Didn't seem to be many seats

[Lmshaffe]

 

 

Reality: $80 season ticket holders are worthless. I think we've learned that the last 5 or so years.

That's a **** mentality to have. All ticket holders bring something to the table. Just because they can't drop a couple grand on USF season tickets doesn't make them any less important. Butts in seats is what you need, and you need to win games to make that happen above all else. I'm not too keen on driving all the way to St. Pete to watch the Rays but when they offered reasonably priced tickets with a free hot dog & a soda, my butt was in that seat along with 4 others.

 

The harsh reality is yes, it does make them less important .... I'm not saying they're not important at all, but programs are built on donors, not bargain hunters.

 

True, but it still puts fans in the seats. Right now these people are very important to our program. Until more fans start actually going to the games, we need as many seats filled as possible. 65% attendance with cheap ticket holders and the normal donors looks better than 55% and just donors. Who cares if someone doesn't fork over hundreds or thousands?... The fact of the matter is, they are willing to spend what cash they have to be a USF fan and be a part of something. They shouldn't be made to feel less important because of that. This sounds like an elitist attitude. Any USF fans willing to buy season tickets should be embraced.

[Lmshaffe]

 

Side note at the spring game I asked about the "Free Tickets/travel/stay" to MSU drawing date.. I was told it would be after season ticket renewal  period was over .May 1...

 

What's this about?

 

 

What they need to do is push the $99 new alumni package a little harder.

 

Totally agree. I graduated last year and was eligible for this, but I wanted to make a donation and get better seats. I had no idea they had any plan for recent alumnis. The only reason I found out was because I was planning on buying season tickets already. If this option is advertised more, I'm willing to bet that more recent grads would be willing to give this a look. The assumption coming out of school is that season tickets will costs hundreds of dollars and most don't even bother to actually look it up, but unbeknownst to most, USF offers this deal. I really think they should advertise this more.

[Breedwell]

Being honest, if I don't have a well enough paying job, I'll probably get one of my buddies who haven't graduated to buy a student guest ticket for me for home games. Once I graduate, I mean.

[Bulls Are We]

Got a call from athletics asking if I would be renewing this year.  I don't plan to, but that's another story.  Season ticket holder since Day 1 and this is the first time in 15+ years that I recall being contacted to see if I was renewing.  They asked specifically why I was not renewing.  Makes me think that they are looking at a significant amount of non-renewals this season.

[WoolyBully]

@ Stuben: The Ride...back in the day, HART used to have these park-n-ride spots in the county for Bucs games. Given their current budget constraints, I don't see this firing up again for Bulls. If we were selling out a >60K stadium with regularity, maybe something could be done. I would actually walk down to the park-n-ride, hop the bus to and from the game. Not a bad deal as it avoided the great parking lot exodus gas-n-brake fest.

[SattyBull]

^{Problem there charsibb is that some people can only afford those $80 upper bowl season tickets. If you offer half season tickets I think you get more biters who weren't going at all now willing to drop $40 on 1/2 a schedule for upper deck seating and uppder deck seaters making their way to the lower bowl. This would also be a nice to way introduce new/recent alumni to season ticket options (maybe even offer 1/2 the priority points).}

^{Food and drink specials would also help. For some, buying tickets is the easy part. It's the $14 parking, $7.50 beers, $8 soda, and $5 hot dogs that kill them. Maybe offer some family nights where you have hot dog & a soda specials or something. Louisville just had $1 beers at their stadium for the spring game.}

I'll tell you something that is really missing in Tampa. Good mass transit options to get to sporting events (in particular Raymond James Stadium). There needs to be an alternative to parking a car at a game that costs less, and allows those who don't like to drive in game day traffic an opportunity to attend our games.

I'm not talking about the Bull runner either, which provides a nice service for our students.

I grew up about 45 miles north of whatever they call the Dolphins and Canes stadium these days. I had 3 viable options to get to that stadium. 1. I could drive all the way and pay to park. 2. I could drive most of the way and pull into a bus park and ride lot a few miles from the stadium and pay $5 that covered parking and a ride right up to the stadium and back (per person). 3. I could catch the train in my hometown (call Tri-Rail), which took me to the bus lot mentioned in #2, the train and bus combo cost about $8 to $10 a person.

For Bucs and USF games, there needs to be viable mass transit park and ride the bus options for fans from several locations in Tampa and at least one in Pinellas. One location needs to be near USF (maybe right on the campus, even for Bucs games), one option needs to come from Brandon, and at least one from Pinellas.

I am calling out HART (and the Pinellas country version of HART). This can be a money maker for them and provide a valuable service to many bay area residents.

I flew up to Philly for the Temple game this year. My buddy lives in center city Philly and we took the 15 minute train ride to the stadium which was nice. However, I talked to some students up there and they said a lot of students don't utilize it on game days like they should (as evidenced by their couple thousand seat student section).

There are ways for USF students to get there now. If they want to go, they go. The rest are either oblivious or simply don't care.

Edited to add... Tampa does need mass transit. But I don't think it would impact USF football attendance at this point in time, at least.

Edited April 18, 2013 by SattyBull

[Mike Stuben]

Got a call from athletics asking if I would be renewing this year.  I don't plan to, but that's another story.  Season ticket holder since Day 1 and this is the first time in 15+ years that I recall being contacted to see if I was renewing.  They asked specifically why I was not renewing.  Makes me think that they are looking at a significant amount of non-renewals this season.

 

This is standard procedure every year. We would call every year. I am guessing you were an early renewer if you never got the call before. The timing changed every year, but we always wanted to make many touches with each account who didn't renew on their own or notify us (on their own) they weren't renewing. When someone would tell us they weren't renewing we always wanted to know the reason ..... for example, moving to Idaho was out of our control. Didn't like the drunk guy behind them was something we could fix. Also, if someone didn't renew because they lost their job, we would make a note, maybe give a quick call back right before the season (because they might have gotten a new job) or the next year.

