U-M officials 'thrilled with the results' after first game with new general admission student section
Michigan students were out in full force Saturday for the team's home opener against Central Michigan University.
Courtney Sacco I AnnArbor.com
It was full 30 minutes before kickoff. It was loud.
There are many factors that go into when a student decides to show up for a football game, but the new general admission seating system appeared to have changed the calculus. Some students lined up as early as 7 a.m. to secure front row seats.
The team noticed the difference. Head coach Brady Hoke used his opening remarks at the post-game press conference to thank the students for showing up early and staying involved.
"One thing I really want to do is thank our students and our fans,” Hoke said.
“It was really neat to see that student section in the maize and all that stuff when we went out for our warmups and it just kept building. I want to thank our students because it's fun when they're there. They make the atmosphere and the game fun."
The new system was not without kinks, but associate athletic director and chief marketing officer Hunter Lochmann said that the first game proved that the system will solve the problem it was intended to address.
“I think we're all really thrilled with the results, with the amount of students who were in the stands and when they got there,” he said.
“Everyone related to the football program was extremely happy. It’s fantastic to have a game under our belt, but this week is a whole new set of challenges.”
Those challenges include figuring out the timing for opening the queue that students wait in to get seats in the first few rows of the stadium. The line opened at 7 a.m. for the Central Michigan game, and Lochmann admitted that it was probably too early after seeing only approximately 100 students arrive in the first three and a half hours.
“The first three games are huge learning opportunities,” he said.
Students cheer on a Michigan touchdown during the second quarter of the game against Central Michigan University at Michigan Stadium Saturday, Aug. 31, 2013.
Ben Freed | AnnArbor.com
Lochmann said the line will open as announced at 11 a.m. for the Notre Dame game that is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. on Saturday.
“It’s fantastic to have a game under our belt, but this week is a whole new set of challenges,” Lochmann said.
“Now with [ESPN's] Gameday here you’re going to have students up there till noon. And there are a lot of other things going on around campus, there’s a volleyball game at 2 p.m. but we still think we’re going to have a much busier queue.”
Some students at the Central Michigan game said they planned to arrive well before 11 for the Notre Dame game, but there is no plan from the university for dealing with a line to get into the queue.
“We’ll see who’s there and what happens at 11,” Lochmann said. “We’ll see if there are people loitering around and we’ll go from there.”
One of the primary complaints from students attending the Central Michigan game was that it was difficult to seat large groups together if they did not enter the stadium at precisely the same time. Lochmann said that there are not going to be any changes in regards to group seating at the Notre Dame game, but that a special emphasis will be placed on ensuring that every seat is occupied.
“With general admission, not everyone packs in a row which leaves a few gaps here and there and then once you get to the top you’re getting a lot of seats that aren’t packed in,” Lochmann said.
“The biggest change will be enforcing and making sure that every row and every seat is taken before we move on. If there are 20 seats in a row, there should be 20 students.”
Ben Freed covers business for AnnArbor.com. You can sign up here to receive Business Review updates every week. Get in touch with Ben at 734-623-2528 or email him at benfreed@annarbor.com. Follow him on twitter @BFreedinA2
Comments
alterego
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 11:34 p.m.
More cowbell.
Hailmary
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 7:03 p.m.
As I aforementioned, I live in the high desert in Calif. I live on the Mountain above Palm Springs. My seat is in a large living rm. in front of a large flat screen. We barbecue and entertain friends for the game. In my heyday I attended as many games as was possible and I say to you students who don't want to get to the stadium early, quit complaining, just like me there will come a day when you have no option except to watch it on TV. and it's not the same.
D
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 5:16 p.m.
