Thoughts on Ways to Engage Students and Fanbase?

[The YO Show]

I think everyone can agree there are constructive ways to engage the fanbase, and those were the things I was hoping to hear from everyone. There are definitely some ideas here, and paladin is right. YSU has some of the best facilities in the FCS along with a great gameday atmosphere. And JP, i agree with you but even propose that commuters could attend more games. I commuted and attended almost every home game (i had a family death for one) while i attended YSU.

My thinking is if you can draw some of these fans in, be it with some new marketing campaign or gimmick, that you can get returning people. People will do something again if it is fun, and that is how i describe the gameday atmosphere. Just need to get people to give it a chance, and it does include convincing those living on campus to show up to a game.

I actually want to get some of these good suggestions and pass them along. I want to try to actually make people aware of how awesome it is and provide more visibility to penguin atheletics. Im hoping you guys will help me, if only by continuing to give me constructive ideas. Lets face it, despite our disagreements and accusations to one another, we all are YSU fans right? Or else we wouldnt be wasting our time on this forum. So keep the suggestions coming guys! And thank you for your responses, together we can make a difference.

[penguinpower]

As I said......hype video with texts.  Get it?

[The YO Show]

Penguinpower, i didnt mean to discount you. I do really like your suggestion. It would have to be done like the emergency text system though. Where you voluntarily sign up for the texts. There have been some good suggestions so far.

[ysufan0505]

Whatever it is, it has to start with the students.

[ScarletRook]

I realize that just the geography makes this a difficult comparison, but what does NDSU do to get such a large student attendance?  It isn't always snowing in Fargo. 

[ysufan0505]

I realize that just the geography makes this a difficult comparison, but what does NDSU do to get such a large student attendance?  It isn't always snowing in Fargo.

More students living on campus. That's really all it comes down to really. YSU as everybody knows, is a commuter school for the main part. Get more on campus housing and start winning football games and that will change.

[nova75]

4 titles in a row certainly doesn't hurt.
Just win baby.

[FOOTBALLFEVER]

4 titles in a row certainly doesn't hurt.
Just win baby.

Having consecutive sellouts at the Fargo Dome is like a weapon in of itself. I really think bringing in a big name coach like Bo Pelini and the expectations being at a all time high will bring more fans this season. The curiosity factor is there without a question. I think the administration along with the coaching staff are really doing a good job trying to hammer home the point through social media. When you have big home games like N.D.S. from 2 years ago and Indiana st. last season with so much at stake there is know reason for the stadium not to be packed with the tradition factor that exists at Y.S.U...actual people in the stands is what I'm looking for not the tickets that have been sold. Win or lose at Pitt it shouldn't matter ..There should be know less then 12,000 actual fans for the M.V.C. home opener against Illinois St.

[JP21]

I think everyone can agree there are constructive ways to engage the fanbase, and those were the things I was hoping to hear from everyone. There are definitely some ideas here, and paladin is right. YSU has some of the best facilities in the FCS along with a great gameday atmosphere. And JP, i agree with you but even propose that commuters could attend more games. I commuted and attended almost every home game (i had a family death for one) while i attended YSU.

My thinking is if you can draw some of these fans in, be it with some new marketing campaign or gimmick, that you can get returning people. People will do something again if it is fun, and that is how i describe the gameday atmosphere. Just need to get people to give it a chance, and it does include convincing those living on campus to show up to a game.

I actually want to get some of these good suggestions and pass them along. I want to try to actually make people aware of how awesome it is and provide more visibility to penguin atheletics. Im hoping you guys will help me, if only by continuing to give me constructive ideas. Lets face it, despite our disagreements and accusations to one another, we all are YSU fans right? Or else we wouldnt be wasting our time on this forum. So keep the suggestions coming guys! And thank you for your responses, together we can make a difference.

I agree commuter students should attend the games, I did as well.  But the fact still remains look at these other MVFC games.  The student attendance is astronomical.  No offense to the older YSU fans but when you go to a game at Stambaugh look around and see who is in the stands.  It's older people not students.  You have to get the mentality out of YSU students head that they are going to sit down on a Saturday afternoon and watch OSU over YSU.  I know this happens because every single friend I had in high school that attended YSU did the same thing. "Come down to the YSU game with me" no OSU is on.  It was really frustrating how you can attend a school and not care about their football team if you live football.  Something needs to be done about this. Student involvement is awful and it needs to change by changing the mentality of the students.

