Attendance & Women's Hockey

[Hux]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

As for the promotions to younger players, I question exactly how much value that's going to have in the long term. My section is usually filled with them and a lot of the girls are barely paying attention to the game at all. They're running around from seat to eat, talking with their friends, bugging their parents about getting something to eat, going and getting something to eat, goofing around with Goldy, and all sorts of other things that don't involve watching hockey. I wonder if any sort of fandom for women's hockey specifically is being built at all, as opposed to giving them a fun night out that is largely indistinguishable from other fun nights out that they might have. I just don't see this translating into increased attendance down the road.

Well, I would have agreed with you four or five years ago, but I have seen several youth players go from running up and down the aisles chasing a mascot as 10 year olds to high schoolers sitting in an upper corner of a rink watching and discussing the play on the ice before them. No doubt there will be a percentage of those youth players that won't follow the college game (though I doubt that is likely in Gopher, Bulldog, Sioux, or Badger land) as they grow older, but I think the larger portion will. As such it is worth trying to get them into the arena at some point in their formative years.

[ManBehindTheCurtain]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

As for the promotions to younger players, I question exactly how much value that's going to have in the long term. My section is usually filled with them and a lot of the girls are barely paying attention to the game at all. They're running around from seat to eat, talking with their friends, bugging their parents about getting something to eat, going and getting something to eat, goofing around with Goldy, and all sorts of other things that don't involve watching hockey. I wonder if any sort of fandom for women's hockey specifically is being built at all, as opposed to giving them a fun night out that is largely indistinguishable from other fun nights out that they might have. I just don't see this translating into increased attendance down the road.

They won't always be adolescents. They will grow up, and remember having a good time at a college hockey game. That's not a bad thing in the long term. What I love about the kids, is that they actually make some noise and add some atmosphere. Too many of even the regular fans sit on their hands until the team scores, and then they cheer. I hear the kids; I don't hear much from a lot of the adults.

I 100 percent support the concept of building the fan base by bringing in at reduced and/or free admission as many youth hockey teams as are willing to bring themselves to the games. I agree with ARM.

But I feel Eeyore's pain. There are at least a couple of games every season during which watching hockey is reduced to irrelevancy by non-hockey activities in the seats and aisles between me and the ice surface.

Perhaps what could be done is that a specific section or sections could be set aside for the reduced admission teams. The teams could be seated in those sections and Goldy could hang out there to do his business. Maybe something along the lines of reserved seating and general admission.

Oh, wait, ooops, they already have that.

OK, I'm looking at you University of Minnesota. You already have a large number of paid staff in the building during the games. Maybe, just maybe, you could instruct those people who look but never act like ushers to actually DO SOMETHING during the game.

Like, direct people who have been admitted on reduced price general admission tickets to sit in the general admission seats. And while I am on a rant they could also instruct people to wait in the concourse until a stoppage in play before casually meandering down to select some seat or another that THEY HAVE NOT PAID FOR before sitting down and allowing me to see the game again.

And ARM, all due respect, your view from the press box is of no significance to this argument. You can see just fine. Season ticket holders just want to be able to do the same.

[ARM]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

And ARM, all due respect, your view from the press box is of no significance to this argument. You can see just fine. Season ticket holders just want to be able to do the same.

I'll grant you that. And in all seriousness, if you want to be able to watch the game and don't want to have to hassle with Goldy's oversized melon or this throngs of ardent admirers, I would recommend looking into club-level season tickets. For the price above what you pay for the ice-level season tickets, it may be worth it to you if you value being able to watch the game without distractions. If I ever go back to getting season tickets, I think I'll do that (and probably spend part of the game sitting near CrazyDave and the band and experience the two ends of the spectrum ).

[Eeyore]

Re: Attendance & Women's Hockey

I'll grant you that. And in all seriousness, if you want to be able to watch the game and don't want to have to hassle with Goldy's oversized melon or this throngs of ardent admirers, I would recommend looking into club-level season tickets. For the price above what you pay for the ice-level season tickets, it may be worth it to you if you value being able to watch the game without distractions. If I ever go back to getting season tickets, I think I'll do that (and probably spend part of the game sitting near CrazyDave and the band and experience the two ends of the spectrum ).

I shouldn't have to pay extra for tickets where I can see the game. That should be a part of the basic package.