September 17: Home Opener vs. Brown

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Looks like GUHoyas just put up a countdown clock heading to the first game on the multi-sport field. Let's hope the Hoyas can roll onto campus with a 2-0 record after shocking Bucknell and taking out Holy Cross.

www.guhoyas.com

[fsohoya]

Cool.

Can anyone assess what the crowd might be like for the game? Can any students judge student body interest?

I've been to the last three (I think) home openers and they've always drawn pretty well (if maxing out round 3,000 counts as "well"). Unfortunately, interest tended to dwindle as the seasons went on.

[hoya4ever]

Well it certainly won't help that the SAC fair is on the same day. Maybe the athletic department should have a table and posters there telling them to go to the game after the fair.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

I think Hoya Blue is brainstorming some ideas along those lines... I know they're planning to make a push for that game.

[SargeantBussey]

fsohoya said:

Cool.

Can anyone assess what the crowd might be like for the game? Can any students judge student body interest?

I've been to the last three (I think) home openers and they've always drawn pretty well (if maxing out round 3,000 counts as "well"). Unfortunately, interest tended to dwindle as the seasons went on.

The home opener last year was against St. Francis and drew 1,671.

The attendance figures for the rest of the year as follows:

Lafayette 1842
Bucknell 1346
VMI 2874 (homecoming)
Lehigh 2111
Holy Cross 1870

Certainly Brown is a much more attractive opener, but I think realistically, a good crowd would be in the 2500 range.

[massdad2]

Anyone know the plan for seating? I understand it will be temporary bleachers, but will there be a home side and visitors side...what will capacity be?

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Last I heard, there will be a home side and a visitors side. All seat-back bleachers, though I'm not sure of the capacity (I think it will be similar to past years).

[RBHoya]

fsohoya said:

Cool.

Can anyone assess what the crowd might be like for the game? Can any students judge student body interest?

Hoya Blue is planning a tailgate barbecue before the game in the southwest quad area. We've been tabling the past few days, selling "I Bleed Hoya Blue" shirts as well as basketball season tickets. We've also been collecting e-mail addresses, and we've done pretty well overall. We're trying to hype the game a bit via word of mouth and we'll also certainly send out email to all those on our list informing them of the tailgate and the game. Hopefully this translates to good attendance, but there's no guarantee. Going head to head with SAC fair is rough. I know that I even need to take some time out to check out SAC fair, and need to find some additional clubs to sign up for (somewhere between the tailgate, game, and work @ HB's SAC table). It's possible I believe to make the fair, and then still head down and catch the tailgate and the game, but that would take planning and a moderately early rise, which I fear may not happen. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of students sleep in, catch the fair, and pass on the tailgate/game--especially those upperclassmen who view GU football as unimportant due to a few losing seaons.

Nevertheless, the HB crew will be there making noise. We're going to have a designated student section which will hopefully be loud and a lot of fun. We're also putting a good amount of money and time into this tailgate bbq, so hopefully a lot of people come out for it and check out the game afterwards.

[DFW HOYA]

The SAC fair is no excuse to miss a game, none, zero. The clubs will still take your membership any other time this year.

[FLHoya]

rbhoya said:

fsohoya said:

Cool.

Can anyone assess what the crowd might be like for the game? Can any students judge student body interest?

Hoya Blue is planning a tailgate barbecue before the game in the southwest quad area. We've been tabling the past few days, selling "I Bleed Hoya Blue" shirts as well as basketball season tickets. We've also been collecting e-mail addresses, and we've done pretty well overall. We're trying to hype the game a bit via word of mouth and we'll also certainly send out email to all those on our list informing them of the tailgate and the game. Hopefully this translates to good attendance, but there's no guarantee. Going head to head with SAC fair is rough. I know that I even need to take some time out to check out SAC fair, and need to find some additional clubs to sign up for (somewhere between the tailgate, game, and work @ HB's SAC table). It's possible I believe to make the fair, and then still head down and catch the tailgate and the game, but that would take planning and a moderately early rise, which I fear may not happen. I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of students sleep in, catch the fair, and pass on the tailgate/game--especially those upperclassmen who view GU football as unimportant due to a few losing seaons.

