We all have our ideas and sometimes they are great! I know there have been several times that things have been written here and printed almost verbatem the local press. (That Matt guy who writes for the Gazzette should be paying Mike royalties!! J/K he does great work) But here is a string where anyone can put SERIOUS ideas as to how attendance could be increased. Something tells me that ideas here might be relayed to the department.
1) I'll put the first idea out there (BTW this is not the place to rip others for a bad idea, who knows it might just work and lets be positive). I heard someone mention they could only bring X# of people to the game or for season tickets. This has been brought up before and it is more popular with Womens Basketball games however...... What about a fund to bring local youth groups to games? Unfortunately we are not selling out yet and more heads in the building means a better place to play (and more concession reveneu and kids watching and talking to their friends and buying shirts and hats).
It doesn't take a lot of $$ to pay for a bus and I'm sure youth group or church/synagog groups could find chaperones. Once enough donations have been put together for the bus the department would need to figure out a dollar amount per seat. Maybe $5 or $7, and YOU AND I COULD sponsor that seat. I know for a fact that being here in Florida I'd pay $10 a game to have a loud mouth 13 year old there for me helping to rock it.....
Your ideas are appreciated!!
Ideas to "Fill the Bill"
-
Sam Minuteman
- Junior
- Posts: 679
- Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2003 3:02 pm
- Location: Tampa, FL
Ideas to "Fill the Bill"
UConn girls are........................... Huskies!!
-
Minutemaniac74
- Senior
- Posts: 1521
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2003 10:29 pm
- Location: Pittsfield, MA
- Contact:
We need to focus on getting a large student turnout, on a consistent basis. The games where we have 3500 fans are mostly the result of having virtually zero student turnout. Some basic ideas:
-The hoops posters that they make every year - give each R.A. a stack of them to hand out at their initial floor meetings at the beginning of the fall semester.
-Someone mentioned t-shirts in another post today. Make them available to every student. Make them available where every student needs to go - the textbook annex maybe? I know that place is insane as it is, so maybe set up a booth outside the annex for shirt distribution?
-Flyers, flyers, flyers. Shove them under every dormitory door. Before the season starts, have one with the entire schedule on it. Then as the season gets going, have flyers promoting upcoming games, like every other week.
-Back to the t-shirts...start printing up shirts similar to the "Coach Cal's Closet" days, and make them available for purchase at the campus center. Come up with creative shirts, and come out with a few new ones each season.
-The hoops posters that they make every year - give each R.A. a stack of them to hand out at their initial floor meetings at the beginning of the fall semester.
-Someone mentioned t-shirts in another post today. Make them available to every student. Make them available where every student needs to go - the textbook annex maybe? I know that place is insane as it is, so maybe set up a booth outside the annex for shirt distribution?
-Flyers, flyers, flyers. Shove them under every dormitory door. Before the season starts, have one with the entire schedule on it. Then as the season gets going, have flyers promoting upcoming games, like every other week.
-Back to the t-shirts...start printing up shirts similar to the "Coach Cal's Closet" days, and make them available for purchase at the campus center. Come up with creative shirts, and come out with a few new ones each season.
Student turnout is definitely where we need the biggest improvement.. We should be having problems keeping people out opposed to getting people in.
-The idea about the RA's getting schedule posters is great, and the signs they have started to put up around campus announcing events at the Mullins Center has definitely helped.
-This past season of success should build into great support for next season. Home opener (NIT Banner) should be advertised around campus weeks before, so that way people will go and hopefully enjoy the experience.
-Lastly, I don't know what to tell you about winter break... best of luck getting the locals to come in
-The idea about the RA's getting schedule posters is great, and the signs they have started to put up around campus announcing events at the Mullins Center has definitely helped.
-This past season of success should build into great support for next season. Home opener (NIT Banner) should be advertised around campus weeks before, so that way people will go and hopefully enjoy the experience.
-Lastly, I don't know what to tell you about winter break... best of luck getting the locals to come in
-
Minutemaniac74
- Senior
- Posts: 1521
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2003 10:29 pm
- Location: Pittsfield, MA
- Contact:
Not really practical. The A-10 season starts just after the New Year, and the league isn't going to put us on the road for 3-4 straight weeks.
Yeah, you could mix in a good non-conf game or two, but we're gonna have some games in January when most of the students aren't around. It's a fact as long as UM sticks with one of the longest winter breaks in all of higher education.
Yeah, you could mix in a good non-conf game or two, but we're gonna have some games in January when most of the students aren't around. It's a fact as long as UM sticks with one of the longest winter breaks in all of higher education.
