How do we fill our 16,000 seat Paladin stadium? Which Home Schedule is more appealing?

[FUBeAR]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

[dornb]

"(Another idea: shoot the game from the visitors' side)."

I like this idea, Furmanoid. It would really look better to see the home side than the mostly empty visitors' side

[Fred Garvin]

Strippers!!!!!
1 PM games are perfect for the day shift gurlzzzzz.
1. Twofers Touchdown Dances
2. Fieldhouse Poles
3. Section 5 VIP area

[Affirm]

As long as we think of a Furman Football game as a Football game, our attendance will languish, despite the best & sincere efforts of all involved. Winning multiple national championships would tick it up a couple of k.

We have to reset our thinking & think of Fall Saturdays at Furman as Family Event Saturdays, whether that family is 4 college age roommates, a couple & 2-10 kids, or a couple of empty nesters, perhaps with 3-4 Grandkids (or not). The entire campus needs to coordinate activities that will appeal to these various ‘Families’ in such an inviting & compelling way that they PLAN to make Furman their DESTINATION for the day. The Football Game is the nexus of this Family Event Saturday & each other coordinated activity event needs to be tied into the Football game.

Maybe that’s hard to do…and maybe 12 or 1 PM Kickoffs (LOVED by Players & Coaches) aren’t the best strategy to support this kind of holistic effort.

We have “The Furman Advantage” down cold. Perhaps we need to build “The Furman REAL External Engagement” (FREE, get it? I got a million of ‘em)…and demonstrate true value to people before we ask them to pay us for something they have presently shown no proclivity to value.

I think Sam Wyche once told me, “FUBeAR, we gotta get ‘em inside the store before we can get them to buy anything. Now go sweep that sidewalk again & straighten up all those Bike Coaches Shorts on those tables we have out there!”

Maybe our ‘dirty sidewalks’ are turning people away & we don’t have enough ‘colorful Coaching Shorts’ to attract them…before we even get a chance to get ‘em into Paladin Storedium

Easy.

Saturday sports camp at FU.

Pay players to do minicamps (1-2 hrs) in FB, Basketball, soccer, tennis, cheer etc. Divide kids by skill level to make it good. Even do a Madden tourney for the slugs.

For real little kids, face painting, knight walking around, maybe a damsel, swan feeding, castle playground.

None of this is hard or expensive. Basic VBS stuff.

You know - not sure if you were tongue-in-cheek or not, but that mini-camp thing might have some ‘legs.’ NCAA prolly nixes the idea of paying them, but CLP & CESC (or whatever) credits could prolly be given - leverage some of the success around our highly successful ‘non-major’ & women’s sports and get them ENGAGING with local families & kids...might build some bonds that increase the attendance at those Sports Events, help in future recruiting, and enhance esprit de corps among/across the Athletics Teams ... now tie it into Football...How ‘bout these mini-camps post-game on 1 of those early kickoff days...and ‘fee’ for camp is Proof of Football game attendance (can all be digital)?

Just brain-stormin’ but that’s what it takes to start to drive change / improvement.

Can’t be any “we’ve never done that before” / “that’s not the FU way” / “that won’t work” BS

Anyway - good times - FUBeAR is coming anyway & having a GREAT time...if it’s just me in the stands. I think FUBeAR Jr. and I were 2 of 12 people that attended a playoff game against Hofstra in a driving rainstorm about 20 years ago. Even though FUBeAR Jr. was sick & had a fever...FUBeAR forced him to tough it out (don’t tell DFACS...statute of limitations is probably passed anyway) & FUBeAR had a great time...even though I’m pretty sure we lost...left me with a great story, though...huh?

Not tongue in cheek. Not sure about pay, but the tennis players all get payed to do summer camp so I think it might be OK.

I think we’ve all done some pretty good brain storming here because we are smart Furman people. Would be nice if actual paid employees would follow up or do their own brain storming.

I expect paid AD and his paid staff have brainstormed and will continue to do so. I expect he and they are equally smart as, or probably more smart than, we who post on here.

[Affirm]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

Beneficial maybe, although I do not think “amazing well-attended campus-wide” Gameday public experience would be anywhere near as inexpensive (money, staffing, time, planning, preparation, advertising, security, etc.) as you seem to think. I do not think it would be cost-effective.

[apaladin]

I expect paid AD and his paid staff have brainstormed and will continue to do so. I expect he and they are equally smart as, or probably more smart than, we who post on here.
[/quote]

Thats debateable.

[Furmanoid]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

Beneficial maybe, although I do not think “amazing well-attended campus-wide” Gameday public experience would be anywhere near as inexpensive (money, staffing, time, planning, preparation, advertising, security, etc.) as you seem to think. I do not think it would be cost-effective.

My little plan would take about 50 students for about 3 hrs at what $10/hr? Wow, $1500 bucks! We’ve got a half billion dollars to fool around with so I bet we could swing it. Of course it would go beyond sports to get FU engaged with Greenville which we SAY we want to do, but I guess we want to engage with those people IN Greenville. We don’t need them coming on our property and feeling all at home and stuff. Next thing you know they’ll APPLY FOR ADMISSION. Yikes!

