Attendance Figures

[JCorona]

UTEP is ranked in the top 20 among the G5 teams. Only teams in a G5 conference taken into consideration. Highest rated team is ECU at 42k. Is it time to temporarily reduce the Sun Bowl capacity? I’ve floated this idea in the past and will do it again.

Even if we can get to 6-8 wins will we be able to constantly sell 50k seats. Teams with more football history that have won major bowls and play against natural rivals can’t.

Anyway here’s the five year average for all FBS teams.

https://collegefootballnews.com/201...nkings-no-1-130/amp?__twitter_impression=true

 

[Axe-cuseme]

Bad idea. Reduce the capacity at Sun Bowl is crazy. You're just looking at Utep figures. Win and that average goes up. The crazy thing is why in the world would you reduce the capacity knowing it draws large crowds to the Annual Sun Bowl Game? Reduce capacity and say goodbye to PAC 12 / ACC agreements and very possibly CBS Television. Maybe the Sunbelt and MAC will agree to play on FS1 network on December 14th. YAY !!!!

 

[JCorona]

Bad idea. Reduce the capacity at Sun Bowl is crazy. You're just looking at Utep figures. Win and that average goes up. The crazy thing is why in the world would you reduce the capacity knowing it draws large crowds to the Annual Sun Bowl Game? Reduce capacity and say goodbye to PAC 12 / ACC agreements and very possibly CBS Television. Maybe the Sunbelt and MAC will agree to play on FS1 network on December 14th. YAY !!!!

I think you missed a key word in the post. Temporarily. Once UTEP proves it can win and draw crowds of 40k+ remove the seat coverings. For the Sun Bowl don’t have the seat covers.

 

[Minerforlife]

Bad idea. Reduce the capacity at Sun Bowl is crazy. You're just looking at Utep figures. Win and that average goes up. The crazy thing is why in the world would you reduce the capacity knowing it draws large crowds to the Annual Sun Bowl Game? Reduce capacity and say goodbye to PAC 12 / ACC agreements and very possibly CBS Television. Maybe the Sunbelt and MAC will agree to play on FS1 network on December 14th. YAY !!!![/QUOTE

The Sun Bowl is rapidly falling down the bowl ladder. It will inevitably become a g5 bowl. UTEP owns the Sun Bowl. Whatever they decide to do, the decision should be about UTEP only. If it has has a negative impact on the Sun Bowl f*** em

 

[KaneFan29]

I think tarps are a good idea JCorona. UTEP could sell advertising on them and even if it’s for cheap, it’s still extra money they would have never had.

They should tarp the Haskins Center too. Make it a more intimate setting, especially for the games versus D2 and lower D1 teams.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

1: i don’t think they could buy enough tarp to cover the empty benches last year.

2: I can’t imagine companies would love lining up to advertise on a tarp in an empty stadium. Who’s going to see it?

 

[JCorona]

I think times have changed since the early PrIce days. The teams in our conference no longer appeal to us. Price was fortunate to get the best of both worlds during his first two seasons. The old WAC rivals and the new CUSA opposition. But now these recent FCS call ups and former Sun Belt teams don’t move the needle.

IMO even if we can get to be a consistent bowl team the best we can hope for is 32-35k average. I hope El Paso proves me wrong. I look at teams like UCF and UH who have had sustained success and made NYB and they don’t crack an average of 35k. They have so much more going for them as far as conference schedules.

Time will tell. The first two home games of the Dimel era will set the foundation for what we can expect.

 

[Axe-cuseme]

If an intimate setting is what you're looking for, perhaps filling in the UTEP MINERS and EL PASO TEXAS areas below scoreboard with seats would be more appropriate. Complete the bowl, and the seats that are removed from way up high opposite the press box can make way for luxury boxes. Maybe someone like Helen of Troy etc. will step up with upgrades like the latest GECU area below the press box. If that idea is too far fetched, don't sell tickets in that above area mentioned, but donate to different Ft Bliss Army Battalions each game, School district employees, city employees etc... get more butts in the seats and make off of merchandise and concessions. The Chihuahuas have the section in the outfield behind 3rd base where groups are acknowledged over the PA system. Just a few ideas.

 

[picks up]

I agree with JCorona on the tarps. Tarps look better than empty seats and it allows people to squeeze in to give the illusion of a bigger crowd.

