Originally posted by tsull
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I certainly get your point - and you are right, I don't think we should be competing with FBS on anything, and especially attendance. That being said, I don't like going to D2 games with a high school atmosphere. I doubt the players do either. The key is to provide a "college football" atmosphere to a small crowd. Part of the solution is to find the scalable aspects of the FBS experience and retrofit them to work for D2. That's why we're seeing a lot of D2 schools building stadiums with things like box seating, video boards, and fan amenities. We don't need flyovers, elaborate halftime shows, fireworks, or complex ticket packages. Another part of the solution is to not think "too big" and find ways to keep the community aspect in focus as well. Don't nickel and dime fans, don't make the ticket buying process complicated (a booth at the gate works just fine), let the kids in free - that stuff goes a long way too.
The tl;dr - D2 football isn't FBS, but it's also not high school. Take elements from both to create a unique atmosphere. Then the fans will come. It's not an overnight process, start small, build on it, and eventually it should work.
Your comment about parking is interesting. We charge a small amount for one of our lots, and the rest are free. It seems to work for us. It's the popular tailgating lot, and we provide trash/porta-loos, so they are getting something for their money. What bugs me is going to a game where there is one lot, you have to park there, and they charge like $10 just to get into the parking lot. That's a little excessive. Charge if you'd like for premium parking, but provide some sort of free alternative. At this level, it might drive fans away.
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