And affirm, if the the administration is so smart and forward thinking, why aren’t we in the Pioneer League?

[FUBeAR]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

Beneficial maybe, although I do not think “amazing well-attended campus-wide” Gameday public experience would be anywhere near as inexpensive (money, staffing, time, planning, preparation, advertising, security, etc.) as you seem to think. I do not think it would be cost-effective.

You obviously didn’t attend the 3 day extravaganza that FUBeAR planned, organized, and hosted in ATL when the Paladins played @ GT a few years back - Friday edition of TNC, Party Bus (Double-Decker) for all Trans to/from events, Bloody the Jackets Pre-Game Brunch / Cocktail Party, Game, ATL Sat. Night PaladinPubCrawl, Shoot the Hooch Raft Party on Sunday ... $10/person & if I recall, FUBeAR even netted a little bit of somethin’ for the effort.

Poverty is the mother of resourcefulness...and...

...Always thinkin’

Can’t be any “we’ve never done that before” / “that’s not the FU way” / “that won’t work” BS

[Affirm]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

Beneficial maybe, although I do not think “amazing well-attended campus-wide” Gameday public experience would be anywhere near as inexpensive (money, staffing, time, planning, preparation, advertising, security, etc.) as you seem to think. I do not think it would be cost-effective.

My little plan would take about 50 students for about 3 hrs at what $10/hr? Wow, $1500 bucks! We’ve got a half billion dollars to fool around with so I bet we could swing it. Of course it would go beyond sports to get FU engaged with Greenville which we SAY we want to do, but I guess we want to engage with those people IN Greenville. We don’t need them coming on our property and feeling all at home and stuff. Next thing you know they’ll APPLY FOR ADMISSION. Yikes!

And affirm, if the the administration is so smart and forward thinking, why aren’t we in the Pioneer League?

You’re apparently talking about the Board of Trustees. They are the ones who could help Furman Athletics by getting us into Pioneer League. Smart people, but too much political pushback (just from the people on this message board would be hard enough) against such a smart idea.
And Furmanoid, your little idea would cost far more than $1500. To begin with, it would take more than 3x50 personnel hours.
Counting organizing and orienting training and supervising the 100+ students, $18 total per hour cost for them for more like 6 hours overall time involved = $10,800
Counting 20 work hours per managerial and planning employee, 6 of them x average $40 total average per hour salary cost = $4800. (You have to count that as a cost - they already are working, so this adds to their work and has to be compensated, probably at 1.5 time regular pay if > 40 hours for the week).
What about the cost of operating the 50 or so school buses and paying their drivers - maybe another $10,000+, easily.
So $26,600 cost total just for that part of your idea, and that’s per each game.
The cheap beer part? Ridiculous and expensive.
Maybe your ideas ARE less expensive and more reasonable compared to what it might cost to pay each attendee $10.00 each when they enter the stadium and can immediately leave, definitely less expensive if they have to pay for a ticket to enter.

[Affirm]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

Beneficial maybe, although I do not think “amazing well-attended campus-wide” Gameday public experience would be anywhere near as inexpensive (money, staffing, time, planning, preparation, advertising, security, etc.) as you seem to think. I do not think it would be cost-effective.

You obviously didn’t attend the 3 day extravaganza that FUBeAR planned, organized, and hosted in ATL when the Paladins played @ GT a few years back - Friday edition of TNC, Party Bus (Double-Decker) for all Trans to/from events, Bloody the Jackets Pre-Game Brunch / Cocktail Party, Game, ATL Sat. Night PaladinPubCrawl, Shoot the Hooch Raft Party on Sunday ... $10/person & if I recall, FUBeAR even netted a little bit of somethin’ for the effort.

Poverty is the mother of resourcefulness...and...

...Always thinkin’

Can’t be any “we’ve never done that before” / “that’s not the FU way” / “that won’t work” BS

Obviously.

[Furmanoid]

Are we solving for the wrong problem? Fighting the last war?

We need eyeballs and engagement more than butts in seats.

I bet more people actually watch FU football games now than in the heyday of the 80s 90s thanks to streaming.

I don’t think so. It depends on one’s goals, I guess.

But, extending your premise here, there’s no reason to go through the trouble & expense to play the games in Paladin Stadium. Just play ‘em on the practice field with the announcers / sideline camera on top of the PAC.

Sound like a plan?

I think focusing on ‘pure’ attendance statistics is somewhat akin to the “solving the wrong problem” you cited.

But creating an amazing well-attended campus-wide Football Gameday Community / Fan / Student experience (that also increases Football attendance statistics) seems to this Bear of little brain to be an extremely beneficial pursuit for a myriad of positive outcomes for Furman U., Furman Football, Furman Alumni, and the Upstate of SC.

Beneficial maybe, although I do not think “amazing well-attended campus-wide” Gameday public experience would be anywhere near as inexpensive (money, staffing, time, planning, preparation, advertising, security, etc.) as you seem to think. I do not think it would be cost-effective.

