How Football Can Drive Attendance for All School Sports

As another school year approaches, athletic programs are preparing to kick off another successful football season. Now's the time to consider possibilities to encourage community engagement for all sports on campus throughout the year.

Schools can easily accomplish this with digital ticketing and season passes. Football can help boost attendance for winter and spring sports by 30% or more when schools strategically leverage football to promote other sports.

Capturing the enthusiasm for football at the right time – when school just comes back into session – gives your program momentum and allows you to bundle different ticketing options to increase attendance and participation for all sports.

The Playbook: How to Leverage Football to Promote Other Sports

If you want to leverage football to increase attendance for all sports in your program this school year, follow these steps:

• Bundle tickets for all athletic events with season passes
• Incentivize purchasers and reward them with a special gift or added benefit
• Promote the offer online and in person
• Follow up, follow up, follow up
  
  

Step 1: Offer All Sports Passes

Bundling is a technique where schools offer access to more than one event or activity in a single package. Football tickets can be successfully bundled with other sports with an all-sports season pass.

For many schools, football tends to draw the largest crowds and has consistently high attendance. By offering an All Sports Season Pass, schools can increase engagement for other sports, improve the fan experience, and drive more revenue.

Consider selling an All Sports Pass for $150. A football-only pass may be priced at $49 (i.e., five games at $12/each).  However, including basketball, wrestling, girls' volleyball, and more enables you to target football fans and make the case that a buyer is getting 10x more events. While this may seem like a steep discount, remember that your football fans don’t always attend other sporting events.

Providing an easy way for your football fans to access other sports can help you grow your fanbase, create equity for all teams, and drive more revenue for you to reinvest in your programs.

Package Example

• Type: All Sports Season Pass
• Includes: Entry to all sports on campus for the 2023-24 school year. More than 50 events!
• Price: $150
• Value Statement: Get $500 value for only $150 and support your school!
  
  

Step 2: Reward Buyers with Special Perks

Rewarding your fans can encourage participation in future events and activities while creating memorable experiences. Honor your fans with a special gift or benefit for getting involved.

For example, many schools will offer a t-shirt, commemorative cup, or stadium seat cushion for season ticket holders. Some schools offer concessions discounts or giveaways as well. The budget can come from All Sports Season Pass sales. Spending a small percentage of your additional revenue by rewarding your most loyal customers can foster engagement in your community. 

Rewards Ideas

• Concessions - priority or complimentary meal ordering
• Swag - special shirt, seat cushion, or cup for financial supporters or season ticket holders
• Name inclusion - feature the names of supporters on the scoreboard during games
• Preferred parking - designated spaces for season ticket holders
• Preferred seating - reserved seats for season ticket holders
  
  

Step 3: Promote Your Offer Online and in Person

Online Promotion

With digital ticketing, schools can post their events on their branded webpage with all available ticketing options, including single event tickets, Season Passes, All Sports Passes, Booster Club Passes, and more. Fans can easily filter by category to find their preferred pass.

By listing all your season pass options on your ticketing page, you can encourage fans to attend multiple events for single sports and across campus.

For example, Rolesville High School in North Carolina does a great job of featuring all their pass offerings on their ticketing page. Fans can easily discover new events and ticketing options all in one place.

In-Person Promotion

You can also promote your season pass offerings in person at football games with signage near the gate. Fans can check out in seconds on their phones to buy a pass and simply present their phones at future events to enter.

Hosting an event to promote the All Sports Season Pass is another great way to boost sales. Schools often host fall sports registration events to get all sports families together and roll out the information needed to join teams and get involved. This type of event is a great place to announce your season ticket packages.

Additionally, you can promote your season passes at your Open House or other special events on campus. Making your school the center of the community benefits your programs in many ways. It gets people comfortable navigating the campus, which is often also the site of your actual games. You want your fans comfortable attending your events!

Step 4: Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

Communicate throughout the year to remind your fans of upcoming events and drive more sales. Your target audience should be the families of athletes, then the greater school community of the student body and their families, and finally the neighboring community.

School campuses always have exciting events related to sports, performing arts, and other activities. Communicating with your fans is essential to increasing attendance and engaging your community. Email and social media are powerful tools to keep in touch with your fans, promote your events, and sell more tickets. 

Why Football Works to Promote Other Sports

With the All Sports Pass, schools can provide new options to fans and encourage them to attend events across campus. This not only fosters fan engagement and loyalty but also captures revenue that would otherwise be missed.

Football is particularly impactful from a ticketing standpoint because of its typically high participation rates and large audience. There can be upwards of 200 football participants at a single school and thousands of fans who support one team.

Additionally, the fall season always launches with enthusiasm and momentum. Families are ready to support the cause when schools can reach them at the start of the new school year.

Next Steps

To learn more about how your school can benefit from digital ticketing and season passes, contact us.