Anyone that has attended a Texas State football game in the past knows that there has been a lot to be desired when it comes to overall game day experience. If it’s not the University Police and event staff hassling you in the parking lot or in the stands, it’s the location of various tailgates, parking, or in game activities and use of the new video boards.
Well, I am here to tell you that all of that might be changing come football season. Some may have heard rumors of a task force being created to address many of these issues so that all fans involved have a great game day experience.
Well I can now confirm that this is true and that the report they have been working on is complete. I can also confirm that if the task force is able to get most or even all of their recommendations approved, there will be a lot of happy Bobcat fans come Fall 2019.
The task force, formed at the behest of Dr. Denise Trauth, is comprised of current university staff, alumni, and student representatives.
The main focus of the task force is to significantly improve the overall game day experience for all Bobcats and to increase the attendance at football games to an average of 15,000 which is an 18.6% increase over last year.
During the presentation, the Chair of the task force referred to the Maroon & Golden message board several times as a source of inspiration. Thus, reinforcing the commitment that TXST and the athletic department have made in listening to fans.
Through extensive research into fan experience in general and how other universities address this issue, the task force identified 4 areas of opportunity:
- Tailgating and Pre-game Activities
- In Game Experience
- Marketing
- Community Involvement
Tailgating and Pre-game Activities
This is probably where the most changes have been identified, so I plan on spending most of my time on this section. One of the biggest proposed changes here will be tailgate location. A few alumni will remember the days of old when the student tailgate lot was on the east side of the stadium, where lot 4 is currently. Well, the committee has now proposed moving tailgate back to that lot.
Another big proposed change is that all tailgates will be consolidated into one. Instead of having the alumni and student tailgates separate and in different lots, they will both be set up in the east lot, now referred to as “Tailgate Central.”
They have also proposed getting rid of the 6 hour prior to kick off rule. For those not familiar, for the past few years, the athletic department has restricted the tailgate lots to only open 6 hours prior to kickoff. I know more than a few fans that have determined that by the time they get set up and sit down to relax, you only get a few minutes before it’s time to start putting your tailgate away due to the rule that you must shut down by game time. Therefore, it wasn’t worth setting up at all.
Which brings me to the next point. The task force has also recommended that the “game time shut down rule,” be eliminated. The goal with eliminating several of these restrictive and prohibitive rules is to reduce the stress and effort that the fans experience so that the university can share their excitement about our football team through tailgate.
The task force has also recommended opening the pavilion 3 hours prior to game time instead of 90 minutes, and to rebrand it as a “Bobcat Club Tailgate.” What that means is that they will serve hotdogs and hamburgers for those that want to experience tailgating without the hassle of setting up a tailgate on their own.
On that note, one of the more exciting recommendations is the formation of a “Beer Garden” inside the stadium where the Kid Zone is currently located. This will serve as another option for fans that wish to pregame, but not partake in traditional tailgating activities. With the creation of this Beer Garden, the kid zone will move to the middle of the endzone on the south side of the stadium.
They have also proposed opening the grassy areas in-front of the Meadows Center (the old university golf course), and the intramural fields by Bobcat Village. There will be no cars allowed in these tailgate locations and they will only be open the day of.
The task force has put a lot of emphasis on making the game day experience enjoyable and fun for everyone by offering something for everyone. The idea here is to make game day an event that you don’t want to miss regardless of if the Bobcats win or lose on the field.
In-game Experience
There were a few key items that the task force narrowed in on here. The first is relocating the student section to the middle of the “light side,” as some refer to it. This is the section immediately behind the visiting team’s bench and the same location the student section used to be prior to the WAC and stadium expansion.
For those that aren’t aware, the WAC, which we were apart of for 1 season before they dropped football to focus on other sports, had a rule that student sections could not be directly behind the visiting bench. That was the initial reason for moving it from the old location to the endzone where it has been for the past few years. I believe this change will be instrumental in making TXST a place where visiting teams hate to play.
The task force has also recommended changes to the team’s entrance into Bobcat Stadium. The goal with this change is to create a “wow” factor when the Bobcats come through the tunnel. The recommended changes include new song options and potentially setting new traditions with the song choice. Another suggestion is to highlight different student organizations and groups prior to the team’s entrance, allowing more involvement from student orgs on campus.
Finally, the task force has recommended looking into the usage of the new video boards. Suggested new uses include more replays in a timely manner such as exciting or controversial plays and panning the crowd to get the fans more involved.
Marketing/Communication
In the past, the marketing efforts have consisted of a one size fits all mentality. By that, I mean that the university puts out the same message to everyone regardless of if they are a student, an alumni, live in San Marcos, or live in Houston, etc. This mentality is thankfully changing. Instead of focusing on one message and hoping that it gets through to all target groups, they will craft different messages for each of the target groups they have identified.
The target groups that the task force has identified are students, alumni, faculty/staff, and the San Marcos community.
Community Involvement
In order to get the community more involved with football and hopefully encourage attendance at games, the task force has recommended a parade or party in the square that would take place the night before one of the games. The homecoming game has been identified as a possible game for this type of event. Finally, due to limitations, the task force discussed post game events and options like concerts, but is not making any recommendations for post-game activities at this time.
For the skeptics out there, that read all of this and question if the university is actually serious about making these changes and moving TXST forward, I will quote some of the verbiage used in the report that was provided by Dr. Trauth.
“While Texas state prides itself in efficiency, doing more with less, and being prudent, this is a situation where we need to abandon those ideals in favor of necessary investment as enhancing the game day experience is not only about athletics, but the entire university. It will energize our alumni and donors; move us towards the national stage, be a valuable tool for recruiting new students; and help our current students feel more connected thereby improving their chances of being retained and successful.”
I came away from the call and presentation by the Chair of this committee with great optimism for the future of TXST Athletics. One of the biggest takeaways that I had was that the status quo mentality would no longer be acceptable. According to the Chair, “it is without question that fans want to see some changes, so making them (good or bad) will go a long way towards showing our fan base that we are listening and that we do care about giving them a fantastic game day experience.”
I am encouraged that the university is not only listening, but also willing to make the necessary investment and act to improve the game-day experience for everyone. This is a very welcomed change, as in the past fans have felt that their voice falls on deaf ears and that they are unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
I am here to tell you; they are listening and there IS reason to be optimistic about the future of Bobcat athletics.
https://maroonandgolden.com/forum/index.php?threads/game-day-experience.13/
