Attendance Issues

[TheDeuce]

I've heard of several schools doing free admission nights. I believe Graves Co. did this.

 

High school students should always be free, IMO.

[Jumper_Dad]

Attendance is down at nearly every sport in America, not just high school football. There are outliers when playing a major rival of course.

[newarkcatholicfan]

High school students should always be free, IMO.

 

I agree.

[AtlPirateFan]

Belfry has been suffering from attendance issues for a few years now. Outside of the Pike County Bowl the radio guys are practically begging for people to fill the seats each week. Living in north Atlanta area makes it impassible for me but if I was still on Pond Creek I would have my family there every Friday night.

[Panthers#1]

It seems like the parents and grandparents are there but less student body. In small schools the cheerleaders and band take up a lot of the student body.

[JDEaston]

Attendance is down at nearly every sport in America, not just high school football. There are outliers when playing a major rival of course.

 

This is correct as well. Prices keep going up and there are other ways to watch the games not to mention nearly every school has dedicated streaming audio feeds now. It'll get worse before it gets better, imo.

 

I'm one who would personally rather watch a game in person, regardless of the weather. But sometime life gets in the way of that and rather than rushing around to get to a game, then spend $50+ to take a family of 5 that isn't as likely as I to not care about the weather, it makes it much easier to stay at home (or do whatever else we need to do) and stream or listen to it.

[Killowatt59]

I was talking to one of my buddies here in Louisville sometime in the last year...he's a Ballard grad. He said he used to go to at least half of Ballard's football games around town in any given year, but since his son started into middle school baseball and AAU basketball he doesn't have the desire to go sit in the stands for another game if he doesn't have to be there. "I already have 80 billion games I have to go to for my own kid."

 

That was an interesting take that I'd have personally given very little consideration to until I heard him say it.

 

I think you've got on a large part of it. Our society works a lot and there is so much going on these days.

 

Youth sports especially. Their schedule anseems to have increased 10 fold sense I was a kid in the early 90s. I don't have kids but I have a lot of friends who do. It seems like they are always running themselves ragged taking their kids to youth sports stuff almost on a daily basis.

[KY Outsider]

It is sad but I have seen low attendance numbers at several games this year. Being just across the river from Cincinnati where playoff games sell out, it makes you wonder if NKY schools just aren't into football anymore.

[newarkcatholicfan]

It is sad but I have seen low attendance numbers at several games this year. Being just across the river from Cincinnati where playoff games sell out, it makes you wonder if NKY schools just aren't into football anymore.

 

Ohio is not seen the crowds they once did.

[DragonFire]

High school students should always be free, IMO.

 

This, so much this.

[Coltcity]

Notice DeSales attendance down a bit the last few seasons. I have been following Kentucky high school football all my life and always felt that attending a game was a great way to spend a Friday evening. The wife and I look at it as 'date night'. And we look forward to away games to visit another part of the state and pick a nice restaurant before the games. I guess we're easily entertain and old. Free tickets for students sounds like a great ideal.

Edited November 23, 2019 by Coltcity
Miss spelling

[Jim Schue]

Notice DeSales attendance down a bit the last few seasons. I have been following Kentucky high school football all my life and always felt that attending a game was a great way to spend a Friday evening. The wife and I look at it as 'date night'. And we look forward to away games to visit another part of the state and pick a nice restaurant before the games. I guess we're easily entertain and old. Free tickets for students sounds like a great ideal.

 

Seemed like it was a good crowd at DeSales tonight. Bardstown did travel well since the distance wasn’t a huge hindrance.

 

But overall I agree with the tenor of this thread.

[ChiefSmoke]

Seemed like it was a good crowd at DeSales tonight. Bardstown did travel well since the distance wasn’t a huge hindrance.

 

But overall I agree with the tenor of this thread.

 

It is a short distance. 36 miles. Mercer & DeSales, district opponents, 75 miles apart.

[rjs4470]

Besides all the other viewing options available on a Friday night, the local high school game itself is almost always on radio and many times is being streamed.

 

I’m not sure a radio broadcast would affect attendance. My games in the mid to late 80s were on the radio. Heck I listened to HS games when I was 10 or 11 years old.

[newarkcatholicfan]

The biggest game in Ohio last night according to Akron University, the game site officially said the total was, 11,000. The game was Washington vs Akron Hoban, a rematch of last year state championship game, that drew 16,000. The 16,000 was way below what people were predicting it to be then. The 11,000 that it drew this year again was way down, from what was predicted. Neither team had to travel very far.