IMO, it's season ticket holders who do not regularly attend the regular season weekends, but keep those seats locked up for those who may want to. I completely understand the idea that purchasing season "helps" support the program, but I wish Norwich would come up with a way to release those seats the week of the game if the owner isn't coming. To be clear, I am not "blaming" season ticket holders; rather imploring the powers that be to enact a program to free up unused seats.
I would push back on the idea that more offense would bring more people into the rink. The declining attendance has been an issue for years and years. As noted by other posters, empty seats isn't unique to Norwich, but it does suck.
I'm sure there are ideas out there (giveaways, events, etc.) but Norwich has long suffered from a "we've always done it this way" mentality and any kind of change moves at a glacial pace. I do know, for example, there was resistance to all the "pomp and circumstance" (for lack of a better term) that the NEC game featured -with no rational and viable reasons given. If it weren't for the efforts and persistence of Ed Hockenbury, none of it would've happened.
From a student attendance perspective, there is a simmering issue at Norwich. The proverbial well has been poisoned within the Corps; there is a disdain for varsity athletes - despite MANY of the athletes (thought not hockey) being in the Corps. I'm told this is a military college issue, rather than a Norwich problem. That being said the new Commandant is an alum who was an athlete, so I am optimistic things can improve.
I have been a season ticket holder since before the first game at Kreitzberg, so I’ll chime in.
First, a process does exist where season ticket holders can have their tickets resold on a per game basis. A win/win, the university makes twice the money for that seat.
Second, and this has happened to me a few times, late changes in life might prevent me from attending, so turning tix in doesn’t work.
Third, and final, any empty seats are available to sit in, so long as the owner doesn’t show. With the amount of standing room in the arena, any empty seats could be filled by people moving into them.
In the first situation, a seat ticket is sold once, for the other two, it could be sold twice.
Season ticket holders are a reliable amount of income, year after year, and if they don’t choose to attend, that’s up to them.
the biggest reason people may not show is because it often is easier to watch the game from home.
Until, and unless, games are sellouts, there isn’t a problem.
the corps did show up for the last regular season game, but generally their attendance is spotty. It may be the the corps looks down on varsity athletes, but what about the civilian side? That is a pretty sizable number of students, and most of the players are civilians. So the corps shouldn’t get all the blame.
would having some ‘extras’ bring in more people? It’s possible that a few might. But who runs these events? The arena staff is overworked already. University staff? With either group the event must at least break even, so not much chance of that.
Blue Line Club? While volunteering the work effort, the event again has to make money. And that club is short on local members too.
Norwich is 4th in the country on attendance, so there are a lot of teams doing well with half empty arenas. So until there are sellouts with a lot of empty seats, I see no problem.
