The University of Minnesota football team, off to an exciting 2-0 nonconference start after winning one game in the fourth quarter and another in two overtimes, will play its second home game of the season Saturday against Georgia Southern, a team from the Sun Belt Conference and an opponent with the least box office appeal on the seven-game schedule at TCF Bank Stadium.
The Gophers announced a crowd of 49,112 for their home opener August 29 against South Dakota State. The attendance count included thousands of free tickets distributed to U freshmen and 7,150 $10 tickets sold to the public in a 24-hour flash sale. U marketers have been working hard to attract customers not only for appearance and atmosphere at their 50,805 seat stadium, but also because football is the biggest revenue producer in the 23-sports program, and the school’s Athletic Department budget is an annual challenge.
Neither public season tickets nor student season tickets are providing as many guaranteed fans in the stands as the Gophers would like. According to information provided by the U this week after a request by Sports Headliners, the public season tickets total for 2019 is 21,689. Ironically, the total last year was 21,663. The student total is 2,777, a stark contrast to many prior years when the total was thousands of tickets more. Student sales aren’t a significant source of revenue, but it’s interesting that part of the rationale in building an on-campus stadium (opened in 2009) was the argument it would increase attendance by undergraduates.
The U reported 19,170 public season tickets are renewals from last year, meaning close to 90 percent of customers decided to purchase tickets again. The total of new public season tickets is 2,519.
Included in the new sales total is a U innovation this year, The Gopher Pass, which for $199.96 guarantees entry to all seven home dates—even if it’s a standing-room-only space because a game is otherwise sold out. Billed as the “most flexible ticket ever for Gopher football fans,” the U sold 673 of the all-mobile passes.
Marketers are using a strategy of affordability and flexibility in their attempts to attract fans. Public season tickets were promoted this year with prices starting at $35 per game. Mini Plans allowed fans to choose from multi-game ticket packages starting as low as $60. Those sales resulted in 3,310 tickets being sold.
When single game sales were announced in July, the entry price point promoted was $20. The flash sale implemented a week out from the August 29 opener provided even more aggressive single game sales pricing, and although nothing has been announced it could be the U will offer a $10 ticket for a Big Ten game this fall.
With more creativity on flexibility and pricing than ever before, the U is responding to a ticket selling challenge that has been going on for awhile. Football interest has declined since popular head coach Jerry Kill resigned during the 2015 season. The Gophers sold 27,885 public season tickets in 2015, a year when Kill quit after seven games because of health issues. The public season ticket totals in 2016 and 2017 were 22,785 and 22,131 respectively.
A winning team, of course, can bring customers to campus in greater numbers and with more efficiency than discounted tickets and varied marketing efforts. The last two seasons Minnesota’s Big Ten records have been 2-7 and 3-6. The Gophers, however, won two of their last three conference games in 2018 including taking Paul Bunyan’s Axe from Wisconsin. Dating back to 2018 Minnesota has won five of its last six games, with coach P.J. Fleck expected to have his best team in three seasons.
Gaining the public’s attention and attendance is a challenge in this overcrowded sports marketplace with professional sports franchises in baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer. There’s not enough time, interest or money to constantly fill every local venue for those teams, plus Gophers basketball and hockey. That’s why in an age of new and aggressive marketing the time-tested approach is still the best: “Just win, baby!”
Worth Noting
The 1904 Gophers, 13-0, are No. 127 on the list of college football’s 150 greatest teams of all-time, per a Tuesday story on ESPN.com. The 1941 Minnesota team, 8-0, is No. 141.
In an August 15 ESPN.com story the Gophers are ranked No. 27 among the 50 greatest college football programs ever, with St. John’s (Collegeville) No. 18.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer on how rookie center Garrett Bradbury performed in his first regular season start against the Falcons last Sunday: “He had some ups and downs. They got him a few times backdoor and things like that. But I think for the first time out, it was a good experience for him. I think he’ll continue to get better. He had some really good plays, and then he had some plays that he needs to correct.”
Tim Knudsen, from Maple Lake High School, won his 100th career football game last week with his team’s 20-7 win over Rockford. His career record is now 100-105 in 21 seasons as the head football coach at St. Cloud Cathedral, St. Cloud Apollo and Maple Lake.
Twins rookie Luis Arraez had two hits last night in the team’s loss to Washington and extended his hitting streak to nine games. His longest streak this season is 12 games.
Patrick Klinger, the former Twins marketing executive, runs his own St. Paul-based marketing company and clients include KLN Family Brands of Perham, Minnesota. The third-generation family-owned business is run by former Gopher baseball player Charlie Nelson, who still holds the program’s all-time stolen base record. Two of KLN’s products, Wiley Wallaby Gourmet Licorice and Nutrisource Pet Foods, are official partners of the Yankees. KLN is also a large donor to the Pinky Swear Foundation, a Minneapolis-based non-profit that provides financial and emotional support to kids with cancer and their families.
Klinger said via email he will again host Pinky Swear Day on September 21 at Yankee Stadium. Over 200 pediatric cancer patients, their families, donors, supporters and Yankees fans will occupy three party suites at the stadium for the Yankees game against the Blue Jays. Guests will enjoy food and beverages along with visits from former Yankees and gifts from KLN, the team and Pinky Swear Foundation.
“It’s my favorite day of the year,” Klinger wrote in his email. “To treat kids dealing with cancer and their families to a day at the ballpark is pretty special. The Yankees do an exceptional job making sure it’s a memorable day for all involved.”