Game Day Experience

[jimbo]

Second deck attendance was not good, based on the view from 205. I know I’m beating a dead horse, but the athletic department has totally dropped the ball this year.  I’ve not gone to the GDAC tent once this year....went always in the other location. No beer garden? Like Chris Carter would say: “C’mon man!” Why in the name of all that’s holy would you put a hospitality tent at field level, where you can’t see the scoreboard, where people with mobility issues will be loathe to attend? 

[dslyank]

16 hours ago, godanesgo99 said:

"I'd love to go to more games. It was fun. That said, WTF? No place for me to get a beer unless I am a donor? How can you get casual fans to start going? Not sure I'll be excited to come back unless I can use your wrist band again."

While entering my gold seats I became involved with a someone looking for a beer. Don't know if it was 99's friend or someone else, but he was having a very polite discussion with security (who to my surprise was also very polite in his response) where to buy a beer. I joined the discussion as the "first time" fan still was in disbelieve that there was no where he could get a beer. I explained that gold seats and field seats were the only options and many/most of us were very much APPALLED with this limited access policy. Bob 87 who happened to be walking by reiterated the policy and even offered he would have bought the guy a beer at the tailgate if it was a little earlier. This all occurred about 10 minutes before kickoff and the crowd looking sparse, the new now NOT fan, said let me ask you something else "do any students go to this university?" I mumbled something about a three day weekend and kind of embarrassing slunk away.

[Eli]

Hope the athletic admin is reading. I don't drink (at all, not a drop) but understand the nation's infatuation with consuming beverages at events such as college football games and to me how they run the entire operation screams amateur hour. 

Edited September 29, 2019 by Eli

[cwdickens]

Game Day Experience: There is no "Game Day Experience" at UAlbany Football 🏈 games.  The current thing in the south end of Casey is hardly an "Experience".  Further, I encountered a number of William and Mary fans confused 😕 how to reach the  visitor side because Stadium staff have poor directions.

My thoughts on attendance:  people bought tickets and are not  showing up.  The Berm looked sad with so few students and others occupying the north end.

I had raised the possibility of not renewing my tickets this year.  I am wondering if I made the right decision.

I cannot wait to see how Homecoming goes.  I have seen the promotion of an event outside Casey Stadium.

[Eli]

48 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

Game Day Experience: There is no "Game Day Experience" at UAlbany Football 🏈 games.  The current thing in the south end of Casey is hardly an "Experience".  Further, I encountered a number of William and Mary fans confused 😕 how to reach the  visitor side because Stadium staff have poor directions.

My thoughts on attendance:  people bought tickets and are not  showing up.  The Berm looked sad with so few students and others occupying the north end.

I had raised the possibility of not renewing my tickets this year.  I am wondering if I made the right decision.

I cannot wait to see how Homecoming goes.  I have seen the promotion of an event outside Casey Stadium.

I took my wife (who attended her first game this year - she's been to a handful over the last 2-3 years) to the game yesterday and took her to the 'experience'. Lets just say, neither one of us had a bite to eat. We just took one cup each of the iced tea/lemonade and that was it (and even the lemonade wasn't great). I'll not be wasting my time going down there again. The first week, they at least had pizza (which was cold).

It's a disaster. The old thing with the tents and live music was much better and had much better food. It looked like they took the budget for that and cut it by 99.8%.

[cwdickens]

3 hours ago, Eli said:

I took my wife (who attended her first game this year - she's been to a handful over the last 2-3 years) to the game yesterday and took her to the 'experience'. Lets just say, neither one of us had a bite to eat. We just took one cup each of the iced tea/lemonade and that was it (and even the lemonade wasn't great). I'll not be wasting my time going down there again. The first week, they at least had pizza (which was cold).

It's a disaster. The old thing with the tents and live music was much better and had much better food. It looked like they took the budget for that and cut it by 99.8%.

My spouse and I attended yesterday.  We arrived about 45 minutes before game time and thought we got the time wrong.  No one in the stands and plenty of spots available in the SEFCU lot.  Further, we stated how tailgating has drop off dramatically.  I concur with your observation, the budget was cut.  Perhaps, if not raising more then spending someone has told Benson stop spending money.  

