Page 2 of 5

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 2:48 pm
by Class of 20Something
I agree with @alabama24 about ODU and JMU. There was real animosity during the JMU games, but an ODU rivalry could be built on mutual respect and results on the field and recruiting trail.

I think part of being rivals is going through the life stage of our programs together. Having ODU on the schedule frequently going forward would be important at building that. I hate to say, the best way for Liberty fans to start to consider them a rival is to lose.

I couldn't think of any reason that Marshall should ever consider us a rival.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 3:20 pm
by alabama24
ballcoach15 wrote: October 2nd, 2019, 2:30 pm Neither of those 2 are "rival material".
What makes for a good "rival" in your opinion? Study

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 3:48 pm
by thepostman
ODU is by far the most natural rival for us. Will it come to furition? Who knows but it makes total sense. They are instate, they moved up to FBS at around the same time and it is an easily travable game for all the fans.

I hope it becomes a great rivalry. @ballcoach15 is allowing his personal biases to get in the way again for whatever reason.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 4:51 pm
by jinxy
3 games in a row did hurt. Intense heat hurt as well for those with little ones.

Rivalry comes from playing and recruiting regulary. Indpendant makes i5 tough to play the same teams regularly. Uva vt is a rivalrg yet uva hasnt wont in what 17 years. I dont buy that argument a bit that we have to lose to them. Odu and coastal are the 2 that could turn into something. Right now. That will change.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 5:42 pm
by jimflamesfan
The Syracuse game was also on a holiday weekend. I actually think that hurt us as well. LU is not known enough to get people to cancel their long weekend at the lake plans.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 5:45 pm
by jimflamesfan
For the home schedules....of course if we can P5 home game we take it. But when it comes to G5s, the ODU/Charlotte/Marshall/East Carolina....those games would draw bigger numbers. Away fans would come. I really think our biggest crowd ever would have been the odu crowd if it hadn't have been for the lightning delay. AND BRING THE BANDS!! :)

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 5:55 pm
by ballcoach15
I can't see Charlotte bringing anyone but player parents.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 7:17 pm
by R i
I agree with JC about fan fatigue. Four games in Five weeks is rough.

College football attendance is down all over the country, football in general is down. Several local high schools have canceled their football programs due to lack of participation. I think the largest factor for attendance being down is the product is so much better on TV. I look forward to watching games on TV much more than I do attending in person, most of the season.

Home schedule gets better over time, but look at UVA and VTs home schedules, its year in and year out garbage besides one marquee game.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 2nd, 2019, 7:54 pm
by Jonathan Carone
R i wrote: October 2nd, 2019, 7:17 pmI think the largest factor for attendance being down is the product is so much better on TV. I look forward to watching games on TV much more than I do attending in person, most of the season.
This is me to a T. One, maybe two games are worth going to. Other than that, the convenience of tv is just too much to justify giving up the time and money to go to a game. I loved the game I went to but there’s nothing else this year worth coming up for to me.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 3rd, 2019, 7:28 pm
by BJWilliams
I work part-time and am working every Saturday so I just rather tune in online. Im making a trip up for a game this year, but I can't really justify a 8 hour round trip every weekend at this point. Hopefully as the product improves, I'll make a few more trips for games like VT, ODU (having grown up in the 757), Virginia (although Lord knows where I will be in 2027) and any "big name" games we pick up as the future schedules are announced in the proceeding months and years.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 5th, 2019, 12:21 am
by Just John
I have three brothers that drive up from Raleigh for each game and a nephew and his family that live locally. We all have Flames Club seats. TV is definitely a better view but it can't compare to the time we all have together each game. Can't wait until Saturday during the week. Some of the the best days of the year.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 5th, 2019, 7:41 pm
by LUOrange
Just John wrote: October 5th, 2019, 12:21 am I have three brothers that drive up from Raleigh for each game and a nephew and his family that live locally. We all have Flames Club seats. TV is definitely a better view but it can't compare to the time we all have together each game. Can't wait until Saturday during the week. Some of the the best days of the year.
My wife and I get season tickets every year, and our kids are not into the games and are old enough to stay home by themselves. So while, we enjoy the game and the atmosphere, it's also our time together. I look forward to all of our home games.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 7th, 2019, 1:59 pm
by R i
It is time well spent with my family for sure.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 10th, 2019, 9:22 am
by BlueBlood
I watched some of the UL / App St. game last night. Not a big crowd. its was a Wed, so maybe that was to be expected.

However, I did look up their attendance for our game there - it was only 16,231. UL drew 18,183 for a Texas Southern home game. They played in front of 17,416 at Ohio and 19,220 at Georgia Southern.

When they played SEC Miss St. at the Superdome, they only drew 22,440.

I know we want our numbers to be higher right out of the gate, but a little comparison with a good G5 team who has been playing FBS/I-A for a long time puts it into perspective a bit.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 10th, 2019, 9:18 pm
by jinxy
I get the tv argument for pro sports but for college it just doesnt resonate with me at all. Especially for college football there is nothing like the pageantry tailgating and enjoying being around friends and the overall atmosphere

Pro doesnt have any of that and traffic is worse and tickets and amenities cost way more. Totally get it and agree on pro

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 6:40 am
by olldflame
BlueBlood wrote: October 10th, 2019, 9:22 am I watched some of the UL / App St. game last night. Not a big crowd. its was a Wed, so maybe that was to be expected.