@Axe-cuseme like it or not the Sun Bowl will decrease capacity with the coming upgrades. Just speculation but if they upgrade the East side of the Sun Bowl the same way that they are upgrading the West side, the stadium capacity could decrease even more.

 

[Axe-cuseme]

I agree with the decrease of capacity due to upgrades, but not a believer of giving the illusion of bigger crowds. Giving an illusion never helped win more games. Actual people in the stands do.

 

[JCorona]

I agree with the last two comments. I would like to see the capacity reduced by replacing seats on the east side with luxury boxes or some sort of party deck. Another nice alternative to reducing capacity would be replacing bleachers with chair backs. Start with the gold and silver sections first.

 

[Minerforlife]

Converting the bleachers to chairbacks would reduce capacity. If all the bleachers were converted to chairbacks capacity would be somewhere around 40k

 

[Minerinciter]

The Baylor Terrible Athletics Reclusion Protocol: Covering Athletic Ineptitude Since 2004
20
Enacted as a stop-gap measure in 2004, the Baylor Terrible Athletics Reclusion Protocol, or TARP, has become a permanent blemish on the economy of Baylor football.
By Country Roads Sep 26, 2012, 1:00pm EDTSHARE

 

[picks up]

I agree with the decrease of capacity due to upgrades, but not a believer of giving the illusion of bigger crowds. Giving an illusion never helped win more games. Actual people in the stands do.

The tarps would force fans to be closer together and feel less cavernous. I, too, would prefer a sold out Sun Bowl to tarps but we just aren't there yet

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

UTEP averaged around 20k a game last year. Can you imagine the cost, to buy and install tarps over half of the stadium? And then are you really going to force fans to buy seats closer to the field at a higher price?

 

[Minerforlife]

The tarps would force fans to be closer together and feel less cavernous. I, too, would prefer a sold out Sun Bowl to tarps but we just aren't there yet

Tarps are a terrible idea. It looks Bush league. Its screams Minor league. Raise the bar market, raise money, hire quality coaches. Run it like a business not a thrift store. Discount books, discounts on crappy fast foot are not big time thinking. They will not help you sell tickets.

 

[pay4dirt]

Tarps are a sure sign of an athletic department that has given up even trying to improve. If Stull had stayed it is something he'd get around to. The new regime hasn't even played a game yet. Jeez, give them one season before you throw in the tarp.

 

[JCorona]

UTEP averaged around 20k a game last year. Can you imagine the cost, to buy and install tarps over half of the stadium? And then are you really going to force fans to buy seats closer to the field at a higher price?

My idea wasn’t to close off more than half the stadium. I’ve always felt that on the east side from sections 18-26 rows 50-84 should be closed off.

As far as forcing fans to buy closer seats goes. Four of the sections 21-18 are empty student sections that they receive free tickets to. Sections 26-24 are copper seats that cost the same no matter what row you sit in. Section 23 is silver and section 22 is gold. Once again the ticket for those sections are the same price no matter what row you seat in. No one would be paying extra money for tickets. They would actually be getting a closer seat to the action for the same price.

I’m not sure how many seats that would trim down but I think we’re looking at around 7-8k. Which would bring the capacity to around 45k.

The last time UTEP had a crowd over 45k was back in 08 vs once in a lifetime Texas. In that decade since the last sell out we’ve hosted some attractive games and none have hit over 40k. #24 Kansas, #12 Houston, Colorado St, #4 Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas Tech, Army, and Arizona.

 

[Minerforlife]

My idea wasn’t to close off more than half the stadium. I’ve always felt that on the east side from sections 18-26 rows 50-84 should be closed off.

As far as forcing fans to buy closer seats goes. Four of the sections 21-18 are empty student sections that they receive free tickets to. Sections 26-24 are copper seats that cost the same no matter what row you sit in. Section 23 is silver and section 22 is gold. Once again the ticket for those sections are the same price no matter what row you seat in. No one would be paying extra money for tickets. They would actually be getting a closer seat to the action for the same price.

I’m not sure how many seats that would trim down but I think we’re looking at around 7-8k. Which would bring the capacity to around 45k.

The last time UTEP had a crowd over 45k was back in 08 vs once in a lifetime Texas. In that decade since the last sell out we’ve hosted some attractive games and none have hit over 40k. #24 Kansas, #12 Houston, Colorado St, #4 Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas Tech, Army, and Arizona.

