BYU announces improvements to football game day experience

During the spring of 2015, BYU Athletics distributed a Qualtrics online survey to Cougar fans that purchased season or individual football tickets over the past five years. The goal was to identify ways to improve the game-day experience at LaVell Edwards Stadium and other areas of BYU Athletics.

More than 60,700 fans were sent an email invitation to participate. An amazing 24-percent responded by completing the Qualtrics online survey. The feedback was straightforward, candid and exactly what BYU was hoping to learn from Cougar Nation. After reviewing all the data, the athletic department began to formalize a multi-year plan to improve the BYU football game-day experience. Below are some of the improvements we are working on for the 2015-16 season.

Traffic flow to and from LaVell Edwards Stadium

Moving 60,000-plus people out of a small area is never easy, but athletics has been working with UDOT to find the best possible ways for fans to exit the stadium safely and quickly. UDOT is implementing a new system that will keep traffic lights green for longer periods of time allowing the maximum amount of vehicles to pass through. Officers on the ground will have open communication with UDOT and can help manage the flow of traffic.

Football game-day parking

All reserved parking lots around LaVell Edwards Stadium (1, 2A, 2B, 3, 5, and 7) are held for specific pass holders until half time. Parking passes are assigned based on Cougar Club membership level. Individuals may park only in their assigned lot. Public non-reserved parking is available at the Marriott Center, Monte Bean museum, the northwest corner of lot #5 (intramural field) and the BYU administration building. Entrance to the intramural field is available on University Avenue only. Disability Parking is available in Lot 2A to anyone with a state-issued disability permit or license plate. Disability Parking in other lots is open only to those who qualify for that lot.

Tailgating and RV parking

Tailgating and RV Parking is located directly north of the BYU Broadcast Building. The lot opens at 6 a.m. on all home game days and will remain open until three hours after the conclusion of the game. There is no overnight parking available. The lot is first-come, first-served. Click HERE for specific policies and procedures.

Improve cellular coverage and Internet connectivity at LES

According to the survey results mobile devise connectivity is an important issue to Cougar fans. The university has been working on this complicated issue for a couple of years. It has been a challenge. The solution is a two-part process that requires two very different resolutions.

1) Improved cellular connectivity — This summer BYU worked closely with the four major carriers in Utah (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile) to identify cellular reinforcement solutions for LaVell Edwards Stadium. Working with several campus departments, each carrier has determined a solution that works best for their network. These solutions should improve basic cell phone functions such as texting and sending and receiving phone calls. Other functions, such as using mobile apps may or may not work depending upon the users phone and the specific carrier.

We anticipate the various cellular reinforcement solutions provided by the carriers will improve our fans ability to communicate using basic cell phone functions like voice and texting. The majority of the equipment has been installed and tested, but the true test will come when we have 60,000-plus fans in LES trying to use their cell phones.

Sprint and Verizon have installed and tested their cellular reinforcement systems and are set to go for the home season-opener versus Boise State. AT&T and T-Mobile are in the installation phase and should be ready to go by the UConn game on October 2.

There will be some growing pains, but the athletic department is committed to improving fan connectivity at the stadium and this is the first step in that process.

2) Wi-Fi solution for LES —Part two of the master plan is to identify a Wi-Fi solution that can accommodate a stadium the size of LaVell Edwards Stadium.

We’ve been carefully studying this issue and looking at potential solutions. It’s a major undertaking, with the biggest challenge being cost. Initial estimates for a comprehensive Wi-Fi solution for LaVell Edwards Stadium could cost upwards of $2 million, a significant investment for a venue that is used 7-8 times a year. We are working with several companies and reviewing various options, but there will not be a Wi-Fi system in place for this season. We are trying to be creative and find a solution for the 2016 season.

Improved home football schedule

When BYU determined to go independent in football the administration knew if would take a few years to develop a balanced home and away schedule.

