Virginia Tech Making Mistake Expanding Student Section Seating For 2024

You read the title and if you're on X/Twitter, you already probably know a little about what I'm talking about.

So let's start with the context. Earlier this fall, Virginia Tech announced that they would be going through a reseating for 2024 during which student section seating would expand by approximately 500 seats as reported by the Roanoke Times.

There has been a shuffling since then of the exacts on those where those seats in the East Stands of Lane Stadium as the Sons of Saturday posted on X last week. This does bring back some of those lower seats for regular fans in East but also maintains the current student section expansion likely by around 500 seats or so.

Part of the reasoning noted is student demand for tickets to games which to be clear, there definitely is demand based on how full the student section is for Enter Sandman.

But it's one thing to be full for Enter Sandman, it's another thing for there to be actual demand to enjoy the football game and not just show up to hang with friends for a little bit after winning lottery tickets before leaving at halftime to go elsewhere regardless of the score.

If you want to build a truly intimidating environment, you need to have a full stadium for four quarters and well, that's not happening nearly as much as it used to even just a few years ago. This isn't just a Virginia Tech issue either. Many major college football programs across the country are facing it.

Even in 2019, we saw Nick Saban complain about students at Alabama leaving games early. You know, the greatest dynasty the sport has ever seen. That program has had issues with students early. This isn't just a Virginia Tech issue, this is a national trend because the younger generations are looking more for experiences, which is their right, and not as many see staying for a football game they get in free though as part of that.

Now, I'm not saying that students or any fans don't have the right to leave early if they have a ticket to the game. However, Virginia Tech also has the right to create the best environment possible at Lane Stadium in whatever way they see fit to do it. Is increasing the number of students at a game, most of whom likely won't have actual much interest in the game, really going to help enhance the environment of Lane Stadium?

So what do I propose Virginia Tech should have done instead?

Well first, Tech should keep the student section the same size. Yes, VT's student population is growing, but that hasn't led to an increase in the percentage of diehard student fans staying past halftime.

Two things that Tech could do to help are reinstating assigned seating for student season ticket holders and creating a way to track which students are actually staying and who isn't to try to ensure that the students getting into games are the biggest fans more often. That includes finding more ways to get freshman students who are passionate fans but have limited opportunities to get tickets more ways to get into games.

Tech could also do some sort of giveaway during the fourth quarter of a game that requires a student to be at Lane Stadium to actually receive it. Create incentives and you'll get more students staying longer even if you will never get 100% for various, understandable reasons.

Getting rid of GA seating also likely means students don't get to games as early, but likely stay inside Lane Stadium longer. The fact is that many students likely are going to stay at Lane for a few hours so why not take off the pressure to be there way early for Enter Sandman. Instead, get them some flexibility to get there closer to kickoff and then see how many stay around past halftime.

And trust me, Enter Sandman won't suddenly be lacking students. That will never be an issue.

Also, getting rid of GA seating will help with some of the traffic jams that Virginia Tech students have been dangerous subjected to. I do think that Tech was right to readjust the student section as well to allow for more areas for students to enter though I do fear that GA seating may shift some of those logjams to those lower entry points. It should at least help lessen those issue some and I do applaud Tech for that.

When I tweeted last week, it's also clear that there is some serious price gouging for students selling tickets to other students. Tech needs to a do a crackdown on those who sell student tickets well above market price, especially lottery tickets, making it harder for freshman diehard fans to get in who maybe couldn't get season tickets.

So what would I do with those 500 or so tickets. Well you could just put them back on the general season ticket market and cut down on some of the reseating that some fans aren't too happy about. That's an option, but I also understand why Tech has done some reseating in recent years as their approach has changed to match what most major programs around the sport do. That was a fundraising gap that Tech had to resolve.

What I would do is create a section just for young alums around that area with a discounted price for alums who bought season tickets in college and have limited incomes as they start their working careers. Those diehard fans are the type of students and young fans that you are actually going to convert into your big donors and giving them easier paths to stay connected to the program they passionately supported in college.

We've already seen Virginia Tech take a similar approach just a few years ago at the last reseating when they moved any remaining student seats out of the upper South Endzone, which was never full, and into the East Stands. In its place, the Hokies rolled out the 540 zone in the upper South Endzone giving alums and fans who lived within a certain radius of Blacksburg a cheaper ticket option.

And since Tech did that, the 540 zone has delivered creating a full upper South Endzone over the past few years unlike the fairly empty upper South of the mid-2010s as Virginia Tech declined. That's been a big reason why Lane Stadium has been able to keep its sellout streak up with many alums who stayed in the region able to stay engaged with the program and likely producing more young donors that the Hokie Club desperately needs.

It also enhances the environment of Lane Stadium because these are fans who are actually staying for the full length of games and providing some energy out of the upper South Endzone that wasn't that common not long ago.

There's also the Section 5 stuff that our friends at the Sons of Saturday have done that has helped create more energy inside Lane Stadium. Imagine adding a targeted section for young alums who were passionate students in the North Endzone. Imagine getting more diehard fans in the stadium who will cheer the Hokies on for four quarters rather than casual fans who can still get into a game or two per year but would leave early from most.

I know many will disagree with this but if we want to keep Lane Stadium as hostile as can be, then find ways to get more diehards into the student section at the capacity its at and more young alums who were those diehards in college back into Lane Stadium on a weekly basis right after they graduate even while their incomes may be limited.

Regardless of your view, at least the student section is full for a little bit unlike the spades of room for activities in the Scott Stadium student areas. Then again, that's their whole stadium until Hokie Nation takes it over every other year. At least Tech has fans that make you wonder how to best get all your fans in rather than begging fans to get your stadium to 60% capacity for your irrelevant football program.