Football

[Scout86]

Thought you guys would like to get a laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz4CW6uG1fs

[DetroitFlyer]

I like it!!

[Flyer Gramps]

Zach's daddy made him do it!!!

[jmitch]

After the 29 point smackdown that the bball team had tonite, I'm ready for football season to start back up. Can't wait to see what Ross Smith can do on the field. I know the coaching staff was excited that he showed up on the doorstep this year.

[ICDWS]

My newest and bestest Dayton Flyer Family friend is in this PSA. Which role did Z Elias play? I think there is serious potential for these actors in future roles.

[PIONEER 8]

Originally Posted by ICDWS My newest and bestest Dayton Flyer Family friend is in this PSA. Which role did Z Elias play? I think there is serious potential for these actors in future roles.

Using my detective skills (went to the roster and looked at the pictures) he is the white tee shirt. Makes me laugh everytime I watch it but I have to wonder how much grief they got and are still getting from the coaches for this little project.

[ICDWS]

The hardest part of the FCS experience is lack of student attendance. Where my eldest son plays he frequently complains about it. These kids put so much effort into this game and then the lack of student support is very disappointing. There has to be some method of turing the student on to these games, as they are very fun to watch. Perhaps free stuff of some sort would help. I am dedicted to making this happen at UD.

[DetroitFlyer]

Originally Posted by ICDWS The hardest part of the FCS experience is lack of student attendance. Where my eldest son plays he frequently complains about it. These kids put so much effort into this game and then the lack of student support is very disappointing. There has to be some method of turing the student on to these games, as they are very fun to watch. Perhaps free stuff of some sort would help. I am dedicted to making this happen at UD.

a free tailgate for students might help. Beer could be sold to students of age at a discounted price. (Not $6.00/8 oz cup). Free pop and maybe $2.00 for a 16 oz beer.... When my daughter was at UD, I often took half a dozen or more of her friends, (male and female), to the Flyers Club tailgate as my treat. That seemed to motivate them to attend. I even got a couple of tOSU students to come. They fully intended to leave at half time to watch an tOSU game on TV, but ended up staying for the whole game because it was a good one and they were impressed with the level of play. I think it may have been a Robert Morris at Dayton game that close. (We won). Of course I sprung for Pizza at Cassanos, (sp?), as well so it cost me a good bit that time, but it was worth it.

[ICDWS]

DF: make it the place to be and people will get there. Perhaps a night game once in a while could be experimented with. It seems to work at other FCS schools. Whatever the hook, make it unique and work it baby.

[Flyer Gramps]

In our discussions here on how to improve attendance, please forget night league games - they are not in the cost control of the PFL plan; that is, traveling team staying another night.

Suggestions for making the facility more of a college atmosphere may have more success. I talked for two seasons and they added the two signs on the visitor side railing (Dayton Flyer & the PFL members) plus the 4 flags on fiberglass sticks in the end zone corners. My ideas about displays on trailers made on campus & moved in & out quickly never took. And student groups (frats) doing time-out skits didn't work either. Maybe pick a single point each season and make a combined effort not just a single forum post. Don't worry about attendance - that's for the alums to fret about; you & your child did your thing by providing a player.

As far as after game party place at the stadium or in lot for parents, fans - forget it. Try to make the pregame a busier event or help the few old-timers who do the Flyer Club thing become a bigger thing. Do we have volunteers?

Nobody has mentioned my biggest gripe? Have you forgotten the rest of your "kids" relatives, friends, neighbors, hs classmates who don't get to the games? Why be needing pre & post parties when so many can't even see the game on a webcast. Six people with AD in their title, Hall of Fame people & thousands of alumni who like football can't get a webcast without buffering and with a synchronized audio broadcast on the internet. That's a black mark for UD football!

My suggestion is enjoy your child & his team's play. Enjoy the short visitation time after the game with all the players in unis at the end of the stadium before they have to walk all of 40 yards to their dressing room. Develop some friendships & plan meeting someplace with those who stay because most parents from Ohio do not stay overnight Saturday. Don't worry about peripheral things; it can be a great experience for you without having red flags & UD logos overhead, students mingling & smiling alums after a game. My experience is all of that is at Milano's Pizza...stay as long as you want!