In September 2010, when we announced that BYU would be going independent in football, athletic director Tom Holmoe explained the vision was to, “schedule games across the country against many of the storied football programs in their legendary stadiums and to have those same highly regarded programs return to Provo." This vision is now starting to happen. Over the next five seasons teams like UCLA, Mississippi State, Wisconsin, California, USC, Washington, Michigan State, Missouri, Boise State and Utah will visit LaVell Edwards Stadium, while the Cougars will face schools like Michigan State, Arizona, West Virginia, LSU, Mississippi State, Wisconsin, Arizona State and Stanford on the road or at a neutral site venue. Click HERE to see a list of future opponents.

Power 5 conference affiliation

In the survey, some fans expressed an interest to see BYU football join a major conference in the future. Holmoe recently addressed this issue.

“Right now we are independent in football,” said Holmoe. “I owe it to our football program to concentrate like crazy on the present time. I owe it to the athletic program to look to the future and make sure we are in the best position possible. The key people on campus that are involved in our athletic department are intimately aware of the current landscape in college athletics. We are doing everything we can to put our student-athletes in the best possible position for them to compete at the highest level of play, because they deserve that.”

Video and ribbon board features

As an athletic department we work hard to find a balance between creating an enjoyable game-day atmosphere full of off-field entertainment, with the need to bring in corporate sponsorship money to support the program. The survey indicated an interest in seeing more stats and replay and less commercialism during the games at LaVell Edwards Stadium. We realize there’s a fine line and we are working hard to find a happy medium.

In the past we’ve run statistical data, scores and other information every five rotations on the LED ribbon boards. This season we plan to split the LED panels and provide a dedicated stats area on the ribbon board. This will allow individual player and team stats to be a permanent part of the game day experience. We’ve also worked closely with many of our corporate sponsors to change the format of the commercials on the LED boards, video walls and the public address announcements, resulting in an approximate 38-percent decrease for the 2015 season. We are grateful to our many corporate sponsors who play a vital role in the success of BYU Athletics. Their support is critical to our success!

Stadium food options and pricing

In the survey some fans expressed concern about concession prices, while others were hoping to see more food options and additional point-of-purchase locations within the stadium. During the offseason, the athletic department worked closely with BYU Food Services to find ways to improve in these areas.

We understand that our fans tend to have large families and price is an important issue. Typically prices are set based on costs, such as food, labor and overhead. We compared our pricing with data from 40 similar institutions across the country. We learned our pricing structure is comparable to many of the other schools we studied. In addition, we will not increase concession pricing in 2015.

Though most of the locations in the stadium are run by BYU, we tried to incorporate a greater variety of local vendors into the food experience at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Some of the local vendors this season include, Melty Way, Pyro Maniacs Pizza, Cupbop, Ritas, Dickeys BBQ, Crepe Factory, Wallabys, Clarks Island Donuts, Philly Cheesesteaks, Tenney’s Pizza, Freschetta, Yodeling Moose and Kona Ice. In all, there will be 77 locations serving a wide variety of food options on game day. We are committed to providing the best possible products fresh and fast and at an affordable price.

What does the Cougar Club do?

The survey brought to our attention that many Cougar fans do not understand the critical role of the Cougar Club or the benefits associated with being a member. The BYU Cougar Club is a division of Brigham Young University and is a 501(c)3 organization. The club’s fundraising efforts help provide student-athlete scholarships, coach salaries, athletic facility upgrades and improvements, and other important projects.

The Cougar Club typically raises about $10-13 million annually for the athletic department. In 2014, the average Power 5 school (ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC) generated $17.1 million through fundraising. The top three teams in the P5 conferences averaged $33.8 million, while the bottom three teams averaged $11.2 million. We are doing a good job in this area, but to continue to compete at the highest level in college athletics we must do more. Cougar Club membership is available for as little as $5 per month. Go to the Cougar Club website to find more information about membership and benefits.