Nevertheless, the HB crew will be there making noise. We're going to have a designated student section which will hopefully be loud and a lot of fun. We're also putting a good amount of money and time into this tailgate bbq, so hopefully a lot of people come out for it and check out the game afterwards.

Okay, RB, let's turn that frown of a first paragraph upside down, huh? ;D

It was starting out so good--you're tabling, selling a ton of shirts and basketball tickets, building a big old email list. Then in like 4 sentences, it's all "well, we will TRY, but the SAC Fair is big and evil and nobody likes football especially when they're hungover from the previous night and trying to find the application to be a Blue and Gray Tour Guide!"

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!

There, I screamed like 007 does.

You know how many basketball season ticket packages I thought you guys with Hoya Blue would sell the entire Orientation? Somewhere under 30 (I took the under in a friendly wager). So you guys--two days in, mind you, are already waaaaaaaaaay exceeding expectations of what Hoya Blue can do.

And you're scared of SAC Fair?

Tell you what, take a page from the late 90s-early 00s versions of Hoya Blue, who used to run around freshman dorms with cowbells and pots and other noisemakers to get people excited for games and stuff. Got in trouble all the time with RAs. Run yourselves all blue-wigged and such through SAC Fair right around the time of the BBQ making a fierce racket, then again like 15 minutes before kickoff. Who's gonna stop you, the International Relations Club?

After all, you've got a BBQ, an official student section, and more enthusiasm than you know what to do with. So you're beating the last like 4 HB incarnations already.

You gotta be confident in yourselves! Trust me, you've got the talent on the team here. You just have to be willing to put on a little full-court press (or I guess a blitz in this case, I hate metaphors).

[RBHoya]

LOL FL you are clearly very confident in HB and perhaps rightfully so. After all we did obliterate your guess for season tickets sold during NSO. I think the HB crew is definitly psyched for the football opener and really want to see this thing succeed, and that's something that hasn't been said about HB in years. The trouble is translating the extremely high level of enthusiasm of myself, 007, Tbird, Jersey, CA, et. al into a good turnout at these events. The will is there, but that in and of itself doesn't guarantee results.

But anyway, enough pessimism from me. You're right, SAC fair isn't something that we should back down from. I know a lot of freshman and sophs (me included) value SAC fair bc it gives them an opportunity that they wouldnt otherwise take to get involved in some of these organizations. But it is most certainly exponentially more fun to eat a burger, catch a football game, sing along with the pep band, bang Pots and spoons together ( ) etc. than it is to walk around and write ur name down on lists for clubs. It's definitly a tough spot for undergrads though. Football is definitly the more fun proposition, but I think a lot of kids feel obligated to check out SAC. The SAC/football choice is kind of like choosing between studying or partying late in a semester.... you want to go have a good time but at the same time you feel guilty if you skip the fair because its what you "should" be doing.

Hopefully in the future football games become so popular that there's not a doubt what the students will be doing (for instance, if a basketball game went head to head with SAC fair I think 9/10 interested in both are opting to go to MCI), or better yet, the powers that be won't foolishly schedule the SAC fair against the football game. But that day isn't here QUITE yet. I'm hoping and believing that we'll do pretty well, but i'll be happy with a moderate increase from last year.

[GUHoya07]

dfw said:

The SAC fair is no excuse to miss a game, none, zero. The clubs will still take your membership any other time this year.

Yeah, thats true, but when you are trying to get people to attend games you have to think the way the average person does. Right now there isnt enough of a football or general sports culture to make people actually plan ahead about getting up early to make it to SAC fair and then get to the game or to miss SAC fair for the game. Until you create a real sports culture you need to try and prevent overlaps of major events like this because they do seriously hurt attempts to improve attendance.