Now there is one game to really get serious about & consider. It happens every-other year. When the Flyers game is done at San Diego, they stay overnight. Stay at their hotel too. Go to the Friday eve workout - it's gorgeous! That weekend is when a group along with son's can have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity together after the game. It's amazing the conversation, interaction & watching those guys down a dinner and a beer or several after a game in hot-hot sun! Need to do it once for sure!!! Just watching parents visit together in the lobby is fun. Other away games you have a quarter to half hour before the players get their sandwich & board their bus, but USD is special!

[Scout86]

I know it's early but a huge game for us is the Illinois State game....hope everyone tries to make that game !

[Scout86]

Originally Posted by DetroitFlyer a free tailgate for students might help. Beer could be sold to students of age at a discounted price. (Not $6.00/8 oz cup). Free pop and maybe $2.00 for a 16 oz beer.... When my daughter was at UD, I often took half a dozen or more of her friends, (male and female), to the Flyers Club tailgate as my treat. That seemed to motivate them to attend. I even got a couple of tOSU students to come. They fully intended to leave at half time to watch an tOSU game on TV, but ended up staying for the whole game because it was a good one and they were impressed with the level of play. I think it may have been a Robert Morris at Dayton game that close. (We won). Of course I sprung for Pizza at Cassanos, (sp?), as well so it cost me a good bit that time, but it was worth it.

I think it's important to get as many new parents of the players to come out before the games and tailgate....I can tell you that Christy and I showed up early before every game and really didn't have anything to do......maybe Flyers Club tailgate group could invite all the teams parents ? I'd like to join them !

[UACFlyer]

People don't often think about this; but every four years there is essentially a 100% turnover of a college community.....all new faces.

UD's freshman class numbers about 1700. Beginning almost a week before classes start freshmen show up on campus for a week of orientation activities. This stuff is not "optional".....essentially all freshmen are involved, including a welcoming address at either Frericks or the Arena, I forget which.

I would include in the freshman orientation process attendance at the first home football game....everybody is expected to be there, period! Bright eyed, deer-in-the-headlights freshmen,....away from home for the first time in their lives, tend to do what they're told, at least for a while.

Run a caravan of buses or whatever it takes to get the majority of the 1700 freshmen at WS for that first game. Try to fix in their minds from day one that when the Flyers play at home WS is the place to be. Surely, that would have some impact,....eventually.

Starting with the freshmen, there is an opportunity to affect the culture.

[Scout86]

I agree, and last year many new students and their parents did show up for the game as there orientation wasn held in the arena.

[DetroitFlyer]

Originally Posted by Scout86 I think it's important to get as many new parents of the players to come out before the games and tailgate....I can tell you that Christy and I showed up early before every game and really didn't have anything to do......maybe Flyers Club tailgate group could invite all the teams parents ? I'd like to join them !

is open to all. We have some of the players parents attending from time to time. Part of the "problem" is that it is difficut to tell an "open" tailgate from a "closed" tailgate. Truth be told, however, if you walk up to almost any tailgate and identify yourself as a UD Football fan, you can almost always score a hot dog and or beverage.... I do this sometimes on the visitor's side as well to meet parents of players from the other teams. I have enjoyed more that one beverage in the motorhomes of fans from Davidson, Drake and others.... For years, the Flyers' Club tailgate has been $5.00 for all the food you can eat and all the beverages you can drink. Come on down!

[DetroitFlyer]

And another thing.... Here is what I do not get.... My son is not a big football fan. He will attend UD games if I drag him. BUT, I'll be darned if he did not attend many of his high school’s football games. Why? For one his friends wanted to go and it is the thing to do on a Friday night in the fall.... There ought to be some way to tap into that "feeling" when the freshmen arrive at UD. As you might have guessed, I am a football fan, so it was never really a question if I was going to attend UD games when I was a student. Maybe a psychology professor could help out.... LOL!