Instead of closing them off, which makes for a bad visual, build luxury suites there. Build a three story complex all the way across the top of the West bleachers. Build luxury suites, football hospitality lounges, club seats.

 

[JCorona]

Instead of closing them off, which makes for a bad visual, build luxury suites there. Build a three story complex all the way across the top of the West bleachers. Build luxury suites, football hospitality lounges, club seats.

I agree. But until some one can come up with the 50+ million needed our options are scattered empty stands or close the sections off.

 

[Minerforlife]

I agree. But until some one can come up with the 50+ million needed our options are scattered empty stands or close the sections off.

The money is there. It's going to take a clear vision, strong leadership, and a strategic plan to sale it. I give Chris Park alot of credit he saved the severely reduced renovation plan. We missed not hiring him as AD. He is great with big money donors. Everyday that meets him would hire that as an executive in their company. Alot of folks myself included think he's going to be a better ad than Mack Rhoades is and that's saying alot. The guy is a climber he would have made a splashy football hire, raised a ton of money built UTEP first class facilities and then would have become AD at an SEC school. What could've been. Oh well at this point I support Senter and I really hope Senter gets it figured out.

 

[UTEPDefense]

Not sure about Park, but I am more than happy with Senter and I am happy that he was the selection.

 

[KaneFan29]

The money is there. It's going to take a clear vision, strong leadership, and a strategic plan to sale it. I give Chris Park alot of credit he saved the severely reduced renovation plan. We missed not hiring him as AD. He is great with big money donors. Everyday that meets him would hire that as an executive in their company. Alot of folks myself included think he's going to be a better ad than Mack Rhoades is and that's saying alot. The guy is a climber he would have made a splashy football hire, raised a ton of money built UTEP first class facilities and then would have become AD at an SEC school. What could've been. Oh well at this point I support Senter and I really hope Senter gets it figured out.

Hasn’t Park been employed for awhile? Didn’t he work with Stull? How is he so great with big money donors? He was so great that an outsider came in and took the job from him.

 

[picks up]

UTEP averaged around 20k a game last year. Can you imagine the cost, to buy and install tarps over half of the stadium? And then are you really going to force fans to buy seats closer to the field at a higher price?

I didn't say tarp up half the stadium but tarps would force people to sit closer together and be better for the game atmosphere.I hate to admit this but NMSU did this with basketball and its been successful. They get 2k-3k of people in the lower bowl and its louder than 2k-3k skattered everywhere. They let people that had season tickets in the upper bowl have lower bowl tickets for the same price they were paying for the upper bowl. I think its a smart model until people start showing up more consistently.

 

[picks up]

The money is there. It's going to take a clear vision, strong leadership, and a strategic plan to sale it. I give Chris Park alot of credit he saved the severely reduced renovation plan. We missed not hiring him as AD. He is great with big money donors. Everyday that meets him would hire that as an executive in their company. Alot of folks myself included think he's going to be a better ad than Mack Rhoades is and that's saying alot. The guy is a climber he would have made a splashy football hire, raised a ton of money built UTEP first class facilities and then would have become AD at an SEC school. What could've been. Oh well at this point I support Senter and I really hope Senter gets it figured out.

If the money was there wouldn't the full originally planned upgrade be taking place now? Stull and Senter were only able to get enough to pay for what is being done.

 

[Dmanminer]

Just win and tarps will ba an afterthought. Maybe change the name from Miners to pinche Cowboys. JK.

 

[EPTUTEP]

The money is there. It's going to take a clear vision, strong leadership, and a strategic plan to sale it. I give Chris Park alot of credit he saved the severely reduced renovation plan. We missed not hiring him as AD. He is great with big money donors. Everyday that meets him would hire that as an executive in their company. Alot of folks myself included think he's going to be a better ad than Mack Rhoades is and that's saying alot. The guy is a climber he would have made a splashy football hire, raised a ton of money built UTEP first class facilities and then would have become AD at an SEC school. What could've been. Oh well at this point I support Senter and I really hope Senter gets it figured out.

If UTEP has the money for the luxury suites and Chris Park was so great with the big money donors, then these luxury suites would have already been a reality by now.

 

[UTEPfan1966]

I like Chris. Super nice dude. But I heard a lot of big boosters didn't like him. IDK....I was afraid he would be too much like Stull if hired. I'm glad he stayed.

Restating what was previously stated, if the money is already there, why hasn't more already been done?