[Penguin Nation]

It needs to be the "best show in town."  The attractions are targeted toward the demographic you are seeking...families, students, community, or alumni.  You can create an electric atmosphere w/o lots of $$.  I went to an FAU game w/ my daughter and one tailgate lot looked like a carnival with rides and games.

Winning works too...however we are in a G5-equivalent conference with Goliaths on our schedule.  Until we too are a Goliath....gimmicks are necessary.

[YSUFan07]

I am a former student that graduated from YSU in May, and I wanted to create an account to comment on this topic.

Something does need to change. I was fortunate enough during my time at YSU to be in a position where I was around the football team quite often (I won't go into specifics for reasons). Most of you know the demographics of fans who attend games at Stambaugh. Students would attend games during the early part of the season but the numbers would drop. Minimal marketing was a factor that played into that.

However, a "grassroots" social media campaign became rampant in the fall of 2013 with ESPN College GameDay. A hashtag was used (#GameDay2YSU) and students across campus participated. That was great. There was a buzz on campus to bring ESPN to Youngstown. We all know what happened that caused ESPN to go elsewhere, but it was close. That was an exciting time on campus. The thing is, it was entirely fan driven. The marketing from YSU and the athletic department were nearly non-existent. It took a huge event like that to get students involved. It is quite possible that ESPN may look to come back this season, especially now that President Tressel is here and Pelini is the head coach, but if it takes an event like that to generate buzz, that's a problem.

The athletic department needs to be more active on social media-Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat specifically. We see posts regularly about the season coming, players, interviews, etc., but a small amount cater to students. The department can create hashtags, contests, anything to get attention. It doesn't take much to get our generations attention (trust me on that). Using social media is cost effective and frankly they are missing out on that opportunity.

YSU's program has a great history and it's important to keep it going with the growing student base on campus.

[JP21]

Yah social media can be used to lure students to games. But the fact still remains that there is a problem with student involvement.  When I was going to school at YSU 2001-2005 nobody cared. Why did nobody care?  Part of it is because the product on the field is awful and there are other options for college football.  YSU is viewed as a second rate football team in a division that is second rate.  That is how the students view it.  Do you think UNI fans feel they are second rate to the university of Iowa?  How about NDSU are they second rate to any college football team in their fans eyes?  The answer is no they don't think that, only way to change that is create more of an atmosphere on gamedays just like Fargo does.  Winning helps but I'm not prepared to say social media is the rescue. The culture at YSU needs to change just like the culture of downtown is changing from 20 years ago.

[penguinpower]

LOL disloyal??? I've been to almost every single home football, mens and women's basketball games in the last 5 years since I finished school, so no that's the last thing I am. But what I am, is a proud alumni and fan and will continue to criticize the marketing department because they are incompetent at what they do and do not help promote MY school at all. Hence why this thread was created because if the marketing department was doing their job correctly, we would not be discussing this. So call me disloyal, that's your personal opinion. GO GUINS!!!

Agreed. Incompetent and hires worst promotional video company.  Last year was "whistle while you work".  Stupid.

[Wick250]

07,

Good initial post.  Keep contributing on a regular basis.

JP21,

Your analysis about YSU students is regrettably true, but you might consider that this is a problem widely shared in the FCS and the G5 universe.  The only FCS schools that are immune to big time interference are those in the Plains and the Rockies who have no P5 competitors within their borders.  NDSU and Montana are the lucky winners in that category, but they are huge exceptions within FCS.

Power,

Correct, as usual.

[YSUGO]

To get more students.  Give each student in attendance each quarter 1 entry.  Each game 5 entry's attend all home games and stay till end each game give them an entry bonus.  Then have a drawing at end of season for a prize of  free tuition for semester a year whatever plus books whatever. I bet you get 1k students trying to win that.  The Dana school of music should make it a requirement that all music majors have to do 2 yrs marching band to graduate that should swell the numbers of the band.  All home games need to start at. Later in the day.  People have sports etc.  We need to get all the youth football leagues involved.  Start bringing in classic bands to play before the games or after the game.  Make it an event that Nobody in State of Youngstown would want to miss.  They should have a yearly drawing for season ticket holders as a fan appreciation day or night.  Instead we get magnets and cups!  lol!