Fort Collins – With Colorado State’s average of 26,694 fans at home games likely to drop with the home finale over the Thanksgiving weekend, the Rams are on track for their lowest attendance per contest at Hughes Stadium since 1993.
The empty seats during the past two home games were obviously not what athletic director Paul Kowalczyk expected to see in his first fall. He said he doesn’t know if the budget will wind up flush with ticket revenue projections, but he doesn’t expect a major hit.
CSU hasn’t averaged less than 27,000 since the 21,928 mean in 1993, which was coach Sonny Lubick’s first season.
CSU ranks seventh in Mountain West attendance, ahead of UNLV (21,696) and Wyoming (19,109).
“Needless to say it’s very disappointing,” Kowalczyk said earlier this week. “You need fans in the stands to help you win, and you get fans to show up because you win.”
Students on break and holiday travel will cut into the gate Nov. 25 against TCU, but Kowalczyk hopes some customer appreciation ticket discounts will help offset the difference at the 34,400-seat stadium.
“That’s what makes our business so volatile,” Kowalczyk said. “We can’t rely on 30,000 sold every Saturday like they can (at some places).”
Acknowledging injuries and other distractions, Kowalczyk said of the junior-dominated team: “To me it’s been a disappointing year, but the future is bright. Our goal is a BCS bowl game. Are we going to get there this year? Obviously not. We are building for the future. That’s hard for fans to understand and appreciate at times. We can’t get there without their support. It’s easy to bail. It’s tougher to be a fan when things aren’t going well.”
He plans to add a development position next spring as well as the creation of an events position. There will also be a renewed look at the ticket marketing plan.
“It’s not the panacea, it’s not the end-all, it’s not the answer to all our issues,” Kowalczyk said.