Here are a bunch of ideas ive been thinking of for a while, let me know your thoughts:
1) Facebook/Myspace: For a department with a limited budget, UMass athletics needs to take advantage of this FREE way to reach out to thousands. There are already Facebook events for games, but Umass needs to create their own profile to constantly remind those on these social networking websites whats going on around campus
2) Midnight Madness not during a Sox playoff game: Obviously we dont know if/when Sox playoff games will be, but in October if theyre still playing, UMass NEEDS to make sure Midnight Madness is the only sports event that night. Usually we know ahead of time what the MLB playoff schedule is like. Last year's turnout was crippled by the ALCS
3) Advertise through Wings: Every Wings delivery order always has their menu attached to it, how about paying them to include a BBall schedule to every delivery as well. it would be expensive, but everyone knows a TON of students get Wings
4) Use the Sport Management department: Ask SOM students to run their own campaign to promote the team. As a future graduate of the program in May, I can tell you I wouldve killed for an opportunity to spend class time learning about grassroots marketing first hand, while helping the BBall program, and being able to improve my resume. Free labor from some bright minds cant be bad
5) Take advantage of youtube: I dont know how it works in terms of licensing from ESPN CBS CSTV etc, but if UMass Athletics can post highlight videos (especially that one from this past senior night) on youtube, there's a possibility to create word of mouth quickly through the internet
6) Start pounding UMass basketball into incoming freshmen's heads during Summer Orientation: Incoming freshmen come to UMass all summer to get acquainted with the school, when I did mine we never even saw the Mullins Center. I'm sure Travis Ford would be thrilled to take 30 minutes out of his time once a week during every new Orientation cycle to give a little pep rally to incoming students at the Mullins Center about the excitement of the team
1) Facebook/Myspace: For a department with a limited budget, UMass athletics needs to take advantage of this FREE way to reach out to thousands. There are already Facebook events for games, but Umass needs to create their own profile to constantly remind those on these social networking websites whats going on around campus
2) Midnight Madness not during a Sox playoff game: Obviously we dont know if/when Sox playoff games will be, but in October if theyre still playing, UMass NEEDS to make sure Midnight Madness is the only sports event that night. Usually we know ahead of time what the MLB playoff schedule is like. Last year's turnout was crippled by the ALCS
3) Advertise through Wings: Every Wings delivery order always has their menu attached to it, how about paying them to include a BBall schedule to every delivery as well. it would be expensive, but everyone knows a TON of students get Wings
4) Use the Sport Management department: Ask SOM students to run their own campaign to promote the team. As a future graduate of the program in May, I can tell you I wouldve killed for an opportunity to spend class time learning about grassroots marketing first hand, while helping the BBall program, and being able to improve my resume. Free labor from some bright minds cant be bad
5) Take advantage of youtube: I dont know how it works in terms of licensing from ESPN CBS CSTV etc, but if UMass Athletics can post highlight videos (especially that one from this past senior night) on youtube, there's a possibility to create word of mouth quickly through the internet
6) Start pounding UMass basketball into incoming freshmen's heads during Summer Orientation: Incoming freshmen come to UMass all summer to get acquainted with the school, when I did mine we never even saw the Mullins Center. I'm sure Travis Ford would be thrilled to take 30 minutes out of his time once a week during every new Orientation cycle to give a little pep rally to incoming students at the Mullins Center about the excitement of the team
-
Chemical Ali
- Senior
- Posts: 1332
- Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2003 11:41 am
- Location: banned
Excellent ideas, bharms.
Give every incoming freshman a maroon UMass Basketball t-shirt. Make it part of their orientation kit. Sponsors could pay for it, but I wish there was a way as a season ticket holder that I could informally contribute. Maybe a checkbox on the season ticket application/renewal form. "Check here to sponsor a student uniform" or some such for an extra $5. I'd gladly do that.
Give every incoming freshman a maroon UMass Basketball t-shirt. Make it part of their orientation kit. Sponsors could pay for it, but I wish there was a way as a season ticket holder that I could informally contribute. Maybe a checkbox on the season ticket application/renewal form. "Check here to sponsor a student uniform" or some such for an extra $5. I'd gladly do that.
As a dad w/kids who love UMASS Basketball - family days/family packs of tix works for me.
Ads on WFCR??
Bus trips from Springfield/Boston/Anytown, USA?
Ticket packages for New England youth basketball leagues/teams.
A new NESN deal?
.....get off your ass and go to the games?
Ads on WFCR??
Bus trips from Springfield/Boston/Anytown, USA?
Ticket packages for New England youth basketball leagues/teams.
A new NESN deal?
.....get off your ass and go to the games?
Llewelyn Moss: Is uh, Carson Wells there?
Anton Chigurh: Not in the sense that you mean.
Anton Chigurh: Not in the sense that you mean.
-
senior citizen
- Sophomore
- Posts: 215
- Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 1:50 pm
An excellent idea...have the MKTG majors form teams, implement their ideas and give a bunch of swag, recognition - and an A - to the team that produces the best results...I would've killed for a project this interesting when I was at the SOM.bharms08 wrote: 4) Use the Sport Management department: Ask SOM students to run their own campaign to promote the team. As a future graduate of the program in May, I can tell you I wouldve killed for an opportunity to spend class time learning about grassroots marketing first hand, while helping the BBall program, and being able to improve my resume. Free labor from some bright minds cant be bad
Last edited by Umass89 on Fri Apr 11, 2008 8:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Llewelyn Moss: Is uh, Carson Wells there?
Anton Chigurh: Not in the sense that you mean.
Anton Chigurh: Not in the sense that you mean.