Game Day Experience

[Goldievirtuoso]

My first game at Bobcat Stadium was family weekend in 1996. My family had a close family friend's son who started SWT that fall. I remember thinking that Bobcat Stadium was cool in that it was a small stadium but still had two decks.
I don't remember who we played or what weekend it fell on, but it seems like it was late September.
We also ate at Harris dining hall and the food was.... less than stellar.

 

[LT Spider]

Great data, thanks for sharing.

 

[Bobcat1]

Interesting Stat
When not playing a big name brand.. Family Weekend contends for the highest attended game nearly every year over the last 10 years. (bold highest attendance for the year; underline for second)
View attachment 5592

Based on that history, I don't foresee any of the next home games in 2023 being as high in attendance.

For the naysayer that say winning doesn’t cure things….the only years we consistently brought 20K+ in four or more games have been 2014 (7-5) and 2023 (5-3 so far).

 

[LT Spider]

Winning definitely improves things. I wouldn’t use the word “cured” based on Saturday’s crowd. With a 5-2 record, good weather, homecoming, and all the throwback stuff going on, it was not a good showing.

On another note, if you think doing all this SWT stuff is going to bring back the “it will always be SWT to me” crowd, it’s not going to work.

 

[Goldievirtuoso]

On another note, if you think doing all this SWT stuff is going to bring back the “it will always be SWT to me” crowd, it’s not going to work.

This. I think the throwback is fun (I even bought a SWT hat last week), but most of those who complain about the name change aren't coming back or don't care. I had hoped that maybe it would help. Last year's homecoming/SWT throwback attendance was pathetic and worse than this year's.

 

[LTK5H]

We gotta stop speaking in absolutes.

Winning does get butts in seats. Caveat: It's not immediate. It's a process that takes YEARS of consistent winning to stick.

SWT gear does help with the "It will always be SWT to me" crowd. Caveat: It's not going to work on all of them. Accept those that like it and open their hearts to the university again, and f* the ones who don't.

There is no magic pill. No microwave solution to creating the type of program and environment we all want. It is a process and all we can do is continue to make forward progress towards those goals.

 

[Fiefdom]

Interesting Stat
When not playing a big name brand.. Family Weekend contends for the highest attended game nearly every year over the last 10 years. (bold highest attendance for the year; underline for second)
View attachment 5592

Based on that history, I don't foresee any of the next home games in 2023 being as high in attendance.

Good stuff.

We can hope and pray that the USA game is for the SBC West title, now that would attract some attention.

 

[Bobcats2011]

Good stuff.

We can hope and pray that the USA game is for the SBC West title, now that would attract some attention.

I would hope so but not looking great with that being Saturday of thanksgiving weekend. Hopefully enough Austin/SA area alums/students show and we can garner 22k

 

[franslasttwinkie]

Good stuff.

We can hope and pray that the USA game is for the SBC West title, now that would attract some attention.

For USA game to be for title that involves is finishing season at least 3-1 and Troy finishing at least 1-3. Trout also has to play UL so if UL wins that also likely means UL holds tie breaker over us

 

[JustinS09]

For USA game to be for title that involves is finishing season at least 3-1 and Troy finishing at least 1-3. Trout also has to play UL so if UL wins that also likely means UL holds tie breaker over us

Pretty sure we would need to win out and have Troy lose 2. Losing to both Troy and ULL pretty much makes it impossible to win the West now. Both own the tiebreaker over us.

Troy still plays USA and ULL, but I don't see them losing both games. Maybe 1, but even that feels like a longshot at this point. I think Troy wins the conference. Back to back champions.

If on the very unlikely chance we win out and Troy loses both ULL and USA, we would still need ULL to lose one vs ULM, Arkansas State, or USM. Again, I don't see that happening. I think ULL probably finishes with only one more loss and it's to Troy.

 

[SWTRefugee]

Student attendance still seems to be the lowest hanging fruit. The enrollment is more than the stadium can hold yet not even half will not show up for a game because they simply do not care and if you never went as a student you probably aren’t going as an alum.

 

[JustinS09]

I ran the numbers several years ago when Alabama was winning national championships every other year. They had an enrollment of right around 30K which at the time was similar to ours. Even they were only getting 12K students or about a 3rd of their students.

My point is, even if we were winning national championships, it would be hard to get more than 10-12k students.

Student attendance has also been really good this season. I'm not really concerned with students attendance right now.

What I think we should focus on is alumni. We have 228,000 alumni. Of which, approximately 200,000 live in Texas. For some reason I can't find the numbers of alumni in the San Antonio to Austin corridor, but I remember it being something crazy like over 100K.

