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Ticket policy changes with fan overload |
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Tuesday, 18 September 2007 |
 Two fans stop and sell their extra football tickets to an Appalachian student’s mother outside Kidd Brewer Stadium before the game Saturday. Derek DeSha
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by LAUREN LAWSON
News Reporter
Appalachian State University’s athletics and ticketing departments were unprepared for the effects of Appalachian’s win over the University of Michigan Sept. 1 and were forced to work in new territory with unexpected negative side affects.
“Michigan changed everything…even though it seems as if there are nothing but positive effects there are some negatives,” said Steve N. White, athletics department ticket manager.
After
last Saturday’s record attendance for the game against Lenoir Rhyne
College, an emergency meeting was held Sunday to discuss the ticket
situation.
“We met Sunday as a staff for three hours to make decisions,” Assistant Director of Athletics David M. Jackson said.
There were multiple complaints from students, alumni and general community members who attended the Lenoir Rhyne game.
“I had a lot of complaints, [many of which came from] season ticket
holders. I sent out a lot of apologies following the game,” White said.
Some of the complaints included students standing in the portals and
students sitting in reserved seats and refusing to move when the ticket
holders arrived to their seats.
“I guess we got caught up in the excitement from Michigan and sold a
lot of tickets…a good amount of them being grass seats. We did no
limitations on student or guest tickets for the Lenoir Rhyne game and
the student numbers ballooned,” White said.
Many students who planned on using their two guest tickets for friends
or family this past weekend at the game against Northern Arizona
University were disappointed to discover that guest tickets for
students were taken off Monday night without warning.
“Normally students can go online and print their student and guest
tickets the Sunday preceding the game, but because of the Lenoir Rhyne
game situation and our emergency meeting Sunday, we only opened tickets
up for students Monday at about 8:15 a.m. and by 9:15 p.m., I pulled it
off,” White said.
No notification was sent out prior to Monday that the number of student guest tickets would be limited.
White explained two reasons for the limited number of tickets.
“One was that this is new territory for us, and two, that if we had
notified people they would have thought they can go online and print
tickets even if they don’t need them personally in order to sell them,”
White said.
Appalachian alumna and Boone resident Mindy Coatney said she and her
husband, Stick Boy Bread business owner, Carson Coatney, were
disappointed by the game Saturday.
“We worked all week, using every connection we had, including posting
signs at the bakery and online to get tickets, and after spending over
$50 [for tickets] for our family to go, we could not even see the
game,” Coatney said.
Coatney said it is hard to place priority on who should be allowed to go the games.
“It was so packed. It was a little rough having to pull my kids through
the crowds. With all those students and people it was not
enjoyable…within 15 minutes of the game I was ready to go,” she said.
Coatney wishes there was an area for families at the games.
“It was not a very appealing scene,” she said.
Another reason for the huge crowd at Saturday’s game was due to Open House and Family Weekend.
“We offered prospective students the option to come to the game and the
numbers came back very high…that was an additional crowd,” Jackson said.
White said he hopes people understand.
As for the rumor that guest tickets are sold out the rest of the year, he said that is untrue.
Jackson said he advises going in as early as possible in the week in
order to get tickets, and not to rely primarily on the two free guest
tickets.
“I don’t see the popularity going away anytime soon, especially this year,” Jackson said.
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