From my perspective as a holder of student tickets, the policy was not efficient and was too difficult to maneuver. 1. My group of four tried to enter from the Southwest gate at Main and Stadium since we'd been tailgating on the golf course only to be denied entrance, turned away and told we had to enter from the exact opposite gate (Northeast) as that was the only entrance where student tickets would be accepted so we had to trek all the way around the stadium. 2. At the gate as the tickets were scanned we were given a ticket with a section number on it and told to go line up to get in; where we waited an additional 25 minutes to enter the stadium which made us late. 3. Once we entered the stadium the ushers were instructing us to stand in the aisle since the rows were full of people who were spread out so much that there wasn't enough capacity on the bleachers themselves...we were less than thrilled. As graduate students, we were hoping for an high energy student section, but the lack of logic and the difficulty just to enter the stadium made us not want to deal with this for every game. Last year was great in that we could enter the stadium at any gate, take our time at the concessions as we entered, use the restrooms, etc. and then walk to and find our seats without much issue. This year sucked.
hail2thevict0r
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 10:44 p.m.
Seems to me, like with any new policy, once you figure it out it should be pretty easy. My guess is that you are going to go to the right gate for this home game against ND. I'm going to guess you'll probably get there a little earlier to avoid missing part of the game. Last year, the student section was half full. This year, it was packed - for CMU. It was a success.
justaposter
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 7:47 p.m.
1. Student tickets clearly stated that you had to enter gate 10. 2. Come earlier. 3. Should be better this week.
heartbreakM
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 2:29 p.m.
WHat does administration say about the HALF FILLED student section once the first half ended? At least half the students left at this point. In fact, it was quite embarrassing when the TV showed the crowds still in place except the student section?
hail2thevict0r
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 10:40 p.m.
against CMU no less. Maybe if we were doing that to OSU....
hail2thevict0r
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 10:40 p.m.
Probably nothing. You're never going to keep people in the stands when you're up like 40-6 at halftime.
johnnya2
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 7:39 p.m.
Well I guess Brandon could try to put an inferior product on the field and the games will be much more in doubt. Early leaving crowds are a fact of life in EVERY college (and pro) sporting event for games where the outcome is already determined, unless there is some other compelling reason to stay (record breaking, championship etc). I was watching some first round matches of the US OPEN tennis and guess what, THEY have empty seats even with the top players int he world playing.
Eryn
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1 p.m.
Quick question - when was it ever NOT general admission??? I know they used to put seat numbers on the student tickets, but that was as big a joke as saying that anyone under 21 can't drink alcohol. In my four years at UM as a student, there was NO ONE who sat in their assigned seats, and anyone who came to the game and complained about someone being in their seat was laughed at. The Student section was full last Saturday because: 1. it was the opening game and it's always full early at opening games; 2. all the hype being made about students not being in the stadium; 3. it was a 3:30 game. Let's pass judgment on this new system after the noon game on the 14th against the powerhouse Akron team. David Brandon is competing for viewership of football games for hung-over kids who can watch it at home on 70" plasma TV's - and I guarantee you he's going to lose. The answer is to take tickets away from the students who don't care about coming and sell them to fans and Alumni who do.
Eryn
Wed, Sep 4, 2013 : 2:40 p.m.
kejamder - when I was there (early 90's) is truly was a free-for-all, I can't say that someone being a "lowerclassman" or "upperclassmen" was ever a concern, that seems like a concept from an earlier time. Sure there are some fans and Alums that would rather sit in front of their TV's, but the student section is the only one that's routinely half full at kickoff. Regular tickets for almost every home game are selling for more than face value so clearly there's a demand. My belief is that you can not claim success for this system after one game (for the reasons I cite above), and that the problem is with entitled, immature students too hungover to be bothered to come to the game. The answer is to selectivity pull tickets from the offenders and sell them to the fans/alums who want to be at the game.
kejamder
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 1:52 p.m.
Oh, really? so when you were a freshman, you took your row 92 ticket and simply walked up to the front row? I'm sure the upperclassmen there had no issue with squeezing you in. I won't argue that people moved about, but there were limits, obviously. Not anymore. I am curious as to what happens if you leave to get a hot dog or something... And why are you so sure Brandon's not competing with alums who'd rather stay at home with their 70" plasmas?
Fordie
Tue, Sep 3, 2013 : 12:12 p.m.
While I can understand the perspective of seniors who are angry with this policy, from the perspective of a fan on the other side of the stadium, the new policy worked.