University of Richmond Athletics
Ask The AD
12/14/2005 | General
Dec. 14, 2005
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -
From Jim Miller:
You may have recently read a Richmond Times Dispatch article regarding attendance at our home football and men's basketball games. The figures listed in the article do not provide an accurate historical description of attendance at these games.
Starting in 2000-01, we changed our attendance reporting procedures. Now our policy is to report attendance as accurately as feasible...and here is how we go about it:
We do not conduct a turnstile count. We report the actual number of tickets out for the game. This figure is sometimes reduced if we know that a significant number of the "tickets out" are not used. In addition, we conduct a count of our student attendance at the event. Speaking of our student attendance - For a school with only 3,000 undergraduates, we have one of the best student turnouts for men's basketball games in the country. We average approximately 20% of our student body at our men's basketball games and often have over one-third of our students in attendance. Thank you students and thank you Rowdies.
As I am sure most of you know, many schools release attendance numbers that are significantly "enhanced" to make themselves look better. In fact, prior to 2000-01, Richmond used this method of reporting attendance. So, I would suggest that comparing pre-2000 attendance to post-2000 attendance is like the proverbial "apples and oranges" comparison.
The best way to measure improvement is to accurately state our attendance numbers...and that is what we are doing now. To increase attendance, we need to rely on presenting and promoting a good product...not by announcing attendance numbers at artificially enhanced levels.
Thanks for your continued Spider support, and Happy Holidays,
Jim
