USC men expecting increased attendance for new season

Frank Martin, a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan, remembers going to the Orange Bowl as a child. The Dolphins were having a lousy year and the paying customers were out-numbered by empty seats.

“They announced it as a sellout, and there was no one in the stadium,” Martin said. “I always wondered where they got that number. Increased attendance was always the important number to me.”

He’s seen that number increase each year at South Carolina, and while there haven’t been many sellouts, there’ve been some – and those could increase.

USC averaged 11,520 fans per game last year, impressive for a team that had two losing seasons in Martin’s first two years. The Gamecocks finished a game above .500 last year but still increased their attendance, ranking fourth in the SEC in fans per game, and improved 1,446 fans per game from the previous year, the 12^th-best increase in the country.

It’s poised to increase this year, with what’s expected to be a talented team in Martin’s fourth year and marketing implementations such as the Gamecock Pass. Modeled after what several professional baseball and basketball teams do, Pass holders get a text message every game day about their seat assignment. It can vary from spot to spot as season-ticket holders may not be attending. All a Pass holder has to do is arrive at Colonial Life Arena, show the text to an usher and take their seat.

“It was an educated guess,” USC chief marketing officer Eric Nichols said. “We want to see what works. Zero to season tickets is a tough ask. We wanted a product with ultimate flexibility.”

USC put a limit on 500 Gamecock Passes for this season and sold 453 before Saturday’s season-opener. There has been an 11 percent increase in season tickets, part of a 36 percent increase since Martin arrived.

Other ideas – such as the nine-game mini-plan with the option of adding three more games – have also increased attendance. Mostly, though, it’s USC fans buying what Martin is selling.

The Gamecocks have improved. If they’re going to win that will be the ultimate payback for the fans’ trust.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 5:32 PM.