Attendance increase major step for IU

By the end of the 2009 season, the IU football team had only won one more game than it had in the previous year, going 4-8.

The team lost to Purdue again. It finished at the bottom of the Big Ten again. It was the second-worst team in at-home attendance in the Big Ten again.

But maybe that last fact isn’t as clear-cut as it seems. Home attendance increased by an average of more than 10,051 fans per game, the third-largest increase in the nation.

And while the Hoosiers might not have put on the show those 10,000-plus people were looking for, it’s a definite that students are buying in to the upside of the program and the changes IU Athletics Director Fred Glass has made since taking the reins of the department.

“The main thing that happened is we didn’t accept conventional wisdom,” Glass said in an interview.

IU was the only Big Ten school to rank among the top-30 of Division I schools in the one-year percentage increase category. Its average attendance increased from 31,782 in 2008 to 41,833 in 2009. IU also sold out an expanded student section twice — once against Ohio State (11,000 seats) and again against Purdue (15,200 seats).

“The students are the key to the whole thing,” Glass said. “They bring the energy to the stadium. It makes it fun for the students, but it makes it fun for the non-students, too.”

Glass has taken all the right steps in trying to make football more accessible to fans and more attractive to those looking to visit Memorial Stadium.

The North End Zone facility, while not conceived by him, was spearheaded and crafted into something much bigger. He constantly talks about the “game-day experience” and what that means for the fan. He got it right this past season and the figures show that.

People actually enjoyed going to games, even if the Hoosiers weren’t winning. They
enjoyed the atmosphere. They enjoyed Glass walking through the stadium and thanking everyone for being in attendance.

It’s a tiring process — trust me, I walked it with him. But if this is the result, it’s definitely worth every step.

“It’s even more encouraging that we’re on the right track,” Glass said. “Engaging with the students is definitely important.”

There’s even more set in place for the future. IU Athletics has released a new, interactive system where season ticket holders can pick their seats based on a priority points system on IUHoosiers.com.

The schedules for the coming three years are also posted, so as to give Hoosier fans time to prepare for trips. IU faculty and staff have been offered a 10-percent discount on season tickets to see IU in action. The integration, the fan-friendly atmosphere, the accessibility — all of it goes a long way toward packing “The Rock.” And packing “The Rock” means padding the pocketbook of the department.

The math is simple. More money means better facilities. Better facilities draw better recruits. Better recruits bring more success. More success drives attendance. And more attendance, of course, means more money.

Even though the department only met its budget this past season, it did so during tough economic times and in the face of a decrease in ticket prices for students that was not planned for when the budget was set.

“I’m much more interested in attendance than I am revenue,” Glass said. “If they come and have fun on a discounted ticket, they might come back and buy a season ticket for full price.”

More than 10,000 fans don’t lie — there’s something great going on within the department. The days of everything north of 17th Street staying there are over. And the actions of Glass and Co. have given fans something to get excited about.

The one nagging question is how to improve from here; how to keep driving attendance and making sure all the hoopla and fanfare doesn’t get old.

Glass is forming a 15-student advisory council to help brainstorm how to make the game-day experience the best it can be in the future.

And for Glass, that’s the fun part.

“We’ve got a good platform for next year,” Glass said. “I don’t think we’re too far away from being sold out every game.”

There’s no way to predict how the implementation of these plans will take hold with Hoosier fans, if they will at all. At this point, there are only a few certainties.

There will be successes. There will be failures. And no matter what, if you follow IU, you’re in for one hell of a ride.