My little plan would take about 50 students for about 3 hrs at what $10/hr? Wow, $1500 bucks! We’ve got a half billion dollars to fool around with so I bet we could swing it. Of course it would go beyond sports to get FU engaged with Greenville which we SAY we want to do, but I guess we want to engage with those people IN Greenville. We don’t need them coming on our property and feeling all at home and stuff. Next thing you know they’ll APPLY FOR ADMISSION. Yikes!

And affirm, if the the administration is so smart and forward thinking, why aren’t we in the Pioneer League?

You’re apparently talking about the Board of Trustees. They are the ones who could help Furman Athletics by getting us into Pioneer League. Smart people, but too much political pushback (just from the people on this message board would be hard enough) against such a smart idea.
And Furmanoid, your little idea would cost far more than $1500. To begin with, it would take more than 3x50 personnel hours.
Counting organizing and orienting training and supervising the 100+ students, $18 total per hour cost for them for more like 6 hours overall time involved = $10,800
Counting 20 work hours per managerial and planning employee, 6 of them x average $40 total average per hour salary cost = $4800. (You have to count that as a cost - they already are working, so this adds to their work and has to be compensated, probably at 1.5 time regular pay if > 40 hours for the week).
What about the cost of operating the 50 or so school buses and paying their drivers - maybe another $10,000+, easily.
So $26,600 cost total just for that part of your idea, and that’s per each game.
The cheap beer part? Ridiculous and expensive.
Maybe your ideas ARE less expensive and more reasonable compared to what it might cost to pay each attendee $10.00 each when they enter the stadium and can immediately leave, definitely less expensive if they have to pay for a ticket to enter.

My estimate was for the the sports mini camp idea. Not the bus in school kid idea. If you use 5 kids for soccer, tennis, football, cheer, basketball, softball, volleyball (do we even have that one?) that’s 35 kids. Sure, you might need to take an hour or two at the start of the year to plan it out, but all of these guys have some experience in little kid sports stuff so it is a no brainer for them. I added in an hour for setup anyway. I don’t know where the $18/hr comes from. That’s crazy but OK. If you need supervisors, OK you just tell some salaried people to go supervise. Big deal. Your managerial and planning costs sound like bogus stuff consultants bill you for. That stuff is BS, man. I was a consultant.

The school bus thing applies to a completely different plan, but OK. If we did that one 50 buses seems like way too many, but it would be around $7500. Big deal. The chaperones would be free Heller volunteers. I thought FU was all about helping these disadvantaged kids. But I guess if they come out to FU they’ll steal stuff and break things, is that it?

Cheap beer is used at probably every minor league park in America. Two for Tuesday and thirsty Thursday.

[apaladin]

The board of trustees are just pawns ED makes all decisions. That was proven last May.

[Paladin91]

There is no way you'll ever fill the stadium with the current slate of teams in the conference. We lost the biggest schools and rivals in our conference - App State with student pop. of 18K and Georgia Southern with student pop. of almost 23K. Both universities brought huge contingents with them to our games. The reality is that the state of SOCON football deteriorated with their loss.

If you want to make SOCON football relevant again, bring in some FSC top tier teams like James Madison, Jacksonville State, or Kennesaw State - teams that have more consistently made the playoffs. Otherwise, drop to Pioneer League or Division 2, or decide to go big - FBS level. So many former FCS teams have gone FBS, which I think has really lowered the quality of play at the FCS level, with the exception of a few teams.

[Thorny]

First off, I don't know if FCS football is sustainable for a liberal arts University of Furman's size in the world we now live in. Better yet, a lot of the faculty seem scheptical that of whether a small liberal arts University is sustainable regardless of football.

As for dropping down to division 2 or pioneer, why? Furman has always taken pride in its athletics. We have won the FCS National Championship, produced some of the finest soccer players that the US National team has ever had, held the record for the most points scored by a division one basketball player in a single game for decades, and probably no shortage of other accolades that I can't think of off-hand.

We are much better situated to compete in division 1 athletics than many of our peers and conference mates. If Wofford, VMI, the Citadel, Mercer, etc. can produce respectable division 1 teams then we certainly can produce division 1 teams that can mop the floor with them. I want Furman to beat Wofford et al. in football, not teams in the Pioneer conference.

I worry about whether continuing to invest in Football is smart due to concerns about concussions finally catching up with the sport. However, Universities like ETSU, Mercer, Georgia State, and Stetson keeping adding football and invest more into the sport and I think they are doing this because a University's street cred is very much tied to whether they compete in division 1 athletics, specifically football.

[Roundball]

The board of trustees are just pawns ED makes all decisions. That was proven last May.

Your criticism of Jason Donnelly, Elizabeth Davis and the Board of Trustees is getting old and tiresome. You keep making these silly comments with no backup or proof of them not doing their jobs. Get on with it already. Life is short. Life moves on. Get on board and enjoy every day of being a Furman fan. Go Paladins!