Colgate Attendance by the Numbers
������������ By Gary Braham�� 2-1-2000
Colgate is often critisized for its low fan tunrout at home games.� Sometimes rightfully so.� I did some research on our average attendance for our most recent seasons.
Football
Average attendace for home games- 5925
Average attendace on the road����� - 4983
As you can see, theres about a thousand more fans at home then on the road on average.� There are some schools in the league with higher attendance of course.�� A high alumni turnout is one of the main fan groups.� With only 5 home games, many alumni and parents of students come to several of them a year.�� Football is Colgate's top sport for attendance.
Mens Basketball
Average home attendance-412
the league average�������� -1052
Dead last in the league, Basketball just isn't big at Colgate anymore.� Weekday games draw the smallest crowd.
Womens Basketball
Average home attendance- 162
the league average��������� - 548
Also good for last in the league.� Colgate has started a kids fan club.� This gets some townies and young kids to the games, parents and friends go.� The students for the most part ignore it though.
Womens Ice Hockey
league games
home average- 52
road average- 153
non league games
home average- 89
road average- 153
Womens hockey is just catching on at Colgate.� Lots of parents and older people at the games.� Some students are starting to come.� A large chunk of our home attendance is still fans visiting from the rival school.
Men's Ice Hockey
non league games
home average- 1232
road average- 5773
league games
home average- 2125
road average- 3141
Hockey is our schools best sport and is second in attendance.� The students turn out for these games, but alumni are less likely to drive as far in the bad weather upstate NY usually has in the winter.
�� Aside for football, our numbers really don't compare that well, which is too bad becuase we usually have good teams.� Womens basketball was 3rd in the league but last in attendance.�� Other teams and have commented on our lack of attendance.� I looked at this in several ways.
�� First of all, we are in the middle of no where.�� The cities and towns are small are fairly spread out.�� Alumni usually have to travel pretty far to get here.� And our local fan base isn't as big as other schools.�� Secondly, we are a very strong academic school.� Students are often very busy and just don't have the time to spend 3 hours at Cotterell Court.� Thirdly, Colgate students are concerned with thier image.�� Lafayette students will cheer for thier team like fans cheer for a local pro team.�� Colgate students see themselves as being on the same level as the athletes, so will not put them in a position above the fans.�� Many of the students at games are atheltes themselves.� School spirit is not as high as you tend to find at other Patriot League or ECAC schools.
�� I think Colgate should try to focus more on the local residents.� They are here year after year and might accept Colgate sports as a form of entertainment and something to do.� Perhaps organizing a homecoming game or at least one game that stands out for hockey.� Push for one big game in sports that don't get a lot of coverage and try to get a large student turnout for that one game.� If they enjoy it, they will come back for other games.� Perhaps a midnight game or a midnight team introduction.� Several hockey teams begin the season with a team game.
Something to get people excited for the coming season, or have one game or scrimage game late at night.
��� Whether you see Colgate's attendance as being a problem or not, I see room for improvment.�� I hope that this site can have some impact on attendance in some way by having atheletes advertise for upcoming games here.�� When people get excited for an upcoming game, others are likely to go to it as well.� We're one of the most competitive teams in the league, its time to get competitive attendance wise.