[GUHoya07]

rbhoya said:

LOL FL you are clearly very confident in HB and perhaps rightfully so. After all we did obliterate your guess for season tickets sold during NSO. I think the HB crew is definitly psyched for the football opener and really want to see this thing succeed, and that's something that hasn't been said about HB in years. The trouble is translating the extremely high level of enthusiasm of myself, 007, Tbird, Jersey, CA, et. al into a good turnout at these events. The will is there, but that in and of itself doesn't guarantee results.

But anyway, enough pessimism from me. You're right, SAC fair isn't something that we should back down from. I know a lot of freshman and sophs (me included) value SAC fair bc it gives them an opportunity that they wouldnt otherwise take to get involved in some of these organizations. But it is most certainly exponentially more fun to eat a burger, catch a football game, sing along with the pep band, bang Pots and spoons together ( ) etc. than it is to walk around and write ur name down on lists for clubs. It's definitly a tough spot for undergrads though. Football is definitly the more fun proposition, but I think a lot of kids feel obligated to check out SAC. The SAC/football choice is kind of like choosing between studying or partying late in a semester.... you want to go have a good time but at the same time you feel guilty if you skip the fair because its what you "should" be doing.

Hopefully in the future football games become so popular that there's not a doubt what the students will be doing (for instance, if a basketball game went head to head with SAC fair I think 9/10 interested in both are opting to go to MCI), or better yet, the powers that be won't foolishly schedule the SAC fair against the football game. But that day isn't here QUITE yet. I'm hoping and believing that we'll do pretty well, but i'll be happy with a moderate increase from last year.

Good post, I agree with you on mostly everything. I also think that a moderate increase in attendance combined with a real student section that allows the students and fans in general to be loud this year would be a huge improvement.

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Also. SAC Fair is what, 5 hours long? There should be plenty of time for enterprising georgetown students to do both!

[Jack]

4 years at GU, never went to SAC fair. Someone want to tell me what I missed?

[hoya4ever]

Just an energetic environment with people trying to sell their clubs at you. Imagine red square but very condenced and much louder.

Personally I like to see my options every year because I am the kind of person that doesn't know what they like until they see it. I ended up not going last year and I didn't do much, involvement wise.

[LBPop]

I'm surprised at the lack of mention of the new field. As I drove through campus today (what an adventure), I could hardly take my eyes off what has happened at Harbin Field. After hearing and reading all the negative comments last year about the construction actually beginning, I would think that the very existence of the new surface and the beginnings of the surrounding infrastructure would really excite people...even marginal fans.

If the Hoyas come home either 1-1 or 2-0 and the place is not jammed for Brown, I will be very disappointed. Whatever else is happening on campus, it will be hard to ignore what is happening at the new MSF. I hope I have to fight for a seat. At least I won't have to fight for a ticket--one of the few perks a Dad gets for writing those checks. ;D

[DFW HOYA]

Actually, my concern is that alumni and parents will be at the tailgate, and by the time they get to the field, the seats will be gone!

This assumes that there will be seats, of course. Please, no "standing room only"!

[SargeantBussey]

If anything, the SAC Fair is a plus for the home opener. It will at least get students on and around campus on a Saturday.

The real challenge is creating a buzz. While it is exciting that the new field is down, the truth is, the MSF is still a work in progress, and the football team is still looking up at the rest of the Patriot League. That's not a knock on the program at all, but it's the reality. Getting the students to buy into it is not going to be easy.

[LBPop]

sargeantbussey said:

Getting the students to buy into it is not going to be easy.

Oh yeah, it's fairly apparent that it hasn't been nor will it be easy. And, a winning team is always a requirement to generate interest. However, I've gotta believe that it will be a big help for the students to finally see the beginnings of a new facility that's actually better than the one they left at their old high school. I can tell you that it has helped recruiting. There are some quality football players in this year's class