However, I did look up their attendance for our game there - it was only 16,231. UL drew 18,183 for a Texas Southern home game. They played in front of 17,416 at Ohio and 19,220 at Georgia Southern.

When they played SEC Miss St. at the Superdome, they only drew 22,440.

I know we want our numbers to be higher right out of the gate, but a little comparison with a good G5 team who has been playing FBS/I-A for a long time puts it into perspective a bit.
Those numbers tell me we really have no reason to be especially concerned about how we have drawn to date. GA Southern, with all the success they have had over the years and coming off a 10-3 season with a bowl win, couldn't get to 20k in their conference opener against one of the pre-season favorites. I think we will be fine if the results on the field continue to trend up.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 7:13 am
by ATrain
jimflamesfan wrote: October 2nd, 2019, 5:42 pm The Syracuse game was also on a holiday weekend. I actually think that hurt us as well. LU is not known enough to get people to cancel their long weekend at the lake plans.
Meh, I agree - but Syracuse also had more of their own fans their than any other visiting team this season.

For us, the games and the Flames Club dinner beforehand gives us time to spend with my family (we're in Maryland, my parents are about an hour away from Lynchburg), and season tickets were cheaper than single game tickets to Syracuse, Buffalo and homecoming. We gave the New Mexico tickets to my sister and her family.

As far as attendance and rivalries go, winning will help along with bringing in big names. ODU has great potential as a natural rival, being the only other in-state G5 school (unless JMU moves up). Marshall could be another good option, if they'll play us. There's really not another good option, unless we can schedule BYU consistently and the games remain competitive. Getting big names on the schedule is going to help aswell. Over the next decade, we have Tech, UVA, Wake, Duke, and Army coming to town. Those games should draw more than Syracuse.

I don't see us being able to revive the rivalry with Coastal - some of us still care about it, some of the folks at coastalfans.com care, but by this point the average student and student-athlete doesn't have the same dislike for them that was there during the Barber years. Once we're only scheduling one FCS school per year, it should be an in-state school or one from NC that's not far from Lynchburg: W&M, Richmond, VMI, Hampton, Norfolk State, JMU (unless they move up), NC A&T, or Campbell.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 9:19 am
by ballcoach15
When we played ODU last season, how many fans did they bring ?

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 9:24 am
by TH Spangler
It seems G5's don't travel well. We travel more like a P5.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 10:08 am
by BlueBlood
TH Spangler wrote: October 11th, 2019, 9:24 am It seems G5's don't travel well. We travel more like a P5.
For sure or wishful thinking? I watched both the UL and NMSU games online and do not remember seeing much of an LU presence.

As far as G5s that Liberty could schedule that I would expect to bring fans with them - maybe Marshall, ECU and APP State. Those schools are reasonably close and have better than average G5 support.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 10:22 am
by ballcoach15
I think Marshall would bring a lot, Appy State a few and ECU not many.
As for a rival, I think Marshall would be a good rival for LU. Much better than most schools that have been mentioned.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 10:25 am
by TH Spangler
BlueBlood wrote: October 11th, 2019, 10:08 am
TH Spangler wrote: October 11th, 2019, 9:24 am It seems G5's don't travel well. We travel more like a P5.
For sure or wishful thinking? I watched both the UL and NMSU games online and do not remember seeing much of an LU presence.

As far as G5s that Liberty could schedule that I would expect to bring fans with them - maybe Marshall, ECU and APP State. Those schools are reasonably close and have better than average G5 support.
Even P5's require a reasonable travel distance, unless it's a major bowl game. I hit our NC State, Wake, UNC, Va Tech games. We had a lot of people at them. At UNC the entire stadium was dotted in red.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 10:27 am
by TH Spangler
LU VA Tech should be a sale out in lynchburg or blacksburg from now on

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 11:02 am
by Class of 20Something
ballcoach15 wrote: October 11th, 2019, 10:22 am I think Marshall would bring a lot, Appy State a few and ECU not many.
As for a rival, I think Marshall would be a good rival for LU. Much better than most schools that have been mentioned.
But why? Whats the story there? They aren't instate. They didn't just move up to FBS. They aren't in the top of our recruits offer lists. There are so many possible storylines and places we compete with ODU. What is compelling about Marshall.

Re: Williams Stadium Attendance

Posted: October 11th, 2019, 11:14 am
by FLAMEfromBAMA
Absolutely nothing about Marshall is compelling to me. My list of rival candidates in no particular order are as follows: ODU, VT, UVA, ND, and BYU. Of course that's just my personal list for us as an independent. My dream is for all the conferences to go through a major restructuring where there are only three power conferences and we end up in a division with UVA, VT, NC, Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky with consistent matchups vs ND and BYU as well. Then rivalries develop naturally as results on the field flesh out regularly. I'll sit back and keep dreaming...