They are moving the University section

BOOOOOOO

They are moving the uni section from section 28 to section 17-19 in the endzone. I say boooooo. Apparently they are having trouble with security. just put more people up there. Know there are only 600 and some tickets for uni students when there were 1000 before. I know this will screw up some buss trips on labour day and later games in the year.

Where is the Wolf hot tub going to? You can't have those girls down there without all of us horney students. Jim Hopson is an idiot, the university section is the only one that is always sold out.

......maybe you guys should just learn to sit down and behave yourself before they do away with the uni section entirely...... :twisted:........

........still can't believe The Paddock burnt down......oh, the humanity.........

Would you be happy if they kept the spot but raised the cost significantly? I believe that is part of the issue, the seats are worth more then what students pay. So even if the section isn't filled they could still make the same or more $$$

No I wouldn't be happy then either. I would understand it, but I would not be happy about it. The only thing I would have changed is tighte security. Prevent people from bringing in their own booze (it is so easy it isn't even funny) and add more visible security. I have sat there many times. I had season tickets there in 03, plus the many other games that I traded seats with someone to sit there. Ya it can be rowdy, but it could be controlled.
Most of the time it is just a great time. (i would liken it to a big house party. Sometimes they can be out of hand, most times they stay civil).

If it was the money issue I wish they would have listed that as a reason. They did not.

awww that sux!! i wont' be able to see the fights from my section 25 anymore!!

That is totally retarded. Me and my friends seriously don't think it is worth going to a game at all (from saskatoon) to sit in the end zone. Terrible view. Does this mean we'll just pay a whole lot more for better seats? Well no. Firstly because being a student means you don't have a lot of money to begin with, so cheap seats are the only option. Second and most important, the University section 28 has always been without a doubt the most fun area in the stadium to watch a game! YES it can get very rowdy at times, but everyone knows what to expect! No one sitting there brings young kids or anything, so I don't see what the problem is.

Well if you think of it from a business standpoint, it makes more sense to sell good seats at regular price than to discount them to students with whom they will have to hire more security to watch over them and lose even more money. Don’t you think? Then of course you probably aren’t studying Business are you?

What the hell r u talking about, there arent any more security guards there than there are anywhere else. Even if there were, is hiring a few extra guys for 3 or 4 hrs really going to break the bank? And looking at it from a business standpoint, section 28 is almost always sold out. If you raise the price, a shitload of people like me and my friends wont bother going AT ALL, or more likely we'll just go once a yr instead of 3 times. I sure hope YOU aren't taking business.

[quote="Pythons"]What the hell r u talking about, there arent any more security guards there than there are anywhere else. Even if there were, is hiring a few extra guys for 3 or 4 hrs really going to break the bank? And looking at it from a business standpoint, section 28 is almost always sold out. If you raise the price, a shitload of people like me and my friends wont bother going AT ALL, or more likely weWell i know enough about business to know that selling a lot of something at a discount isnt going to make as much money as selling it at regular price. But i'm sure if they didn't move the University section you'd find something else to whine about.

I agree Billy. I was floored when I heard this. One of the smartest moves the team has done was introducing the university section back in the 80's. Now the new regime thinks it's better to drive our young fans out of the park?

VERY disappointing!

I have actually talked with Jim Hopson about this. Apparently the reasons for doing this is:
Money of course, they will get more for the seats in sec 28

and also they supposedly want to make the uni section an attraction, kinda like the dog poiund in cleveland. Apparently there will be walking vendors for beer, so people won’t have to get out of their seats, preventing the mass exoduses, and the angst that that causes. They are trying to prevent the fighting.

Who knos, it may end up being a good thing. I doubt I will ever be sitting there again, but I will be able to watch them better from my season tickets in sec 42 then I was before.

Sorry Billy, but I have to disagree. First, if the reason for this is to get more seats in section 28, they’d better first look long and hard at filling all the other sections first! What did we have, 2 sellouts last year? And imo the best way to ensure a long-term fan base is to encourage our youth to come to the games now.

Also, if they are now going to try to reduce the fights and arguments by having more walking vendors, did it ever occur to them to try this in sec 28?!?

Don’t get me wrong, no one would be happier if this turned out to be a “good thing�. I sincerely hope it does. But I’m skeptical. I fail to see how shooing away a large group of passionate young fans is a positive marketing move. The existing fan base is getting older, and these new and younger kids need to be catered to a bit. They’re the future.
(Nah, I take that back – they’ll probably all move to Alberta anyway :lol: )

Oh I agree with you. I think that it is a bad decision, but I was just trying to tell you their motives.

Just saw this on Riderville. I don't think its new. but its new to me (the letter that is, not the ideas in the letter) and it is a fairly well written explantion:

To: Rider Student Fans:
I
wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and clarify some upcoming changes at Taylor
Field this season. I am Saskatchewan born and raised and I have lived and worked in several
Saskatchewan communities. I also had the good fortune to play with the Riders in the 70?s so I
feel that I have a fairly good understanding of the importance of the Riders to its fns. Having said
that there has hardly been a day since I started this job where I haven?t been amazed by the
passion and enthusiasm of our fans ? young and old! The fans in section 28 are very
representative of our passionate fans.
We realized that moving the student section from the sidelines to the end zone could be met with
some resistance and we have heard your concerns. I don?t want anyone thinking that we don?t
take your concerns seriously, but we honestly feel this is the best move for our team and its fans.
I
n 2005 the CFL commissioned a Risk Assessment Audit of all of the stadiums throughout the
league. Security, safety, and liability issues were identified with the student section here at Taylor
Field. We also received numerous complaints due to the overcrowding in this section and
problems with ?migration? into neighbouring sections. More than a quarter of all security was
dedicated to this area which made up approximately four percent of the fan base at Taylor Field.
We also had an excessive number of game day fan injury reports and police assisted removals
from section 28.
A decision had to be made on the sustainability of this section and rather than close this area
down we decided to move it to the end zone. This was not and is not seen as a banishment of the
students. We are fully committed to turning this section into a first class area that students will
support and enjoy. We also hope to see more students continue to purchase tickets throughout
the stadium whether it by one or two, or blocks of several seats.
The first initiative we implemented for students this season was to continue value pricing. It will
actually cost you less to sit in the student section this year than it did last year. We are also
currently working hard on promotional games that will be tied to the hospitality industry. The
SaskTel Maxtron was a huge success last season and we will convenience you this year by
showing live game action for your enhanced viewing. We will be constructing convenient
washrooms, concessions, and beer booths for the area.
We are looking for your feedback on how we ensure that your needs are met in the student
section and at Taylor Field in general. Please use the e-mail address below to share your
comments with us. We want to know what you liked best about the previous student section and
what the Saskatchewan Roughriders can do to make your game day experience more exciting.
Any and all feedback is welcome and we look forward to ensuring your Taylor Field experience
continues to be enjoyable.
Please e-mail comments and suggestions to: students@saskriders.com
Sincerely,
Jim Hopson
President/CEO
Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club