Our stadium only holds 30K. It really shouldn't be that hard to sell it out. The problem is, a vast majority of our alumni went to school when Texas State/SWT wasn't good at football. Outside of 81, 82, and 05, we've had a bunch of average football seasons and several bad seasons. A lot of our alumni don't care because football wasn't part of the culture when they went here.

We need to figure out a way to engage that segment of our fan base.

 

[Bobcats2011]

I ran the numbers several years ago when Alabama was winning national championships every other year. They had an enrollment of right around 30K which at the time was similar to ours. Even they were only getting 12K students or about a 3rd of their students.

My point is, even if we were winning national championships, it would be hard to get more than 10-12k students.

Student attendance has also been really good this season. I'm not really concerned with students attendance right now.

What I think we should focus on is alumni. We have 228,000 alumni. Of which, approximately 200,000 live in Texas. For some reason I can't find the numbers of alumni in the San Antonio to Austin corridor, but I remember it being something crazy like over 100K.

Our stadium only holds 30K. It really shouldn't be that hard to sell it out. The problem is, a vast majority of our alumni went to school when Texas State/SWT wasn't good at football. Outside of 81, 82, and 05, we've had a bunch of average football seasons and several bad seasons. A lot of our alumni don't care because football wasn't part of the culture when they went here.

We need to figure out a way to engage that segment of our fan base.

These percentages were from May from the
“Associate Director, Advancement Data Analytics”… I emailed earlier this year out of curiosity

 

[Bobcats2011]

These percentages were from May from the
“Associate Director, Advancement Data Analytics”… I emailed earlier this year out of curiosity

So @JustinS09 you would be correct at over a 100k alumni between SAATX … the southern metroplex if you will.

 

[LTK5H]

A lot of our alumni don't care because football wasn't part of the culture when they went here.

This. Culture is built over decades and our culture is not giving an F, because we've never had anything to give an F about.

 

[franslasttwinkie]

Winning does get butts in seats. Caveat: It's not immediate. It's a process that takes YEARS of consistent winning to stick.

Then there's the sort of reverse caveat. If you have enough semblance of winning in the past like ECU did. 10-win 2013 season but only 3 wining seasons since then the fans continue to show up even when it has become a mild dumpsterfire because some of their fans can still remember what it tasted like to win.

ECU got 40K to show up to watch G Web come to town. That was after starting 0-3 to 2 middling SBC schools

 

[LTK5H]

only 3 wining seasons since then

One of which was last year, including a bowl win. And 7-5 before that, so they've been building that program back up over time. I'd bet anything their season ticket numbers are way up this year.

You're quoting attendance in the 2nd home game of the year, on family weekend no less. And now, at 1 win on the year, they had half that in the stands for UTSA last weekend.

 

[Bobcat1]

Then there's the sort of reverse caveat. If you have enough semblance of winning in the past like ECU did. 10-win 2013 season but only 3 wining seasons since then the fans continue to show up even when it has become a mild dumpsterfire because some of their fans can still remember what it tasted like to win.

ECU got 40K to show up to watch G Web come to town. That was after starting 0-3 to 2 middling SBC schools

TXST is in a uniquely enviable spot where our alumni take quick notice when we start winning. Right now our trajectory seems very similar to Fran’s 2013-2014 stretch…and as it’s been pointed out before that 2014 season saw significantly higher attendance numbers.

With Kinne, I’m seeing a similar 6-6 (2023), 7-5 (2024) scenario except we SHOULD have two bowl games and a more marketable young up and coming coach to engage younger alumni. The make or break seasons in terms of culture will be 2025 & the big one in 2026 (with UT on the schedule).

 

[Bobcats2011]

Then there's the sort of reverse caveat. If you have enough semblance of winning in the past like ECU did. 10-win 2013 season but only 3 wining seasons since then the fans continue to show up even when it has become a mild dumpsterfire because some of their fans can still remember what it tasted like to win.

ECU got 40K to show up to watch G Web come to town. That was after starting 0-3 to 2 middling SBC schools

ECU has always had a decent sized fan base though. Typically 2nd, 3rd, or 4th in attendance in the state of NC. That’s with 4 P5s in state. They also built their fan base in the hay day of big southern independents and smaller conferences. ACC used to only be 8 teams so 7 conference games, much easier to schedule local rivals. ECU typically had a NCST, South Carolina, FSU, Miami, Georgia tech, Virginia Tech, UNC, Duke, Syracuse, Pitt…
Similar with Southern Miss… ECU was just able to hold onto their fan base and keep winning after leaving independent status.

 

[Bobcats2011]

One of which was last year, including a bowl win. And 7-5 before that, so they've been building that program back up over time. I'd bet anything their season ticket numbers are way up this year.

You're quoting attendance in the 2nd home game of the year, on family weekend no less. And now, at 1 win on the year, they had half that in the stands for UTSA last weekend.

ECU played in San Antonio last week… it was utsa who had empty stadium