My wife said that the Gold Seat Experience is not the same. Homecoming will be interesting.

[godanesgo99]

I'm guessing someone in the admin knew that attendance was going to be light this season, and there wouldn't be much they could do to fix it, so they cut the budget for the pregame stuff out of the stadium. I do like that they moved it. In past years people didn't know it was there if they took the bus from Dutch and we're dropped off near the north entrance. This was they see it when they are arriving.

I'm thinking making the beer area GDAC only was a way to encourage the casual fans that show up for one or two games to spend a few extra bucks and get season tickets next year. I disagree with that, as I think you want to encourage them to want to be there for every game because they had a good time, not because they could see people having a good time in the end zone.

 

Anyway. Why do I have a feeling that you will need to be a GDAC member to enter the HOF room for a beer during the basketball season this year.

[DanesRGood]

7 minutes ago, godanesgo99 said:

I'm thinking making the beer area GDAC only was a way to encourage the casual fans that show up for one or two games to spend a few extra bucks and get season tickets next year.

If that is why they did then it's dumb.  I live 2 hours away and come up for 1-2 games.  Beer being GDAC only would not make me buy season tickets. It would just piss me off.

[godanesgo99]

58 minutes ago, DanesRGood said:

If that is why they did then it's dumb.  I live 2 hours away and come up for 1-2 games.  Beer being GDAC only would not make me buy season tickets. It would just piss me off.

I wasn't saying that is why they did it, I was just guessing that was the reason. I can only see four possible reasons to make the change. All are pure conjecture and stuff I made up on the spot:

1. The school administration is still fighting against the party school image and it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to remove alcohol altogether. The athletic department fought back and were only able to save it for the donors as a compromise.

2. My original post above about using it as a way to encourage GDAC membership and season ticket sales.

3. The budget was cut because of low season ticket sales and anticipated lower attendance so they decided to try and save money by only getting a license to serve beer in a single location. The field club became that single location. Liquor licenses can be expensive and the state laws are quirky. They could get one for the full stadium, or they need to get event by event licenses for each sales area. This move could have been a significant savings.

4. An intern filled out the license applications and made too many typos and the licenses were declined. (This is a joke referencing some of the communications from the department over the last few years. There are multiple examples posted about on these boards)

I hate to make it about alcohol, because it shouldn't be that way, but it is. Your stereotypical sports fan likes beer. My boss was put off in SEFCU when he couldn't get a beer without going up to the HoF room at a game 2 season ago. When he was in town this last winter I asked him to go to a game with me and he politely declined and mentioned the beer thing. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by godanesgo99

[Eli]

53 minutes ago, godanesgo99 said:

I wasn't saying that is why they did it, I was just guessing that was the reason. I can only see four possible reasons to make the change. All are pure conjecture and stuff I made up on the spot:

1. The school administration is still fighting against the party school image and it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to remove alcohol altogether. The athletic department fought back and were only able to save it for the donors as a compromise.

2. My original post above about using it as a way to encourage GDAC membership and season ticket sales.

3. The budget was cut because of low season ticket sales and anticipated lower attendance so they decided to try and save money by only getting a license to serve beer in a single location. The field club became that single location. Liquor licenses can be expensive and the state laws are quirky. They could get one for the full stadium, or they need to get event by event licenses for each sales area. This move could have been a significant savings.

4. An intern filled out the license applications and made too many typos and the licenses were declined. (This is a joke referencing some of the communications from the department over the last few years. There are multiple examples posted about on these boards)

I hate to make it about alcohol, because it shouldn't be that way, but it is. Your stereotypical sports fan likes beer. My boss was put off in SEFCU when he couldn't get a beer without going up to the HoF room at a game 2 season ago. When he was in town this last winter I asked him to go to a game with me and he politely declined and mentioned the beer thing. 

My bet is on #3.

[dslyank]

Very Dumb and Stupid and Misguided but the reason is #2. IMHO

[jimbo]

Never mind...tried to show a panorama I took in the third quarter....too big. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by jimbo