Hope your summer has been relaxing and you’re ready for football season.
Until then, I’ve been asked to speak to some of the external members of the UH athletic department. It’s a way for me to convey some of the things they do well - and areas that need improvement.
To me there is no better audience to ask than those on this forum.
I’d like to give them a wide-range of pros and cons heading into the new athletic year - and what better feedback than to hear from you. It can be something that’s improved - or something that causes you to shake your head repeatedly.
It can be about communication, lack of execution in certain areas, concessions, security, parking, ticket options, merchandise, treatment of donors based on your level. Everything is fair game. I’d like to have as many examples to present to them. I’ve been asked since I’ve been on the beat for 14 years and have seen my share of the good and bad. But it’s you, the fans, that invest your dollars and emotions into the athletic department. It’s your opinion that should matter the most.
Appreciate the help. If you have a story idea along these lines or anything else feel free to email me at Joseph.duarte@houstonchronicle.com.
Thanks JD, as an OOT Coog, I really appreciate the coach’s caravan. It is well appreciated and a great time to speak to and hear from the HC’s on the programs at UH. Each year about this time I feel a vibe of the athletic programs ready to excell, this year I think it just might be in football and basketball.
This is really interesting and strange. I appreciate what JD is doing here but who has asked him to do this, the Chronicle or the Athletic Department? You would think that this would be the Athletic Department’s job to get comments and feedback from its ticket base on how to improve the fan experience with UH athletics and not the beat writer’s job. This is actually a job the department should be consistently doing. I know there are tons of folks on here who have contacted the department on ideas and needs for improvement. Is JD going to post all of the ideas and comments and the AD’s responses on Chron.com or post them here or where?
Hopefully it would lead to a vastly improved fan experience.
This is part of a larger symposium the athletic department is having. I’m basically a guest speaker and the topic was pitched what I’ve seen (improvement/needs work) in my years on the beat. I’m not going to publish the answers on the Chronicle website/print. This is merely a way for me to get a pulse from fan base and relay actual concerns instead of just guessing on some of the issues that seem to be a yearly problem.
iDOC,
I agree completely . The Caravan provides a connection back to the FB program that one does not normally get. It even reaches folks that were not big FB Fans while at UH . Thanks for asking JD.
I don’t like the uniforms. Maybe it’s Nike and their generic look? Maybe adidas would be better? I don’t know. But I would like a new, fresh, sharp look. Also, perhaps they could bring back the logo from the 80’s? Also, when wearing the blue jerseys, please don’t wear them against a red color school. A good portion of our fan base, wears red regardless. Bring Shasta back on campus in his own space. lol
To bringe some final context.
This is what I’m asking:
Do you feel the messaging is good? Or are you in the dark a lot of times with events, etc.?
Has merchandise improved or still not a good selection?
Are you still stuck in the garage after football games?
Food options
Do the ticket plans - full season or mini plans - offer a variety of options?
That type of stuff.
I’ll be out of pocket for several hours this afternoon having a neck procedure so won’t be able to respond. I’ll collect these and use anonymously when I speak to UH. Or you can just email me if you want more privacy and to speak freely.
If they continue to sell the extra-large cans of beer, they should also offer the 12-ounce cans. The extra-large beers get warm before I can finish one.
Sad to say, TV makes the calls on game times. And they do it 6 days out in some cases. Pain in the ass for us to make some of those games, lots of our fellow COOGS bail on the thought of day games in September (sometimes August!)
For football, the fan experience at the first 5 games was not good. The timing and selection of the DJ music was off and would sometimes interrupt when the band was playing. There were also mistakes made with the pregame player intros - that is inexcusable. That all seemed to change with the last game at TCU - the music selection was great, and the DJ seemed in better sync with the band and played the right songs at the right time. Although it was a close and nervous game which we ultimately lost, I recall the crowd staying pretty hyped throughout.
The long tradition of ringing the bell after every score was poorly executed last season - you could barely hear the bell ring, and it would sometimes get drowned out by the bad timing of the end of the fight song. I have sat in the same section since TDECU opened and could always hear the bell ding clearly until this last season.
Merchandise selection for football could be better. I am one of those fans who will buy something at just about every game, if anything, to support the team and university, but the choices week in and week out were limited and the same throughout the season. We seem to have the lowest tier of Nike gear. I see so many of our fans buy knock-off gear (especially the Houston blue kits) probably from AliExpress that look better than the stuff we sell at the Team Shop.
Wish we had more pregame activities for the students, like we did in the Herman years, that would help build excitement, encourage early seating, and build a connection with the team. I am at a loss as to what we can do with the older fans to get them to their seats by kickoff - so many like to hang out at the tailgates or on the concourse until the second quarter. Maybe it’s the heat, maybe the traffic and parking, dunno.
Band playing at the tailgate area on Cullen prior to going into the stadium was an excellent idea! Please keep that one up.
Not the highest priority but stadium wi-fi is non-existent - I don’t ever recall being able to successfully connect to wi-fi at TDECU.
Uniforms - I think the Houston Blue uniforms are a great idea from marketing, fan engagement, and community connection perspectives so we should maintain that. Minor thing - for blackout games, it would be nice to deck the team out in black helmets as well to stay true to the theme. However, I know that it costs money to have nice things so understand if that was lower on the priority list.
Could not agree more regarding afternoon games in September - wish those were all evening games as that definitely has an impact on attendance.