked, some money is better than no money.
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A growing problem for schools is the lack of parental supervision at games. I know schools that have ended "pee wee" nights because the parents just dropped the kids off at the game and used it as free babysitting for the night. Meanwhile, the administration has to deal with droves of youngsters running around the stadium complex getting into anything they possibly can. It's just not worth the liability to them. I've also seen kids left at football games until 11:00-11:30pm before the parents came to pick them up which leaves a conflicted staff member there to protect the kid, but they also know that one accusation from this child could seriously jeopardize their career.
As for teenagers getting in free, in an ideal world that would be great. But some kids see free admission as an invitation to show up and cause problems. Sometimes that admission charge is just enough to make a kid with bad intentions not show up, or at least act like they have something invested in the contest.
Then again, look what happened at Kings Island last week, and you have to pay what $70? to get in there now...
 
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