Seats and Capacity

**VTXCyRyD** · 10-11-2010, 10:21 PM

I'm sure that I didn't have this idea first, but I'm too lazy to search. Why do we sell hillside tickets before all the seats are sold out? The hillsides should be reserved for when we exceed capacity, and capacity should be the number of seats in the stadium. If their afraid people won't buy tickets if they do that, lower the price and put more butts in the seats.

Then when it comes time to bowling in the south endzone, all that needs to be said is that we exceed the capacity of the stadium for all home games.

Whoever had the idea to include the hillside area in the capacity of the stadium should be taken out back and beaten. It should have always been referred to excess capacity.

**RustShack** · 10-11-2010, 10:36 PM

Winner.

Maybe lowering tickets will bring more fans? Then once we get good, raise them back again.

**twojman** · 10-11-2010, 10:42 PM

Pollard has said that he will sell hillsides as long as there is demand. This suggests he would sell tickets up 70k or more if people wanted to buy them.

**Clonebydesign** · 10-11-2010, 10:45 PM

the truth is a ton of familys get hillsides, me included. It just allows my young children some room to move so I dont have to hold them the whole time and is also more affordable when bringing little cyclone club members. Just cant justify paying so much for kids. I also think the empties has a lot to do with the product. Hard to justiy going for some when the sun never shines on our rears.

**jtdoyle1** · 10-11-2010, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by VTXCyRyD

I'm sure that I didn't have this idea first, but I'm too lazy to search. Why do we sell hillside tickets before all the seats are sold out? The hillsides should be reserved for when we exceed capacity, and capacity should be the number of seats in the stadium. If their afraid people won't buy tickets if they do that, lower the price and put more butts in the seats.

Then when it comes time to bowling in the south endzone, all that needs to be said is that we exceed the capacity of the stadium for all home games.

Whoever had the idea to include the hillside area in the capacity of the stadium should be taken out back and beaten. It should have always been referred to excess capacity.

Ok, marketing genius- What do you do with all the Lil Clone Club kids that paid $50 a kid to come to games and sit on the hill and consume concessions?

The truth is the hillside tickets open up a market to families that would otherwise not be able to come to games week in and week out. These kids wouldn't grow up enjoying the cyclone football experience, so they don't buy season tickets themselves as adults.

The truth is Iowa State does not currently have a product on the field that they can sell to the fans and dictate the terms. They must market to all kinds of people to get butts inside the stadium by any means possible.

**kingcy** · 10-11-2010, 10:56 PM

I really dont think ISU is in a place to turn people away or turn them off of ISU FB. We need all the fans we can get in the stadium, in the grass or wherever. I dont think the hill sides are counted as part of the total cap of the staduim.

**azepp** · 10-11-2010, 10:58 PM

Originally Posted by jtdoyle1

Ok, marketing genius- What do you do with all the Lil Clone Club kids that paid $50 a kid to come to games and sit on the hill and consume concessions?

The truth is the hillside tickets open up a market to families that would otherwise not be able to come to games week in and week out. These kids wouldn't grow up enjoying the cyclone football experience, so they don't buy season tickets themselves as adults.

The truth is Iowa State does not currently have a product on the field that they can sell to the fans and dictate the terms. They must market to all kinds of people to get butts inside the stadium by any means possible.

I hope you didn't pay $50/game for your Lil Clone Club kids. Mine were only $50 for the entire year - including all the other sports (except mens' basketball conference games).

That said, I agree that the hillsides are great for families. However, I think what the OP was trying to say is that we should sell reserved seat tickets until the stands are sold out, even if we have to lower the prices, before we sell hillside tickets in order to encourage people to fill the stands. I'm sure you could take your reserved seat tickets and move to the hillside with your family if that is more convenient for you.

**HandSanitizer** · 10-11-2010, 11:01 PM

You can still have the seats be General Admission (the student section does this) ISU Basketball games has entire section for this and lil cyclone club members.