 

Some years the renewal calls would start before the deadline, other years they would only start after the deadline. Sort of depended on where we were in terms of renewal percentage.

 

I think the powers that be realize the renewal percentage may be down this year.

[Mike Stuben]

 

 

^{Problem there charsibb is that some people can only afford those $80 upper bowl season tickets. If you offer half season tickets I think you get more biters who weren't going at all now willing to drop $40 on 1/2 a schedule for upper deck seating and uppder deck seaters making their way to the lower bowl. This would also be a nice to way introduce new/recent alumni to season ticket options (maybe even offer 1/2 the priority points).}

^{Food and drink specials would also help. For some, buying tickets is the easy part. It's the $14 parking, $7.50 beers, $8 soda, and $5 hot dogs that kill them. Maybe offer some family nights where you have hot dog & a soda specials or something. Louisville just had $1 beers at their stadium for the spring game.}

I'll tell you something that is really missing in Tampa. Good mass transit options to get to sporting events (in particular Raymond James Stadium). There needs to be an alternative to parking a car at a game that costs less, and allows those who don't like to drive in game day traffic an opportunity to attend our games.

I'm not talking about the Bull runner either, which provides a nice service for our students.

I grew up about 45 miles north of whatever they call the Dolphins and Canes stadium these days. I had 3 viable options to get to that stadium. 1. I could drive all the way and pay to park. 2. I could drive most of the way and pull into a bus park and ride lot a few miles from the stadium and pay $5 that covered parking and a ride right up to the stadium and back (per person). 3. I could catch the train in my hometown (call Tri-Rail), which took me to the bus lot mentioned in #2, the train and bus combo cost about $8 to $10 a person.

For Bucs and USF games, there needs to be viable mass transit park and ride the bus options for fans from several locations in Tampa and at least one in Pinellas. One location needs to be near USF (maybe right on the campus, even for Bucs games), one option needs to come from Brandon, and at least one from Pinellas.

I am calling out HART (and the Pinellas country version of HART). This can be a money maker for them and provide a valuable service to many bay area residents.

I flew up to Philly for the Temple game this year. My buddy lives in center city Philly and we took the 15 minute train ride to the stadium which was nice. However, I talked to some students up there and they said a lot of students don't utilize it on game days like they should (as evidenced by their couple thousand seat student section).

There are ways for USF students to get there now. If they want to go, they go. The rest are either oblivious or simply don't care.

 

 

First time USF played at Miami (still in the Orange Bowl for those who don't remember). I took a mini van full of people to park and ride, we each paid our $5, got on the bus .... I brought a cheap stryofoam cooler packed to the gills with drinks, and stood by the gate and had our own tailgate party ... then just threw away the cooler when we were done ... good times. (and no, I wasn't working ... my job didn't apply to road games, so on the road I was just a fan .. except when I was with the Student Bulls Club)

[charsibb]

 

Got a call from athletics asking if I would be renewing this year.  I don't plan to, but that's another story.  Season ticket holder since Day 1 and this is the first time in 15+ years that I recall being contacted to see if I was renewing.  They asked specifically why I was not renewing.  Makes me think that they are looking at a significant amount of non-renewals this season.

 

This is standard procedure every year. We would call every year. I am guessing you were an early renewer if you never got the call before. The timing changed every year, but we always wanted to make many touches with each account who didn't renew on their own or notify us (on their own) they weren't renewing. When someone would tell us they weren't renewing we always wanted to know the reason ..... for example, moving to Idaho was out of our control. Didn't like the drunk guy behind them was something we could fix. Also, if someone didn't renew because they lost their job, we would make a note, maybe give a quick call back right before the season (because they might have gotten a new job) or the next year.

 

Some years the renewal calls would start before the deadline, other years they would only start after the deadline. Sort of depended on where we were in terms of renewal percentage.

 

I think the powers that be realize the renewal percentage may be down this year.

 

 

Just curious, but did anybody ever not renew because the guy in FRONT of them stood up too much?

 

One of my pet peeves is when old fogies (my age, LOL!) sit on their duffs all game. I want 'em UP and LOUD!!

 

[Mike Stuben]

 

 

Got a call from athletics asking if I would be renewing this year.  I don't plan to, but that's another story.  Season ticket holder since Day 1 and this is the first time in 15+ years that I recall being contacted to see if I was renewing.  They asked specifically why I was not renewing.  Makes me think that they are looking at a significant amount of non-renewals this season.

 

This is standard procedure every year. We would call every year. I am guessing you were an early renewer if you never got the call before. The timing changed every year, but we always wanted to make many touches with each account who didn't renew on their own or notify us (on their own) they weren't renewing. When someone would tell us they weren't renewing we always wanted to know the reason ..... for example, moving to Idaho was out of our control. Didn't like the drunk guy behind them was something we could fix. Also, if someone didn't renew because they lost their job, we would make a note, maybe give a quick call back right before the season (because they might have gotten a new job) or the next year.

 

Some years the renewal calls would start before the deadline, other years they would only start after the deadline. Sort of depended on where we were in terms of renewal percentage.

 

I think the powers that be realize the renewal percentage may be down this year.

 

 

Just curious, but did anybody ever not renew because the guy in FRONT of them stood up too much?

 

One of my pet peeves is when old fogies (my age, LOL!) sit on their duffs all game. I want 'em UP and LOUD!!

 

 

 

I don't remember ..... certainly had some complaints from both side of that argument.

 

If someone was not renewing because of those around them, of course we would always try to move their seats in hopes of keeping them in the fold.