[Scout86]

Originally Posted by DetroitFlyer is open to all. We have some of the players parents attending from time to time. Part of the "problem" is that it is difficut to tell an "open" tailgate from a "closed" tailgate. Truth be told, however, if you walk up to almost any tailgate and identify yourself as a UD Football fan, you can almost always score a hot dog and or beverage.... I do this sometimes on the visitor's side as well to meet parents of players from the other teams. I have enjoyed more that one beverage in the motorhomes of fans from Davidson, Drake and others.... For years, the Flyers' Club tailgate has been $5.00 for all the food you can eat and all the beverages you can drink. Come on down!

Knowing this now, I'll be there every game.

[proudpapa]

What we need to do is figure out what it is that appeals to these kids and why it isn't present at the games. I believe that if the atmosphere were a bit more upbeat and party in nature you would get the kids to show.

I live and work in a major college city and the kids here don't go to the game for the actual football game. They go because it is the place to be and that is where the party is at. I work around these kids and hear what they really want to be doing. What if there were local bands that could play before the games. Turn it into a festival each home game.

The best thing to build attendance would be to have an automatic bid into the FCS Playoff and win a couple playoff games over a couple of years and you will see attendance by the students increase.

On to the tailgating aspect...Last year was the first year that we had decided to attempt to attend all of the home games. It was very difficult with a new baby, but we bought her a cheer leading outfit and made a good effort. My wife bought me a small grill for the express purpose of tailgating more. We will be trying it out before most of the home games. What I found difficult was tailgating at away games. I need to get with the people "in the know" to figure those things out. We planned a huge tailgate for the Morehead game and ended up having to go to a state park after the game because they did not allow tailgating in their lots. I look forward to meeting more people this year. You will know the group, we should all be wearing #1 jerseys. Come say hello and hang out. I must warn you though that we really don't drink so that there won't be many adult beverages around for us to entertain with. We would love to get together with other parents.

[ICDWS]

Great ideas from eveyone. Enjoying UD experience is our main focus of course Gramps. If it means simply watching the game and eating a hot dog with you then so be it. I feel for the players, knowing how much work they put in to this effort and their disbelief that kids that attended every high school football for 4 years, wont watch them play another 4 years? I dont get it either. anyway, I love the Freshmen orientation thing, could be a good time to throw a welcome back students party as well. Already saving up for a San Diego trip!

[Flyer Gramps]

Originally Posted by UACFlyer People don't often think about this; but every four years there is essentially a 100% turnover of a college community.....all new faces. UD's freshman class numbers about 1700. Beginning almost a week before classes start freshmen show up on campus for a week of orientation activities. This stuff is not "optional".....essentially all freshmen are involved, including a welcoming address at either Frericks or the Arena, I forget which. I would include in the freshman orientation process attendance at the first home football game....everybody is expected to be there, period! Bright eyed, deer-in-the-headlights freshmen,....away from home for the first time in their lives, tend to do what they're told, at least for a while. Run a caravan of buses or whatever it takes to get the majority of the 1700 freshmen at WS for that first game. Try to fix in their minds from day one that when the Flyers play at home WS is the place to be. Surely, that would have some impact,....eventually. Starting with the freshmen, there is an opportunity to affect the culture.

When these freshman leave in four years they'll go out into the world as "UD football fan alums" just like the dozen who still post here. But now we'll have dozens upon dozens posting & coming to the games too. Tickets will be hard to get & they'll be talking about the days of how this all got started. What a concept! Yes, they'll come because they "have to come" and later, because it is "the thing to do", just like in high school in Illinois. Hey, that's the way it was on my campus in 1955 so back to the future!

[UDBrian]

The students cook hamburgers at bball games and sell them for $1 I believe. I'm not sure why they don't do this at the football games although it might take a lot of cooking for a big turnout

I think that attendance comes down to the fact that it is easier to kick back and watch football in the dorm with a beer in your hand. Attendance at evening soccer games is really good but that is in the evening and the students have a short walk over to the soccer field