Student Seating at football games

[Kak7304]

Apparently student section seating will now be general admission rather than reserved seating. This might help change the atmosphere of the stadium a bit.

 

[Kak7304]

Students will still be separated by class. I love this because the people who care about the game will get the best seats and the ones who care more about drinking and show up well after kickoff will be further back.

 

[IrishLax]

No idea what took them so long. This is a great idea.

 

[IrishRamMan10]

Students will still be separated by class. I love this because the people who care about the game will get the best seats and the ones who care more about drinking and show up well after kickoff will be further back.

I hate this for this exact reason. JUst because a person goes in early doesn't mean they care more whatsoever. It kills tailgating as people will now go in early. Very glad I already graduated

 

[Kak7304]

I hate this for this exact reason. JUst because a person goes in early doesn't mean they care more whatsoever. It kills tailgating as people will now go in early. Very glad I already graduated

While that is true, going in after the first quarter shows a lot of not caring and I saw quite a bit of this when I was an undergrad.

 

[IrishRamMan10]

where did you hear this? I have looked online and seen nothing else.

 

[notredomer23]

I hate this for this exact reason. JUst because a person goes in early doesn't mean they care more whatsoever. It kills tailgating as people will now go in early. Very glad I already graduated

Just curious, but how does this kill tailgating? Most people I know begin tailgating very, very early.

 

[IrishRamMan10]

Now if you want front row seats like I enjoyed my final two years you will prolly have to get there by 8 or even earlier if I had to guess. If people show up hours early for bball games a lot more people will be inlclined to go and go even earlier for football games. I bet there will already be a line by then. tailgating should be an 8-2/3 activity. you cant really tailgate while you are in line in front of the stadium.

 

[RuntheBall]

Students got an email this morning about it. I dislike it as well as it will really kill the pregame activities, will create a huge line to sit in the front and cause more drinking in the stadium. They have the right idea, but alot of unwanted consequences.

 

[House16]

As a current student, this upsets me so much. Last year we would tailgate right up until 3, and get there well in time for kickoff. Now we can't tailgate if we want good seats. UGH. I guess so much for seeing the band march in?

 

[arrowryan]

Why are they separating the student section? Where will the student section be?(If there is one)

 

[Damion704]

To improve the atmosphere maybe?

 

[arrowryan]

The email is still a little confusing. I guess we will just have to wait until August to see how it looks

 

[RuntheBall]

The email sent to students this last night/this morning:

Your Leprechaun Legion Board, with the support of Student Government and
the Notre Dame Ticket Office, will be launching a new football student
ticket policy in Notre Dame Stadium this fall. Moving forward, *student
seating will be general admission by section, according to class year.* We
believe that this system will allow the most passionate fans to sit closest
to the field, giving our team a louder, more intimidating home field
advantage.

Here is the new policy and process (it is as simple as it sounds):

*1. Buy your tickets online through the Notre Dame Ticket Office. *

- Within the next few days, eligible students will receive an email from
the ticket office with directions on how to purchase. Follow the directions
to buy your tickets online through the Notre Dame Ticket Office by the May
8th deadline.

- There will be no group seating. Each class year will be assigned a
booklet with a color that corresponds to certain sections within the
stadium, with seniors being closet to midfield, and the freshman in the
endzone.

*2. Pick up your tickets in the fall at the ticket office windows. The same
process as last year.*

*3. On gameday, seating will be first come, first serve. If you want to sit
close to the field, get to the stadium early.*

This process is essentially the same as Men's Basketball, but instead of
the whole student section being general admission, it will be segmented by
class year.

 

[Damion704]

How? By spreading the more passionate and loud students around the stadium? Sounds like an improvement to me.

 

[arrowryan]

How? By spreading the more passionate and loud students around the stadium? Sounds like an improvement to me.

Well now that I read the email it makes a little more sense but is still confusing

 

[notredomer23]

edit: nevermind.

 

[Chris P. Bacon]

Maybe this has been posted, but I'm at work and don't have time to read all of them. Traditionally the team goes and sings the alma mater in front of the student section after every game, what's the plan for the team this year if there really isn't a "student section", they just going to stand in a circle in the middle of the field and face outward towards the fans and sing? That would be cool if they did that, would get the entire stadium to chime in, even if they didn't go/graduate from ND.

 

[alaskandomer]

Interesting how things run in cycles. During my time at ND ('69-73) it was done this way, though the student section was shifted somewhat more toward midfield and away from the end zone. The ushers will have to be on their toes, as there were always more "a few" extra folks squeezed into the student sections.

 

[alaskandomer]

Maybe this has been posted, but I'm at work and don't have time to read all of them. Traditionally the team goes and sings the alma mater in front of the student section after every game, what's the plan for the team this year if there really isn't a "student section", they just going to stand in a circle in the middle of the field and face outward towards the fans and sing? That would be cool if they did that, would get the entire stadium to chime in, even if they didn't go/graduate from ND.

