Well, the Coastal athletic department is looking to address that issue in its own way as well through its “54-in-54” initiative to bring 54 changes or improvements to the gameday experience in and around Brooks Stadium next season based on fan suggestions.
“It’s been something that’s been bubbling under the surface for a while across campus,” said Mark Payne, CCU’s associate athletic director for external relations. “We have a great relationship with our concessionaire, we have a great relationship with the bookstore, we have a great relationship with student affairs. … And I think all of us are hearing from different constituents, ‘We want this to be different. We want that to be different.’”
So fans are encouraged to submit their own ideas or feedback by filling out an online survey at www.goccusports.com/ot/54-in-54.html. Payne said the athletic department will run the initiative for three years in hopes of bringing 162 changes or upgrades to the gameday experience. The idea came from a similar campaign organized at Mississippi and the 54 represents the university’s founding in 1954.
Suggestions will be taken up until June 1, and soon thereafter Coastal will publish to its athletics website a list of the 54 ideas it plans to implement.
“We want something that makes an impact and fans can say ‘OK, Coastal pays attention to what we’re saying,’” Payne said. “That’s important to us, that the fans really take part in gameday. That’s a challenge you have at the mid-major level is getting people to really make football an all-day thing, and it’s not unique to us. Across the country right now attendance is down in every conference, so we thought we’d attack the problem from the fan perspective instead of thinking we know everything. We don’t. They’re the ones who are paying their hard-earned money to come to games, so we at least want to give them an opportunity to say, ‘Hey, this is what I want to see at games. If you can do it, great.’ And if we can, we will.”
Payne said the final list put online will be updated as items are checked off, and if somebody’s suggestion can’t be implemented, the athletic department will reach out to those people to explain the reasons.
So far, Payne said suggestions have been received concerning such matters as the music in the stadium, the tailgating atmosphere, concession stands, etc.
“We’re getting a lot of subtle tweaks that are easily done that I wouldn’t say we ignored them; we just didn’t realize it was that important to folks,” he said.