You move the students to the south endzone. Make the current student section the location where all the people on the hills and current south endzone would go. Then don't allow anyone on the north hills until big games or if demand grows. Same prices and better seats :)

Just my opinion though.

**4C3133787** · 10-11-2010, 11:02 PM

What if ISU just sold the hillside tickets for the North Endzone? Then bowl the South Endzone on the lower deck completely in. Bam. Best of both worlds. Plus the kids can watch the players come down the ramp, which is cool for them.

**Omaha Cy** · 10-11-2010, 11:03 PM

Attendance would be much worse without hillside sales. Plain and simple. ISU does not have the fanbase structure to support selling out JTS regardless of how they market the tickets. Even when Mac was winning, the attendance was pretty similar to what it is now.

There's a lot of hillside sales because its all a family can afford. Do you want to turn those people away?

The only way hillside hurts attendance is the fact that people don't have much money tied up in those tickets, so its more likely to justify not going to some of the games.

**jtdoyle1** · 10-11-2010, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by azepp

I hope you didn't pay $50/game for your Lil Clone Club kids. Mine were only $50 for the entire year - including all the other sports (except mens' basketball conference games).

That said, I agree that the hillsides are great for families. However, I think what the OP was trying to say is that we should sell reserved seat tickets until the stands are sold out, even if we have to lower the prices, before we sell hillside tickets in order to encourage people to fill the stands. I'm sure you could take your reserved seat tickets and move to the hillside with your family if that is more convenient for you.

Correct on the $50 a year for lil clone club, but what I meant is that is a another revenue stream that has to be accommodated.

If all Iowa State sold was the reserve tickets first at face value you would be looking at a stadium of about 25,000-35,000, and empty seats don't spend money at concession stands either.

I don't see why everyone is so quick to bowl in the endzone. Right now it would be a terrible investment. Until ISu can average 55,000 a game there is no point of even thinking about adding capacity.

**Tornado man** · 10-11-2010, 11:06 PM

I love the the way fans on hillsides look on TV. It makes it seem as if JTS is bursting at the seams, and the overflow crowd has spill out over on them.

**alarson** · 10-11-2010, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Tornado man

I love the the way fans on hillsides look on TV. It makes it seem as if JTS is bursting at the seams, and the overflow crowd has spill out over on them.

yeah... someone said the announcers claimed we had a sellout crowd on saturday when we were nowhere close.. wonder if this is why

**HandSanitizer** · 10-11-2010, 11:13 PM

Originally Posted by FD Cyclone

Attendance would be much worse without hillside sales. Plain and simple. ISU does not have the fanbase structure to support selling out JTS regardless of how they market the tickets. Even when Mac was winning, the attendance was pretty similar to what it is now.

Theres a lot of hillside sales because its all a family can afford. Do you want to turn those people away?

The only way hillside hurts attendance is the fact that people don't have much money tied up in those tickets, so its more likely to justify not going to some of the games.

I have friends that will don't want to pay money for real seats so they go hillside. Most of them hate them and some don't go any more because its muddy, wet, 45 degree incline, Kids playing football, bad sightlines. If you sit in the south hills to late you can't even see half the game and the scoreboard.

If you do what I was saying a couple posts above....then you get those hillside people in real seats for the same price. That would be awesome. That would probably get more people there in my opinion. It could take away from higher donations though.....

All this being said. We just need to win. Which I am not so sure about right now:(

**jtdoyle1** · 10-11-2010, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by HandSanitizer

If you do what I was saying a couple posts above....then you get those hillside people in real seats for the same price. That would be awesome. That would probably get more people there in my opinion. It could take away from higher donations though.....

I think that is what the the mini packs are for selling off the left over seats for a reasonable price.

You're right that winning would solve a lot when it comes fans in the seats. It would be interesting to see where ISU ranks in attendance vs. winning percentage over the last decade compared to others.