The student section isn't going anywhere. It's just being divided by class, and without assigned seats.

 

[IrishLax]

I don't understand what people are talking about with regards to spreading students out. To me, the email reads that students will still have the same sections of seats and still organized in the same fashion by class... just within the sections, it's open seating. So looking at the map:

Seniors will still start in Section 28-29 (aka "midfield") and then the least fortunate frosh will end up in Section 33-35 (aka "endzone") like how they do it currently. Right? I mean I guess reading the bullet point #1 it leaves this open for interpretation a bit.... but I reallllllly doubt they would just start throwing students around the stadium haphazardly.

What I also don't understand is the fear of having to get to the stadium at 8 AM... I guess it's possible that you could have lines outside the gates for "order" but that doesn't make much sense as there are a bunch of entry points into the stadium... gates don't open until 90 minutes before kickoff; so just guessing, but you'd maybe have to line up ~100-120 minutes before kickoff if you wanted the best seats... and at that point you earned it?

How is this worse than putting your name in the lottery and getting a ticket draw that could stick you in the back of the stands all 4 years? How is that system more "fair" then letting whoever wants the seats the most get them?

The concern over it killing the tailgate atmosphere early as the students all probably start heading to the gates an hour+ before kickoff is legit. I don't know if there is any way around that short of not opening up the gates/student seating sections until ~45 minutes before the game. And even that is a crappy fix.

My biggest concern would be losing your seat when you go to get concessions or use the bathroom or something like that. I can just see it now walking back to your seat and the usher telling you there is no room up front and you going "but that's where I was sitting!"

 

[NDdomer2]

instead of seniors at midfield shouldn't it be first x rows id rather be up front in the endzone than in the back at the 50, maybe that's just me.

probably no good way to seperate that as easy as it is to say this section is seniors and so on.

 

[IrishRamMan10]

there is no right way to do it. I just think the old way was better. I liked the fact that I knew where my seats where and that all my friends would be there. under this new rule you will have to go in with all your friends in order to sit with them. Cell phones are useless in the stadium on game days.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

My biggest concern would be losing your seat when you go to get concessions or use the bathroom or something like that. I can just see it now walking back to your seat and the usher telling you there is no room up front and you going "but that's where I was sitting!"

That's what your friends are for.

 

[RallySonsOfND]

I think that is how most schools do it.

 

[IrishLax]

That's what your friends are for.

Right, and then this scene happens:

Student: "I was right up there!"
Usher: "There's no room up there now. There's already too many people."
S: "But there's my friends! Right there!"
Friends yelling back over stadium noise: "Yeah! He's with us!"
U: "I don't care there's no room please find another seat."

(goes on in circles until one party gives up)

This is going to happen... i.e. ushers being d*cks to people trying to get back to their seat and/or move up... because there will be a late crowd of people who had friends who got the premium seats and try to move up to them... and they will be saying the same thing as the guy who left to get a coke at halftime "Mr. Usher I promise I was up there... see! thos are my friends!"

Chaos. It's coming.

 

[NDdomer2]

Right, and then this scene happens:

Student: "I was right up there!"
Usher: "There's no room up there now. There's already too many people."
S: "But there's my friends! Right there!"
Friends yelling back over stadium noise: "Yeah! He's with us!"
U: "I don't care there's no room please find another seat."

(goes on in circles until one party gives up)

This is going to happen... i.e. ushers being d*cks to people trying to get back to their seat and/or move up... because there will be a late crowd of people who had friends who got the premium seats and try to move up to them... and they will be saying the same thing as the guy who left to get a coke at halftime "Mr. Usher I promise I was up there... see! thos are my friends!"

Chaos. It's coming.

I think the more likely scenario is a group of friends rotate a a couple of the group to go stand in line and save the seats once they get in. Then you have people saving seats for friends who are still getting sloshed and people who waited in line a long time bitching about saving seats and being there first etc...

 

[greyhammer90]

I think that is how most schools do it.

Not how it's done in the south. Not saying it's better or not, just saying I've been to most sec stadiums, none work that way.

 

[irish1958]

This is exactly how seating was done when I was there. I don't recall any problems with the students. Too bad I can't say the same for the coaches.

 

[returnofthemack]

This is a bad idea. Even when there was assigned seating, people would move up, or guests would sneak in and it would be overly crowded. Now, people are going to forgo tailgating because they won't get a good seat otherwise. Tailgating until 3 and then making your way into the stadium, knowing where you would sit was great. The atmosphere in the student section has never been the problem at a Notre Dame football game. I don't understand why they had to change this.